Kenya 2012 Farm FlipBook: A Quick Note from the Authors,


Over the course of the summer, we learned a great deal. Our project was of a very personal nature and we quickly found ourselves enthralled in the lives of others. While sometimes we would get only a glimpse into our farmer’s lives, other times it felt like we got a lot of their story and we shared some wonderful moments with each and every one of our enlisted farms. In the final weeks of the project, we asked each farm to pose for a picture of us together with their calf. Our intentions were to simply get a quick shot of us with each of our farmers and their animal to print off (we brought a photo printer) and give out to the farms as a keepsake of the project and also, in part, because it was the best present we could think of. Many of our farmers had never seen a photo of themselves so were eager to see their moment in the spotlight and we were all to happy to supply them with it. One farmer even told us she was going to put her picture up in a frame on their wall with the pictures of her parents and relatives. We had such a great time with the photos, as is reflected in the numerous attempts we had to make at each farm, so we decided to include some of our favorite bloopers to bring to life our efforts, struggles and eventual successes. We can’t imagine a better way to have ended off our farm visits and even though there is no way we could ever forget the people we have met in our travels this summer, it is nice to have a snapshot of our time together.  Enjoy! 

                                                     Jen Huizen and Morgan Findlay





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"Financially we have benefited from this project. About the feeding of the cow and calf, we now have the knowledge to do this properly and gain the most money. You have been checking every week to see if my cow or calf are sick, and taking care of them when they are, so fast! The calf is doing very well. I'm so grateful to you both and be blessed"

This was our first farm nolled in the study and our first calf born. This couple was just fantastic, they were so eager every week to see us, to make improvements to their farm and were working with such a small amount of land, less than .5 acres of land owned. Can you imagine being a farmer with such little land? Most of their income comes from dairy and being such a young couple they were committed to making their farm a profitable one. Not only are they fresh to farming, having just acquired this heifer before our study, but supporting a multitude of family members, we were just blown away on this first visit. We were shocked at how they had managed to fit multiple animal pens, food stores, cooking sheds, chicken coops, goat pens and the cows into this small plot. Their calf grew with amazing speed and quickly became difficult to measure without assistance. We were so proud of this farm and their dedication to us and the project and it was both sad and satisfying to drive away from their farm for the last time.

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"I have learned easy ways to increase my milk production, both to get more money and to see my animals happier. You have tried to treat my goats for worms the first time you were here, do you remember? One died but the other one was not too sick to be helped, he is so healthy and runs all over. I had no idea the signs of these very bad sicknesses and every step of the way you taught me. Now I will know and this won't happen again. I know a lot of prevention methods now overall. Like the hooves, now I can stop it from cracking and killing the cow (having to put it for butcher). Milk is better than bad meat for cheap, so thanks and thanks for this knowledge. In terms of hygiene, whey! So much learning, especially about the dirt in the teat who knew it could travel such as this and cause the mastitis. I thought it was from things I could not stop, now I can stop it and save the times of the year I couldn't sell the milk for it was so bad. I am so very happy, so very grateful. You have blessed me, now I bless you."

This was the first experience we had treating an animal during the project. Jeff and Maureen were quick to note the absolute state of anemia these goats were in and we were able to successfully (in the end) treat one of the goats who we ran into many a time in subsequent visits. The farmer always had a smile on her face, always, no matter what we asked her task we were doing on her farm. This was the farm we really were able to pinpoint the issues with the first draft(one of many) of our survey and the information gained here made other farm initial visits run more smoothly. Sometimes we would think a question was very straightforward, but after this first day we realized the definition of straight forward was far from straight. Every question had multiple different avenues of how a farmer would come to an answer for each specific question, so we needed to be more creative in how we asked specific thing. Going over the data that night was a good source of entertainment, as we had so many strange or misunderstood questions and answers. We are so grateful this woman was so extremely pleasant, as we had to go back and clarify some questions, and we were impressed that she stood through the entire hour (or over) it took to go through the survey and some confusing statments. For these reasons this farm was in many ways our trial and error farm and we are so thankful to them for their time and patience, it really did aid our further efforts.

