By Abbey, From Dawn Farm's November, 2024 monthly newsletter.
For this month’s farm musings, I write about the final day of delivering cattle to the butcher this year and what that feels like.
October 11, 2024: The day began with the first frost of the year. Frosty exhales from the warm cattle and wearing a toque as I moved the wire. It sure felt different than moving them in a t-shirt for the past 5 months!
I left for the day to drive a combine and dump trucks as my family worked away at soybean harvest. Late afternoon, I returned to find the small herd laying in a group, side by side, enjoying the sunshine.
Eyes closed and chewing their cud. Utter (udder!) contentment.
A sight for me to pause at and enjoy as I made the most of the last day of cattle tending at Dawn Farm this year.
I got them into the corral and loaded into the trailer easily, then drove them away to Vanessa, ON.
That night, the grazing season was capped off with Northern Lights above Southern Ontario. Who knows, maybe my girls in their outdoor pen caught a glimpse of the beauty above them on their last night.
Later that night, pen in hand, I tried to put into words what passes between the cattle and I when I say goodbye to them. I always say a few words to them. I tell them how good they’ve been and how much I have cherished them. Most of all, I thank them.
It is not an easy thing to do. I have spent every day of the past 6 months pouring my heart into their well-being. Do they have enough grass? Do they have enough shade? Is the water still working? What about the storm that’s coming? Does that one look like she’s limping? I’m going away tonight, will everything be okay?
I laugh at their antics and get to work when they aren’t where they should be.
They are my daily companions.
And after all that, I am the one who takes them to the butcher.
Yes, it is not easy. Yet, I consider myself fortunate that I can truck them. I can make sure that even on their last ride they are handled calmly by the person they are familiar with.
As I drive back home, I remind myself of a few things:
These cattle only got to live this great life because someone wanted to eat grass-finished beef.
We need to keep eating beef so we can have pastures.
Pastures are a huge source of wildlife food and habitat.
Pastures sequester carbon, build soil organic matter and structure, and reduce erosion.
This tasty, healthy beef is going to provide nourishment for so many people.
Next year, I’ll do it all again, even better.
It’s the circle of life, and we are all a part of it. You, the conscientious buy-local customer; I, the Cattle Caretaker; and of course, the cattle.
Ode to Beloved Cattle
A. Taylor
Is there a place for cows to go
Somewhere over that sweet rainbow?
With grass and shade and creeks so clear
A place that would be much like here.
Where they can walk and graze and lay
And chew their cud for all their days.
That’s where I want my girls to go
Somewhere over that sweet rainbow.
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