Every herd has one cow everybody knows, and on our farm that's Raspberry. She was the very first calf ever born here, and today she's one of the oldest cows in the herd.
Her mother was Moo Cow, a full Jersey and one of the very first cows we ever bought. We bred Moo Cow to a neighbor's smaller Red Angus bull, so Raspberry is half Jersey and half Red Angus. She got her red coat from her dad's side and a whole lot of Jersey personality from her mom.
That personality is what people remember. Raspberry is one of the sweetest cows we have. You can walk right up and pet her, and she isn't the least bit scared. In the way she acts, she's every bit a Jersey.
She's also the queen of the herd. She's been here longer than just about anyone, and the others respect that. If she wants a spot, she gets it, and when she heads somewhere, the rest of the herd follows.
Raspberry has given us three or four of the animals in our herd today, and she had another calf just last week. We haven't milked her much over the years, but once her colostrum clears we'd like to bring her back into the milking area.
That's one more place the no-fence collars could help. We could give Raspberry her own little corridor to walk up for milking while the rest of the herd stays where they are. Of course, she's the leader, so we may find a few followers trying to tag along.
We're grateful for this cow and everything she's given the farm. If you'd like to hear when beef and other products are available, join our email list for updates.