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"I have gotten more knowledge on how to feed cows and my milk production has gone up because of the proper feeding and the calves is growing better than before. I have gained two daughters because of this project and forever they will be in my heart. [You girls] better talk to me more because even when [you] go to Canada [you] will have to be listening to [your] mother. God bless."


From the moment we met this farmer, we were instant friends. Over the course of our time here, we became her daughters. In fact, we even got a grandmother out of this farm, as our farmer had us meet her husband's mother who she supports (he passed on years ago). We shared so many laughs with this farmer and she told us so much about her life over tea and chapati. One time we were in a huge rush, it was the first farm of the day and due to issues with the accounts etc. we were already running roughly two hours behind and were pretty much stressed to the max, so when she told us she had tea and food ready we told her we'd have to pass until next week. Nope, this wouldn't do. She knew we needed to sit down, have some good food with a friend and relax a bit in order to better take on our day. Of course, as mothers always are, she was right. This got us laughing and before we knew it the day had blown by. It's great that even against Godfrey's insistence she kept on her characteristic hat, a massive mushroom looking wool cap, that she wore even on a hot sunny day. Anything to hide her hair. We guess her fondness for us was reciprocal, as her farm found itself with a calf Jennifer and two bull calves, Mr. Jeff 1 and Mr. Jeff 2 (Morgan and Maureen were let down that the calves weren't girls). Everyone had to laugh when we would do the survey, as Priscilla would begin "How much calf starter has Mr. Jeff 1 had to eat this week?" This farmer shared with us so much, not just about herself, but about her family and aspirations. One of the funniest moments at this farm has to be the day we finally decided to bring along a camera on our farm visits. We asked Priscilla to take some photos of us just doing regular routine work on the farm but of course Godfrey saw this as a chance to direct a photo shoot. All of a sudden he had the camera, was telling the farmer to do one thing, Morgan to place her hand here and look here and Jen to jack the tail of the cow and turn to the camera and smile. This scenario turned into a series of sideways, out of focus photos where all that's going on is that we're cracking up awkwardly standing amongst some cows. Like many of the farmers here, we know she will have a hard time believing she may never see us again, but in this case, we feel similarly. It is hard to imagine that weeks, months, or even years will go by without our weekly visits to her farm. Luckily for us this was one of our first farms to be enrolled and one of the last to finish, so we got to max our time with her, but no amount of concrete time will ever really be enough with her. We wish this farmer the best of luck in the future. We figure if she has been able to handle all life has thrown at her this far before we came, she surely can do it after we leave, even though we'd like to continue to be here to hold her hand through it.

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"We have gained a lot of knowledge about raising calves. Before we did not know they needed to be fed differently and also we have never given so much milk for so long before. We believe our cow gives more milk because of being in the study."

The first time we were here, was one of the first times we encountered the masses of children which from that point on continued to follow us around no matter where we were in the country. When we first pulled up to this farm, we were a bit confused as to where Godfrey was taking us. Why were we going to a shopping centre? But low and behold, behind the shopping centre was this farm. Her cows were so well natured and unlike other cows, didn't try to kick us or smash us against boards while we were trying to do our physical exams, in fact, these ones barely even required restraint for the milk samples. As we did our initial survey, and tried to stumble over Kikuyu words, a score of children stood beside a water collector on a hill behind us, dying of laughter the entire time. When Morgan hit her back on the fence trying to get into the pen the kids went insane, pointing and laughing. During the following rectal exam they were nearly in tears. This farm never got less strange to us pulling in, greeting locals sitting outside of their storefronts which ranged from beauty shops to convenience stores, but we did become quite fond of it over time. While we did struggle to get a usable photo (another example of the lack of experience people here on average have with having their photos taken) we did manage to get a decent shot, but it required Jen threatening to tickle them or, as it turned out, hugging them both to get them to smile.

