Our Family Cow

Meet Ginger, our lovely new Jersey girl.  She has been with us for a little over a week and it is safe to say we are all quite taken with her.  Ginger is a yearling heifer (I'm learning all the cow lingo) and a dream come true for me.  She is pregnant and due in October.  Although sweet and gentle she is not yet halter broken, which means we have some work to do with her to get her tame enough to walk with us where we want her to go.  But so far she is making fast progress.  I remember back in my vegan days saying to someone that I would never drink cows milk unless I had my own cow.  Well, here we are.  Somehow, all of a sudden, our little farm feels complete.   

In all the excitement, I am trying not to be naive about how much work she may be.  We are phasing out our rabbit operation, selling some of the goats (after kidding of course), and generally trying to get things in tip top shape around here.  The main concern has been pasture management, getting rid of the poison hemlock, cutting down some foxtails, making plans to sow some good nutritious cover crops for her.  But for now, each day we are busy trying to get her used to us and with all the hustle, she seems to be settling in just fine.

Reaching out to some knowledgeable friends has been helpful in getting down the basics like, how much alfalfa to supplement with, what are the important vaccinations, which trimester to add grain to her diet, etc. 

Besides the fact that I'm dreaming of milk (butter and cheese too!), it is so fascinating to get acquainted with her, learn her personality and establish what I hope will be a very long friendship (dare I say love affair?).  And did I mention she really loves oranges?