One of the best parts of doing the podcast write-ups is being able to preview the next show. Depending upon the topic, I have different feelings: excitement, amusement, curiosity.
When I saw that the week’s topic was “The Family Cow,” I had exactly one thought: Seriously? We have gone to selling the farm and living in an RV to a COW? A cow is a HUGE commitment. They need space. Milking. Food. And they live, when taken care of as a family cow, into their teens. The metaphor of a relationship to a cow being akin to marriage made more sense as I have learned more about cows.
Therefore, I must admit I surprised myself as I listened to the episode and found myself thinking, “This whole cow thing sounds appealing.”
How could that be? Is my aversion to giant mammals receding? (No, my older daughter rides horses, and I can assure you, giant animals with tiny brains are not my thing.)
What I found to be appealing was the ritual aspects that come along with cow ownership. Not only the daily milking schedule, which is very different than the commercial dairy milking I have witnessed, but the idea of going through the steps of processing the raw milk: skimming the cream, making butter, feeding the sour milk to other animals on the farm. The picture in my head was of a symbiotic, closed circle, each part feeding the other emotionally and nutritiously.
So, is a family cow for you? I don’t meet the minimum land ownership necessary in my state to have large livestock, but maybe you do. Also, my entire immediate family is lactose intolerant. I have bought raw milk from our local purveyor of raw milk, and while it tastes better and hurts my stomach less than commercial milk, my stomach still doesn’t appreciate a glass of milk. (Cheese and butter, though? Yes Please!)
If you are a Pioneer, you can begin your cow courting journey by watching the entire video of Aust and his family with the cows. Not a Pioneer? Become one today.
Some music for your cow journey here.
Photo Credit at the top of the post to The Modern Farmer. Click to read his take on the inner life of cows.
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