Whose man's best friend?

[AZ Jim]

This is about a young boy and the cow he's been working with for awhile to prepare for the Iowa state fair showing. His Dad says he's been getting up at 4 am to work with the cow. So here is a picture taken after the show of a tired boy and a equally tired cow.

 

[Pappy]

Great photo Jim. Having worked on a farm, first thing I notice is how well the boy takes care of the cow. Usually, cows are covered in mud and @#$&. Very peaceful.

 

[Happyflowerlady]

That is a great picture, and the cow does look spotless and ready for the fair. I remember back when I was in 4-H and would show my horse at the fair in the fall, and many of us kids spent the night sleeping in the stall with our horses.
The sad thing about most of the livestock is that , after the fair, they auction off the sheep, cattle, and pigs, and they go to the highest bidder and are then butchered and eaten. The 4-H’er gets the money from his project; but he spends all year loving and caring for an animal that he knows will be killed at the end of the season.
At least with the horses, we knew we were keeping them , unlike the other 4-H kids. That looks like a dairy cow, so maybe it will just go to a dairy farm, or could even possibly not be sold at all if the family wants to keep a milk cow.

 

[HazyDavey]

That is a really nice picture !!

(I've spent a little time around those critters myself.)

 

[CeeCee]

That is a great picture, and the cow does look spotless and ready for the fair. I remember back when I was in 4-H and would show my horse at the fair in the fall, and many of us kids spent the night sleeping in the stall with our horses.
The sad thing about most of the livestock is that , after the fair, they auction off the sheep, cattle, and pigs, and they go to the highest bidder and are then butchered and eaten. The 4-H’er gets the money from his project; but he spends all year loving and caring for an animal that he knows will be killed at the end of the season.
At least with the horses, we knew we were keeping them , unlike the other 4-H kids. That looks like a dairy cow, so maybe it will just go to a dairy farm, or could even possibly not be sold at all if the family wants to keep a milk cow.

That is sad , it's probably best not to think about that when we're eating our meat.

 

[AZ Jim]

That is sad , it's probably best not to think about that when we're eating our meat.

Dad had an old cow when I was a kid. It was kept up by the house in her exclusive stable. During the day Betsy roamed our 40 acres including trips to our creek. At night you would go out back and holler "BETS, Hey Betsy" and soon you'd hear her collar bell clanging as she ambled up the hill for her feeding and being put up till morning when Dad milked her and turned her loose again. He would never slaughter Betsy. When we sold the place our across the road neighbor took Betsy and promised she would live out her life with them.

 

[CeeCee]

Dad had an old cow when I was a kid. It was kept up by the house in her exclusive stable. During the day Betsy roamed our 40 acres including trips to our creek. At night you would go out back and holler "BETS, Hey Betsy" and soon you'd hear her collar bell clanging as she ambled up the hill for her feeding and being put up till morning when Dad milked her and turned her loose again. He would never slaughter Betsy. When we sold the place our across the road neighbor took Betsy and promised she would live out her life with them.

Betsy was a more of a pet than a farm animal... although I don't know much about cows, but I bet they're pretty smart. I know some that have chickens for laying eggs and they name them and treat them like pets.

In fact I know quite a few who have chickens but dont live on a farm. One lady lives in Indiana, the other in Florida.

 

[AZ Jim]

Betsy was a more of a pet than a farm animal... although I don't know much about cows, but I bet they're pretty smart. I know some that have chickens for laying eggs and they name them and treat them like pets.

In fact I know quite a few who have chickens but dont live on a farm. One lady lives in Indiana, the other in Florida.

At that time we had many chickens and sold eggs and also chickens and rabbits for food.

 

[Happyflowerlady]

I had a milk cow for a while, too. she was an elderly cow by the time that I got her, and basically she was a “rescue cow” that was headed for the livestock auction otherwise.
She was very slow and very gentle, and was some kind of mixed cross between Hereford (beef cow) and Guernsey (dairy cow).
She had a beautiful face and big expressive eyes, and the milk she gave was creamy and delicious.
I named her “Patty”, and of course, in the evenings when I called her in from the pasture, I hollered “Patty.....Cow Patty” to call her in to the barn and milking.
In the winter time, I put one of the horse blankets on her and mostly kept her in the barn so she could stay warm.
She was an awesome cow, and I wish that I lived somewhere that i could still have a milk cow or milk goat, but I don’t.