It’s 14th July and you know what that means!
IT’S COW APPRECIATION DAY!
I got in touch with some of my favourite farmers from across the country to see why they love cows so much!
There are approximately 9.6 million cattle in the UK. That’s a lot of cows! One of the reasons I’m so drawn to cattle is that we so easily take them for granted. They become part of the landscape as we drive up the motorway or the thing we get our milk from. We don’t spare the time to stop and take a minute to truly appreciate them. So I decided to get in touch with some of the people who know cows best, the herdsmen and women to see what they love about their cows so much.
Name: Georgina, North Yorkshire
Breed of Cows: British Whites, Limousins and Stabilisers. 106 cattle on the farm in total and hopefully increasing over the next few years.
Farming Since: 1948
What I appreciate about Cows: They’re good listeners! I’m a bit soppy with the cattle and I like to name them, I probably get a bit too attached to some of them, but they all have their own personalities. No two days are ever the same!
Favourite Cow: Marjorie (Marj) she is not a looker and she’s a little on the small side at nearly a year old, but she is from one of our old cows and she has definitely become the pet calf. She always comes to find you for a cuddle in the field and will follow you wherever you go.
Name: Jess, Grandad’s Farm
Breed of Cows: Black & White
Farming Since: Seven years
What I appreciate about Cows: They are very good a singing cow songs. If you moo at them they moo back and once I played my recorder to them and they sang.
Favourite Cow: Dotty, because she has lots of dots all over her. Her best food is apples and she eats them when I brush her. I made her a bow but it fell off.
Name: Will , North Yorkshire
Breed of Cows: 8 pure Black Galloways, 11 pedigree Shorthorns & Blue greys
Farming Cows Since: 2015
What I appreciate about Cows: I just like cows. After farming sheep and chickens all my life it’s good to mix things up. A nice change from looking after a cloud of sheep.
Favourite Cow: Geniva, the red one with a white star. She always Moos when she sees you, all of her off spring are vocal too.
Name: Peter & Jill
Breed of Cows: 20 Red Ruby Devon & 1 Guernsey
Farming Since: 2005
What I appreciate about Cows: They are wonderful creatures that you can really build a bond with. I always remember one time we went on holiday for a week and we came back, walked up to the field and the cows mooed and came belting over to see us… it was amazing to think that they saw us and seemed to say “I’m so glad you came back!”
Favourite Cow: My overall favourite is Li’l Meghan who makes me laugh. She comes up to me but won’t let me touch her, looks at me and then just bellows. I have to time a loud “Shhhhh” in between bellows and then she stops, walks away and starts eating again. She is a great mother, really looks out for her calves, helps them get going as newborns and grows them well. Lovely but loud!
Name: Helen Stanier
Breed of Cows: 234 Pedigree Jersey cows
Farming Since: 1968
What I appreciate about Cows: Although it is such hard work, working with dairy cows is very enjoyable and rewarding. My favourite sight is to see them all happily settled in a field after milking, munching grass or quietly sat chewing the cud. I love getting to know them and the various cow families that we have here.
Favourite Cow: My favourite cow is affectionately known as Mooey. She’s not the most attractive but she is one of the only cows who really moos. She is very cheeky and independent and loves to lead the younger cows into mischief but she loves a scratch and seems to sense how I am feeling and when I need a hug.
Name: Cat, Ginger Cow Company
Breed of Cows: 3 Highland Steers
Farming Since: 2019
What I appreciate about Cows: Their cheeky personalities. All 3 are very different and really nosy. Whenever we’re doing anything they all like to come and investigate what’s happening!
Favourite Cow: Roo, our little 2 year old. He’s like a puppy. He loves to come up for cuddles and scratches and he moos for attention when he sees us coming. If we’re busy in the field, he will gently nudge you if you’re ignoring him to get more fuss… which is a tricky thing to do gently with big horns, but he somehow manages!
Let us know what you’re favourite thing about cows is! Happy Cow Appreciation day everyone!