Oh , man... you're a tougher man than I.
I don't think I could ever be a rancher - afraid I'd get too attached to some of the animals. I KNOW I woulda been attached to that pig... what a great little porker.
I know that he was an FFA project and all that, and I know how that works, but still...
I struggled with it a lot, but understand the food chain too
& the economics & business aspect too...
I had several animals like that growing up, some FFA or 4H projects
(my way of keeping them out of the herd, I felt sorry for)
I know it's counter-productive but, I'm an animal lover at heart...
I also had a Charolais Bull, named Kevin, he was a pet, in HS
At our agriculture facility, chip off the ol' block like dad & uncle Tink...
I helped bring him into the world, she (Mother Cow) was struggling really bad
he was gonna die otherwise, we got him out, not my 1st time either
his mother abandoned him at birth, totally rejected him
she wouldn't nurse him & would kick him to keep him away...
I'm a sucker I felt sorry for the lil' dude, they were gonna sell him for veal...
Not on my watch they weren't...
They said;
"I'd have to take care of him & feed him" etc.
I had to milk a 1/2 wild cow to get the colostrum, from the 1st milk production of the cow...
Or he wouldn't probably have survived...
I spent 2 months in a barn, of my (sophomore year) summer off, sleeping on a cot &
bottle feeding him every 3-4 or so hrs at the school ag. farm facility,
25 miles from my home...
Until he could fend for himself...
He was or acted like a big *** dog, he'd follow me everywhere,
even suck on my fingers until he was like 3 months old,
it was cute as hell...
I could leash walk him too, nobody else could, even Debbie Mc.,
he was very territorial & even protective of me
& a girl Debbie Mc./from ROP ag. classes, that helped me raise him...
He'd headbutt people, ram or simulate goring them, those he didn't know
literally, he'd push them out of "his pen"...
Thank god he had no horns "yet"
It was sort of funny, cute until he got over 1,200+ #s, grew the horns
he'd sort of do that, headbutting to me too, but like rubbing his
forehead in my back, against me like affection, when wanted attention...
(if that makes any sense ?)
I knew he was only kept alive because I said;
I had sold them on the idea "we can sell his 'semen/sperm/seed'
it was like $1,500 to $5,000 a shot"
not fun collecting it...Then froze for later sales...
He truly was a big prize Bull...
A vet did that stuff, it's not a pretty sight, I won't go into details,
I'll spare everyone that...
The school ended up selling him for $15,000,
the summer after I graduated, 1977'
After Debbie Mc. was a year behind me & she said couldn't do it herself...
He kept a bunch of school or ROP ag. projects going,
that otherwise would have never happened, because of his income,
about as much as $60,000 gross a year, over 2 plus years,
to the schools ROP ag. farm coffers...
It wasn't cheap to feed or take care of him, especially vet or breeding stuff,
he was a handfull, but he brought in 4+ times what he cost too;
To transport to the vet or breeders & shows &/or sell his seed,
even after feed & vet bills, show winnings etc...
Why "in the hell" would you sell him for $15,000...
My dad sold the ranch & moved north, a few months after I graduated
for my stepmother's career, he paid for, then she dumped him shortly after that...
I had no place to keep him while going to school etc.
or I would have...
But the sale of Kevin
Made no good economic sense, he was an asset, not a burden...
I think the ROP ag. teachers were afraid of him...
He "allegedly" went to a breeder out of state, Idaho or NV IIRC
that specialized in Rodeo animals...
Never saw him after that, the school wouldn't tell me where either...
Photo "Not of him/Kevin", but a good representative of the likes of him,
as an adult, very similar markings etc.
But he had a few more like 20+ each side lil' light brown spots
