Judah
The guy who started it all
When you are a nerd, like me, you believe the answers can be found in books or research. Uprooting your family to live in a barn in the middle of a cow field shows you quickly that experience is the most reliable teacher. For example, beekeeping. I have read The Beekeeper’s Bible cover to cover. I was ready the first time I got bees (yes, there is a story there – I’ll tell you later), but as soon as I started the well-rehearsed transfer process of putting my new bees in their permanent boxes I learned why some people wear the full suit instead of just the jacket and head cover version!
But I’ve made one fantastic farm choice based on pure research with zero experience: Judah.
On our second date, Ace and I were already planning the farm. My bleeding-heart self was excited for eggs and fiber rabbits (don’t ask) and a big garden… But practical Ace thought beef was enough to take on. The conversation continued for over a decade and by the time we bought land we had decided we wanted Scottish Highland cattle (we also had already purchased two rabbits to bring with us, but like I said, don’t ask). The idea was born when the ancestry DNA test that Ace and his sister sent off came back claiming that they are more Scottish than most people in Scotland! That information lined up so perfectly with what the kids and I know about Ace that we almost bought him a kilt. Brave, strong, rugged, resilient – we decided to embrace this heritage.
Ace knew we needed to start with females; he was looking for a handful of proven, pregnant cows to start. He found many leads, but the listings didn’t check out. The real proven, pregnant Highland cows were out of our price range, out of our geographic area and seemingly unattainable. So he started looking for heifer calves and we would give them time to grow. We were literally cold calling breeders and coming up empty.
Meanwhile, I had found cowmatch.com – a site that was dedicated to auctioning cows, particularly Highlands. I checked cowmatch daily and one day, there he was (in fact, I was on the site so often that one time I was sharing my computer screen during a work zoom meeting and a co-worker saw the tab name on my screen – I have yet to live that down). My research paid off. Although I had never seen Highland cattle up close in person, I immediately recognized that this bull calf was gorgeous. His top line was so straight. His horns were on the right part of his head. His coloring was amazing. He had frosted bangs that fell over his eyes like the boy band heartthrobs of the day (I actually described him to people as a Justin Bieber cow). So I bid on him!
Now this was all in the fall of 2020 and we had just purchased the land in August. It was literally just a field. We still lived 15 minutes away in a suburban neighborhood – so winning that bid caused us a bit of panic and rushing around. Cows are herd animals, so we had to purchase Judah plus a friend (Jedidiah), and delivery was the weekend after the auction had closed! Ace resignedly called the next-door farmer and asked about using his small pen until he could get an area fenced that was suitable for baby bulls. We spent every spare moment at the land that fall. But it was worth it.
When the trailer backed up to the pen and Judah and Jedidiah poked their little, fluffy heads out of the dark corner, they made eye contact with Ace and in that moment the three of them bonded for life. Judah will follow Ace anywhere (except across an asphalt street apparently, but that’s a story for another time)! Trigger warning: Baby Highlands cause surges of cuteness aggression, but they are the first baby animals I’ve ever had that can handle it!
Judah is a showstopper. He is gentle and sweet, takes good care of his fold, is highly motivated by snacks and produces beautiful offspring (we assume – more on that later!). Despite my lack of experience, Judah was my best farm decision, even if he thinks fences are only a suggestion.
Want the fence-jumping saga? Read Judah the Fence Jumper.