As for this tale, it’s reported as I heard it, with the exception of some stronger language used by one of the parties involved. So who knows? But I thought that cows were butchered these days, like when dairy farmers thin their herds. Is that just not true?

When I heard the story, it was definitely “cow,” and these were Iowans. But they may have been using the term generically, or in city slicker fashion.

We don’t eat cows, we don’t butcher cows. We butcher calves and not female calves but male calves. Tho such calves can be somewhat big and heavy, it is nowhere near as big and heavy as a cow.

Whenever a city fella would come out and talk about eating a cow my dad would look at them with a squint in his eye and say “Calves is for eatin, cows are for breedin”.

Barry: I LOVE that story! Quite the hot lunch program. And I’m right with the visiting soccer team…

One day, the cow broke loose, and ran away. The guy with the rifle shot it as it ran, dropping it in the soccer field. Not having a front-end loader, they butchered it on the spot.

That Saturday, when the visiting team arrived for soccer, they saw the humongous bloodstain on the soccer field, and refused to play. Not for sanitary reasons, but because they figured that Something Bad had happened to the last visiting team.