Twenty White Mules Make A Perfect Team

Twenty White Mules Make a Perfect Team AG WORLD Ag World 9-2-20 "It's the only team we know of that has 20 perfectly matched white mules. They're all the same size and the same color," says Connie Shields, coordinator of the team for the J.R. Simplot Co., Boise, Idaho. The company purchased the team from Baker, Oregon rancher Bill Schann who, through a breeding program crossing a Spanish jack with Shetland pony mares, ended up with 40 all-white foals. Twenty six of these foals matched well enough to form the 20-mule team. Those not on the team are spares ù in case one of the regulars is sick or injured. Standing about 4¢ ft. tall, the mules have their own positions on the hitch and are linked together witha custom-made harness. Simplot, a diversified company which manufactures chemical fertilizer and processes food, uses the team much as beer companies use Belgians and Clydesdales to promote their companies. The team appears at parades and festivals throughout the U.S. Their routine includes figure eights and 360? turns where the front pair of mules circles back to practically touch the back of the covered wagon. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, J.R. Simplot Co., C/O Connie Shields, One Capital Center, 999 Main St., Suite 1300, P.O. Box 27, Boise, Idaho 83707 (ph 208 336-2110).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.