Almost weekly I find myself asking, “why does this guy own cows?” It happened soon after a 5:30am emergency page this week. “She’s beena tryin’ to calve since 4 o’clock yesterdee evenin’”. That’s 13 hours ago. That may surprise some of you, but it happens so frequently, it honestly doesn’t even phase me anymore – just another dead calf to clean out of a cow so she can get bred again. There is just something different about the way some people think. For me personally, I don’t think I could just lay my head down and go to sleep knowing that something might be wrong out there with my cow I saw straining to deliver a calf with no progress. I can’t see myself thinking, “oh she’ll probably just have it tonight.” Cows are tough, you say. Agreed, I’ve seen them survive the unthinkable, but, thinking logically, would you let your wife strain for an entire night or even a few hours without checking in or being a little worried, maybe just calling someone to see if it’s normal? Real cattlemen don’t think this way, if they can’t help her themselves, they recruit some help.
So out I go with a visiting student, just before daylight. The cow is in a mud lot, no where to confine her – certainly no chute or a headgate. In this case, there wasn’t even a fence post secure enough in the ground or a tree to rope the cow and tie her off. I opted for a corner post of a sketchy shed, hoping she didn’t pull it down. I hit her with a pole syringe of sedation and tied her, and we delivered two dead twins.
There were a few comments from the owner, a very nice gentleman in his 8th decade, that got me thinking today. He was having trouble with his balance, and hard of hearing, but he was still out there in several inches of mud and muck to see the action. He bought her and another cow for $1100 about 4 months ago. The other one dropped dead and this one had 2 dead calves and cost him a $300 vet bill. “I think I’m just going to have to let them go, I’m not making any money on them and I’m about out of hay.” “Do you think she might have trouble with twins again if I bred her?”
Has he ever made money on a cow? He’s at least considering breeding her one more time. There’s no way to get them up, no where to restrain them to vaccinate them, deworm them, treat them when they’re sick or calving. No way to prevent common illness. Does he just perceive that he’s making money? Maybe he got lucky one year and sold a calf or two that gave him some money when cash flow was a little low.
“I want to wait until the grass is out to sell them, because they’ll bring more when folks have grass to feed them and don’t have to buy hay.” I saw him one other time over the past 7 years for a down cow that was suffering from “protein malnutrition” and was down in the cold – that’s vet lingo for “she’s starving.”. He was sure to show me the 2 year old calf this morning – the one that was inside of that down cow at the time – she lived and went on to deliver it. I told you they’re amazing.
If you are reading and have no experience with cattle, you should know that this is not typical cattle farming. This is something different. These are not the people making a living taking care of cows all day long. These are not the counting head, tagging new calves, or riding pens kind of cattle people. I take care of plenty of those good cattlemen. This seems to be a cultural thing – it’s Appalachian or maybe just rural culture. This mindset is typically held by men, and the offenders are usually over 50-60 years old. It is almost like they have cattle because their dad had cows and they have a plot of grass that will hold cows, so they too should have cows. I have ran into some that never even sell cows, they don’t own a trailer or a set of panels that you could even confine them in to load them out. They can’t get them to market to make money. The dead get dragged to woodline for the coyotes, or maybe in a hole if they’ve got a backhoe. The cows just keep the pasture eaten down. Maybe it keeps the guy busy, maybe it offers a sense of independence or is part of his identity – a connection to agriculture, the “farmer” title. Maybe it enables him ability to contribute to the conversation with the boys down at the sale barn.
Cows can be a joy to tend and be around, and maybe thats the draw for some of these guys. Maybe it’s heritage. I run into plenty of folks who have them butchered and put into the freezer for the family – that makes complete sense. It just baffles me that there are folks who spend money to buy the animal and just expect it to automatically generate healthy calves without much input. They need to eat – if you don’t have enough pasture, that means you’ll have to make or buy hay. If your hay is poor quality, they’ll need some sort of protein to live through the winter (grain or a protein tub). You can’t starve them for the 5 months of the year with no grass and expect them to calve, and make milk to raise that calf. Your wife can’t eat cardboard, maintain her weight, carry the baby to term and make milk to feed the baby once a year for 10 years. It seems like simple things, but I run into it every week.
So my answer to his question about regarding her having trouble with twins again if he breeds her. Absolutely, all trouble. Sell her. Sell all of them, actually. Enjoy your last few years on earth doing something else. You are a good human being and I like you, but you are not a good cattlemen. Times have changed and it is time for you to stop cows. You have many other gifts and talents to offer this world – just not raising cattle. Maybe just go hang out with a friend who has cows to get your cow fix.
I do not think these guys realize that their actions might be perceived as neglect or cruelty by some folks. They do not see that they’re doing anything wrong. They likely saw their dad or grandad doing it the same way. I just hate that these are the type of people that animal rights groups target to broadcast as the typical American farmer. Nothing could be further from the truth. The American farmer has a passion for preventing illness, protects his investment, and knows that good welfare and husbandry are key to success.
I like to believe that this is a dying generation and way of thinking about cows. I happen to see it more just based on where I live and work – the back books and crannies of Appalachia. I make the suggestions and sometimes they lead to change for the Vetter. Other times, probably most times, this young buck doesn’t know shit from apple butter and the old wiseass keeps on as he has for decades. We can do better, and it’s up to all of us with connection to the cattle industry to help these folks find their way out of cattle. Rarely are they willing to make change or financially able to make change. We have to do better for the sake of the animals. We have to do better so that we do not burn out or physically cause injury to good veterinarians who want to work in rural medicine. We have to do it because it is right. And we have to do it to maintain the trust of the American consumer demanding responsible farmers.
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