Weaning Day At The Farm
The campaign is now in full swing and the days are a blur, filled with all sorts of activities. Since this is my first campaign for public office, I have learned a lot. All in all, it has been a lot of work with the wonderful payoffs that I have had the opportunity to meet many more people in our community than I ever thought possible.
I also have a whole new appreciation for people who run for public office.
Today was supposed to be a down day, so that I could catch up on ‘campaign stuff’. Looking after work on our farm was not in the original plan when I launched my campaign. However, two weeks ago, my farm helper broke his foot in a motor vehicle accident and will be out of commission for 6 weeks, which means that I get to do some double duty while he recovers. Like politics, farm work may seem attractive to some at first, but it is a lot of work, some of which is far from attractive.
Up until now the cows and calves have been out in the fields and don’t need much attention. However, it is the time of year when calves need to be weaned. This is also the time when the barns need to be prepared to receive the cattle before the November rains come, which is any day now. All of the cattle will spend the next 5 months in the barns under cover on soft beds of shavings. My neighbors jokingly refer to it as the ‘cow palace’. I must admit that they have a pretty ‘cushy’ life – when it’s raining hard, they come into the barn. If the sun is out, they lay around outside on a bed of sand chewing their cud, watching the world go by. What a life! Today was the day that we picked to wean our calves. These calves born in January and February, weighing between 70 – 90 lbs. now average anywhere from 700 – 900 lbs., depending if they are heifer calves (female), or bull calves. The photo shown is of Reality 5Y (bull calf). The only way he can get at his mama’s udder is to get down on his front knees. Like any of us, there are times when we need to grow up and take responsibility for ourselves.
I actually enjoy working with the animals and doing the chores that go along with animal husbandry. It is a humbling type of work. These are times of solitude and reflection with no interruptions, other than the odd cow wanting me to scratch her back. They seem satisfied after a quick one minute back massage! They recognize my voice and know that no harm will come to them. When I call them by name, they lift up their heads and look directly at me. If I call out a second time, they generally come running, wondering what is in store for them. Sometimes, they get a treat as a reward for coming. As strange as this may sound, I have learned a lot from animals. If you try to chase them, they scatter and you will never get them to go where you want them to go. However, if you lead them, calling them by name, they will follow me. Why, because they trust me. Isn’t life kind of like that. Leadership is all about leading, not driving people from behind in order to get them to go in a certain direction or make a certain decision. Cattle instinctively know who they can trust and who they need to be wary of. Although people have a much higher IQ than cows, we seem to have the same innate ability to know who is trustworthy.
