I think baby calves are adorable and sweet. If I see one, there is no doubt that I will walk up to it with my arm outstretched, palm up, to let it suck on my hand with all its slobber and sandpaper-feeling tongue. I will be delighted and smile, every time. And yet, feeding them has always been my most dreaded chore.
Feeding baby calves takes such patience, especially with the newborn ones. Some latch right on to a bottle just fine; some take what seems like forever to drink their first feedings. It is always when you are running late to something or terribly behind on your chores that you get the ones who require the extra patience and persistence. And then, of course, that is the same day that the bigger ones kick over water pails and make a general circus of your tasks. Murphy’s law — “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” — likes to make a statement in big ways sometimes.
Erin Massey is the product development manager at Prairie Farms, a farmer-owned cooperative based in Edwardsville, Illinois. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the development process, from concept to commercialization. Erin grew up on a Florida dairy farm and has a deep-rooted passion to invigorate the dairy industry. Erin earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of South Florida. Her personal mantra is "Be Bold."
