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As soon as the tractor roars to life, a chorus of moos can be heard from the herd on Fenek Farms.
Josef Buttigieg is behind the wheel and he’s scooping up a load of pumpkins to feed the animals.
“They absolutely go ballistic,” Buttigieg says. “What they have associated the tractor with is basically (that) the tractor is treat time.”
Even some farm animals got a Halloween treat this year. I got this clip this morning at Josef Buttigieg’s farm where he delivers frozen pumpkins to his livestock. He collected nine tons of jack-o-lanterns through donations after Halloween this year. @CJMENews pic.twitter.com/ZJGNR5cHOx
— Gillian Massie (@massie_gillian) November 8, 2023
What the cows, sheep and alpacas are eagerly awaiting is a pumpkin popsicle. The former jack-o-lanterns were donated from the steps of homes in Regina, Lumsden and Pilot Butte, and Fenek Farms uses them as another feed option for the livestock.
“Basically what they are waiting for is for the front-end loader of the tractor to dump the insides, and they do get a little rowdy is basically what it comes down to,” Buttigieg says.
The animals at Fenek Farms are enjoying some treats after Halloween. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)
The post-Halloween jack-o-lantern drive started six years ago after a bad drought year resulted in poor feed crops.
With a full barnyard of animals to feed, Buttigieg’s options were to either sell off livestock, buy expensive feed, or get creative when feeding the animals.
“We are always looking for ways to making what little we have to begin with to go that much further,” he says.
With a dry year and feed crops failing, Buttigieg says he did briefly consider selling some of his livestock but decided against it.
“It took us six years to get where we are right now, so if we sold stock and got rid of everything or got rid of half of our animals, as an example, it’s going to take us several years to get back up where we are right now,” he says.
The benefits of the pumpkin donations are vast. Beyond the nutritional benefits, Buttigieg says the pumpkins have anti-parasitic properties that can work as a natural dewormer. Plus, the pumpkins save equipment breakdown and time in the field.
“It’s an absolute treasure trove of nutrients and vitamins for animals. Why would you toss it out? That’s why we started the program in the first place,” says Buttigieg.
Different dropoff locations plus a collaboration with the City of Regina’s Yard Waste site managed to bring in about nine tons of jack-o-lanterns this year.
That amount of pumpkin should feed Buttigieg’s livestock until January or February.
“I’m extremely grateful that people are willing to donate and to help us out, and it kind of makes me feel appreciated,” he says.
Buttigieg says this was a “lighter year,” with previous years seeing 17 metric tonnes of jack-o-lanterns being trucked in. He expects that many went into green carts this year, but feels fortunate that the community comes together to take their pumpkins to a dropoff location.
“I appreciate that I made the decision to move here to Saskatchewan,” says the former Toronto resident. “It’s that small-town community feeling — everybody looking out for everyone else type of thing.
“I really do love that about this province and about Regina specifically. I think it’s something commendable about the province and why I like to call this place home now.”
A nosy cow at Fenek Farms. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)t