Soule: The Cow Spa is Open

Clipping cows means warm weather is near. Cow clipping is an annual ritual at Miles Smith Farm. Scottish Highlander cattle grow thick, rich coats of hair to protect them from frigid winter weather. The lanolin in their hair repels water and snow better than an L.L. Bean slicker. The cattle can't remove their wooly coats when the weather warms up. That's when electric clippers come into play.

By "cows," I mean "cattle" of all genders and conditions of sexual viability. It's not accurate, but it's how I think of them.

Everyone Loves Spa-Treatment
Most of our cows are halter-trained, so we can catch them, tether them, and start clipping. The clippers' vibration must be soothing because once the clipping begins, each cow will lower its head, close its eyes, and fall into a trance. Even cows who have not been handled will stand quietly in the squeeze chute, lulled into submission as we buzz away their winter covering.

There's another benefit of clipping. Each year we treat all of the cattle for parasites. Just as you apply flea and tick medicine on your dog or cat, we do the same for each cow. The dosage is more, but the concept is the same. Highlander hair is so thick some of the creepy insects survive the winter. After clipping, their home is gone, and so are they.

What Is The Hair Good For?
What do we do with the hair? Is it useful like wool? No, cow hair is more like human hair and does not weave or bind like wool. A few years ago, a farm friend collected some of the softer hair from our young cattle. She made a "poor man's blanket" by mixing the hair with wool. Cattle hair might keep the cow warm, but unlike wool, it is difficult to weave and has minimal insulating value when woven; it was a bad blanket and an exercise not worth repeating.

So we leave the hair for birds to collect as they build nests.

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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, in Loudon, N.H., where she raises and sells beef, pork, lamb, eggs and other local products.