This farm sanctuary hosts coffee with cows
Better yet, you can volunteer with them.
Better yet, you can volunteer with them.
About a 45 minute drive outside of Philadelphia, you'll find a farm hiding down a driveway covered in trees and bushes. It's not until you get out of your car and walk a few minutes down the road that you see something amazing.
Rose Bridge Farm and Sanctuary is home to dozens of goats, sheep, cows, piglets, cats, camels and more. To help people understand the value these animals bring to our lives, Rose Bridge has programs like Cows & Cocktails, animal husbandry tours, goat yoga and even private cuddle sessions with cows and piglets.
I visited for the Cows & Coffee program, arriving early at 9 a.m. in the morning, in my pajamas no less, to hang out with a cow. After passing the camel and sheep enclosures, the group climbed up to the top of the farmhouse, where they host workshops and a kitchen, to find a gourmet coffee station with sauces, espressos, teas and other morning drink choices. I made an iced mocha latter and then joined the group outside to meet our cows, Dottie and Teddy.
Dottie, Micro Hereford Calf, and Teddy, a Mini Highland Calf, were hospitable hosts, greeting us with picnic blankets, chairs, and bowls of snacks – for them, not us. I fed them fruits and vegetables, they particularly enjoyed the apple sticks, and eventually they both received bottles. The morning ended with relaxing time in the field with the cows and their goat friend, who took a liking to me.
I left the experience extremely relaxed, and this is not a unique experience. Researchers found that spending time with animals, especially during "care farming," which is any structured experience of animal care, can reduce cortisol and increase oxytocin (read: reduce upset, increase happy).
Regularly interacting with farm animals can result in reduced depression and greater feelings of calm and purpose, particularly when its part of a AAI, or Animal Assisted interventions. Researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna found that simply brushing a cow can result in calmness for both the human and cow.
Rose Bridge Farm and Sanctuary accepts volunteers to help with dirty work - refilling water, moving hay, and more. But they prefer regular volunteers who can commit to one hour, one day a week. Visit their website to find out more and spend time with the lovely, calming residents of Rose Bridge Farm and Sanctuary.
