Dean was walking the property when a small mound in the snow caught his eye.
Farming is a totally inclusive circle of life. You deal with sowing, reaping, harvest, death, and birth, all on a cycle each year. It’s a truly beautiful and primal thing, and it sometimes has its moments of true wonder. For one farmer, his daily routine turned into a lifesaving moment with a rather silly solution!
Birth is a part of a farmer’s life.
If there isn’t birth and growth, there is no farm next year! The spring season always comes, rich with life and baby animals all over the place. Part of the job of a farmer is to make sure that he stewards that new life well and protects it – it’s his future! In Indiana, one farmer Dean Gangwer was going about his work when he noticed something wrong. The mornings on Gangwer start off with a walk around the farm to check on the cattle. It’s known as a “cattle scout” and it’s just to make sure everyone is ok and nothing is wrong from the night before.
Normally, everything is ok.
On this cold winter morning, however, something was wrong. When Dean was walking the property, he noticed a small pile of snow with a baby calf nestled inside. Dean keeps a running tally of all the heifers’ that are supposed to give birth, but often they will go off by themselves when the time comes. As a result, it’s not always apparent that a calf has been born, especially when a cow hides the newborn.
Sadly, that was the case here.
The newborn calf he found was close being lifeless. It was breathing, but that was about it. Putting it on his 4-wheeler, he raced back to his house. Thinking of how he was going to get this calf warmed up, he had an idea. Instead of going to the barn, he stopped by his house. His idea? Drop the newborn calf into his hot tub! He’s heard of putting calves in baths when they were born, but this was a bit new. Hopping in with the calf, he sat in the hot water for an hour to make sure it didn’t drown and was able to get as warm as it needed.
After their bath together, the cow was able to stay in Dean’s house for a day and some change to finish getting treatment.
The little cow, now named Leroy, was soon able to stand on his own and even nursed for the first time! All it took was a little time and love for him to get up and going again. Leroy is done with his hot tub, but he has a bright future of eating grass and enjoying the sun to come! Stories like this go to show just how far farmers will go to care for the animals they have. If a farmer’s animals don’t make it, the farmer doesn’t make it! It’s all one big cycle, isn’t it?
Check out the video below!
