A Farmer’s View of the Hopkinton Fair

A trip to the Hopkinton Fair was a wonderful way to spend Labor Day weekend. The cows, goats, pigs, and sheep were spotless. Food was everywhere. (Remember: Calories from the blooming onions and corn dogs don’t count at the fair.) Local companies put their best foot forward, and midway rides and games beckon. Cowboys tested their skills on the backs of bucking bulls, and the weather was perfect – most of the time.

The fair is over for this year and all the livestock are back at the farm but I want to tell you that farmers love the Hopkinton Fair, too. It gives us a chance to proudly show our livestock, and admire animals from other farms. Farming can be a lonely job, so we relish the chance to talk shop with each other. But the fair is no holiday for us. Miles Smith Farm, the Highland Riders 4-H club, and all the farms and clubs that compete, started preparations months ago. In May, we decide which animals will be shown this year, and children register their 4-H animals. Physical exams are scheduled.

In June, the cattle have to be certified by a veterinarian as being healthy and get their rabies shots.

Once the animals are settled into their stalls, there is still more work. Like humans, cattle eat and drink at the fair. Like waiters, we deliver hay, cotton candy and taffy apples to each animal, but they drink from a common trough. (I'm just kidding about the sweets.)

For those of you who were watching for a calf from pregnant Missy, a 10-year-old Highlander cow, we are still waiting. Once the calf is born, I'll let you know!

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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, where she raises and sells pastured pork, lamb, eggs and grass-fed beef. She can be reached at cas@milessmithfarm.com.