SPOTLIGHT ON HENRY

GUEST BLOGGER: Farmer Dave’s daughter-in-law Debbie

This is Henry. He is Daisy Made's bull, and in May he will be celebrating his 8th birthday. He’s lived on Daisy Made farm for the past seven years after travelling from Derbyshire at the ripe old age of one.

Some may consider Henry a lucky man as he has between 10 and 20 girlfriends at any one time. And before he gets bored of his current harem, they’re regularly rotated. This is because it’s Henry’s duty to impregnate the female cows on the farm, and so far, he hasn’t done a bad job. He is father to approximately 30 calves a year, which makes his running total about 210! Fortunately for Henry, social services haven’t caught up with him yet. Can you imagine the child maintenance? It’d be astronomical! It wouldn’t be that difficult for social services to spot his children either, as he passes his white face onto each of his offspring. On some days you should be able to spot Henry grazing in the field beside Daisy Made. Another one of Henry’s favourite spots is the field which you can see from the ‘Poppies, Poppies, Poppies’ sign on the sustrans.

Henry is a pedigree Hereford. He is just one of five million pedigree Hereford cattle that now exist in over 50 countries. Amazingly, they originated from our little island in Herefordshire, England, UK. Henry’s a big fella who weighs approximately one metric tonne – astonishing really since his diet consists of grass, hay, silage and meal. Despite Henry’s beastly appearance and the fact he weighs the same as a small car, he is a gentle giant. Some may say that fatherhood mellowed Henry, but no, he’s been happy since the day he landed on Daisy Made farm.

---