Kids and Cattle: My First Heifer
I’ll never forget my first heifer, 510C. I was four years old when I got my start in the cattle business. That year, my grandpa had a bottle calf, and he asked me if I would take care of him and get him big enough to join the rest of the calves. I took great pride in feeding my bottle calf, although I’m sure I did plenty of watching, and my dad did most of the feeding.
For my efforts, Grandpa offered me his best replacement heifer that year. Boy, was I excited about her. I named her 510C Brianna, and we took her first bull, Jack, to the Black Hills Stock Show, when I was six. I will always hold those memories near and dear to my heart, and a BEEF Daily reader recently shared a story with me about how he created this same memory for his three-year-old nephew, Logan.
Loren Anderson of New Rockford, ND, shares his tale:
One sunny, winter day, my nephew, Logan, came for a visit from Minneapolis, MN. I had decided that this trip to the farm had to be a special one! Needless to say, Logan loves everything on the farm from riding and steering the tractors, riding the horses, helping make hay and playing with the new born calves. He’s just one good lil’ rancher!
The special day I gave him went something like this: Logan and I went for a walk over to the replacement heifer pen. Once we were in the pen, I asked Logan if someday he would like to own his very own cow. His response was, “Uncle Loren, I would love to have my very own cow someday.” So, I continued to inform him that today was that day, and he could choose one heifer that would be his very own. ”Really? Today?” I set him down, and you would have sworn he was a true cattle buyer. There were 14 heifers to choose from, which included four white, seven tan, one red, one black and one gray. He was very particular making sure to pick the best one. As I watched him look them over one by one, and then started over again to be sure he found the best, it was a heartwarming sight. About 15 minutes later, in the most serious face, as his small arms reached out for me to pick him up, he said, “Uncle Loren, I think I found her.” I replied, “Are you sure?” “Yep,” he said. ”I really, really like that red one. Can I have her?” All I said was, “SOLD!”
Instantly his arms were wrapped around me as he whispered in my ear, “You’re the best, Uncle Loren!” The following morning I had to go back to work but later I was informed that Logan was up at the crack of dawn, vigorously shaking Grandpa and telling him, ”Come on, Grandpa, we gotta go! I need to feed my cow; she’s hungry!” Still, to this day, when he comes for a visit he always remembers that he has his very own cow to check each morning before it’s time to fire up the tractor engine for another day’s worth of fun on the farm!
Do you remember your first calf? How old were you when you got your start in the business? What childhood memories do you have? Also, thanks to all of you who sent in your photos for the Kids and Cattle Photo Contest. There were so many great ones that it will take some additional time to select the top 10. Stay tuned for the finalists to be announced on Monday, along with the complete photo album for your viewing pleasure! Thanks again to all the participants!
In the meantime check out the photo gallery from last year’s Cattle Call Contest.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
I remember as a child growing up and converting from a feeding operation to a cow/calf operation. Dad bought his herd from South Dakota and they were not as quite domesticated as we would have liked. We would go and feed them cake from the pickup to tame them down a bit. Although I don’t have a particular first calf story, the fact that you remember your first calf number is what caught my attention. #703 and #723 stick in my memory forever. I was 12 and we were moving our first calf heifer pairs across the road. Dad was protective of us kids around the cows, but the heifers he would have us help walk. I got in the pin with dad to move them and #703 came straight at me, I held my ground, and whapped her on the nose with my stick until she backed off. Scared the heck out of my parents, and me, but I did what I needed. That same day, #723 did the same thing, but she just tried to scare me. #703 was “head hunting” as dad called it. I have remembered those 2 numbers for almost 25 years now. I find it amazing that growing up in agriculture, most everyone has a memory like this. Thanks for keeping us reminiscing.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
It is funny that out of the specific animals we remember they are either the really good and the really bad. My first cow was a Purebred Gelbvieh heifer that dad bought for the herd and for me a show project named Kaz (#75). Mom and Dad made sure she was plenty gentle which proved true at the county fair that fall. Mom has a picuture of me in the show ring, the lead rope laying on the ground, both of my hands on the show stick pulling for all I am worth to get it out from under her foot! She just stood there and licked my face till someone came out and helped. We kept her around for many years and she raised some really nice steer calves (never did get a heifer to replace her with). Now to the really bad (kind of). One year dad bought a group of first calf heifers. One of them #19 was to make her mark in our memories and hearts forever. When she went into labor, we had another calf born a few hours earlier and she was bound and determined that she was the mother. Mom was trying to get the pair sorted out and 19 kept taking her, so she told me to open the door to the barn and throw a dirt clod at her to get her attention while mom grabbed the calf. Well being about 9 or 10 I didn’t listen to good and I stepped out of the barn, threw the dirt, and got 19’s attention. I ended up stepping too far out of the barn, 19 came after me so I took off running. Threw the water tank, over the fence and up the loading shoot. Now I am wet, cold, and mad (that MOM got me chased, and laughed at me). She lost her calf (still born) and wanted to be a mom so bad that she became the other calfs 2nd mom and any other calf that was in the market for a free meal. The next yr she lost her 2nd calf and gladly adopted the 2nd half of 2 different sets of twins (she took not 1 but 2). What else do you do when she stood by the fence talking to the other calf as she tried to lick him through the fence, but open the gate and let her take it too! She was always there to make sure us kids were paying attention, nothing like a bluff charge to get the heart pumping early in the morning. She never did hit anyone or get real mean, but she let everyone know she was “in the house”.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Growing up on a Red Angus cow calf operation in North East Iowa where your whole income for the year came from you annual calf crop, you learned to pick out the good cattle very quickly! My first heifer came from James Red Angus of Searsboro IA where dad’s base for the majority of the herd came from. JRA 1425 AKA Twix was her name. She was a daughter of CV Mr America AKA Freddie Brown and her mother was JRA 981. JRA 981 proved to be at the time one of the highest milk epd cows in the Red Angus breed. The really great cows dad had back then in the early ’90s were typically related to a bull called JRA 449. 449 Daughters were some of the most maternal cows in the business and my Twix was a grand daughter, I was elated! Twix raised many great daughters and still have the line in my herd. That cow line put me throught college, helped buy my first pickup truck, tought me lots about business and working with people. I showed Twix at the IA state fair 4 different times, as an open heifer, and as a cow calf 4 different years. She knew the way from the cattle barn up to tie outs all on her own and would lead the way every time. One year at county fair I had 4 generations showing one year out of her. Twix and her calf from that year, a pervious daughter with her own calf, and a steer in the fat steer show. The judge had never seen that many off spring of one cow at that level before, fun accomplishment for us! Twix milked very hard and always raised some of the most maternal power females that are with us still today 20 some years later!
August 9th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
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