At last, our boys can grow and fatten without their wedding tackle. They are steers now and now we wait. There are not many boys around these parts. The boys are shipped off to feedlots in neighboring countries where they will live in tight pens fed on corn. Cows will eat corn, they actually obsess over it, but they are not built for corn eating. Cows eat grass.

Brent talks with local farmers about castration and at times, the farmers find it difficult to talk about. We laugh. It may be that castration is no longer part of cow farming in this part of France. It may be that castration is a difficult topic for men. I’m fine with it all. I can’t wait to try the steer to see how it compares to our heifers.

After a huge nap and a little more nap, they make their way to the hay and grass, getting used to their new normal.