SO beyond excited for tomorrow. Why do you ask?! Well because my favorite girl is coming home from being out on pasture all summer long. She has no name although “favorite girl” would fit her just fine. Once upon a time (ok well it still is) her number was 6199. She likes to scratch her head, so I am assuming her split ear means her number tag is somewhere out on pasture. Some might wonder how a cow could possibly hold such a special place in a person’s heart. Well I will tell you.
It was LOVE at first sight. OK, well that was kind of cheesy. It was love at “I want my head scratched & almost just knocked you over in the manure”. Yep, she was the first cow that gave me loves, a little too much love. You see, she is about 1200-1300 pounds. I am NOT! I was new to the farm and she wanted her head scratched. So after realizing what she wanted, I scratched her head. The end.
Ok, not so much. Once I “scratched her head” it was ALL over. She would hear my voice in the barn and come find me. She would plow through the other cows or knock them out of the way to get to me. Did I mention that was only for me?! She doesn’t really care for the guys (smart girl). She would shove her head under the milking stalls while being milked for me to scratch her head. She would hold up traffic on the way to the milk parlor to get some attention. To be honest, she became kind of a pest for whoever is milking. She wasn’t and still isn’t the best milk cow. She probably doesn’t even milk enough to pay for her feed. But I fell in love with her and she helped me fall in love with farming. It is also important to note that I was scared of cows when farmer and I started dating. She helped me get over that.
SO my poor farmer had no idea what that meant until last year when she wouldn’t get pregnant. She was overdue for being pregnant especially for a cow that was losing us money. He gave her several chances to get pregnant and had her checked several times because he knew how much I loved her. But then he had to make the call that she had to go to the sale. Well, that didn’t last very long. I guess his bawling wife was a little too much for him to handle. So he canceled her trip to the sale and gave her another chance. One FINAL chance.
The vet showed up to do herd health. Farmer pulled put her with the girls the vet needed to check out. Of course my nerves were all over the place. I think (ok, I actually did) I threatened the vet to say that she was pregnant. But after her pushing her way to the end of the line it was finally her turn. Guess what!?!? SHE WAS PREGNANT!
I think my farmer had mixed emotions. On one hand I think he was wishing this “problem cow” could go and the other he was grateful I wasn’t sobbing uncontrollably. SO, we placed her out on pasture with all our young stock heifers. She did what she does best, eat & get fat. She gave me lots of loves all summer when I would check the girls & fences.
So we will skip the part where she keeps getting out of the fence and go straight to the part where she is coming home tomorrow!! To be honest, I am a little nervous. She should be “looking” as if she should be due to have a calf and she honestly looks like she is not even pregnant. So instead of placing her right into the maternity pin, she will go on pasture right by the barn so she can be checked out by our vet.
All summer I have been so excited and hoping that she will have a heifer calf. But I have also been teasing farmer saying we need to keep the bull calf for breeding purposes. Not sure why he thinks that is a bad idea. 😉
So there it is, the story of how a cow stole my heart and farmer’s pocketbook.
So here she is in all her glory. 6199 aka “favorite girl”.
Update: She had a bull calf in 2013, a heifer in 2014 & we are patiently waiting for her 2015 calf.
Make sure to follow along on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Krista Stauffer
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There are a few cows and a couple bulls here that are the same way. You can holler their name. Yes, I name some of the cows and bulls. Nerdly is my fav cow. She was a bottle baby. She is now 9 yrs old! Has had a calf every year. We will keep her forever! So against ranch policies. But, oh well. Being the only girl here. I usually get my way. Sometimes tears are involved.
Cheri
Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! Sometimes tears have to fall! 😉 Have a great day!
I had a cow like this, my Chicklets (don't ask me how/why I came up with that name). The connection started with her being the first 4-H calf I ever showed at the age of 13. She wasn't the biggest cow in the barn but she could produce milk and beautiful heifer calves. She was always the first one leading the herd back to the barn. Loved to be scratched under her chin and would give you a lick if you got close enough. We recently had to sell her because she had reached the tender age of 13 and was having health problems. She had given us her best and it broke my heart to see her get loaded on the cattle trailer – I was accepting of it until the moments before she was led to the trailer – I cried so hard. My Dad sold her in my name and gave me the money with the advice that I buy something to remember her by. I found a necklace with a black opal wrapped in bands of tiny diamonds. It was black and white just like she was. People don't understand this connection to our animals – they think we treat them horribly. I wish people that think like this could spend time on a farm and see the love and attachment that occurs!
So ,Don,t leave us hanging? Is she pregnant or not!?PLEASE i wanna know!
We have the vet coming next week. 🙂
Agreed!!!
AND… she has a baby inside of her! Woot woot!
Although I'm not a dairy farmer I'm married to a corn and wheat farmer. I love your blog. I didn't grow up in agriculture but it didnt take long to find out I married the farm the day I said “I do”
Just found your blog and I love it! So happy to hear about favorite girl! IF you ever go on another vacation (ha ha), you simply must read “The Dirty Life” by Kristin Kimball. It's a memoire written by a farmer's wife. Your blog reminds me a lot of that book. My husband and I have a small hobby farm in NW Washington. I am emotionally attached to EVERY creature (3 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 9 hens, 1 rooster… as well as the 4 pigs that we raised this past spring/summer that are no longer with us). Each one has a distinct and special personality. I've often wondered if I would become more detached if we had a bigger farm, and say, a large herd of cows like yours, but I think you have confirmed probably not. 🙂
Ya… you either have that connection with animals or you don't. Herd size doesn't matter. 😉
UPDATE: She was pregnant & she had a healthy bull calf! She is now in our milking string, the guys are enjoying her & she is milking like a freight train!
Can’t help but love them! Scratcher is the same way, and she’ll stand for hours as long as I am scratching her back or brisket. I rue the day when she has to take the ‘train’. I’m still working on how to get Country Boy to keep her here, regardless! I’m loving your site!
I hope when you retire her, it’s to pasture. A special cow like that deserves to live out her days on the farm.
This girl is never leaving the farm. 😉