Mesmerised by farm life
By Stephen Ng
It started when a low profile philanthropist gave away 14 acres of land in Antara Gapi in Mukim Serendah in 2008.
Since then, it has been turned into a chemical-free farm, which doubles up as a place where city folks and their children get to experience farm life.
It’s also kind of an educational trip for young children, as the project coordinator of Grace Community Services, Kris Gopalakrishnan, explained.
“Most people are mistaken that ‘mutton’ refers to goat meat,” he said,. “In fact, the correct name is ‘Chevon’.”
Mutton refers to meat of older than the two-year-old sheep. The sheep that are between one and two years old are known as “Hagget”, while their meat is known as “Haggis”. Lamb chops are meat from sheep that are one year old or below. “That’s why the lamb is tender,” he added.
Now, ever wondered how Mother Goose got her name? “The goose is an interesting animal,” elaborated Gopalakrishnan. “It serves very well as a watchdog in the farm. By evening, the goose would gather the other fowls back to safety. When the chicken are attacked by the people, the geese are like mothers, who protect their little children, whether their own or adopted.”
The geese do not divorce; they are usually found in a pair. “Unlike the goats, they will not have more than one mating partner, and they are forever faithful to each other. They will also take turns to hatch their eggs,” added Gopalakrishnan.
Another interesting tip offered by the 30-year-old Bachelor of Business graduate from University of Sunderland: “The turkey eggs hatch in 35 days, compared to chicken in 21 days. It is also important that these eggs are not touched by human hands. Once touched, the eggs will not hatch.”
Most people also forgot how to differentiate the word ‘cattle’ and ‘cow’. According to Gopalakrishnan, generally, the word ‘cow’ is colloquially used as referring to the ‘cattle’ (lembu). “This is where a lot of Malaysians fail to realise that while the correct word for ‘lembu’ is cattle, a ‘cow’ usually refers to the female of any big animals, and the male is known as bull,” he explained. “Therefore, female elephants are also known as cows, while their male counterparts are known as bulls.”
The farm is one place that city folks will always have something interesting to learn. Farmers usually start work in the farm early for some obvious reasons. At 8am, the atmosphere at the farm is simply inviting with the morning mist and it is still cooling. “This is a good time for our guests to start the visit,” he said. “By 9am, they can adjourn to the goats pen.”
Whatever it is, one has to be prepared to sweat it out and spend at least three hours. There is plenty to see and learn about organic and fish farming.
Besides vegetables like Kangkong, Bayam, Bayam Merah, Sawi, Sawi Bunga, Sweet Potato Leaves, and fruits like banana, nangka and papaya, the farm also has two ostriches, chicken (red jungle fowl), ducks, geese, turkeys, goats and other cattles. There also shrimps and pacu fish, which can be steamed in the same way as Tilapia fish.
The goats are kept in the goat pen built on stilts in order to collect the goat dung, which is used as organic fertilizers in the vegetable plot. One biggest attraction at the goats pen is a two-year old goat known by its name, “John”, which is fond of kissing its guests.
Although there are not many fish, guests can also do fishing here at the farm just for fun. There is both running water from the public water works utility company as well as from a dug up well. “Many city folks have never used a well for many years. This is a good opportunity for them to try out the well water,” said Gopalakrishnan.
A chalet with eight beds, come complete with a bathroom and toilet, is available for RM100 per night for young people who want to experience sleeping overnight in the farm. “It is especially useful for college students who want to be close to Mother nature and enjoy farm life,” he said.
Apart from spending the whole morning in the farm, there are two interesting tourist spots, namely the Ulu Yam Waterfall and Hulu Tamu Batang Kali Hot Spring, which are worth checking out for city folks. Both are 10km away from Grace Farm, in opposite directions.
A good suggestion for guests planning to spend the rest of the afternoon at Hulu Tamu Batang Kali should buy some eggs at the farm to bring along to the hotspring, where the eggs can be half or fully boiled.
For lunch, there are a number of Chinese restaurants along Jalan Ulu Yam Besar which are good. For some home-cooked Indian food, Chanthiran Tea Stall which you cannot miss as you enter the junction into Jalan Antara Gapi 1/A in Serendah on the way to farm, is recommended. Its owner, 43-year-old Chanthiran Palani (Handphone: 012-6873194) is generous with his serving.
As the farm is operated as part of a community project, the income generated from the farm is used to support a few charity homes under the umbrella of Grace Community Services namely Grace Home, Grace Centre for the Rehabilitation of Drug Dependents, Rumah Kids and Birthright, among others.
There is a minimum charge of RM150 for any groups below 20 people, or RM200 for a group of between 20 to 40 people. “The money is used to upkeep the farm, and the profit at the end of the day will be channeled to the charitable homes. Also, this is to ensure that we do not have to spend time on individuals who come at odd hours, and expecting us to give them a guided tour,” he said.
To generate more income, the farm now supplies organic vegetables, poultry, meat, eggs and milk to members of the public. “We are looking at managing home delivery, which can be arranged for customers in Subang Jaya, Damansara or anywhere within the Sungai Way Subang on Wednesdays, for orders with a minimum amount of RM50,” he said.
Kris can be contacted on his mobile 019-2003403 or email to gracefarm@ymail.com. Trips to the farm can be arranged by appointment. Companies or individuals can also sponsor animals for breeding purposes. Pet rabbits which are no longer wanted by their owners can be passed on to Grace Farm, so long as they are not diseased.
