As winter approaches, this farmer's annual war on ice is getting started. It might seem that a cattle farmer's first concern in winter would be keeping her cattle warm, but most cattle would laugh at the cold (if cows could laugh). As long as they have a place to shelter from bitter winds, most cows will stay warm.
Owning or borrowing a bull would seem to be a requirement to create calves. Blain, a Scottish Highlander bull, had bred all but five of my Highlander cows before I sold him in August. I still have Larry, but he is an Angus bull, and I don't want to mix the breeds. So who would impregnate my “open” (unbred) Scottish Highlander cows? Make that: How would we impregnate those cows? By artificial insemination (A.I.).
I always wonder why some parents want to buy a young, untrained pony for their child. I was reminded of this lapse of judgment when I saw this funny sign at a riding stable: For Fast Riders - We have fast horses. For Slow Riders - We have slow horses. For Those Who Have Never Ridden - We have horses that have never been ridden.
In this pandemic year, having enough to eat has been a challenge at times. We're not done with the pandemic yet; maybe having a stash of meat is wise. Aside from having enough to eat, there are other reasons it makes sense to buy a quarter, half, or whole cow.
Fat cows make a farmer happy; most of the time. A cow with a layer of insulating fat will stay warmer in winter than her thin sister. So I don't like to see bones or ribs on my beef cows. Not all bovines can produce a layer of fat. You will rarely see a fat dairy cow because they use all their energy to produce milk, while beef cattle put their energy into building muscles to create meat.
A business of any size needs good middle-managers, and here at Miles Smith Farm, we have a donkey who has promoted herself to "petting-zoo supervisor." She leads a crew of adopted critters who act as farm ambassadors. Because of their small size and gentle natures, they connect with children and adults better than 1,000-pound cows.
