::he who shall not be named::

One of my five year goals is to become 50% self sufficient with our food.  I want to grow, freeze, or can at least 50% of what we eat.  We have the space so it really is lazy not to at least try.  Part of that is learning about cattle.  Josh was actually the one that really wanted this.  He pushed for a grower calf this year and I gave in.  It didn't take much to talk me into another baby animal. 

   

Ours is the little man with the white nose.  

We have a friend of the family that gets several calves each year, so this year we asked him to pick one up for us.  People get confused about the fact that he is a Holstein Cow.  Please remember that you only get milk from the female cows, the male dairy cows get raised for meat and are very cheap to buy.

Here he is all loaded up and ready to go.  

They don't convert feed to muscle as well as beef cattle but the taste the same.  Or so I am told.  This is our first experience with an animal that we intend to eat, so I have been prepping the kids for that fast.  This little guy doesn't go to slaughter till March of 2011.  The common reaction is to at least give me a sad little look at say, "Your going to eat him?"  But wouldn't you rather have meat in your freezer that was raised organically and kindly by a little family farm than a factory raised animal that never got fed a piece of candy by a two year old curly headed boy?

Lily helping pick out which one.  I really let Emma pick, but Lily had to assist.  

Peaking in the trailer to see the baby.

Emma being funny.  I told the kids they were not allowed to name this little guy.  So Emma decided that meant his name was Voldermourt "He Who Shall Not Be Named".  It's a Harry Potter nerd joke.

Cute little guy all settled in at our house.