A New Venture

The Mister and I both grew up on dairy farms. So, we have been surrounded by agriculture all of our lives. His family had Jersey cows that were soft brown and my family had Holstein Friesians that were black and white. After we married, we would go to the local fair and wander round and think about days gone by and the Mister would always say, "I always wanted a Hereford (red with white face) beef heifer," and I would just roll my eyes. 

A decade ago, the Mister spent his time raising calves on a bottle and we had a barn full of calves. He wound up selling them all and really retiring, thank goodness. Having livestock like that can really limit a person's freedom and become strenuous work. Somebody has to be there to feed them each and every day. Their health has to be checked each and every day. Sometimes they will need medical treatment due to illness or injury. These animals can be quite large and are generally a bit rambunctious. Good facilities and equipment are a necessity when it comes to taking care of a herd of cattle. So, we didn't feel as if we were in the physical shape to care for a herd of steers and didn't really have the facilities and equipment to handle them either. So, the sale of the steers happened and the Mister retired. However, that dream of owning a docile Hereford heifer never really went away...

My uncle had a Charolais (white) beef cow give birth to twins several years ago and the cow would not let one of the calves nurse. So, the calf came to our house and the Mister raised her with a bottle. I thought that heifer dream itch had been scratched. When she matured, she was turned in with my bonus son's Angus (black) beef cattle. He started off his herd with four young females and has been raising and selling steers to local 4-Hers for several years. The Charolais just joined the herd and she also has produced some steers and a couple or three heifers over the years. Still, the Mister's dream of the docile Hereford beef heifer persisted...

Miss Moo Moo, the Charolais, and one of her calves.

Eventually, I grew tired of rolling my eyes and shaking my head. So, the Mister began researching and shopping online for his heifer. He convinced me that the grandsons who live next door are big enough to help take care of her and exhibit her in local fairs and shows. "They already have their own Angus heifers and steers. She will fit right in with their animals." Then, last Saturday there was a state Hereford sale. So, the Mister got a bidder number. Then, he was diagnosed with Covid a couple of days before the sale. He was really bummed until he learned that they would be live streaming the sale. So, we have a new venture...

Levi exhibited her in the show on the day after the sale. Then, they hauled her home with their steers and tied her in the barn with them so that she would be easy for them to take care of.  She gets led and brushed and petted and all of the livestock show prep things each day. He reports that she is a sweetie and is docile and cooperative. 

She is a really pretty young lady. I love how her hair is an almost exact match to our grandson's. She does seem docile and very much like a big old pet. Mike takes the ATV up the hill almost every afternoon to watch them. There are lots of grins. I think the Bonus Son and Levi grin that the Mister comes and sits and watches. I see the grin on the face of the Mister when he comes back down the hill. I hope she continues to bring smiles to everybody around here.