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"I have learned how to trim the feet, to prevent mastitis, how to best feed my cow. You have tried so very hard to save my calf but it was so young and had to die. You put a blanket on him and showed us how to keep him warm, we are so grateful you tried to help us. About the cleanliness of the cow I have learned a good deal, as well as I never knew how to best milk the cow for less blood and clumps. I also know now how to give a balanced diet, which is best for my pocket and the cow. Good for me all over. Thank you, once over, God bless."


While this farm was a sad one for us, it was a very important learning experience. The calf was born around a month premature, and despite our numerous attempts to revive it, aid it, or even after watching it appear to get better, it eventually passed on. From this we learned a great deal about the warning signs of young calves for example that they are prone to having weak lungs. The calf when sitting would fall to its side which was a major problem as the lungs in such a weak state were liable to collapse, suffocating the calf. The calf also had incredibly weak joints, which gave us a very good reference point when examining other calves legs throughout the rest of the study. It was constantly cold, so we learned clever ways to try to keep it warmer such as using old dried food bags etc. as blankets, all small things we could do with little cost to the farmer in this time of crisis. Even after the calf passed on, the farmers continued to be beyond the point of grateful to see us and never said a discouraging word about the loss of their calf. We both (and the farmer herself) learned a valuable lesson in dealing with at risk calves and we used this information as a guiding tool for much of the rest of our initial calf visits.

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This farm was unlike many of our other farms, for the mere fact that we dealt with different individuals nearly every time we were there. This taught us the value in using past weeks information as reference guides and to validate every week the information we were getting. The main farmer worked in town (which one, we are still unsure) and the few times we saw the farmer himself, involved picking him up from the side of the road at various points of the day and driving him to his farm (and then back to town again). This was a good practical display of typical life in Kenya. Schedules are suggestions, subject to last minute changes.

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"The cow is producing more milk. I did it! I fed the calf and cow exactly how you told me, do you see the result? I have people telling me the calf looks twice its age, 3 months or more because he is huge! Very very huge! I didn't know there was so many formulas and ways to be knowing exactly what to do. I didn't know at all to be feeding the calf water, let alone vitamins, these are both a first for me. So much knowledge and sparked in me many ideas. Like now I must be thinking about the food changing with the milk production and vice versa, for more milk, more foods. With this power, I shall increase and increase. I can get more income, which is more income for me, my family, and for the cows, for us all. Thank you, God bless."

It would be hard to write about this farm without stating that it was one of our favourite farms for a variety of reasons. Not only was Morgan partial to the cow (which was, in its right, quite a beautiful cow, especially by Kenyan standards) but both the cow, calf and farmer were such pleasant individuals. There was even a gate! How considerate is that. This farm never saw us falling on our butts in the mud or struggling over boards and the health of the animals only increased throughout our time spent here. The farmer was so willing to adopt any or all changes we suggested and keen to make his farm a glowing example, which it was by the end of the project. One memorable moment was on our first visit, the mud pit Jeff found himself knee deep in. He had for some reason forgotten his boots and was clad in sneakers, which did not bode well for the mud pit he was teetering over when we looked and saw him struggling to reach to do a rectal. One foot was positioned on the front of the mud pit, the other just on the edge of the other side of it, and he was grasping onto a board while thrusting his other arm into the cow. All of a sudden, without even a display of shock, Jeff's left foot went slowly, and smoothly, straight into the mud pit. Maureen was none too thrilled about dealing with this later and he got an earful about forgetting his boots. Trust us, Jeff never forgot them again and luckily, Francis our cook has a passion for cleaning shoes/boots. On our last visit, while getting the photo, we literally tried three entirely different angles to get this photo. We had a hard time capturing the nature of both the calf and farmer in the photo, but we took enough photos to get one that came close.

