PRESENCE AND PRESENTS

EG Arrives

Early in November we had a break in the routine of driving out to Dairyland, walking up and down hillside pastures taking down fence lines and posts, putting them up again to enclose new paddocks, and then walking up and down the same hills to move the herd into those fresh paddocks. We both lost a lot of weight in the 3 months the cows were in the mountains – which was a good thing!

However, this particular sunny, crisp Sunday in early November a bull, E.G., arrived in a truck driven by Joe Fullum with his wife Becky beside him. Joe and Becky have a farm in Gardiner where they raise chickens, turkeys, pigs, vegetables, and a small herd of cows. Their bull is a Devon, who ensures there are yearly calves by fulfilling his male role with ardor and gentleness. How do I know that? Because since he’s arrived I’ve been watching him do the same with our 20 Mama cows.

First Meeting

When the truck pulled in he was determinedly poking his nose out to see where he was and who or what was out there. Joe opened the back and out E.G. came smelling the air, looking and listening to comprehend this new environment. Our herd was over one of those hills, out of sight, so he walked around exploring and vocalizing and we were all surprised that it took some time for E.G. and the herd to connect. In the past, arriving bulls have made a beeline for the herd snorting and bellowing their anticipation. E.G. seemed not to be able to find them until one cow spotted him and came over. That was it… he and the herd met and he found just the right female to “begin a relationship with”. A fairly young bull, we watched as he mounted his  female of choice (one who was in heat and receptive), She was a bit taller than he was but it didn’t seem to matter and we all breathed a sigh of relief that nature was taking her course.

 Planting Seeds of New Life

That was the fun part of the day. Unfortunately, there was another event which was unexpected for that particular day. We had one cow, Nine-O-Five, our oldest and Charles’s favorite animal, with eye cancer. This sometimes occurs in Hereford’s who are susceptable because of their white faces, but this was the first animal of ours to develop it. Six months or so before, the vet had diagnosed her and told us that the cancer, although ugly and incurable, was not painful for her. At that time in the spring she was pregnant, and as it was close to calving time, we decided to let her live at least until she calved. Over the past 5 years Nine-O-Five was one of our best mother cows, always diligent in protecting her calves and this year was no different.  She birthed a female Hereford/Devon mix in July and nursed and cared for her offspring with great devotion … sometimes bordering on fierceness. By November the time had come to let her go as her disease had progressed. And now here was Joe, with a rifle in his truck and some experience in using it. We asked this favor of him, thanked her and the spiritual world for her essence, and watched while Joe did the deed.

We’ve worked hard to keep our animals healthy and content and we’ve also been very lucky not to have had too many such events, but one of the lessons of this work is that one way or another all creatures die.  So as the seeds of new life were being planted death took away one of the herd.  It took us all awhile to recover and we are indebted to Joe and Becky for their help. Last week I finally finished reading Michael Pollan’s  Omnivore’s Dilemma and I agree with him that those of us who eat meat, for reasons of health, pleasure, or habit, are entitled to know the whole story of how what we eat  is raised – not just the fun parts. So… we now have been graced with the presence of E.G. in our herd for awhile, though we still miss Nine-O-Five’s presence as the herd's grandmother cow.

To end with the “Presents” though, I want to mention a great holiday gift….good, local, naturally raised, non GMO food. There are already many wonderful options on this website and I want to add our 100% grass-fed local beef to the mix. It’s all USDA inspected, frozen in Cryovac and really a perfect gift for the beef lovers in your life. We have our usual sides, split sides (quarters) and eighths available as well as retail cuts this year. You can purchase a winter braising package or a medley of steaks for those who love steak but don’t always buy it for themselves. Just don’t leave this kind of gift under the tree too long or better yet, have Santa deliver straight to your freezer! Call or email if you’re interested in finding out more. Meantime, enjoy the holidays and check out the various wonderful holiday recipes on this site including my winter beef stew and roast recipes coming soon.

Nine-O-Five