During a dinner conversation with a group of people, I once made a comment about a cow that I thought was beautiful. Someone piped up and said they'd never seen a beautiful cow and that they just didn't see that a bovine could have beauty. Hmmm.... I beg to differ and though everyone is entitled to their opinion, Jon and I would like to share a little bit about a beautiful cow who came into our lives.
Latte started out on a dairy and for a time, she was raised by Randi, Frank, Sierra, & Casey Hunewill. When it was time for her to go back to the dairy and start being a milk cow, she didn't give a high enough volume of milk to remain there. So Latte needed a home. Frank & Randi knew I had a soft spot in my heart for milk cows, having grown up milking some Holsteins now and then, so they asked if I'd want a Brown Swiss cow for my birthday. Sure, I said. So that is how Latte came to be at the Hunewill Ranch.
Latte is fine to milk, but we have found that her best role is as a nurse cow for orphan calves. This season she had a heifer calf on November 6, 2013. Then on November 15 Jon found an orphan with the fall cows. When he brought the calf into the corral where Latte was, she immediately started talking to the new calf and began to lick it off as well. A couple of minutes later the calf was eagerly getting some dinner, with Latte standing quietly while he nursed. This may not sound very extraordinary, but a cow usually doesn't allow any but her own calf to suck. You can graft calves on cows using various methods such as tying the hide from the dead calf onto the one you are grafting, spraying vinegar on the calf and on the cow's nose, etc. All are ways to get the cow to think this new calf is her own, but some cows still will not accept any but their own calf. However, Latte is amazingly maternal and is also friendly with people. To us, she is beautiful both inside and out.
Is this not a beautiful face?
Two years ago, Latte lost her own calf during birth so we got some Jersey calves for her to raise. We called them Little, Middle, Big, and Whooper Junior. Eventually this was too many mouths to feed, so we put Middle on another cow who had lost her calf.
Latte one winter out with the Fall Cows.
Yumm!!!
Autumn in Bridgeport.
Latte and her calves this spring.
This is Red Zinger. Latte's other calves have had names like Java Joe and Calfacino. This year she had a heifer calf. We were running out of "coffee" names so we started looking at types of tea for inspiration. This Brown Swiss/ Red Angus heifer cross has a lot of zip, so we thought Red Zinger was appropriate.
Here are a few other facts about Latte -
- She loves to be scratched just behind her poll.
- She was pictured in the L.A. Times. A few years ago the L.A. Times sent someone out to do an article about the Hunewill Guest Ranch. At that time we would lead Latte out on Friday evenings for guests to see and to give them the opportunity to pet a cow. Naturally she was included in the article. - She weighs between 1400 and 1500 pounds depending upon the time of year.
Some additional facts from the Brown Swiss Association website:
-Brown Swiss cattle can be grey, dark brown, tan or even almost white
in color. Their hooves, muzzle and switch are usually black. They are
often noted for their big floppy ears and docile temperament.
Perhaps the oldest of all dairy breeds, Brown Swiss originated in
the valleys and mountain slopes of Switzerland around 4000 B.C.,
according to some historians.
-Brown Swiss are low-maintenance, high producing, adaptable cows that live a long time...
-Brown Swiss yield large volumes of milk with high components, boasting an ideal fat to protein ratio for cheese-making.
-Brown Swiss withstand both hot and cold climates and thrive in a variety of terrains and management systems.
