Community Corner
Soule: When You Love Cows, Of Course You Name Them
Keeping track of individuals in our 50-head herd was essential. So we assigned numbers and put ear tags on each bovine.
“Do you remember which cow charged me?” I asked husband Bruce.
“It was a red one,” he said.
When we started raising cattle, keeping track of individuals in our 50-head herd was essential. Calves, though adorable, looked alike. Unlike their mothers, I couldn't tell them apart, so we gave each one an ear tag.
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Identification was vital when I had to make tough decisions about difficult animals—like that charging cow. The thought of anyone getting hurt on my farm worried me. So an aggressive cow or one that constantly jumped fences (yes, cows can jump!) would have to go into the beef program. The calm, gentle souls stayed, and some became "ambassador animals" who brought joy to farm visitors.
So we assigned numbers and put ear tags on each bovine. The tags didn’t bother the animals and made identification easy. Problem solved—almost.
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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm. You can schedule an appointment to meet her cattle at the UltimateCow Experience.
