Chippy here.

I used to get strange looks in those days. Redneck, pickup with the rifle rack listening to the Grateful Dead on the 8-track at leval 10.

Joanne, I was at Grateful Dead concert in 69 with some female claasmates. I told them not to drink the apple cider. They did and I had to drive them home and face their angry parents. I sure did get into a lot of trouble.

Wow,

This went from cows to cars to the Dead...what's the connection, LOL.

I probaly know about cows than I dare admit...dad is still has some for hobby back home in Guatemala (his family has historically been "finqueros" for the last 150+ years). Spent way too many summers interacting with las Vacas.

And yes, they all have names, all cows have personalities and are overall just fun creatures.

Cows over time have been bred to provide us humans with specific by products or characteristics.

So, the Guernsey will have more butter fat in its milk than the Holstein...however, the Holstein can serve as a dual cow (that is can be dairy or beef) like the Brahamins. then again, people serious about dairy cattle want HUGE udders. So definitely the breeds who have these will be better dairy cows (Guernsey, Jersey, Brown Swiss, etc. etc.). An Angus who has been bred for beef is not a very good dairy cow, hence why they aren't used for that purpose.

If you milk by hand, you will find some cow's teat's are softer than others...generally, cows with black teats are softer than cows with pink teats.

Alfafa or grass? Well, the milk from an alfafa fed cow will taste different than "grass" (which grass are we talking about here?). However, you won't tell the difference if you purchase your milk that has been homogenized. The only way you will tell what the cow ate, is if you purchase raw milk and do some taste tests. My father likes to give his cows (who I guess would qualify as "organic" up here, as he does nothing to them artificial") black strap molasses...hence the milk is a tad sweeter. By the way, cows have a huge sweet tooth. Come by with some hard candy and they will want it.

Cow tongues are like cat tongues, have the rough surface. They also like to "pick their noses" with their tongue. It's so long that they can do it.

Cow pies from cows who only eat natural grass will not stink...in fact the "aroma" is not unplesant. Cow pies from cows who are on a feed diet will stink to high heaven.

As to cow "mating"...much like chickens, cows have certain mating "dances". An interested bull will come smell the cow's rear as she is finishing up a "number one", "drink" some of it and pull his upper lip back and show his teeth as he moves his head slowly from side to side. Dunno what this means, but usually right after that they mate in a very akward movement...looks akward to me, anyway.

Cows will allow chickens and egrets to pick off ticks off them. Hence, why you will see cows and egrets in fields all the time. Symbiotic relationship at its best. Chickens will also eat cow drool, but that is another topic...the secret lives of chickens, presented by yours truly.

Wow, Truly a Cow Education. Right here on a Cruise Board. Talk about off topic!

Ana Luisa - WOW! I'm learning a lot reading this thread ... :)

Masaki

Ana Luisa:

Oh my, did I enjoy and appreciate being educated about cows. :app:

Cheers! Ray
Japanese farmers feed cows beer to make their meat taste beter. In the United States, we feed customers beer and they don't care how the meat tastes!
(Unknown)

Ana Luisa: A great report on cows. But concerning cowpies I have to strongly disagree. Put 200 nervous cows together in a corral and it doesn't matter what they have been eating, it stinks. There are cowpies everywhere. A sea of cowpies if you will, more like green soup.

I suppose there may be those that think I'm full of cowpies. Maybe he drives a Buick.

Our hometown doctor raised Brahamins (I had to go back to see how Ana Luisa spelled that). One day, he rode around town and picked up a half dozen kids who were outside playing, took us to his "farm" and let us ride those big white things while he made home movies (ride in our minds only, they were being firmly held by his foreman). A few weeks later, we were invited to his house to watch the movies.

Great memories, I adored that man (as did most people in our tiny little town).

And that's the sum total of my experience with cows.

~~~blowing friendly kisses toward Chippy~~~~

Wow, between Chip and Ana Luisa, we really have some cow experts! What an interesting, and roundabout, thread! :)

Chip:

I would agree, cows with the runs probably have some sort of bug that will make their crap smell horrible.

Yet another unknown fact: dried cowpies (of the grass variety) can be burned to create a "smudge" that will ward off mosquitoes. IT has to be the grass variety so that humans can tolerate the smell of burning crap, LOL

I stand corrected. It is a BRAHMAN

They are distinct from other breeds because of the hump on their backs and are very popular in Guatemala because they are very hardy. They are primary used for beef, but make good basic dairy cows.

Here's a story:

The first time I went to Guatemala (I was 7), my grandmother (my dad's mom) decided to honor this visit by giving me a baby Brahman calf. She was all white, so I named her Snow White. Needless to say, I grew very fond of her that month I spent with her.

Fast forward...when I was 10, grandma came up for a visit. She said, "I have some great news". I said "What news?" She pulled out a Ben Franklin and said "Here, this is yours..." I asked "Where did this come from" and she replied "Well, this is what you made off the sale of Snow White.." I bawled "YOU SOLD SNOW WHITE?!!!!" while my parents chastized "Is that a way to thank your Grandma for making some money for you?" and Grandma just laughed "Honey, that is why we call it GANADO (in spanish, cattle is called GANADO which also stands for Profit)". Needless to say, no one understood why I was so upset about the sale of Snow White...I guess any other kid would have gone stir crazy with the sight of $100 bucks back in the late 70s.

Most beef that you buy is corn fed beef. Corn fed cattle tastes better because they have more marble (fat). Grass fed beef doesn't taste very well. Corn fed beef also are large methane producers, which is part of the debate of gobal warming. You can smell the big feedyards for miles.I belive cattle outnumber people in the US.

Brahman cattle tolorate heat better than Angus so thats why you see them in countries Guatemala. You see Angus, Brahama crosses in the hot sticky parts of the US while Herford Angus crosses in the north.

It's all about pounds from the feedyard to the super market although the beef industry have been breeding more efficient cattle for the last 20 years. Cattle that gain more with less feed.

I like grass fed better. I believe that is what they fed in Argentina, hence, better tasting beef.

Plus, as I have stated, grass fed is less smelly!

No, Argentina is the bread basket of South America. If you go outside of BA it looks just like Kansas being just as far south as Kansas is north. The buyers that we dealt with had huge farms to produce feed for their feedlots. Argentina is one of the largest beef producers in the world and rivals the US.

Isn't it great that the cow subject is not one that interests me BUT ...it brings pleasure to so many nice people and I keep reading it (just not before dinner) ...therefore...GO COWS - Joanna

Joanna - I see it as learning about where the ribeyes and filets that I eat come from so I find it entertaining and educational at the same time. :)

Masaki

Sheri:

Excuse me, I just happened upon your naughty Steeler bear pounching on my Brownie helmet.

You know that's going to get you a lump of coal for Christmas! <img border="0" alt="[c]" title="" src="graemlins/c.gif" />

I remain, abused (and cold) in Cleveland. Ray

I have to tell you that I actually rooted for the Browns last weekend!!! Shhhh....don't tell anyone though! :eek:

Sheri:


Hmmmmm, I note a little back-peddling here. The lump of coal got to you, huh?

Cheers! Ray
"I don't know where it's going to stop, except at the end." (Yogi Berra)

OH, Ray, don't give me THAT much credit :angel2: ...it was all self-serving <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" /> . I wanted the Browns to beat a team that was going to keep home field advantage away from us!!!!! :D

Who ever thought a thread about cows would garner 100 posts?

It's very amoosing!! :D