Rural Heritage December 2025/January 2026

Draft Cattle Symposium MODA & TILLERS INT’L UPDATES by Rob Collins

T his issue, the news from Tillers International starts with a few seemingly unrelated notes about our activities on, and connected to, the farm in Scotts, Mich.

In February, Shea Hendren began at Tillers as a live-in intern. He came with a lot of experience on small scale farms, but without draft animal experience. Since then, he’s become an invaluable part of the team and has built his skills with the donkeys, the horses and, most especially, with the oxen. As of this writing, we are about to welcome a team of young Shorthorns from Maine, and Shea will be their primary teamster. In early June, I spent a week with Claus Kropp at Lauresham, an open-air museum and medieval farm in Lorsch, Germany, as a fellow with the Center for Draft Cattle Research and Education. My time there was magical, pushing me to see how Tillers can expand our reach both at home and around the world. Expect more on this trip in the future. Later that month, we hosted the 29th annual MODA Gathering with a full crowd of teamsters and 25 oxen and working cattle on the farm. In July, Tillers culminated our six-month search for our next executive director by welcoming Megan Yankee into the position. We are excited for the new energy she brings and in just a few months has made much progress in putting Tillers’ mission into practice. So, why begin with these three notes and updates? The connection between them goes back to the Frankfurt airport, where, while waiting for my flight back from Lauresham, I began catching up on emails and jotting notes related to this question: how can Tillers remain a viable research institution in the world of draft animal power?

Shea Hendren with Rob Collin’s Devons.

Photo by Judy Richmond

We knew that we had most of the pieces in place. Tillers’ farm is using draft power to successfully grow food for local food banks while developing skills with students. We had Rick Eshuis and Kody Harris on staff to work the donkeys and horses. With Shea, we would have an ox teamster with a new team on staff as well, plus volunteers like me who bring teams out to the farm to help with classes and projects. We had many pieces of equipment developed and field-tested on Tillers’ farm and in multiple countries around the world. And we had a leader with the organizational skills to pull off a great event. We just needed the right kind of event to help exchange our knowledge of oxen with the best practices of others in the field. So, modeled after the 2024 symposium in Lorsch, Germany, we are excited to announce that Tillers International will host the World Draft Cattle Symposium 2.0 in June 2026 to coincide with the 30th annual Midwest Ox Drovers Association (MODA) Gathering. The event will combine the presentation

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December 2025/January 2026

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