The Bovine Bugle

Friday Fun from the Bovine Bugle

Dear readers--

Farmer Jonathan is still taking a break from the Bovine Bugle, so we thought we'd share some Bovine Fun Facts with you, and a little bovine humor to start your weekend...

Fun farm facts (you never know when these might come in handy):
* An average cow can eat at least an entire bale of hay every day.
* One cow can make enough milk in one day to fill 90 glasses.
* Organic dairy cows love to eat dandelions and grass and hay.

And, something to think about as we head into the summer months--find an organic farm near you by visiting localharvest.org, a website with an interactive map that will easily help you pinpoint local farmer's markets, organic farms and other fun stuff.

Finally, some thoughts from Joe Peck, who calls himself a "New York Farm Humorist" and who writes a column that shows up in publications such as the "Weekly Market Bulletin" from the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture. That's where we first saw his tongue-in cheek musings about cows and calves.

Joe writes:

"Young dairy calves are among the cutest animals on earth. They are so cute that I don't know why they aren't more popular as house pets.

Bovine babies certainly are more appreciative than cats, although that is not saying much...calves are more like dogs, always happy to see you. This bubbling, unbridled enthusiastic greeting is probably the calf's way of saying, "I'm hungry," but I prefer to think of it as sincere affection for the person who cares for her...It's a shame that such beautiful adorable animals, with such lovely long eyelashes and big sincere eyes, are such messy eaters, gulping their milk noisily and slurping loudly until the milk is gone. What utterly atrocious table manners!

I'm sorry to say that there are many reasons why calves would not make good pets. If they tried to sit on your lap, they would crush your thighs. They could never be taught to catch a Frisbee and never be trained to sit on command...Calves would eat the houseplants and, worst of all, they would have a terrible time trying to stand up on a newly waxed floor."

--excerpted and reprinted with permission from
"Here's Why Dairy Cows Fail as Household Pets," byJoe Peck

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Posted by Blogger Chris at May 5, 2006 07:46 PM