It was an ordinary day. Recently saw a story about a farm a few miles from my house that had a caravan of camels which they used for milk. I just had to see that for myself so I hopped in the car and followed the directions that my computer had just spit out of the printer a few minutes ago.
Farm is located in the heart of the Amish country where the fields are green, roads narrow and the farming is all done by non-motorized equipment. Didn't take long to find Miller's Organic Farm located at the end of a long lane that had no power lines leading towards the farm. I drove past slowly, following an older couple on scooters who were looking and pointing. Bet they are here for the same reason I thought to myself. As I rounded a sharp curve in the narrow road I saw a head sticking out of a barn on the opposite side of the road. The Miller farm is immense it seems. Stopped and yelled out the window at the camel.
Wasn't sure what to yell at the animal, so I just yelled "Hey!" Must not know that language, since it kept staring in the opposite direction. When I looked in that direction I saw another camel up to it's knees in green grass, resting under the shade of a large tree. Then I remembered that these animals probably don't need to stay out of the heat since they are bred for very dry and arid regions where there are no trees for shade. Miller's Organic Farm is one of about a half dozen camel dairies in the nation, most operated by Amish or Plain Sect farmers.
It is part of a co-op that offers other camel products such as yogurt, cheese, butter and even milk soap. The milk tastes similar to cow's milk, but somewhat saltier. Miller's has six camels in their milking caravan. I had to Google what you call a group of camels, since I figured you couldn't use herd as you do with cows. They ship the milk all over the United States and Canada with a cost of $10 a pint. Why buy camel's milk? It seems that he sells the milk to parents of autistic children, since these parents have told Miller that they have noticed improvement in their child's vocabulary and the milk is supposed to help people with diabetes. Doctor's aren't quite sure of the powers of camel's milk, since very few studies have been done with this relatively new product. The camels are milked twice a day and will only allow milking for about 90 seconds each time.
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| Camel's milk |
The newspaper article that I read said that camels tend to be a "one-man animal" and you need to learn their traits and personality before you will be accepted by the animal. It seemed so different to see camels on a farm in Lancaster County, but if it proves to be successful and profitable, I'm sure I'll see quite a few more camel farms in the future. Just have to learn their language so I can communicate better with them. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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