Where Have All The Cows Gone?

Have you also noticed that there are not too many cows about?

It struck me yesterday morning. There I was, walking among the pristine, beautiful and abundant grass covered meadows and guess what, there were no cows to be seen. My goodness, this should be bovine central.

Cows here, would have it made. This would be the equivalent of moving to the best bovine neigbourhood. Lush meadows as far as the eye can see, not too many irritating concrete houses about and a mild climate to boot.

From what the older villagers tell me, everyone used to keep a few cows. Well, not everyone as having livestock was expensive and during the war years people really battled. But, if you had a cow or two, a few pigs and hens, you were able to feed your family during those awful lean years.

In fact, if you were lucky enough to be a farmer it meant you could survive. City life didn't ensure that you had food on your plate and a lot of children were sent to family in the country during the war.

Cows provide us with milk and thus the ability to make butter and cheese. Of course we all know the story of how children nowadays seem to think that milk is made at the supermarket. Imagine the answers to the question of where cheese and butter are made!

Honestly, now that I think of it, there are no cows in our village. Sure, further out one can see a herd or two but not as often as when we were young. Is there anything nicer then seeing a herd of cows in a meadow? When I was a young lass ( back in the last century ) trips to the country were highly prized. Being able to stand next to the fence and mooo-ing a cow to come towards you was just so special.

Special and frightening at the same time. When you are small and a big cow stands in front of you, it takes a lot of willpower and guts not to run away. But once that big tongue slobbers your hand, all is well. Cows love to be stroked, don't they? Oh, nice memories.

Why, are there so few cows about? Money of course, or rather the lack of it perhaps. Dairy farmers don't get paid enough for the milk they produce. This culture of making more and more profit for shareholders has most of us forgetting the amount of hard work that goes into producing a liter of milk, or anything else for that matter.

We can buy it at the supermarkets for give or take one Euro. How much of this do you think that the farmer gets? Remember, a dairy farmer has to:

• ...feed his cows. Use his fields for grazing instead of planting. Buy in food in winter.
• ...milk his cows.
• ...always be at home. Not many holidays for the farmers.
• ...has to pay the vet.
• ...has to pay a third party to deliver the milk.

Milk should be more realistically priced and even if it cost more, we as consumers would appreciate it more and not waste so much of it. Once the farmer gets more money per liter of milk produced ( enough money to make a good living ), more cows might be prancing around in the meadows. No, no one wants a battery kept cow.

Living in the country, we could go back to the olden days and buy milk straight from the farmers. Once that would happen, the price should drop because there would be no middle man then!

Walking about yesterday morning, I thought to myself how nice it would be if Bob and I could keep a cow at our house. Gosh, ours is an old farmhouse, so space is not the issue. Feeding and vet bills might cause a problem though.

But still, wouldn't it be nice if we could get a calf almost from birth and rear it. I could take it with me on my walks and when it is older, we would have milk and butter...

When I told Bob my string of thoughts as I got home, he blanched instantly, because all he could see in front of him was how people would look at his wife...the one taking a cow for a walk!

Biggi