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MERE THE COW - WHERE IS SHE NOW?

When we last met, in 2017, I was a lively young heifer living at PKW Farm 21 in Waverley and hoping to get pregnant for the first time.

Well, all went according to plan. The jersey bulls arrived and followed me and my girls around for what seemed like ages. To be honest, they got a bit annoying with all their stamping and bravado. So immature. But, you know, things happened and my first calf was born in July 2018, a beautiful girl who took after her gorgeous māmā.

I’ve had four other calves since then – three girls and a boy. And, can you believe it, I’m pregnant again, due in September. There’s still life in this strong old girl!

My farmers will stop milking me around May so my udder has time to rest and reset itself for the next baby. I’ll need to build up my reserves, prepare for a safe birth and, of course, have lots of energy to produce lots of milk.

Now I’m almost eight and in the ‘mature’ stage of life, happily settled on Te Kāhu farm at Ōhangai, south-east of Hāwera. I’ve been here four years after moving five times. It’s nice to be in one place and I love its special name. Apart from my birth farm, Waitokorau, the other places I lived only had numbers. Ngā mihi to Meremere Marae for naming my home after an awesome manu; the Kāhu often park up next to me and hang out.

We’re a big mob of 520 cows so it’s very sociable. Us older mums are all mates and, of course, we gossip and brag like you humans. I bet you didn’t know we cows have our own voices and use different pitches to interact and express emotions. Like, we can moo when we’re hungry, raise the alarm to warn about potential danger, call out to a mate for a kōrero.

As the queens of the herd, we whaea think it’s our duty to keep an eye on the younger ones, make sure they know their place. Cows like order when we’re walking to the milking shed. We’re not sticklers for hard and fast rules but we generally keep to the front, middle or back. With a little encouragement the first-timers soon figure out where they fit.

The old saying that happy cows produce healthy milk is true. I can’t complain. Apart from one holdover year, my stats show I’ve ranged between 190 and 256 lactation days a year since 2018. In dairy-speak that’s good going.

I wear a very cool Allflex collar. No, it doesn’t have a bell – I’m not Swiss. It monitors for any health alerts, picking them up two to three days earlier than a good farmer or vet could. Last year I got mastitis, which is an infection in your udder. Crumbs, it was sore! But the farmer was on to it straight away, dosing me up to keep me healthy.

Now I’m in great shape going into winter. Hooves crossed for a healthy spring birth! Happy Puanga to you all whānau.

Me mutu pea i konei!

This is the last update from Mere. Whenua hopes you have enjoyed following her journey.