Poem: "Apocalypse Cow"
Apr. 3rd, 2024 10:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is the freebie for the April 2, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a conversation with Doug Edwards. It also fills the "Apocalypse" square in my 4-1-24 card for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bingo fest.
"Apocalypse Cow"
The pastures that once held
a colorful diversity of cows have
collapsed to a few commercial breeds.
In beef cattle, it has come down to
Black Angus and Hereford in most farms.
The vast majority of milk now comes from
Holsteins, and most of the rest from Jerseys.
Few of the heritage breeds remain, with
their hardy lifestyle and flexible uses,
easy to keep even on lean forage.
The dual-purpose Shorthorns
and triple-purpose Devons have
largely been reduced to specialties
like the Beef Shorthorn or Milking Devon.
Modern cows are coddled creatures,
while the sturdy homestead breeds
are rapidly dwindling into history,
pissing away over 10,000 years
of diverse domestication work.
Even the Florida Cracker
and Pineywoods cattle --
breeds uniquely suited to
sweltering environments and
therefore climate change --
have collectively said,
"Screw this, I'm out of here!"
and gone off to lick the bread.
* * *
Notes:
Table 2. Number of DHI cows by breed frequency in selected years
Read about cattle breeds developed in the United States of America.
Commercial breeds are often overbred and inbred, which leads to more health problems, in pursuit of producing as much milk and meat as possible. Heritage breeds tend to be more well-rounded, hardier, thriftier, and better mothers but with less efficient production of meat and milk.
The Holstein is a big black-and-white cow, by far the most popular milking breed because they give so much milk.
Jerseys are the second-most-popular milking breed, based on quality rather than quantity of milk.
Black Angus is the most common breed of beef cattle, owing to its well-marbled and tasty meat.
Hereford is the second-most-common beef breed because of its versatility in different environments and good meat.
Heritage Shorthorns are dual-purpose cattle for milk and meat. Beef Shorthorns are a specialized meat breed derived from the general stock of ancestral cattle.
Heritage Devons are triple-purpose cattle for milk, meat, and draft. Milking Devons are a specialized dairy breed descended from broad-focus ancestors.
The Florida Cracker originated in Florida, descended from Spanish cattle. It fares well on poor pasture in hot climates.
Pineywoods cattle are a landrace developed in the southeastern United States, specifically in the pineywoods habitat, and they're among the few cows who will browse trees as well as grazing grass. They are resilient in hot environments.
Humans began domesticating cattle at least 10,500 years ago, over at least two events. In that time, people have developed a tremendous diversity of landraces and breeds for diverse purposes and habitats -- which we absolutely need in order to have a chance of surviving climate change. Expect the tough Spanish and African stock to pull most of the weight, because northerly European or American breeds will roll over and die in that heat with the poor forage left.
The bredlik poetic form started with a story about a cow licking loaves of bread.
"Apocalypse Cow"
The pastures that once held
a colorful diversity of cows have
collapsed to a few commercial breeds.
In beef cattle, it has come down to
Black Angus and Hereford in most farms.
The vast majority of milk now comes from
Holsteins, and most of the rest from Jerseys.
Few of the heritage breeds remain, with
their hardy lifestyle and flexible uses,
easy to keep even on lean forage.
The dual-purpose Shorthorns
and triple-purpose Devons have
largely been reduced to specialties
like the Beef Shorthorn or Milking Devon.
Modern cows are coddled creatures,
while the sturdy homestead breeds
are rapidly dwindling into history,
pissing away over 10,000 years
of diverse domestication work.
Even the Florida Cracker
and Pineywoods cattle --
breeds uniquely suited to
sweltering environments and
therefore climate change --
have collectively said,
"Screw this, I'm out of here!"
and gone off to lick the bread.
* * *
Notes:
Table 2. Number of DHI cows by breed frequency in selected years
Read about cattle breeds developed in the United States of America.
Commercial breeds are often overbred and inbred, which leads to more health problems, in pursuit of producing as much milk and meat as possible. Heritage breeds tend to be more well-rounded, hardier, thriftier, and better mothers but with less efficient production of meat and milk.
The Holstein is a big black-and-white cow, by far the most popular milking breed because they give so much milk.
Jerseys are the second-most-popular milking breed, based on quality rather than quantity of milk.
Black Angus is the most common breed of beef cattle, owing to its well-marbled and tasty meat.
Hereford is the second-most-common beef breed because of its versatility in different environments and good meat.
Heritage Shorthorns are dual-purpose cattle for milk and meat. Beef Shorthorns are a specialized meat breed derived from the general stock of ancestral cattle.
Heritage Devons are triple-purpose cattle for milk, meat, and draft. Milking Devons are a specialized dairy breed descended from broad-focus ancestors.
The Florida Cracker originated in Florida, descended from Spanish cattle. It fares well on poor pasture in hot climates.
Pineywoods cattle are a landrace developed in the southeastern United States, specifically in the pineywoods habitat, and they're among the few cows who will browse trees as well as grazing grass. They are resilient in hot environments.
Humans began domesticating cattle at least 10,500 years ago, over at least two events. In that time, people have developed a tremendous diversity of landraces and breeds for diverse purposes and habitats -- which we absolutely need in order to have a chance of surviving climate change. Expect the tough Spanish and African stock to pull most of the weight, because northerly European or American breeds will roll over and die in that heat with the poor forage left.
The bredlik poetic form started with a story about a cow licking loaves of bread.
