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Miles

written by

Mike Dougherty

posted on

May 5, 2022

Three weeks ago on a snowy afternoon our special little calf bull was born.
We had been keeping a close watch on the mama cow who was giving many signs that she was ready to calf.
The process was taking longer than usual, which was telling us something wasn’t right.
Doug prepared by slip tying rope that he could cinch around the calf’s legs if needed.
He walked to the pasture, stood at a distance, and observed the scene.
The cow was trying, her calf’s feet were showing but nothing else was happening.
Intention set in, and Doug roped the calf and began to pull. After what probably seemed like a long time a healthy, BIG bull calf was on the ground and his mama was licking on him.
The amount of excitement, calmness, beauty, and pure love was vibrating through the pasture. The herd was watching, the snow began to fall.
Magic✨

We learned quickly that this bull calf was much larger than most new born calves and his mama being on the petite side. This caused issues with him understanding and being able to find her teet to start sucking for milk.
Suzy prepared a bottle of warm whole milk.
The amount of patience, and love that went into the days that followed this calf’s birth were limitless. Bottles morning to night, regularly checking on his health, always trying to teach him how to suck. A good chunk of our days have been spent on chatting and tending to this little guy, who we now call, Miles.
From milk in the bottle to electrolytes to boost his immunity and strengthen his body Miles was becoming a little too dependant on seeing Doug or Suzy and knowing they were what made his tummy feel good.
After many attempts of showing Miles how to suck from his Mama, Doug did it!
He still likes to see Doug for the reassurance, but will follow his lead over to the cow and he’ll grab on and do the rest to fill his belly.
After all, the connection between Doug and Miles was formed as soon as that little stuck calf heard Doug’s voice, telling him he could do it. Miles didn’t want to sever that bond, and Doug showed him all the love and patience to grow and be best little bull calf he could be!

Jayme

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Agriculture and Climate Change

Agriculture and Climate Change

The discussion around agriculture and climate change has been ramping up over the past few years. While there have been pressures on agriculture to change and reduce "emissions" leading up to this phase, there is an increasing tension with more and more calls to make drastic changes. To get a sense of the rhetoric around the issue, take a listen to John Kerry's speech at The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) Summit.  It starts at around the 21 minutes mark and is about 22 minutes long.For a few examples of where this type of rhetoric can go, take a look at the Netherlands, where farmers are being offered 120% of their farms value to sell. Sounds pretty good, but the catch is that if they don't accept, they will be forced to sell in addition they aren't "allowed" to start up farms anywhere in the EU. There is also a push in Ireland to cull huge numbers of cows to achieve climate targets.Kerry laments that agriculture causes about 33% of the worlds "emissions", but according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change agriculture generates 10% to 12% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, with packaging, transportation, and waste management generating the remainder."We can't get to net-zero, we don't get this job done unless agriculture is front and center as part of the solution. So all of us understand here the depths of this mission." ... "lives depend on world leaders and scientists developing the tools necessary to lower agriculture emissions.... I refuse to call it climate change anymore. It's not change. It's a crisis."He discusses how many deaths are currently caused by a changing climate and how many are estimated in the future if we don't do something. It really pulls at your heart strings. Hopefully Mr. Kerry is also giving speeches at military conferences discussing how many lives could be saved and how much carbon wouldn't be emitted by curbing military involvement or arms sales in however many countries they currently operate in/sell to.I'm not necessarily against progress or technology in agriculture, but I am certainly pessimistic. I think it is inevitable and could be a powerful way to produce more food in ways that will hopefully have less impact on our environment and more of a positive impact on the people it feeds. When I say that, I don't mean simply it will emit less carbon, I mean from a holistic standpoint, if new technology can use fewer chemicals, focus on soil health and produce food that nourishes (and not simply feeds), then that is great. That said, I think without a nuanced approach towards agriculture, one that is not solely dependent on technology, focuses exclusively on "emissions" and calories produced, our food systems (which will corelate to our health) will eventually go the way of many other professions and industries - a heavily regulated monolith with ever increasing farm sizes, profit driven policies and little opportunity for young people or choice for the consumer.The solutions that many people talk about regarding innovation in the food sector are technology based. They will require huge investment and capital, which will inevitably lead to fewer and fewer people responsible for food production and greater control by those who control the money.The interesting thing, and in my opinion a huge flaw in their argument (and tell that they aren't sincere in their concern), is that the cow (a truly amazing beast) is a target. Because cows produce methane, the conclusion of the "scientists" and spreadsheet gurus is that we must reduce the number of cows. Pretty cut and dry, except like most things there is nuance. A great explanation on how the methane cows "emit" is actually part of a natural cycle can be found here and the movie Sacred Cow is a great watch regarding our food systems and the benefit that cows and other ruminants can have to our health and environment.Another thing to consider is that while many agricultural systems and new "food" technologies like fake meat are scalable and can be technology driven, the cow isn't that simple. 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Fungi growing from a cow pie

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Wild Meadows Farm Ltd

  • 085315 Grey Road 14
    Conn ON N0G 1N0
  • 519.710.5702

Offering home delivery throughout most of Southern Ontario