Cherry the cow

Several readers asked for an update on our July cover story featuring Cherry the cow, 2nd place in the “Animals” category of Kentucky Living’s 2019 Photo Contest. She was pregnant with twins in 2018 and delivered just three days after the photo was taken. We asked farmer Mike Meyer of Double Diamond Farm, Cynthiana, and Blue Grass Energy consumer-member for an update.

“Farming, as you know is not always a happy ending. Cherry was our oldest cow at 16 years old, which is double the usual productive life expectancy in a cow-calf operation,” says Meyer. “This past winter with the bad weather, her age and demands of raising twins, she passed away. Her twins are still here; however, it was a bull and heifer. You may already know, but in almost every case, male/female twins usually always means the female is infertile. Both are being ready to be sold. We have kept/sold several of her daughters over the years and I was super glad I got this image before winter set in to have to remember her.”

Meyer, who is also a County Extension agent for 4-H Youth Development with Harrison County, says, “Thank you all again for the honor, it is humbling for sure. I tell people the awesome thing about being a photographer is working to create something where people can feel and experience an emotion or moment just by looking at an image.”