What I've learned about working with cattle is simple. Get them to think your plan was their idea, and you'll win every time. Successful negotiation involves getting your counterpart to do the work for you; to suggest your solution.
Guidance means using the reins to steer and squeeze with one leg or another to encourage the horse to move in the desired direction. Steering a horse matters, but where you look also makes a difference. Look at the ground, and you are likely to end up there. Set your sights on the middle of the trail and the horse will likely go there. Driving instructors give similar advice: Look at the shoulder of the road, and you'll end up in a ditch. Look in the middle of the lane, and you stay on the road.
At Miles Smith Farm, we have two kinds of cattle: Scottish Highlanders and Angus/Hereford cross-breeds. There are many differences between these breeds, but one is particularly striking. The Highlanders, both males, and females have enormous horns, and the others do not. In ancient times all cattle had horns, but as a result of selective breeding, many breeds of cattle lost their horns.
Every so often, someone will ask: "Do you milk your cows?" It might seem like a tempting resource, but beef cattle like my Scottish Highlanders produce just enough milk to nourish their calves.
I currently have three bulls – two Scottish Highlanders and one Hereford. They are all gentle. We are raising beef cattle here, not producing ferocious contestants for rodeos or bullfights.
It turns out that almost all of the water attributed to the water footprint of cattle is the rain that would have fallen on the pasture, whether or not the animals were there. Written by Diana Rodgers - info@sustainabledish.com
