One of the biggest aspects of raising cattle, besides feeding them and crunching the numbers in the name of keeping financial records and doing annual income tax paper work, is that direct interaction--and dare I say relationship--between the person caring for the cattle and the cattle themselves.

For most of those who grew up around cows and think they "know" cows, this is something that's always taken for granted. But for the novice cow-keepers that are bringing home their first bovine[s] that they worked so hard to find?  Talk about intimidating! Just how does a first-time cow owner get over their fears as well as some negative perceptions, and begin the life-long process of learning to work well with their first bovines? I may have a few of those answers below. 

As silly as this may seem, one of the most important and absolutely crucial things to know with regards to keeping and raising cattle is this:

Telling, not to mention fully memorizing, the differences between cows, bulls, heifers and steers.

Ahh, spring. The time when the grass starts popping up, the leaves begin to emerge on the trees. Naturally this time of year is tough to resist the urge to turn cows out onto pasture, particularly if you're running low on feed. But is it really a good time to turn cows out just by the fact that the pastures are starting to turn green?

What a fun endeavour to get into! Raising cows and cattle for milk, for meat, for just keeping the grass down, or even just to have one as a pet because you like cows so much (bless your heart), is one of the most rewarding, trying, frustrating and fun experiences you can have in your life. There's much to get into keeping cows, so let's dive in.