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"We have learned a lot about feeding cows and calves, especially about calves. Our calves have never been so healthy and good as this year's is. We were helped with vitamins and especially calf starter, which we have never been able to decide to spend money on before, but now we know how much to feed and that it works without risking our own money. Our milk production has gone way up in a way we were not even expecting."

This farm had another one of those shocking moments for us, which we would be hard pressed to ever forget. When doing the survey, we realized the calf was literally living in the living room. When we asked them to show us where the calf was staying and they took us to a small building (here often certain rooms are separated from other structures), opened the padlock, moved a coffee table and a bookshelf and pointed to a small wet looking spot in the corner, we were both kind of stunned. They had never had experience taking the calf out of where it was tied out during the day outside, and this required Maureen's expert skills in tying the rope around the calf bum and literally shoving it up the hill, luckily speed was on her side, meaning that the direction the calf wanted to run was the same way she was trying to get it to go. This was one of the first farms that took our advice on trimming the hooves. This farm was also very notable for the common visitor who seemed to somehow time his visits to coincide with ours. He was a bit out there, but very eager to tell us about some exchange program he had done in Montreal in the 1970s. He sure had a lot to say about this experience and was very upset when his well worn copy of JFK's memoirs fell in the mud while he was talking to us one day. In fact, it took us a few times to realize he had in fact, no real connection to this farm, we mostly realized this when he would pop up at other farms, saying they were his parents, friends, etc. He was also quite eager to ask us why his cow wasn't getting pregnant and wanted a definite solution to his problem, even though we never even saw his animals. Our mystery man never really gave us his name or any other information, but we did spend a good deal of time talking with him over the course of our time here, and he was not easily forgettable.

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"We have benefited from the knowledge the study has given us. Our milk production has gone much higher than previous years and the calf is growing healthier and bigger than any we have ever had."

This farm was memorable for its absolutely stunning calf. We both have pictures of what we often called our "perfect calf", a good sized brown and white little calf, with an adorable face and a love of the camera. We couldn't believe that this calf came out of the mother, who was by far, one of our smallest cows both in girth and height. The calf pen was also one of the most notable ones we encountered. It was so well designed, a small detour of the main house really, the roof extended to cover it and it was built with one wall being the house exterior wall. It was comfortable, soft, and the calf was always spotless on our visits. The farmers were also in themselves a delight to work with. Even though in their photo we had a hard time getting them to smile, we saw many of them on our countless visits, and they were quick to implement any changes we suggested. Often during our visits part of their extended family was in attendance and we got a few good shots with the older women supported by the farm. Most of their income came from dairy, even though they only had two cows, but they were good at their profession and with any luck, will continue to prosper in the future.

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"The cow was not a cow at first in your visits, she was a heifer, now she is a big, full cow. She has improved both in her health and ability to produce milk ever since you have been coming. I have the knowledge to treat and prevent things like lameness and mastitis. I also know about the cleanliness of the cow and calves and how important this can be for them to live and live well. The morale of this story, that I shall be keeping the cows and calves forever because of you."


These farmers were just wonderful people. The old man who ran the farm was quite a character and so generous it was unbelievable. On our very first visit we had to beg and plead our way out of acepting the excess of food he wanted to give us as thanks for coming. A giant bag of eggs and a huge branch directly cut off a banana tree were stuffed into our trunk, wow! These gifts,in their eyes, were really only a small token to mark our weekly visits but we greatly appreciated their continuous generosity. We never got to see this calf, as it was still born, and we grieved another lost calf. We were devastated at this loss, but of course, the farmer continued on with the study just as keen as ever and ready to see changes in his animals. By the end of the study he was able to buy another cow, so hopefully his luck will turn around. This was also the first farm we encountered a young bull, which brought up the inevitable question, what do we do with it? There was no place in our survey form for it, let alone any questions about it, so we had to make a quick judgement about what to do about it or what information to gather from it. We decided bulls over twelve months we wouldn't examine, but if the calf was under 12 months then we would include it. So we spent some time with a good deal of animals on this initial visit. One hilarious moment at this farm, was during one of our many rainy visits, we saw a very clever "Kenyan waterproof" clock radio. This involved a plastic bag covering the radio with a hole in the top for the antennae. When Jen took a photo of this, we had many questions about why she was taking the photo, only to find out they had concluded it was so she could figure out what dial the radio was on, so we could listen to the station later. A great Kenyan moment, one of the many we will leave here recounting with fondness and a laugh or two.

