The Bovine Bugle

The last drips of the season captured at Howmars Farm

Buckets hang from the maple trees
near the farmhouse.

The sugaring season is long gone, but I wanted to just tell everyone how we made out this year. Considering the wacky winter we had leading up to the start of the season, we did really well. Not a record breaker, but not the worst by far, either.

After gathering for the first time on March 14, things froze up until the flood broke loose on March 24. From Saturday the 25th until Friday, the 31st, we gathered and boiled every day except Thursday. We could not have ordered a more perfect week of weather for maple sugaring. We made 100 gallons of mostly Fancy grade syrup during those seven days. It reminded me of the years when I was attending the University of Maine in Orono, and would come home for the two weeks of March break. We usually would tap the trees after I got home, and then sugaring would be called quits when I went back to school. I just want to say hi to Andy Bryan, a former UMO classmate living in Maine who sent in a hello to the Bovine Bugle awhile back.

Steam escapes from the "sugaring off" shack
on the Howmars property.
The last of the sap was boiled down
during the last week of March.

We did get another run of sap a few days after the 31st, but we knew the grade would not be good and we had all our cans filled, so we pulled buckets and spouts. A good year for Howmars Farm in the sugarbush.

The end results!
What Vermont is famous for--pure maple syrup.

--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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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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Got a question for farmer Jonathan?
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Ever wanted a cow of your own? Check out our Have A Cow program.