You and whose army?

Cows rule, okay?

No dairy farmer worth her salt treats a cow as anything other than a queen. A cow track is only fit for a cow if her farmer finds it comfortable barefoot, a perfectly balanced dinner must arrive at the right time and in the right portion or there will be hell to pay and, most importantly, it is the cow who sets the timetable.

Milkings should be as evenly spaced as possible and the cow is a masterful timekeeper. If we are half an hour late, she will arrive at the dairy demanding better service and if we are early, well, we must simply wait for her to gather herself.

With all this in mind, I should have known better than to cut it fine rounding up before my regular rendezvous with the school bus. They should not, would not be hurried.

Cow comfort is actually a big deal for dairy farmers. We spend a lot of time worrying about (and researching) resting time, dairy ventilation, “traffic” flow, yard design, walking surfaces, excessive noise and avoiding heat stress.  The biggie when rounding up for milking is to just let them come in gently. Yep. Should have got out there 15 minutes earlier.