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"I have learned a lot from you both. About feeding, about preventing and treating mastitis, especially as my cow has inherited a sensitivity to it from her mother and you taught me why this has occurred. Also about lameness I am now knowing the hooves need to be trimmed. God bless you and be with you."

This farm was a sprawling farm for sure, we were very unsure where it began or ended. There were animals somehow fit into whatever space was open, or not open. Many changes occurred on the farm during the study, none of which per say on our request, most for unknown reasons, like the calf pen moving without even Godfrey being aware of it. This leads us to the point that there were many people employed on this farm. A multitude of men and boys were working on things all over the farm while we were there every week. This farm alsohad some of the biggest cows in the study which the farmer was very proud to hear about.

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"A lot of improvement has been seen in my cow from feeding well and the calf is growing so well. The cow is doing well as well because you dewormed her and our other cows are benefitting from this. I have learned so much about the food and vitamins. God Bless."

This farm was another one where we learned a great deal. From lameness, to late calving, to how to try to restrain a calf that literally ran away, out onto the street, to avoid its photo being taken. This farm was another example to us of the resourcefulness of farmers here, as when the cow became lame to the point of being recumbent, the farmer literally moved it to an in-construction house so she could have shelter and a more level surface. We spent a lot of time teaching the farmers how to properly clean out the sores which the cow amassed during the time she was down and how to care/soak the broken hooves it suffered from. Unfortunately we were unable to see the end result of our efforts, but we trust the farmer will continue to work on the health of the cow in the coming months while it recovers. On our last visit the farmer gave us the biggest bag of avocados we had ever seen and we had to find ingenious ways of using them all before they went bad.

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"The knowledge I got from you? So very good, it has helped me. Also your pellets and feeds have been of great aid to us, especially this year. The calf is very healthy, maybe too big to handle! I also didn't know to give it water at all."

This farmer we could recognize from a mile away because of his characteristic hat (which we got him to remove for the photo, a difficult task). Jen fell more than once trudging, or rather skillfully sliding, down the somewhat steps cut out of the hill leading to the cow pens. This farm was sadly a foreshadowing of what the rest of the trip's weather held of us, rain, rain and more rain. Every time we were at this farm it was raining, or pouring, which made the climb even more of a challenge. It was amazing to note that we never saw the farmer struggle with the footing as we did. People here are so accustomed to trekking through this, it must be a sixth sense. Despite the rain this farmer was always as happy to see us as we were him.

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"You have been so very nice to me and I am so happy to have met you. Feeding well gets more milk for me and you have shown me this. I now have the knowledge to go forward into the future, always feeding the best for my money. I know what the future for my cow and calf will be now, a good one, where they are healthy and giving lots of milk."

This farm was juxtaposed to the farms where we had premature calves, it was nearly a month late! The calf pen was maybe the second most difficult to get into, it required ripping off a vertical board and somehow squishing yourself through this space. Morgan struggled given her height. What an understatement. This calf also went for a joy ride when we were trying to get its photos, going on a mad dash around the farm perimeter, which Jen on the first visit described as a banana plantation. The first time we visited this farm it was the end of a very long, hot, humid day with Jeff and we had to trek a massive, long hill which had a subsequently massive incline. The visits to this farm will have to continue after we leave in order to collect the last few weeks of data and we wish we could have seen the end result of the two months with this calf. If it continues to grow in physical size and personality as it had already, Lucy (Wakulima staff)may have quite a struggle on her hands by the end of the study as she completes the final visits.

