Matthew starts to get hardcore with his locavore philosophy when he decides to learn how to make his own brew. Unfortunately, his lesson is interrupted when he finds out his beloved cow Maggie has fallen ill after giving birth to a calf. After a rough patch, Matthew picks himself up and goes out in search of wheat substitutes for his breadmaking and tries out some spelt.
Recipe
Matthew and Sadie have posted the following clarifications in response to viewer comments regarding Maggie's treatment:
Hi All,
Thank you, all, for your comments regarding Maggie's illness and death. We debated long and hard about whether to agree to it being filmed as there are a lot of details that the show was not able to cover. On balance, we believed that showing the less glamorous side of farming and our life would help to bring more understanding of the challenges of keeping livestock.
In response to a couple of comments: we did routinely use Pat Coleby's recommended mineral supplements for Maggie from the time we bought her. We consulted a vet and two dairy farmers as soon as Maggie fell ill. Our mistake, perhaps, was not to call the dairy farmers back time and again when she didn't improve. We were too polite. By contrast, when Wilbur (Priscilla's calf) was born and had trouble suckling, we rang everyone we knew more than once, who all came over with teats and bottles and advice. Regarding Maggie, we specifically and repeatedly asked the vet whether we should be injecting antibiotics into the infected teat and were told "no". We did continue to milk the infected teat despite - and please stop reading if your'e squeamish - clots of necrotic flesh which were blocking the teat and making the process extremely painful for Maggie. We ended up sending some away to be cultured but by then it was too late. We both nursed Maggie constantly, trying to encourage her to eat and drink. A couple of people have commented on Maggie looking skinny. Jerseys do appear very bony and depending on where they are in their digestion can look quite skinny even when they are healthy. Maggie was flush with spring grass and was indeed healthy, until she stopped eating and drinking due to the infection. Mastitis is the second biggest killer of dairy cows on farms after injury. Nonetheless we believe, as many of you have commented, that it is preventable. Priscilla happily consumes dolomite (along with sulfur, copper sulphate and seaweed meal) in her bail mix, as recommended by Pat Coleby, and remains mastitis free. Other books that we have found useful are Dirk Van Loon's The Family Cow and Marja Fitzgerald's The Healthy House Cow.
Thank you all, again, for taking an interest. Priscilla is gorgeous, moodier and in rude health. And, yes, of course we still miss the lovely Maggie. Maggie's calf, Bobby, is an energetic, playful lad and because he was bucket-reared, extremely friendly and always up for a neck scratch.
Best,
Matthew and Sadie
