‘It calls to some people’

By Nate Delesline III

Published: October 4, 2008

Echoing off the rolling hills, Jeremy Engh’s voice stopped Patch the Border Collie in his tracks.

“You see the cow with the calf is much more aggressive towards the dog,” Engh told a crowd of about two dozen as one of the animals pierced the air with an extended moo.

Gathered at Engh’s Lakota Farm, the group was just a handful of the thousands anticipated at this weekend’s Culpeper Harvest Days Farm Tour.

Thirteen Culpeper farms and agricultural businesses have opened their gates and doors this weekend to show visitors firsthand what’s involved in taking care of business.

A 726-acre farm in Remington on the eastern edge of the county, the Lakota Farm is home to 400 head of cattle. Devon beef cattle, a breed whose ancestry can be traced back to the British, who brought them to America in the 1600s, is the farm specialty. According to Engh, the farm is home to the oldest herd of its kind in the country.

At Lakota, Engh said he avoids using the use “tons of fertilizer, feed and fuel” required in most modern cattle operations by grazing his cattle on grass only and strictly limiting the use of antibiotics. The cattle are also moved more frequently, allowing pastures to recover from grazing faster.

Besides the herding skills of the border collies, visitors also stopped by to see a newborn calf and enjoy a hayride around the vast property under Saturday’s pleasant temperatures and clear skies.

Taking in sights with his family, Fredericksburg resident Marcus Stolmar said he enjoys farm life, but said that he’s had his fill of taking care of livestock from when he was younger.

“I grew up in Germany in the countryside,” he said adding that he’ll stick with his career in the machine industry for now.

Brady Genz, who also visited with his family from Ruckersville on Saturday, agreed. “I prefer the desk job myself,” he said.

For Engh, his wife and their six kids, the day usually begins before sunrise. Engh, who said he’s basically spent his entire life on farms except for a 10-year stint in the miltary, acknowledged that farming is not for everyone.

“It calls to some people,” he said.

This is the 11th year for the Farm Tour, which continues today and runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information and a list of participating sites, go to culpeperag.org/farmtour2008.

Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or .