Andrew Moore – VP

I don’t know how it is at your home, but when the temperature starts to drop at Moore Farms that can only mean one thing — baby calves! The other day I was watching a newborn calf in our barn take its first few steps and try to nurse from its mother. To this point the cow had done a great job cleaning her calf and nudging him to get up and walk around. However, when the calf finally was ready to nurse, the mother didn’t like it and kept moving. After more than 30 minutes of the baby calf chasing the cow trying to get some milk, the mother finally held still and the calf had his first meal. It occurred to me, the cow only relied on her motherly instincts for so long, until those instincts failed her. It was instinctive for her to lick and nudge the calf, but not to hold still and let the calf do what his instincts told him to do. Sometimes in life, we just need to hold still. For many of us, it is instinctive to work, and that’s a good thing! However, it might pay off to stop, think, reflect, think some more, and then act. Impulsive decisions are almost always bad decisions. Today, that cow stands still nearly every time the calf needs to eat. In a sense, she learned from her mistake. Sometimes our instincts won’t fail us, but often we just need to stop and think.