Lessons My Cows Have Taught Me

It's hard to place a dollar value on the Family Cow.  It is a decision which can truly enrich your life, your health, your productivity, and your dedication to the homestead.  It is a commitment not to be taken lightly.  For richer, and for poorer, in sickness and in health, in the rain, the snow, the mud, the immense quantity of cow dung.  Through the feed bills, the hay shortages, the incredible expense of wood shavings.  Whether you want to or not, you have to be there.

Now, it's not the 5 and 5 that people initially imagined.  Our cows are often an auction purchase.  This is risky business, for those of you who don't already know.  Cows at sale barns are there for a reason.  The owners have no accountability.  You get it "as-is", you get no history, and it's very difficult to identify character when they are crowded and scared in a strange place.

Penny had mastitis and was struggling with her weight when we first rescued her from the meat market.

Our timing was perfect.  For our first, we bought a phenomenal, purebred Holstein for half the usual rate. We had the opportunity to speak to the seller about temperament. The seller was actually honest and she is an amazing gal. Sweet, quiet, gentle.  Exactly the kind of 1500lbs animal you want to crawl under!

However it wasn't perfect.  When things began to thaw and get wet we realized she had a huge slice right through her foot.  It's been long, requiring attention every other day.  Restraining her, digging it out disinfecting it and keeping her pen IMMACULATE and DRY.  DRY, by the way, with a cow, in April is more expensive then feeding said cow.  Don't underestimate the expense of good bedding, nor it's importance.  Hay is about $4.50 a bale here because of last years drought.  She will eat a full bale, and $1.50 of grain each day.  That is $42 each week.  Now the bedding is about $6 for a very large bag, and we use probably 3 in one week, as well as one bag of lime ($15) which we spread to dry out wet spots.  So our total cost is about $75 a week.

Now bear in mind, we no longer buy milk, butter, cream, cheeses, sour cream, eggs or pork.  Eggs and Pork? Because we feed our chickens with the milk, and this time of year they get to forage as well!  The bi-product is healthy eggs, which hatch into healthy chicks.  If you pick a specific breed of heritage chicken, you could even make some profit and fill your freezer with extra roosters!

We also won't be buying beef.  You see, a dairy cow must be bred each year in order to produce milk.  This is called "freshening".  She will typically have one calf, or maybe two!  You may get a bull calf for the freezer, or a heifer for future milk or profit!  The reason we chose a Holstein is for the abundance of milk.  We recieve 8+ gallons a day, and on top of us, and the chickens, and her own calf, she raises many many more.  Bull calves can often be found free at auction barns or dairy farms, or at very little cost.   Occasionally the prices sky rocket, but not for long! Each calf can be raised in 8 weeks,  they start off with 1/4 gallon twice a day and we slowly increase this amount for 5-6 weeks.  At this point we will be feeding one full gallon a day, and when they begin to eat 1.5 or 2lbs of grain each day we begin decreasing the milk.  At about 8 weeks they are fully weaned and producing marketable grain fed veal.  We keep them to 300, 400 lbs and are able to get 1.20lbs at the auction house.  Edie to date, has weaned 10 calves and will be weaning 7 more within a month.  She will be able to raise 4 each month of her lactation (on average)

More on how we raise calves later.

So, at the end of the day my cow provides for our family, our chickens, our pigs, and supplies us with a marketable product which provides enough profit to cover her own expenses four times over.

You might picture me painstakingly hand milking at 5am in sub zero temperatures but it's far from the truth.  We are business owners, new parents, and farmers-in-training.  Sometimes we let the calves milk, most days we only milk what we need for another creature or our own fridge.  Additional calves are taught to drink from a bucket, and if I just don't have time it is actually beneficial for them to miss a meal occasionally.  It may be a lot of work, but the rewards are great.  If it is something you would enjoy, research the breeds you would like, talk it over with friends and relatives.  Make sure your partner (if you have one!) is supportive and get your kids excited to help!

I believe a good cow is powerful medicine for the good people who have a tough time getting started some days. My cow is my muse, she keeps me moving, and learning.  She makes the magical world of farming possible.  This is one farming family, that won't be without for a long, long time.