I grew up next to a dairy farm and have done a lot of work on it. Every time they went out of town I did all of the chores.
I don’t really hate them, but I certainly don’t respect them as a species (I can only really speak about Holsteins). They’re lazy and stupid. When they are grazing, they are held in captivity with only a thin electric fence. We’re not talking prison here. IT is one thin strand held in place with metal stakes that any child can remove. It’s not like they run an electric chair type of current through it either. With any teamwork at all they could all escape in a matter of seconds. Instead they choose to graze most of the day on their 5 or 10 acre patch and be milked twice per day in exchange for food.
I’m quite convinced that if farmers started using ventilators and feeding them intravenously, they would feel their lives are complete.
You seem, Doug, to assume that you’re among a bunch of vegetatians here, judging by the quality of your link. I am assuming, but I was a vegetarian once for a short time. Proud, self-proclaimed “carnivores” would take much delight in showing off great hunks of seared flesh. That, and making exaggerated (silly) “yum” noises while eating a cheeseburger.
I think that all that picture will accomplish here is to make many of us salivate.
Actually, I don’t think we eat that many cows. I never see them in feed lots. Pullet? Do we eat cows?
Hey, we’re from Bakersfield! My dad went to Bakersfield High and he’s only a couple of years younger than you. I went to a grade school surrounded by cotton fields on the northwest side of town.
I like cows, but have never worked with them close up.
I love cows. They’re funny and cute and usually quite peaceful. But every once in a while, there will be mass movement among the cows. The pond is simply passe. Now it’s under the tree that’s the happening place to be and anybody who’s anybody has to be there.
I might’ve picked cotton in those fields during summer vacation.
I don’t remember Bakersfield Audio, but I’ve surely beem there. I left town somewhere around 1980. Bakersfield was always a little on the conservative side for me. Also, I don’t like the constant heat then cold.
Tell me about it. My parents were thrilled to leave (in the 80’s). Bakersfield Audio closed down in about '78; I can just barely remember it (born in '73–I do remember the '76 dust storm!). It was downtown, on F St. and had this really cool mural of a sound wave that was also a music staff. I have the original drawing framed.
Anyway, cows! Cows are nice. I hate that cattleyard on I-5 though. Puts me right off hamburgers, it does.
I’m not Pullet, but we’re in the same town. Yes, we eat cows. What do you think happens to old dairy cows when they’re worn out? Low quality and cheap ground beef is not going to go to waste when there are burgers to sell for 99 cents. And what else would be done with female offspring of meat breeds? They’re just as tasty as their brothers.
Of course they are, that’s why those specialized Swiss breeds have legs shorter on one side than the other. (Look for the barns with the flat-sided milking cans sitting outside: chances are these cows are within)
How can you not love an animal so dumb that you have to shove a magnet down its throat so the bits of metal it eats won’t tear up its guts?
But some cow behaviors are highly-developed. You may know that in order to maintain lactation (and a reprieve from Oscar Meyer), a cow needs to be impregnted each year. But did you know that up until recent technology, the farmer’s only way of knowing when a cow was ready for insemination was by watching for the other cows to mount her in a mock mating ritual? Cows have been performing this for tens of thousands of years, but college women only started doing it in the 1990’s.
Many farmers call their cows back to the barn for milking by yelling “come boss, come boss!” neither farmer nor cow knowing that he’s adressing them by their Latin name (we used to have a poster, FunnyFarmer who I’ll bet did know this)
1950’s punks have cows to thank for the switchblade knife, developed to enable farmers to quickly release dangerous gas pockets in any of the cows’ stomachs.
Dog food? They used to feed it back to cattle. No more, though. At least they’re not supposed to.
I’m not so sure. I seem to remember different. I’ll look. :dubious:
Pet food, low-grade meat products (like canned foods), gelatin, stuff like that. And no, they can’t feed it to cattle, but they can feed to other species (feeding cattle byproducts to pigs and chickens are common I believe).
Wow! Factory dairy farms are a lot different than family farms were. Factory dairies
Cows at family farms were a big investment, and kept as long as possible. Cows that dried up did go to processors, but not as young as those at larger dairies.
And yes, the cows do go to processed meat, like hamburger. And blolgna, etc.
For one brief, shining moment, I, too, thought that mangeorge was about to have a Hal Briston moment. ::sigh::
You know what’s weird about cows? On minute they are frolicking little calves then stoic cows. I’ve never seen an adult cow frolic. What must happen in their minds.
Thank you. You and Scylla. I needed that.
“That ain’t shit, son. That’s money. City money.”
Said to me when I once remarked about the shit. City money = fool’s money.
Young boys were allowed to say “shit” when on a farm and the wimmen weren’t around.
And “titties”, too, as long as it was about cows.
Oh, yeah. When we were little we could ride some of the tolerant cows.
