I hate getting nasty comments.  Don’t you?

This is the first time it’s actually happened to me, but I hate it all the same.  As soon as I it popped in my inbox,  I spouted off a reply and hit send only to receive a “failure to deliver” notice.  Apparently Allison didn’t want me replying to her comment.  At that point I had to take my 8 year-old to school so I let Allison’s email simmer in my mind during the drive to school and back.  By the time I got home, I had decided that her concerns were valid and that I might not have done an adequate job explaining my last, unusually graphic, post.

Since you are probably eager to see said nasty concerned comment and since I really do want Allison to hear my opinion (despite the fact that she left an erroneous email) here it is:

Usually I enjoy your posts but certainly not that one.  I do hope the animals were given some sort of pain relief for the castration.  Your photos seem to show little or no humane treatment.   I guess you’re a real rancher now.  woo hoo

Allison (Ali34@gmail.com)

To which I responded with this email (which sits in my inbox because it bounced):

Allison,
I’m sorry you did not enjoy my post.  It sounds like you’ve never attended this type of ranching event.  I did not specify, but intend to in my next post, the process of castration in this case.  While it can be done in a less humane way, the ranchers here do bloodless castration which is where they place a rubber band around the testicles of the young bulls.  They seem not to notice the band once it is placed.  (Being roped and held down by the ranchers bothers these young steers more than the actual banding.)  The testicles, over time, shrivel up and drop off.  I suppose, in  theory, it could be done in an operating room under general anesthesia at a vet’s office but, general anesthesia carries its own risks and when you are doing several dozen calves at a time, it  just isn’t practical nor is it cost effective.
I am not officially a rancher (“woo hoo”) as I did not assist in the castration and branding and I do not own any cattle.  But ranching is a way of life and a livelihood for many people in this area.  They love what they do and take pride in the health and well-being of their animals, unlike many of the huge feedlots and processing plants in the cattle industry.  This particular day in the life of a cow or calf is probably the most disconcerting of their lives but it is important and necessary in the processing of cattle on a small ranch.  I know the fellows who participated  personally and know they are passionate in what they do and how they do it.
I appreciate your concern in your comment and I hope this helped alleviate some of that.  And I hope you stop by the blog again.

There are four reasons I chose to share this with you all:

First, if you are going to leave me a nasty comment, please leave a valid email so we can hash it out in private.

Second, before moving to the country I would probably have written that same comment had I come across a posting like this one.

Third, I realize from the pictures, you can’t tell what method of castration is being used and could very well have looked like they were being removed via scalpel and emasculator. (the less humane way of removing the “goods”)

Fourth, I’m in the middle of a fascinating book all about where our food comes from and I can now appreciate the value of  a healthy grass-fed beef cow, the likes of which these small ranchers raise.  The book is called The Omnivore’s Dilemma:

If you haven’t read it, I HIGHLY recommend it!  It’s eye opening to know where your food comes from and what percentage of your food is actually food.  Honestly, you’d be surprised.  A small portion of the book is dedicated to the beef industry in this country.  It’s long and complicated but in a nutshell it summarizes how cattle are biologically designed to eat and digest grass.  But to get the cattle fattened up and ready for slaughter quicker, they are made to eat corn which is extremely unhealthy and inhumane and creates numerous disease threats to the animal as well it’s consumer.

After reading that, I am fully committed to supporting our local small cattle ranchers who feed their steers what they are designed to eat and treat them as more than merely a commodity.

Now, off my soapbox.

Here are a few pics of the kids bottle feeding the neighbor’s two calves.  We really are coming to enjoy and appreciate life in the country.

Now, I will leave this sordid bull castration subject in the dust, never to be blogged about again, and ride my trike off into the sunset.

If you are a rancher and would like to correct, add to, or further enlighten us on what I said in this post, please don’t be afraid to leave a comment.  I promise to be nice. Bruce?  Lane?

Happy Thursday!