BENTON AG Plus
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Sheep graze in a pasture along 90th Street Northeast in rural Foley Dec. 4. Central Minnesota experienced above average temperatures through mid-December.
Serving rural Benton, Morrison, Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties
Sauk Rapids Herald | Saturday, December 19, 2020
Bray BY EVAN MICHEALSON STAFF WRITER
Rubes Sponsored by Fluegge’s Ag
FOLEY – For as long as she can remember, Jeannie Boyle has always been interested in animals. Whether is it a grassgrazing cow like the ones on her dairy farm growing up or the registered Boer goats her son is responsible for, animals and their distinct characteristics have forever been Boyle’s passion. Boyle’s fascination has resulted in her caring for a variety of animals on her 80acre Foley farm, including donkeys, an interesting addition to a family that already contains emu, alpacas, llamas and yaks. “They have their own little personality,” she said. “Their bray is what I like. They’re
with. Penny is a little more standoffish and likes to do her own thing. She likes to be seen and not necessarily touched.” Despite Leroy and Penny’s completely different attitudes and tendencies, they both stay close to each other behind the Boyles’ secure wood fencing. They get along well with the horses and cows that also occupy the space, but are far more comfortable accompanying each other wherever they go. Sometimes, Leroy will be taken out of the pen, leaving Penny to wait anxiously for her donkey companion to return, often braying rather than grazing. “They’re bonded,” Boyle said. “They’re a herd animal, so their instinct is to have a partner. They’ll bond with the miniature horses, but now that I have her (Penny) out there, he likes to stick next to her. It’s about protection, being a part of a herd.” PHOTO BY EVAN MICHEALSON Old Gray Mare is a sweet, Jeannie Boyle stands with her donkeys, Leroy (left) and Penny, Dec. 17 at her farm in Foley. The donkeys well-behaved donkey whose age are companions, rarely leaving each other’s sight. is unknown, and Boyle keeps her in her own small residence almost like a guard animal. and Old Gray Mare. The trio possess, they all have different to separate her from other animals that might bully her. When you come outside and are kept well-fed and cared for personalities and behaviors. they see you, they bray.” “Leroy likes to have the as pets, and while Boyle has The Boyle family owns found they all display the same attention, he likes the treats,” Boyle page 2B three donkeys: Leroy, Penny stubbornness most donkeys Boyle said. “He’s easy to work
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Boyle finds joy in raising donkeys
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