An Extraordinary Day - Attia

Today was a very extraordinary day. We were able to experience some of the Amish lifestyle. All the things you thought about the Amish is only partial, because there is so much more information on them that I couldn’t believe was true.

The first thing we did was visit an Amish goat farm. They used a generator to power a milking machine that milked the goats and a cooler to store the milk. This was allowed because they can use these things if it is for their job. They milk a total of 186 goats twice a day and it usually takes about an hour and a half with two people. I also learned that goats really are picky eaters, they only like to chew on everything they can get their mouths on. They also are very friendly, they love to be petted.

After the farm we went to visit a buggy shop where they build the Amish buggies. It was very interesting, even for me, because I’m not a very mechanical person. They used pneumatic tools meaning that they use air pressure to power all of their tools. For their lighting they use solar tubes to light up the room. Also the horses that pull the buggy aren’t very friendly and are kind of scary.

Mennonite are like the Amish but they use luxuries such as running water and electricity. We visited a Mennonite home were we got to eat a huge lunch. We all sat at a long table where we had to pass around food. I got to try tapioca pudding, homemade peanut butter, apple butter, and custard pie. I also got to eat mashed potatoes, pork, veggies, and homemade noodles. It was some of the most amazing food I’ve ever had.

With full bellies we made our way to our last stop was New Day Dairy, which is at a robotic dairy and believe me when I say that it is really cool. So the cows step into the milking machine where a robot arm preps the cows udder by disinfecting it and stimulating the teat. Then it uses a laser to find the teats to place the milker on them. This farm did not have many animals because they can only have as many as the system can handle. 

Overall, today was a great experience that I was very much so looking forward to. I can’t wait to see what is in store for tomorrow.