Farm Babies

In a hidden corner of the pasture a calf is born and so joy.

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In a secluded spot in the pasture a little calf breathes his first air and is nursed the first time. A mama cow will hide to give birth; so we keep an eye out for any bagging up with milk and check twice a day for a cow seperating herself from the herd. Usually, we find the calf already standing and nursing. That is the best news. We weigh the calf and name him and ID tag his ear–left for a bull calf and right for a heifer.

Our pasture isn’t crowded. We only have eighteen cows (counting the babies). We only grass feed with alfalfa in the winter-no grains. Most of our herd is black, but one mama cow is white. I name all the heifers after missionaries. Our white cow I named Nora Lam. She has a pretty little white calf.

We love to watch the babies run and play together–butting heads and kicking up their heels. Soon they learn to eat grass and drink from the water trough. Later they learn to come to the coral for hay when farmer Ron calls his special cattle call. All summer they graze and grow under the pecan tree’s shade in the orchard. Then they move in the fall to the back pasture where they stay during harvest.

The mama gently tends her baby all the year and keeps nursing him even when he out grows the need. She protects him from ravaging buzzards and from hungry coyotes. Some ranchers stock donkeys to guard their herd. The calves grow fast and soon some go to the meat packer, some to auction, and some are kept for raising still more babies.

Many people are now raising chickens and goats, even rabbits, pigs and mini cows as well as other farm animals. They make family pets of them. We raise our cows for meat and we are happy to have them grazing in the quiet pasture, eating grass and clover in the summer ‘s pure air and the sunshine. There is something peaceful and calming about the waving grasses and the wildflowers. There is something soul nurturing about hearing their lowing to the babies as they parade to the watering trough each evening.

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For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine and all it contains.
Psalm 50 :10 -12