televisionOccasionally I meet a man on my walks who always amuses me with the way he sees the world. Last winter, while I was complaining about the rain as usual, he was thinking about how best to embrace it. He has set up a wellies repair business – if business is good, I’ll be at the front of the queue. I’m reminded of his instinct to adapt as I wait for Dewi, the farm vet, to arrive, with a roster of brown cows in front of me – including Wesley, a 16-month-old black Aberdeen Angus bull.
In the ‘old days’ we would borrow our neighbours’ North Devon bulls in exchange for a bottle of whisky, but the introduction of pre-movement testing to combat TB created complications and we had to start breeding our own. As a small farm with no buildings this presented logistical challenges. This required the herd to be managed in two groups to separate the bulls from the unsuitable young cows. This was easier in the summer as we could rent extra pasture, but with the wetter winters we now risked disproportionate damage to two fields rather than one. So in May when I needed a new bull I bought one I knew I would use but not keep. I chose an Angus bull as they are popular so it should be easier to sell. First though, I needed to confirm it was ‘proven’.
“Did you see him work?” Devi asked as he gathered up his overalls, arm’s-length examination gloves, and portable scanner. I didn’t—folklore says you’re not supposed to see a good bull work. Studies back this up, showing that natural conception mostly occurs between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. But I watched Wesley “pair up,” and early the next morning I noticed traces of semen in the vulva. Then I calculated the 21 days when they should have come into heat again, but didn’t, and waited another 21 days to be sure. By my reckoning, he’d caught all the cows, whose gestation ranged from 48 to 62 days.
The star of the show gets bored and lies down as Dewi confirms each “calf.” I’m sorry to sell Wesley, but maybe I can buy myself a new pair of wellies.
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