Nigh Ox Newsletter

December 2000

Leading Lewis and Clark out of the woods, student Liz Sarno puts her new skills to work.

Ox Driving

A 3-day emersion into Ox driving left our 5 students confident and comfortable working oxen. Michael Ritchert and Dan Phillips, partners in a hog farm, came to get a basic understanding in applying ox power to everyday farm applications for their operation; moving feeders, hauling feed and water, logging firewood.

Liz Sarno, whose husband participated in the Wyckoff, MN farming class, got a taste of working with these powerful draft animals. John and Jodie Nelson came up from Missouri. They've had experience with cattle and were expanding their knowledge to apply draught power to their acreage. After plowing, disking, logging and driving hitched to a wagon, everyone took a ride over to the Abbey Collection to look at the endless possibilities of animal draft power.