Just 1 Cow

An artist's rendering of my entire herd.       

I have a confession. For the three years that I have been writing this blog, I have offered my perspective as a gal who works on the front lines of raising food for the world. I have given opinions and advice to my fellow agriculture advocates (my journalism inner-self rejects the word "agvocate") as a girl who raises cattle. Well as of this year, I officially own just one cow.

Yup, my herd is down to simply one. When my brothers and I left home, dad's help went with us. Since we weren't around to provide labor, balancing his raising-cows hobby with his off-farm job became harder. The family herd shrunk to a more manageable size, and Jacob, Jud, and I reaped the monetary benefits of each sale. I certainly appreciated the financial boost at the time, but this year, I discovered the shocking truth that I was down to one cow.

I've always been proud of my identity as a beef producer. It is a community that is part of my heritage and home to me. So many of my greatest friendships have come through the medium of cattle shows or events. In fact this very blog is written as the "voice of a Nebraska cowgirl". 

The reality is that in May when I graduate, I won't be in a position to truly raise cattle. I'm moving 20 hours away (the Nebraska way of measuring time), and will probably be living in town. I'm pursuing a new passion, and can't bring a cow with me. My new role will mean saying goodbye to an old one, and I'll face the reality of buying beef that wasn't raised by my family.

A transition from cowgirl to consumer won't mean that I leave my voice behind. The number of cattle in my herd doesn't change the love I have for the industry or my desire to remain involved. My hope is to someday again have a herd to call my own, but until then, I'll keep in my heart the memories of the greatest sight on earth: black cows in a green pasture.

'till the cows come home,

Ellie