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" This is our first time for our cow to produce more milk. We've been helped with cash by you so we don't need to spend all our funds on food for the cows, instead, we get money from the cows, more than ever before! Now we have money for food and money to save for later, this is something we have never done before. We now have money for other things. We've seen changes compared to other calves in comparison to our's because our calf is so healthy and is doing so well."

Jen found herself doing laundry many a time at this farm. This was due to the fact that the cow just loved to spray runny manure all over us during the physical exams. Either with her tail, flipping her head, or attempting to kick us, this cow had it out for us. Granted, the farmer told us that she was worried on our first visit, as we were only girls and the cow hated girls, it liked only men. This was quite true, as we learned over later visits. The husband always had to collect the milk and even then, he had quite a difficult time doing so. The milk sample got spilled many a time. Getting the calf out for the photo was quite a scene. The farmer was using a hammer to remove the nails holding the boards in place of the pen, the calf was splayed every which way trying to get out, only to end up head first in the (confusing) barbed wire in front of the pen. The farmer was then trying to wrestle the calf through the wire and bushes. Once he finally got it to where we needed it for the photo, the farmer was spun around a few times with the merry-go-round which was the calf trying to get away. We'll never forget the hilarious moments we encountered at this farm, simply trying to do our job.

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"The best part of my experience? You! To see you was the best part of the project. I have learned a lot from you on how to be feeding my cows and I am very, very, very happy every day you have been here. The dairy meal you have provided was a surprise to me and also, I am so very happy about all this new money! From the cows, the milk (both the extra milk now producing by the cow and the money credited from the milk for my calf) and hopefully, selling the calf soon. I really was not expecting any of this when Gerald told me I could be in your project. You've been coming so much, my only wish is that you come more, maybe twice, maybe three times a week please! Maybe we can ask the Canadian government to speak with the Kenyan government to give you a visa, or I can speak to them. This way, with a visa, you can come back and visit over and over for a long time. My calf is healthy, I am good and God bless you both."

Where to begin. What a wonderful woman with an unreal personality. We say unreal because she was quirky, a bit off the scale and her sense of humour was one you can't help but laugh along with. She had great characteristic gestures as well. A lot of things were done with three hand movements. The first, a pushing forward movement, the second a hands on the hip and the third a slap of the hands and a 'bah'. When we would leave she would come to the gate with us and do a little backwards dance as we left waving and laughing. On top of this, her farm had one of the nicest set ups even the first time we went. Jeff took pictures of it and called it the "Bora Shamba" or excellent farm. She had a set up for the manure to fall down the hill beside the pen and even a collecting vat for it, which then fertilized her many, many fields of passion fruits, of which we received more than we can even keep track of. She had a concrete floor in the pen, which was level, she had gates, even the calf pen had a gate and a coat hanger on it. She even had a light hooked up for when she milked the cows at night. There was a continuous water supply for the cows, with a hose attached to the trough so there was never any water sitting around and the cows were never thirsty. Where do we stop describing this farm, we could go on for an entire post about it, easily. We certainly have enough photos too. Sorting through the photos to chose for the flip book we were renaming the files and finally realized we had over 18 photos we wanted to include. We'd love to see her again, maybe she will do as she says and get a visa, or speak to the government for us. Who knows, maybe one day you'll find us back here living in her home for good, we think she'd be just fine with that. This was one farm where at least Jen had a tear in her eye leaving, and it was probably one of the ones which was the most difficult to say goodbye to. Partially because we didn't want to leave and partially because she couldn't come to terms with the fact that we were actually leaving and had to ask three separate times, "so you'll come back next week?" We wish. Something tells us this is a farm we will never forget.

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