How I See the Fluffy Cow By: Tina Erbes
The Fluffy Cow. What do you see when you look at the soft flowing hair of beef cattle? Many would answer an adorable domesticated animal that they would love to cuddle up with at night or take into their homes to help eat the scraps from the dinner table. Others perhaps see the beauty of a breed that may often be lost to those who are not farmers. Both viewpoints are very understandable. Yet, I don’t see Fluffy Cows like this. To me, the Fluffy Cow is like the last page of a good book or a the framed artwork of a painter. I am fortunate because I can see what the Fluff represents and what makes the Fluffy Cows majestic. I see beyond the Fluff.
Behind the deep layers of all that Fluff is a herdsman’s dream. Being a herdsman runs deep in my veins. My father brought his growing family to America in 1953 from the Netherlands looking to make a life revolving around cattle. He was a Dairy farmer with a dream. He taught me through raising and showing cattle the importance of quality. It wasn’t enough just to have cattle. A good farmer understands the strengths and weaknesses of their herd. A great farmer takes that knowledge and improves upon it through care and genetics. My father was that great farmer. He showed me that with a dream and a plan you can achieve anything. He worked the farm during the day and then also worked a second job at night to support this dream. He helped us become involved on the farm and in 4-H. My seven brothers and sisters and I represented our growing farm in our local fair. Little did I know that my father’s dream was now becoming my dream. In 1968, my father was honored with the Herdsman of the Year Award by the Michigan Holstein Association. His was a life devoted to bringing out the best in his animals through hard work. Fluff was the dream.
Behind the Fluff are life lessons. Life lessons learned in the long hours dedicated to raising, training, and grooming an animal. The lessons that have an affect on cattle owners. I saw it with my father. I have experienced it myself. I have seen it with my daughters. The cold walk to the barn for the early morning chores. The bruised foot when a 1200 pound animal decides to dance sideways during showmanship. The pressure of competition and the disappointment of defeat. The hope that rises in their hearts again that maybe this year will be better than the last. The hope that the hard work of balancing school, work, and farming will pay off in the recognition. The journey of learning from past mistakes, to never give up, to learn and move forward. It is this journey that helps shape a person’s character and soul. All of this, for the Fluff.
Behind the Fluff is passion. Beyond it hides those farmers, like myself, my father, and my daughters. Family generations sweating to put forth an aesthetic, strong animal.
When I see the The Fluffy Cow, I see the culminating product of an individual’s hard work, responsibility, success, failures, hopes and dreams. I see a life.
