Welcome to the September Newsletter!

Welcome to the Newsletter,

It is still Daphné Rose Courtès telling you her terrible, fun, and weird life stories.

Well, we had some very sad news this month. The owner of the farm, we thought we could buy and live on forever, has decided to sell to move in with his girlfriend in Outaouais. Even after asking us if we wanted to follow him, this felt very sad in my heart.

Suddenly, the weight of the world I was navigating started crushing my shoulders. My master’s degree, my logging business, maintaining my vehicles, keeping my horses alive, training this nervous 3-year-old in the woods, dealing with a newly added puppy, 22 laying hens, and 2 sheep on the way.

My world crumbled… I needed to rehome my operations, and this would be my third move this year…. Alone… after only 2 months at this place. Let’s just say it took a month for me to catch my breath again and jump right back into life with a solution.

Some of you might know/feel the energy that lives inside me… It wasn’t easy to revive the flame, but I sure did. I was low enough that I thought about selling my horses and everything I owned. Pffft, imagine!

Instead, we found a farm to move to in December! But the thing is that there is no electricity or running water in the shack that I’ll move into… this is going to be an interestingly harsh Québecois winter. We’ll see. I must finish my master’s degree before moving in and do some logging in my area.

On another note, we had a wonderful visit from Rachel Bower! She drove the horses better than I did. It’s always interesting to witness people that don’t have a team drive my team with such ease. There is something to be said about the flexibility required to drive anybody’s team and the compassion you need to bring in because you have to make it work. Rachel also happens to be a great teamster. 

We are also getting ready for the Draft Animal Power Network Field Days at Shelburne Farms, Vermont, this October 2nd to 4th! And just before that, we will be at the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine! Very big travel plans for a team that has gone through such life events, but we are very excited!

Enjoy this newsletter with an article about how Claus Kropp and his family work cattle on their farm and other tidbits on the Draft Animal Power Network.

Sincerely,

Daphné Rose Courtès

The Making of an Ox-Powered Small Farm

By: Claus Kropp

Photo above: Draft cow Belle (Vosges Cattle, France) and Anne (Original Brown Cattle, Germany) getting ready to pull some firewood. They are both harnessed in an adjustable three-pad-collar.

Together with my wife, our four children, another family of friends, and other like-minded people, we founded Oxfield Farms a few years ago. Oxfield is a small-scale farm where we engage in crop farming, hay production, poultry farming, landscape conservation, fruit growing, and dairy farming. We strive to operate in closed-loop systems and use our own manure to fertilize our land. We also produce our own chicken feed and grain feed for the dairy cows. I think it’s important to note that Oxfield Farms is not our main job, but rather something we do on the side. Our goal here isn’t to make money, but to provide ourselves and our small community with fresh food. It nevertheless shapes our or at least my way of life deeply. 

Photo above: Plowing with our single ox Enjo (Raetian Grey Cattle, Switzerland). He is now 4 and capable of doing all farm tasks.

The linchpin of this operation is our farm’s own draft cattle. We currently have six oxen and two cows at various stages of training. Our long-term goal is to use the cattle to handle nearly all aspects of farm operations. In some areas, we’re already doing quite well: this year, for example, we were able to cultivate a large portion of our arable land using only animal power, and our potato field was also worked entirely by one of our oxen. We also were able to get a good amount of firewood out of the forest with our cattle. In other areas, there’s still room for improvement. When it comes to hay production, we still rely more on modern machinery, and mowing on the large hay meadows is done with a tractor. However, we’ve already been able to mow smaller areas with the cattle or by hand, and then turn and rake the hay using animal power. We now also have our own hayloft to store more loose hay. A few weeks ago, we also began using one of our draft cows to remove and move the still-essential round bales from the stack. Another important step in the right direction! We used a rope to turn the bale off the stack.

We’re currently building our own manure cart. The first version probably won’t be able to tip on its own yet, but it’s important to us to be able to start working with it soon. While we’ve often worked with small manure sleds using individual animals and three-pad collars. The new manure cart is now intended to be pulled by our young team of Original Brown Cattle (an old german breed), with whom I work using the bow yoke. 

Photo above: The newly built manure cart with our young team of Original Brown Cattle oxen Doc and Marty.

I hope that, perhaps as early as one or two years from now, we’ll be able to do almost entirely without modern machines that run solely on fossil fuels. And we’re not doing this out of protest or to prove anything to ourselves, but because I believe that in today’s world, it’s necessary to take paths that are both new and time-tested—paths that lead us toward a new form of resilience, toward a future with many small farms and, at the same time, greater independence from the constraints of global markets. 

by Claus Kropp, Germany

Photo above: Bud and Spencer, our young team of Cachena Cattle (Spain), they just turned one in July.

Photo above: Bruno, our 2.5 year old Hinterwälder ox (old heritage breed from Germany) pulling some manure in sleds.

Classifieds

For Sale: This Bobsled Sleigh is in great condition, stored under cover, has two seats, a pole for a team and shafts for a single horse. 
Please email if interested for price and directions to see it. We are located in Cabot, Vt.
Contact Lynn juneiris@fairpoint.net

Committee Updates

Events

Our committee reviewed registration numbers thus far,  scheduled more meetings for more nitty-gritty details and voted on some merch choices.  We also reviewed our very gracious sponsors whom we are endlessly grateful for!!

Events Calendar

Have a draft animal related event you’d like to see on this calendar? Fill out our Events Submission Form and our volunteers will add your event to our calendar! 

Introduction to Working with Draft Cattle

September 27; 10:00 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m. Lorsch, Germany

Have you always wanted to get a taste of the world of draft cattle training and work? Then this course is perfect for you. The one-day course covers an introduction to cattle behavior, harness knowledge, training options, and finally, suitable fields of work for draft cattle. In addition to theoretical sessions, the course offers the opportunity to gain initial practical experience with various training cattle.

Course fee: €100 per person, including meals and course materials

Registration: c.kropp@kloster-lorsch.de — Registration deadline: March 16 and September 20

Draft Animal Power Field Days 2026

October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th 2026 at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne VT.

Visit https://www.draftanimalpower.org/field-days for more information!

Agricultural Work with Draft Cattle

October 11, 10:00 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m. Lorsch, Germany

Draft cattle can be used in a variety of ways in agriculture. Whether in arable farming, grassland management, or fruit growing, cattle can find suitable tasks. This one-day course aims to introduce the specific agricultural training of cattle and, above all, present the different fields of work and provide practical exercises. It will cover machinery and equipment operation, as well as aspects of occupational safety and economic efficiency.

Course fee: €100 per person, including meals and course materials

Registration: c.kropp@kloster-lorsch.de — Registration deadline: October 1

Horses Strong

On August 28th and 29th, 2027 in Dörentrup, Germany, the next big festival of working horses will take place once again on the grounds of Wendlinghausen Castle and Estate in Dörentrup! Thousands of guests from Germany and abroad will gather to celebrate this special event!  Visit here for more information.