Our first calf of the season was born on Thursday to Sage, a first-time momma cow. Kate was the first person to see her, so she won "naming rights" and decided to call her Annabelle. I took these photos Thursday afternoon, just a few hours after she was born. (For background, see our post from February on humanely raised pet food.)
Here's Sage, nudging her along on the way back to the herd ... she was communicating to Annabelle with a low, quiet moo as they slowly moved forward:
This is Susanna on the left, who was born last year, greeting the new-born little girl:
We have three more cows due to deliver -- two any day now, and the third one in August. We had a couple of cows not get pregnant last fall, so to make up for the shortfall, we are now also raising four Holstein male calves we got from a local dairy down the road from us when they were a week old.
Typically male dairy calves get shipped off to veal "farms" (really, factories) a few days after birth, where they spend a short, miserable several months confined in veal crates and on restricted diets before being slaughtered. This is the "dark side" to the dairy industry that many people, even many well intentioned vegetarians, don't know about. But if you're drinking milk -- or eating cheese, yoghurt or other milk products -- it's because a calf didn't get that milk. Instead of going to a veal farm, our Holstein steers (now about three months old) will have a natural life outdoors.
---
Speaking of humanely raised pet food, the newest issue of Bark magazine has a feature article by me on that subject. It's in the June/July/August issue -- this is the cover -- but they also just posted it online. You can read it on the Bark website here.
The article is adapted from, and expands on, the blog post I wrote back in February.
I dont think annabelle's life should end as a food source. I find something troubling in bringing a life in to this world with the sole purpose of dying. Any of the blind horses you save could easily have ended up as dog food. It is hrad to be unemotional about the issue and i am sure i am being ilogical and inconsistent in my thinking and principles. What i DO know is that once you name it, you cant eat it.
Thanks for letting me post.
Posted by: Lawrence Abuhoff | June 26, 2011 at 08:25 PM
Standing OVATION to you and Alayne for tackling and doing something about humane treatment of food animals. I have been a vegetarian for 20 years and am now rethinking about the dairy products I consume. THANK YOU for the references---I have already contacted an Organic Farm in our local area. Sad that much of our population doesn't care. I appreciate the compassionate responses from the other blog readers.
Posted by: Shirley * James/Portland, OR | June 23, 2011 at 02:20 AM
That's a wonderful article, Steve! You bring up some great points for people to consider.
LOVED this:
"Putting its money where its philosophy is, HSUS has come out with its own brand of vegan dog food. The first eight ingredients in its “Humane Choice” kibble are organic ground canola seed, organic brown rice, organic soybean meal, organic buckwheat, organic flaxseed, organic sunflower seed and organic millet. You could be forgiven for thinking this was bird food."
Our 5 are raw fed—-mostly pastured beef--so that covers the humane angle. They've never been healthier, even the seniors.
Posted by: Lynne Parker | June 21, 2011 at 10:52 AM
Thanks so much for this. I shared your article on my FB page.
I'm glad to see people reacting in a positive light to what you are doing. Dogs are carnivores and need meat. Making the choice to extend compassion to that "meat" before slaughter is really an extension of what you established RDF for in the first place—to provide a quality life to the animals. Commercial pet food is not only full of crap but the animals were raised in a MOST inhumane way.
Kudos to you and Alayne. You are even more my heroes.
Posted by: Lynne Parker | June 21, 2011 at 10:03 AM
Annabelle is so cute :) Thank you for all the information that you give on the subject of humanely raised food. Wonderful article you wrote for Bark!
Posted by: Ann | June 21, 2011 at 01:04 AM
Welcome Annabelle. You sure are a cute little thing!! We all have a purpose in life and we will all, at some point, pass away. Her purpose will be to feed others. And she will have a beautiful life up to the last moment. Wish we were all so lucky.
Posted by: Anne in FL | June 20, 2011 at 04:15 PM
Thank you for your ongoing commentary about humanely raised cattle and the opposite. I find that I have been reflecting upon where our meat comes from more and more.
I commend your honesty and human treatment of pets, as well as farm animals.
Posted by: Ev | June 20, 2011 at 03:40 PM
Welcome Annabelle- I love seeing new life come into the world.
Barbara Techel
Posted by: Barbara Techel | June 20, 2011 at 12:34 PM
I enjoyed reading the Bark article and greatly admire you both. I'm curious now about how you chose who to slaughter. And, if they were born on the farm, does their mother and other herd members "miss" them? Do you keep females to have more calves and just slaughter males? Perhaps you will continue blogging about the topic in the future. In the meantime, thank you for making me think about this.
Adele: I saw your posts on your blog. I couldn't watch the video yet but I will try. I believe we must bear witness to affect change in our hearts and minds. Thank you also.
Posted by: Lynn (in Louisiana) | June 20, 2011 at 12:13 PM
I just read through the "veal crates" link you posted. (I haven't eaten veal in 20+ years due to this very reason!)
I just posted it on FACEBOOK and urge others to do so as well.
Go to the link above (thanks, Steve), read it and educate yourself & then share it with others. Maybe we can start making a difference against this legal and profitable cruelty to animals.
Posted by: Lisa K. - San Diego | June 20, 2011 at 11:59 AM
Even though I agree with what you're doing (humanely raised dog food), it's still really sad to look at that adorable calf and know that she'll be food someday. I'm glad you rescued some little fellas from the miserable of a veal factory though! I hate the dairy industry, it's one of the worst in the world!
Posted by: Betty | June 20, 2011 at 09:00 AM
Love those calves! But I have to tell you that I think you are making a mistake by naming them. It makes it all the harder to ship them off for beef. We named one calf out of our herd in the early days. We named her Sadie. Sadie ended up at the picnic table. Actually, she was there with her halter on watching us. She also liked to look in the back door while we got ready for work. And she especially liked petunias. Sadie lived a loooong full life as our pet. Learning from that, we did not name the rest of the herd!
Posted by: Tracy McBride | June 20, 2011 at 08:34 AM
What a nice Father's Day present! Congratulations.
Melissa
Posted by: Melissa | June 20, 2011 at 08:12 AM
I am looking forward to reading the Bark article. Great job! I bet years ago you never thought you would be writing about this subject. It's a testament to your honesty that you recognized what your dogs needed and stepped outside your own beliefs to deliver it.
Also, I brought up the subject of humanely raised and slaughtered meat the other day on my own blog and regretted I did not have time to search your blog and link to your most excellent post in February (time sure goes fast, I wouldn't have guessed it was that long ago). And here today you've linked back to it and now I can link to the entire story. Thanks!
On a related note, some states (though it has failed in four of them recently) are trying to outlaw surveillance of their slaughtering practices because of the privacy issues and the fact, too, that it makes the meat industry have to improve their practices and actively punish abusers.
Posted by: adele | June 20, 2011 at 07:29 AM
Welcome baby Annabelle! Loved the second photo showing mama nudging her......too cute!!
Posted by: Marla from Kansas City | June 19, 2011 at 09:39 PM