Soule: Cleaning Cows is a Labor of Love

August should be easy. Cattle grazing lush grass, nibbling clover. Pink sunrises, brilliant sunsets, the picture of idyllic farm life. All true. Also true: I spend a chunk of every August with scissors in my hand, prying burrs from bovine ears.

Anyone raising long-haired Highland cattle — or honestly any bovine with a tail, which is most of them — knows what I'm talking about. The burrs have invaded, and they've brought two different armies.

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Here's the annoying part. These plants are valued by others.

Read more about burrs: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Cow Coach Carole co-owns Miles Smith Farm, where you can visit her cattle (mostly burr-free) on Saturday, August 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. Adults are $25. Children are free.