One Rule For Calves (and People) That Will Surprise You

Training calves is a lot like training children. Both have short attention spans, and both would rather play than work, as I discovered at the 2024 Miles Smith Farm camp.

Molly Potter and Rose DeFreitas met several years ago at farm camp, where they bonded over a shared love of bovines. Molly grew up on a small cattle farm. For Rose, camp was her first encounter with training a calf.

Now they are 16 and 17, they’ve built on that friendship — and on that love of cattle.

Every week, through snow, sleet, hail, and brutal summer heat, they show up at my farm to train four of my calves. In the beginning I helped them teach the calves voice commands: “Gee” for right, “Haw” for left. The rest of the time they just hung out with their calves and taught them to run (the calves already had that one figured out) and to lie down on command.

At first Rose was timid with her rambunctious Jersey-cross pair. A successful trainer has to know what she wants before she opens her mouth — a calf can hear hesitation. I’ve spent years teaching cattle to work in a yoke, but it was Molly who found the words.

“Give the command like they owe you money,” Molly said.

“I was amazed at how quickly my team caught on,” Rose said, “after I took Molly’s advice.”

Cattle read confidence. They want a leader, and they’ll follow one anywhere — debt or no debt.

Two weeks ago Molly and Rose competed at the Belknap County 4-H Fair in Belmont, and I stood on the sidelines in awe. Their calves waited quietly outside the show ring like they’d been doing it for years. Molly backed her team up to a cart and, using voice commands, directed them through an obstacle course. In another class, while other teams struggled, Rose’s 1100-pound team hauled a sled loaded with 500 pounds of concrete blocks down the field and back in record time.

This was their first year competing against teamsters who’ve had show teams for years. I stood in the shade on that boiling August day and realized I’d become a spectator instead of a teacher: which is exactly the point.

See them at the Deerfield and Hopkinton Fairs. I’ll be on the sidelines cheering — and asking them for advice.

Because the lesson works on cattle, kids, and most adults: confidence is contagious.

Ask like they owe you money.

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4-H leader Carole Soule co-owns Miles Smith Farm, where you can visit her cattle on Saturday, August 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. Adults are $20. Children are free. Click to Register 

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