The “Show Me State” may be far from the North Pole, but one Missouri family has cornered the market on Christmas cheer with their reindeer farm.
Jeremiah and Kari Scull and their children Addie and Audrie have traveled across Missouri in November and December with their reindeer herd for years, attending parades, tree lighting and Santa’s sack full of other holiday events.
Recently two of their 15 reindeer were invited to Windsor High School in Imperial, near the Illinois border, to cheer on students during finals week, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The two deer often sleep in the barn and students are not allowed to touch them, but that doesn’t stop the young scholars from getting into the Christmas spirit.
“They’re my family too, my pets, so I don’t tie my animals to a sleigh or put them out there on a lead for hours,” Jeremiah told the outlet.
A Missouri family has been spreading Christmas cheer across the state for years with their reindeer farm. showmereindeer/Facebook Jeremiah and Kari Scull and their children Addie and Audrie travel across Missouri in November and December with their herd of reindeer to attend the tree lightning parade. and many more. showmereindeer/Facebook
“The kids are very excited. They’re high school students, but look at them,” JoAnn Marty, a student council adviser, told the Post-Dispatch. “I’m also giddy like a child, because I know how excited they are.”
The family business, Show-Me Reindeer, booked 70 events this winter, the outlet reported.
Schull started raising deer in 2014. after adopting his first child. Addie. to a farm in Arkasnas that has one of the ungulates, native to Scandinavia and northern Russia. He saw how the animals drew crowds, and after learning reindeer traveled around the Midwest, he wondered why no one in Missouri was doing the same, he told The Post-Dispatch.
“We are looking for hobby animals to engage in. I just started seeing deer in general,” he said. “No one was really doing it at the time.”
Schull started her family business in 2014 after taking her oldest daughter Addie to an Arkansas farm that had deer and learning the animals traveled around the Midwest for events and shows. showmereindeer/Facebook As the family’s business grows, they hope to breed reindeer to sell to other farms. They also hope to start offering tours of their farm and renting out their reindeer for the entire winter. showmereindeer/Facebook
Since then, the reindeer business has really grown, with 130 farms across the US, UK and Canada, according to the Post-Dispatch. The average cost for a reindeer is $18,000 to $20,000.
Keeping animals in Missouri’s cold climate is a lot of work and families must constantly monitor deer, as they are prone to parasites and tick-borne diseases. They also need to keep the animals cool throughout the summer, including giving them a paddling pool and brushing them to help with their winter coats.
The family doesn’t do a “Christmas in July” event, because reindeer grow antlers in the spring and summer.
As the business grows, the Schulls hope to breed their reindeer to sell to other farms, they told the outlet.
They also hope to start offering tours of their farm and renting out their reindeer for the entire winter.
Jeremiah also said he hopes his daughter continues the business and expands it further across the state.
“I’d like to be able to continue,” Addie said. “It’s a great job.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
