A Few Friendly Faces Behind Our Farm Fresh Milk
One of the best parts of visiting Mistyglen Creamery during one of our Guided Moo Tours is seeing the cows behind the milk. Every cow in the barn has her own personality, and some of them make sure we know it every single day. They are sweet, sassy, stubborn, curious, and often very entertaining.
We thought it would be fun to introduce you to a few members of the herd, including a farm favourite, a spirited Jersey, two tiny twins, and Maddie’s 4H calf.
You may already be acquainted with our famous Jibberjabber (cow ear tag # 282 pictured above), who is truly our farm mascot. After the tornado, when some of our cows had to leave the farm for a time, Jibberjabber was being milked in a parlour and refused to leave unless she got her pets first. Once someone gave her the attention she felt she deserved, she would happily move along.
Velvet is our Jersey (pictured below), which makes her a little different from most of the Holsteins in our herd. Jerseys are often smaller than Holsteins and are known for rich milk, but Velvet is also known here for her big personality. She is animated, sassy, and spirited, and she often keeps herself busy by playing with her tongue. During one Moo Tour, she was standing on the hoses in the robot. When Tom lectured her about it, she popped her head up and looked at him with big, bright eyes as if to say, “What? I’m the boss, not you.”
Iggy and Inego are twin calves (pictured below) who had a difficult start. They were born about two and a half weeks early, and both were coming out backward, so we had to assist with their birth. When they arrived, they were tiny, cute, and in need of some extra care. Thankfully, they are now doing well in the hutches and acting as if their difficult birth was no big deal at all.
Skippity is Maddie’s 4H calf (pictured below). Right before Maddie’s achievement day last year, Skippity decided she had a mind of her own and kept sidestepping during training. Maddie set up tables as an intervention to help get her moving properly. Thankfully, when show day came, Skippity decided to cooperate, and Maddie went on to win Grand Champion Showman with her.
Every bottle of Mistyglen milk starts with cows like these. They each have their own quirks, routines, and personalities, and caring for them is at the heart of what we do every day.
When you visit the farm, join a tour, or bring home Mistyglen milk, yogurt, or cheese curds, you are connected to the herd behind it all. From Jibberjabber’s love of attention to Velvet’s sassiness, from Iggy and Inego’s strong start to Skippity’s show-ring success, each has a place in the Mistyglen story.
We hope you enjoyed meeting a few of them. Next time you visit the barn, you might just get to meet them in person!