Days Are Numbered For Two College Oxen

Print More

 

The days are numbered for two oxen that have worked the fields at Vermont’s Green Mountain College farm for more than a decade.

The Poultney college says the oxen are being retired because of injury and will be processed into beef products to be served in the college dining hall.

College officials tell the Burlington Free Press that the animals are regarded with affection, but that it’s a traditional understanding that cattle are turned into beef when their working careers end. The college farm produces vegetables and animal products for the dining hall and a community-supported agriculture program.

More than 3,000 people have signed an online petition asking that oxen be spared.

Comments are closed.