[Tim Harrigan]

@Carl Russell 37581 wrote:

“soulless………. ??? Carl

What does that mean? Can’t find it in the dictionary.

[Tim Harrigan]

@Carl Russell 37577 wrote:

While I maintain that the aggressive bullying tactics used by protesters in this case are inexcusable, when we are crafting our personal or group responses let’s not focus on criticism of the content of their character, rather focus on criticism of the content of their arguments. Carl

Good point, Carl, their approach is obviously to provoke a fight based on an emotional response and causing as much disruption as possible and I am so glad that GMC did not fall for that ridiculous trick. Stick to the facts, lay them out clear and logically. When the dust settles folks will sort this out correctly and they will be ashamed of VINE and PETA….again.

This reminds me of the ALAR scare of 20 years ago, the totally fabricated controversy authored by Jeremy Rifkin and the EDF. Media grab based on lies, many good, hard working farm families, apple growers were damaged severely and many never recovered.

[Tim Harrigan]

@bendube 37541 wrote:

Hi all,
2nd- To tim- wouldn’t your data at the top of this thread suggest that two oxen in single yokes or collars with traces would work more effectively than two oxen in a double yoke, due to additional draft buffering of 4 chains rather than 1? Do you think or know that these observations would also be true for plowing and other tasks? Would the difference in draft be higher or lower?

Also, for comparing 2 animals in collars vs 2 animals in a standard double yoke, if the load is buffered much better by hitching with traces/eveners, shouldn’t that partially compensate for the fact that the collar is not suitable for “heavy duty work?” If draft is almost 20% lower, that could easily change a “heavy” job to a lighter one.

Perhaps, Ben, it would be interesting to measure. I think the horse harness would provide more buffering than I would expect to see with a three pad collar or forehead or head yokes, but interesting to measure. I do like the simplicity and ruggedness of the traditional North American neck yoke.

Keep in mind that there was a 20% reduction with a specific set of equipment with a wagon with pneumatic tires. I would not expect that to transferable to all situations and I did not measure as transferable. But we certainly have not explored all the possibilities and some of these things are still on my to-do list. I think you are equipped to measure some of these things so go to work and let us know what you discover.

[Tim Harrigan]

Elke and Anne, I am hoping this inspires a video response on yoking methods in Germany, Switzerland and related methods 😎

[Tim Harrigan]

@Countymouse 37534 wrote:

Networking…………Education…………Community

I think that all of these goals have positive and negative aspects to them. In a large event, one can simply have all parts together and then you don’t have to decide which are most critical. For a smaller event, I feel we will need to decide which aspects are critical. I think it is smartest to first decide what the specific goals are, then decide how to accomplish them, and which potential activities are least important to the goals. I think most people think this makes sense, but setting priorities is a contentious issue.

Andy, I think the struggle is in finding the right balance of these things that we value as an organization. All of our events have each of these values but in different proportions. I also see education as one of our greatest strengths and opportunities but it is made more effective in the context of the networking and community building that strengthens us as an organization. I think in events like the NEAPFD we need to provide a range of educational opportunities that range from show-and-tell type things for beginners and the curious to more advanced and detailed events that retain the interest of the most experienced practitioners. That is one of the advantages that I see in a high profile event, the high degree of networking and community building that is demonstrated with the educational opportunities.

I am curious how the board sees the full possibilities in networking and the added emphasis in this area in recent discussions. We have one of the best networking tools available in the web site. There is discussion of board members as liasons with other organizations and I am all for networking but I am not clear how this will change what we are already doing. For instance, if I act as a liason with Tillers and inform them of our events and activities and vice versa, what is the outcome that I should pursue? I know we need to think about efficiency of use of resources, financial and labor, so how do we translate additional networking more effectively from something additional to do, to greater efficiency in advancing our values and goals?

We are starting to have more discussions linking what we do and how we promote ourselves to our shared goals and values as an organization and that can only work to our advantage in building the organization. Perhaps one of the challenges is we make all our decision by committee. Necessary, but too much democracy maybe comes with a loss of efficiency. And we are a young organization trying to find our way and find what works for us. So just part of the process I guess.

[Tim Harrigan]

I agree, but it needs to happen fast. The shelf life for these things is very short, hours is probably the best measure. Beyond that, NYT or other major news outlets will forget about it and be on to the next hot topic.

[Tim Harrigan]

Andy, yes it does have a spider but I do not use is to carry my heel chains. I prefer to bring the heel chain back to the yoke and suspend it between the trace carrier and the yoke. That keeps it up high and snug. I usually just drop one end and drag the singletree with the other when I am not under load and I do not think there is much chance of catching the singletree on anything. Funny you should ask because I took a little video of that but left it out because I thought the video was getting too long. I just use the spider to keep track of the brichen straps when yoking and unyoking.

Ben, I have never used a belly band so I can’t say. Keeping the yoke in place is important, and as I mentioned to Andy, I like the trace carriers toward the back because I like to carry the traces high and tight between the carriers and the yoke when I am not under load.

