I first heard about Farm Sanctuary in a documentary about food on Netflix. I later heard about it from my aunt. She saw it online and recommended I go. Farm Sanctuary is located in Watkins Glenn, NY. Just about 2 hours from me. An easy day trip.
When I started looking into it, I was liking it more and more. They rescue farm animals. Many abused by the food industry. Their goal is for people to use less animal products and ultimately become vegan. However, when you go, they don’t push vegetarianism or veganism down your throats. They simply educate you on the food industry and it’s mistreatment and abuse of animals. They introduce you to the animals they have rescued from all over the US.
I am a huge animal lover. I have been vegetarian for years now and have been slowly cutting out dairy out of my diet here and there. I love farm animals so I was super excited to visit Farm Sanctuary. The abuse of farm animals is something I think about often and look into quite a bit.
At first we felt a little lost. I don’t know if the GPS took us a weird way or this is actually the right way to get there but I was concerned because this is how it looks for a good amount of the time.
Once we got there we signed up for the earliest tour and walked around. The room you wait in is full of info about the food industry and the ways in which they abuse animals. It is heart breaking but educational and necessary to know. We eat food all day, everyday. We should know where it comes from and how it gets to our plates.
They also have some info on some of the animals they have rescued. I was quite disappointed that one of the cows was rescued from an abuse situation from Wegman’s. I always thought Wegman’s was an ethical brand but now I’m not so sure.
Before the tour, they play you a short video about how Farm Sanctuary got started. Some parts are hard to watch but they warn you of that. A few people got up to wait outside until it was over. I watched the whole thing because it is nothing compared to some of the other documentaries I have seen. I saw Earthlings years ago. It literally changed my life. I sobbed throughout the entire thing and began cutting meat out of my diet that very day.
Outside we found a cute cat. He was sweet and friendly and had the silliest meow.
The first stop on the tour is meeting the cows. Some of the cows are friendly and like to be pet and some don’t. They did a great job of telling us which animals to steer clear from.
There was a cute baby cow they recently rescued. He is blind and easily startled so we admired him from afar.
We walked up hill a bit and came to the goats. I love goats. I think they are so stinking cute! They told us that goats are a lot like dogs in the way that they will tell you if they want to get pet or play. A lot of the goats came right up to me to get pet. A lot of them were wrestling together too!
We didn’t get to pet this goat but I enjoyed watching him. He is an injured goat in a wheel chair, relaxing under a tree.
The pen with the chickens was a lot of fun because we got to feed them! They loved getting fed. They would follow me all around for some grass. So adorable! They made it hard to listen to our tour guide. Hearing about the plight of chickens was sad and made me think. Many people have chickens as pets and say they have their own unique personalities like dogs and cats do.
Next up were the pigs. They didn’t move around much or interact with you. They were tired and lazy. They were enjoying their naps too much to be bothered with us. We were still allowed to pet them.
The babies were a different story though. They all ran up to the fence to get pet through it. They were so cute! A few even followed me as I walked up and down the fence!
Right outside of the pig pen was a pond with all different ducks and birds. They were so fun to watch because of the ways they interacted with each other and the cool and funny noises they were making! We hung out here just watching them for a long time.
After the tour they let you just walk all around for as long as you want. We came across this tiny, baby cow. He galloped over to me! I was in animal heaven! What a little angel.
Besides meeting and interacting with all of the adorable animals, it was also beautiful.
I wish I wrote this blog right after my trip because I remembered a lot more details and stories of the animals. I will say though, that this trip left a lasting impression on the both of us. We have cut out cow milk from our diets and have completely switched to almond milk. Small steps. I love animals so much and going to Farm Sanctuary definitely made an impact on my life. It was not only a fun and exciting trip, but a meaningful one too!
Farm Sanctuary has other locations too, not just upstate New York so be sure to check out their website and visit if you can!