Farming Is Hard

Today was one of those days.

The kind of day that reminds you that farming isn’t always fresh milk, baby animals and beautiful sunsets.

Sometimes farming is hard.

Today, our cow Kraken calved approximately three weeks early.

And we lost the calf.

We Didn’t Expect This

Kraken wasn’t supposed to calve yet.

She still had roughly three weeks to go, and while we knew that things can happen early, we weren’t expecting to be dealing with a premature calf today.

She had been showing signs that something was happening — and then suddenly, there we were.

A calf arrived far earlier than it should have.

We immediately did everything we could.

We worked to get the calf breathing and tried to give it every chance we possibly could.

But sometimes, no matter how quickly you act or how badly you want something to work, there is only so much you can do.

The calf didn’t make it.

The Hard Part of Farming

This is the part of farming that doesn’t make it onto the pretty pictures.

You don’t see this side of homesteading when you’re dreaming about your own farm.

You imagine the baby calves.

The fresh milk.

The chickens scratching around the yard.

The garden.

The full pantry.

You don’t always think about the animals you will lose.

You don’t think about standing beside a cow who just gave birth and knowing that the little life she carried wasn’t strong enough to stay.

But this is farming too.

And today, it hurts.

We Did Everything We Could

I’ve replayed the day in my head already.

What did we miss?

Could we have done something differently?

Could we have saved the calf?

Those are hard questions to sit with.

But the truth is, we did everything we could with the situation we were given.

The calf was simply too premature.

Sometimes nature makes decisions for us that we desperately wish we could change.

And that is one of the hardest lessons of raising livestock.

You can prepare.

You can watch.

You can learn.

You can work through the night.

You can call for help.

You can do everything in your power to save an animal.

And sometimes, you still lose.

Kraken Is Okay

Our focus now is on Kraken.

She made it through the birth and is doing okay, and we are keeping a close eye on her as she recovers.

There is something especially heartbreaking about watching the mama cow after losing her calf.

She doesn’t understand why her baby isn’t there.

And we can’t explain it to her.

All we can do is care for her, keep her comfortable and give her time.

Farming Is Hard

I think sometimes we need to be honest about that.

Farming is hard.

Homesteading is hard.

Raising animals is hard.

There are days when you feel incredibly blessed to live this life, and there are days when it breaks your heart.

Today was one of the latter.

But even on the hard days, I am still thankful for this life.

Thankful that I got to know this little calf, even if only for a short time.

Thankful that we were there.

Thankful that we could give it a chance.

And thankful for Kraken.

Tomorrow, the chores will still need to be done.

The cows will still need to be milked.

The goats will still need to be fed.

The kids will still need breakfast.

Life on the farm keeps moving.

But tonight, we’re going to take a moment to grieve the little life we lost today.

Not every story on a farm has a happy ending.

Sometimes the best we can do is love them, try our hardest and accept that we can’t control everything.

Farming is hard.

And today, we learned that lesson all over again.