WILKES-BARRE — Who was the first person to milk a cow — and then drink it?
I’m not sure history can tell us that.
But whomever that person was, he or she was one brave human being.
And I, for one, am eternally grateful that milking cows was a good thing because milk really is the nectar of the gods.
After that odd lead-in, I feel compelled to speak about that wonderful program at The Lands at Hillside Farms, where the cows that have exhausted their productive milking years are then retired to a beautiful field above Hunstsville Road.
And most importantly — especially to the cows — they are not sent off to slaughter.
I visited the retirees last week and wrote a story on the cow retirement program, addressing the humane treatment of the cows at Hillside Farms and the environmental benefits the program has produced.
Just to approach the dozen or so cows and to hear them moooing as they notice humans approaching is enough to make one’s day. Then to get up close and personal with them and be able to marvel at their size and magnificence, you get an overwhelming sense of appreciation for all they did over their milking careers.
Careful to avoid the cow manure as you approach the “retirees,” you can almost feel the contentment of these retired cows who have literally been put out to pasture.
That is not to disparage who they are — Blue, Eight Ball, Moose, are a few names — cows who have finished their milking years and as a reward for their dedicated service, they are now basking in retirement.
“We’re never going to send them to slaughter,” said Chet Mozloom, executive director at The Lands at Hillside Farms. “Each of these cows worked for us and produced quality milk for years. We could never watch them go off to slaughter. Each is one of ours. They worked for us.”
Crazy? No. Humane? Yes. Refreshing? Absolutely.
Mozloom explained that if the cows are rotationally grazed on depleted weedy soils, their manure and urine help to regenerate biodiversity and nutrients, while helping to lock more carbon into the soil. He said the grazing has to be done in a way that results in deep roots. The deeper the roots the better.”
Mozloom said when the cow clips off the top of the plant it responds by regrowing. He said photosynthesis utilizes carbon dioxide. The carbon becomes a component of plant carbohydrates. The carbohydrates are utilized by the plants and by fungi around the plants roots.
Mozloom explained further: “It is symbiotic. If the plant-carbon-fungi relationship is ‘fire,’ properly managed ruminants are gasoline. In the end, the soil becomes more fertile, plant growth is intensified, carbon is sequestered to the soil at a higher rate, more rain water is retained and there is a greater diversity of life.”
OK, so that is the natural benefit of retiring the cows, rather than sending them off, as Mozloom said, “to become dog food.” But there is undoubtedly a real connection at Hillside Farms between the humans working there and the animals. Mozloom will tell you that this humane approach plays a major part in producing better tasting milk.
Contented cows equal quality dairy products, if you will.
I have to say that I am all-in on this approach to dairy farming. And, I also can tell you, that the milk is delicious. Not to mention the ice cream as well.
I also got to visit with the 50-plus milking cows who were gathered in the barn. These girls even look happy. They graze in the field above and somehow they know when to return to the barn for milking.
And they are led by “Penelope,” a rather large brown Swiss cow who is striking to the eye.
It was a great visit — educational, as well as satisfying. Just to see these wondrous creatures and to learn that they are treated so well and held in such high regard was amazing to say the least.
We may never know who that person was that decided to be the first to milk a cow and drink the milk, but thank goodness he or she did.
A true great mooo-ment in history.