5:30 A.M. is when our day began as we ventured our way down to the Cory Farm. The first thing we participated in was the milking of the goats. It was a skill to squeeze the utter just right but as soon as I got it down, it was very easy. You have to squeeze at the upper part and bring that pressure down with the rest of your hand so it goes out. It was cool to do, and the goat was very calm. The next thing we did was move the fence so that the sheep and cattle could graze in a new area of the pasture. They move the fence daily, so the sheep and cows have new grass to eat as well as to keep all of the land fertilized. It was easy to move and was also electrically charged at 4, which Mr. Cory, our host said keeps the predators out. The way he moved the sheep from one area to another was awesome. He just called, “Sheep, sheep, sheep” and the whole herd came running towards him. It was like he was a sheep whisperer. Once they were moved, we went to the wet land part of the land and took some water out of the ground to water the sheep and cattle, since there is no other source of water for the animals in the pasture. The animals drink about 300 gallons a day, so they had to make sure they had enough water daily because the heat was so strong and their was no shade available. Once all of this was done we laid some baled hay down for them to munch on because they aren’t used to an all-grass diet just yet, and we took a sick lamb out of the field. It was so sad listening to it cry in pain because it couldn’t breath with the respiratory issue it was having. Tom said it was a twin and must not have developed right in the womb. When we got back to the house, it had unfortunately died. It was really sad. After the animals, it was time to work in the garden. We laid down cardboard, and topped it with mulch compost to keep the weeds from growing. I had never seen this practice before, but they said in a few months it would all be gone. Finally it was time for lunch and a break from the heat. We went inside and ate the asparagus we picked earlier that morning along with lamb chops, bread, and potatoes. The sides were good, but I did not eat the lamb. The fermented vegetables were not my favorite either. They were big on the idea that we should not eat processed food and wanted to distance themselves from all additives in food. They mentioned that gluten was in every item in the grocery store except the laundry aisle. Also, as we know from King Corn, high fructose corn syrup is in many items as well. They ensured that their children ate healthy and natural and did not want them having foods that were processed. They told us that they had more energy and felt better than they had been before when they had the normal food which is what the people from Fed Up said as well. I thought it was also interesting the home remedies that they had. They have done a lot of research and reading about what to mix and what naturally works to heal the body. I thought that was cool and something you don’t see too often. I will definitely try some of the home remedies if I get the chance or for some minor things, but if anything major happens I will for sure be going to the hospital. The Cory family seemed very on top of things and very busy as well. I liked visiting their farm, but wish we had a little more time just to talk. I was curious about their views on natural death and other things, but i did enjoy the time there.

The next thing we did was go to the ethanol plant. We learned the steps that were involved in turing corn into ethanol. It seemed similar to the biodiesel plant though. He went through the steps from corn to ethanol and: you grind up the corn, mix it with water, add enzymes to break down the starch, disk the mill, so the liquid goes through and pulls out the fiber, then they grind it, do the process of liquefaction to let the sugar break up the enzymes, ferment it, add yeast and enzymes to create sugar that the yeast will consume. Next they ferment it, distill it, purify it, and remove the 5% excess water, and lastly add natural gas to poison it so there is not trouble with people trying to steal 200 proof alcohol. It was cool to see the all the steps involved and to stand on the corn grate. All in all it was a busy day, but a neat one.

Also, we stopped at the store and got Kombucha. It is an acquired taste, but not necessarily bad. The only thing that was a little weird is you cannot shake it. I thought it was good to try and will try to get my taste buds more acquired to the taste because it is so good for you.