Guest Blog by Kelly Tope, Farmaste Founder/President
May 5, 2025
Ellieās story had many twists and turns over the years, but the one where she came to Farmaste and raised her daughter Moolan is by far our favorite one.
When we were brought into Ellieās story she had just been rescued off a slaughter truck by someone on her way to work. She rescued Ellie and three other cows. At the time the other three cows were diagnosed with Johneās. Ellie, however, tested negative for the disease. Fast forward a month, when we received a surprise call saying Ellie had birthed a calf who was now in the pasture with the cows. We knew the calf couldnāt stay with them, because Johneās is mainly passed to calves through momās milk or contact in a contaminated environment. We knew Ellie was the one cow in the herd that tested negative for Johneās. So we made the decision to have both Ellie and her calf, Moolan come to live at Farmaste.
Ellie came over first and became fast friends with Gertie. Then we were able to bring Moolan up to the farm and reunite her with Ellie. In the industry, Ellie would have had her babies taken away as soon as they were born. So this was the first time she would get to raise her baby. From that day on, Ellie was the bridge between Gertie and Moolan in their beautiful little herd. They loved grazing in the pasture together. As soon as the temperature warmed up enough they would all spend nights sleeping outside underneath the stars together.
Last fall, we noticed Ellie was losing weight, and we had our vet out to find out what might be going on. It was then we were told the terrible news that Ellie now tested positive for Johneās. This is a terrible disease with no cure, and it is found on 75% of dairy farms in the industry. Once an animal is in the clinical stage with Johneās, they donāt typically live much longer. In what felt like the fastest five months ever, we had the opportunity to love on Ellie and feed her lots of treats.
The day came when she made it clear it was time. We were able to have our vet out to the farm, which allowed Moolan and Gertie to say goodbye as well. Gertie nudged her a few times trying to get her to get up. Moolan smelled her a bit and then stood by her while tears came down her cheeks. They all loved each other, and that was evident throughout their lives together.
Ellie was the sweetest cow around the farm. She would groom everyone and was the constant caretaker. She was LOVED by everyone who had the opportunity to get to know her, and her passing is going to leave a hole in our hearts that wonāt close anytime soon. We are grateful for the years we were allowed to love her.
The following is information from CAA about Farmaste and the other animal shelters we partner with.
The Work of Farmaste Animal Sanctuary
Farmaste Animal Sanctuary rescues abused, neglected, and unwanted farm animals and provides them with a safe sanctuary. Residents are respected as someone, not treated as something.
Farmaste is located in Lindstrom, MN, less than an hour north of the Twin Cities, near Stacy and North Branch. Founder and volunteer Kelly Tope tells us that farm sanctuaries like Farmaste do important work for their residents and raise awareness, but donāt have the capacity to care for even 1% of the animals slaughtered each year.
Farmaste currently serves as a home to five cows, seven goats, five sheep, five pigs and two donkeys! You can see more photos and find out more about their work and their residents on their website.
Farmaste: A Caring Farm Animal Rescue Organization
This is how Farmaste describes their mission: āAt Farmaste Animal Sanctuary we believe that all animals have inherent worth, and that farm animals are not an exception to that rule. We rescue abused, neglected and unwanted farm animals and bring them to our 30-acre farm in Lindstrom, MN. There they are allowed to roam in the pastures, and live out their days free from cruelty. Farmaste Animal Sanctuary also provides opportunities for people to connect with the animals and hear their stories through our scheduled tours and volunteer opportunities.ā
They are a federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization fully funded through donations. Farmaste is verified by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
Other Featured Farmaste Residents
We have featured other Farmaste residents in past blogs, including:
Kristen the goat (in memoriam)
Our Partner Farm Sanctuaries
There are several wonderful farm sanctuaries in the area including Chicken Run Rescue, Herbivorous Acres, Spring Farm, Farmaste, and Soulspace. All of these sanctuaries do wonderful work for farmed animals. Each month, we feature one sanctuary resident from one of these rescue organizations in our blog and newsletter.
Love reading about rescue animals? Check our blog page regularly and sign up for our weekly newsletter so you donāt miss any of the endearing stories of local rescue animals.
