Summer at McCray’s Farm is looking pretty different this year.
The Western Massachusetts dairy is in the middle of transitioning to agritourism, and the season is in full swing. Sunflower picking is open, mini golf is running, and the summer concert series just kicked off. Families now come for an afternoon out, taking in all of it at once.
Sunflowers at McCray’s Farm during its transition from dairy to agritourism
But the full story is a little more layered than a sunflower field and a round of mini golf.
Around 130 cows are part of this transition, among them yearlings and male calves who would otherwise be sent to slaughter since they can’t produce milk. For each of them, a different future is now possible.
Animal Outlook’s Farm Transitions Program is working with McCray’s Farm to make that future real. The plan is to move these cows to sanctuary in stages, starting with the ones who need it most: the yearlings, the male calves, and the newborns. We’re building a fundraising plan to make it happen, and we’re hoping to send the first cows this year. How many, and how soon, depends on the support we raise.
This is what a real transition looks like: not a single finish line, but cow by cow, season by season, built alongside a farmer who’s choosing a different path.
Cashew and Finnigan already know what that path leads to. The two calves arrived at Peace Farm Sanctuary, where a trip to slaughter has been traded for retirement instead.
Cashew and Finnigan, two calves, at Peace Farm Sanctuary. Photo credit: @robbiepotterart
This is exactly what Animal Outlook’s Farm Transitions Program is built for. Not just ending an operation, but building something that works better for everyone: for farmers, for the community, and for animals.