[Tim Harrigan]

Anne Wiltafsky brought a couple of 3 pad collars with her last summer and left them at Tillers. They are too small for Will but I expect they will be testing them when they have a pair that they will fit. The general concensus so far has been that the 3 pad collar is not really rugged enough to hold up to some of the heavier tasks that we expect of our cattle.

[Tim Harrigan]

@Carl Russell 37495 wrote:

Just a few points to think about concerning NEAPFD…

Scale is really not the issue….. Carl

I have been meaning to make this point about planning and carrying out events but Carl did it much more eloquently than I could. It is relatively easy to scale back the number of folks who you seek to attract but the work and planning that needs to be done to pull off a class event do not scale back accordingly. Perhaps there is an element of risk that can be reduced somewhat, but the potential impact impact is reduced even more. So I think it is somewhat of a false economy to be thinking in terms of a small NEAPFD versus a large NEAPFD.

[Tim Harrigan]

Good points, Tom. It is a challenge because the EAB attacks the top of the tree first where they are hard to detect so they can be in your woodlot for quite a while before you realize it. Based on what I have seen I am pretty pessimistic about the ability to control it effectively. I do agree that a good approach is to harvest saw logs early if you have a decent market because once the EAB moves in there will be a flood of ash and the market will fall out. Long range management plans that recognize the likely loss of the ash and enhance botanical biodiversity would seem to be a reasonable approach.

[Tim Harrigan]

Ed, not sure what the site layout is at Athol, but it would be great if someone could have a table near the exit and ask folks to take a few minutes to fill out the survey and be able to briefly explain why their participation and cooperation are important to us.

[Tim Harrigan]

Regarding the survey, as I look it over I do not see any need for big changes. There are always additional things that we might like to ask, but it is important to keep in mind that the visitors have a limited amount of patience with these types of things and having too many questions can work against you.

One question we could add is something like:

After question 12, so #13 would be
Is there anything that the organizers could done differently to make this field day more pleasant or a more meaningful educational experience for you?

[Tim Harrigan]

Kevin, I would like to see a video of you driving them with a little more of a load, something that caused them to begin acting up in the past. And take at least 2 inches off the inside of each of the corners. Bows look a little low to me.

[Tim Harrigan]

Ed, I mentioned that I will revisit the visitor survey but I will need help to get it into the hands of the visitors. Jean, you were pretty closely involved last year, do you have any suggestion how to best handle it? I think it was a mix of on-site fill out the surveys and email response after the event? What is the best way to do it? Either way takes some effort but I think it will pay off over the long haul. T

[Tim Harrigan]

What follows is from the BoD minutes from I think Jan 2012. I am posting this because Athol 2011 was some of our first experience with a visitor survey, both what worked well and what could be improved. This is linked to the prior post here where I mentioned that event checklist for this event (the link in that post will take you to it) should be active right now, and it should have the names of folks by each task who are willing to be responsible to see that the task is carried out. The advantage is nothing falls through the cracks, and the many hands make light work. I am willing to revisit and refine the survey. From a grant writing perspective it is really important to be able to say that, for instance, “Most attendees planned to, or were likely to make changes in the way they managed their land as a result of what they learned at this event.”

Summary and some key implications of the Athol Survey, December 2011

1. We are reaching the desired target audience of farmers, loggers, foresters and students with an interest in draft animals.
2. Most attendees own, manage, or have an influence on the management of farm and forest land.
3. Most attendees increased their understanding of the role of draft animals in farm and forest management.
4. Most attendees planned to, or were likely to make changes in the way they managed their land as a result of this event.
5. Frequently mentioned helpful things learned included application of the equipment (scoot in this case), observation of and interaction with experienced teamsters, woodlot management principles and developing harvesting and business plans.
6. Summary of written comments for event planners:
a. More and earlier promotion of the event would have been helpful.
b. Help visitors understand what is happening when and where.
c. Strengthen the educational component, e.g. on-going commentary to help visitors understand what is needed, what is being accomplished, how and why.
d. Only a short period of time is available. Develop specific learning objectives.
e. Allow time for more interaction with the teamsters.

Harrigan’s assessment based on survey results and P&E comm discussion
There are many positives with room to improve:
1. We are reaching the desired target audience and they have the potential to change the way farmland and forest land is managed. They are actively involved with draft animals or aspire to become involved. They are learning new techniques and methods at our events but there is a lot of room to strengthen the educational component. Visitors expect to see– and need to see–animals working, but the educational content can be refined to go beyond the obvious or simply show-and-tell aspects.

2. Specific recommendations:
a. Have an adequate number of volunteers on site, easily identified, with specific responsibilities to greet, inform, and direct visitors to on-going and planned activities. Make use of handouts and signage.
b. Teamsters cannot simultaneously work and provide commentary. A knowledgeable commentator will be needed to work with the teamsters to facilitate the activities and deliver educational content. Also for crowd control and safety.
c. More pre-event coordination and planning will be required to develop specific learning objectives and determine how best to demonstrate and convey educational content.
d. Specific learning objectives should help focus event promotion. Attendees will learn how to……and why they should…… These can be the basis for written press releases that both inform and promote the event.
e. Tell them what you are going to show them, show them, and tell them what you showed them.

TMH January 5, 2012

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