John Deere Africa | Story Time | Meet Forever Farm

Meet Forever Farm. There's a wonderful place in the world of John Deere kids. It's known as Forever Farm, where the crops and tractors are all bright green, the barn is a beautiful red, and the cute, cuddly animals all want to be your best friend. Lets get to know a few of the Forever Farm animals you'll be seeing here at John Deer. Kids. Look. It's Doodle the rooster. Guess who the first one up each day is here at Forever Farm. That's right. Doodle's loud crowing wakes us up just as the sun appears in the morning sky. Roosters like to guard the area where the hens live. They often hop up on a fence post or other objects to keep an eye on things like Doodle. They are very colorful. And also like Doodle, they actually crow and make a lot of noise all day long. Our dog is named Mo. He's a very special dog, a sheep dog, and he helps us take care of the sheep and other animals on the farm. Sheepdogs are very trustworthy and protective dogs constantly on the go. Dogs like Mo pay close attention to any new people or other animals that come onto the farm and make sure that they will not harm the animals that live there. Nellie is our horse. She's kind of our leader here at Forever Farm with a fun, outgoing personality and the ability to keep things organized and under control. The largest horses can grow to be as big as six feet high at their shoulders and weigh nearly 2,000 pound. They love to run and can gallop at 30 miles an hour. They have the largest eyes of any land mammal, excellent vision and a keen sense of hearing. Here's our new colt. His name is Smitty. He doesn't do much yet except run around in the pasture and look cute. But that's okay. We love him just the way he is. Smitty is called a colt because he's a male horse under the age of four. If he was a female, he'd be called a filly. Once he turns 4, he'll be called a stallion. Meet Belle, our cow. She's actually a dairy cow. That means we milk her twice a day. She's our biggest animal here at Forever Farm. But she's also kind, gentle and wise. The other animals love to come to her for advice and good conversation. On average, cows weigh about 1500 pounds. They like to hang out together in the pasture, eating grass, wheat, hay and feed grain. But they don't sleep much. The average cow sleeps less than four hours a day. Hey, it's Jubilee, our new Calf like Smitty. She's just learning her way around Forever Farm. And like Smitty, we think she's pretty cute to have around. When they're born, calves aren't exactly small. They already weigh close to a hundred pounds. Whether they're male or female, we call them calves until they're about one year old. Then a male becomes a bull and a female becomes a heifer. Rudy is our popular pig. He's into everything and everyone's business, but he's a good sport, likes to tell jokes, and is well liked by all of the other animals. Like other pigs, Rudy has a large head and a long snout, which helps him dig into the soil to find food along with what they might find. Pigs are usually fed corn and soybean meal. On average, pigs have 44 teeth, so they're pretty good at eating things. And with 2 billion pigs on our planet right now, they're one of the most numerous large mammals. If you think Rudy's fun, you'll love Lou. He's our new piglet. Cute as a button. He'll roll around in just about anything and squeal so much with delight, you can't help but join in. You can already tell, though, that while he's a little clown, Lou is sharp as a tack. Pigs in general are very intelligent, and while they're growing up, you can actually train them like dogs. But one thing they don't like is being picked up by their stomach, so watch out for that. Every farm needs an adorable little lamb, and ours is named Bobby. All the animals at Forever Farm look out for Bobby, especially Mo, and make sure he's always safe, secure, and happy. Lambs are certainly one of the cutest animals on a farm. They stay close to their flock for protection and and learn from others. Lambs generally prefer to eat grass. Their hair is called wool, which is used to make clothing and many other products. They have excellent hearing, and the unique design of their eyes actually allows them to see behind them without turning their heads. Bobby's best friend at Forever Farm is Buck, a goat. Sometimes people think they are twins. And while sheep and goats are similar, they're very different types of animals. Young goats are called kids. It's often said goats will eat anything, but they're actually very picky eaters, preferring shrubbery, weeds, and hay. They are also extremely curious and intelligent and can be trained to do things like pull carts. They're also known for escaping from their pens. Guess Mo better keep an eye out for Buck as well as Bobby. Well, we hope you've enjoyed this introduction to Forever Farm. Be sure to look for Nellie Belle, Moe and others as you travel around John Deere kids. They're featured in some of the coloring pages, puzzles and mazes you can download. And if you'd like to learn more about farms, the John Deere machines that work the fields, and the amazing animals that live there, don't miss our wonderful books and videos@johndeergifts.com and at your nearby John Deere dealer. Take care.