Marble Falls FFA pulls together for heifer’s first calf delivery; prepares pair for county show
Snowy (left) and her mother Lulu spend some quality time after a stressful birthing process on Dec. 27. The Marble Falls FFA family came together to help the cow and calf through the ordeal while the owner was out of town. Now, the pair is ready for the Burnet County Livestock Show on Jan. 9. Courtesy photo
Lulu the two-year-old, beefmaster-hereford heifer gave birth to her calf, Snowy, at about 10 p.m. on Dec. 27, while her owner Marble Falls High School junior Abi Boucher was over 250 miles away in Wichita Falls. Thanks to some timely help from the Marble Falls FFA family, the cow and calf had a safe delivery, and will be ready for the Burnet County Livestock Show on Jan. 9.
“I was honestly a little bit scared,” Abi told DailyTrib, referring to when she got the news that her heifer was going to give birth. “I didn’t know if anybody would be able to help.”
Abi was showing pigs at the Texas National Stock Show in Wichita Falls with her family and MFHS agricultural sciences teacher James Connor when she got word that her heifer Lulu was giving birth at the Marble Falls FFA Ag. barn on the night of Dec. 27.
Connor, the 15-year Ag. teacher, made some calls for help from afar, asking some other FFA parents, Jenah and Justin Smith, to help out.
“(The heifer) was having problems,” Connor said. “It was a struggle, it was a good thing (that the Smiths) were there.”
Connor explained that the calf had turned on its way out, going legs and head first, which would have been very challenging for a first time birth. For the uninitiated in the world of cattle, the term “heifer” refers to a young cow that has not yet had a calf.
“If it wasn’t for Jenah helping to pull that baby out it would have been tough,” he said.
After the birth, another FFA parent, Heather Duty, stepped in to make sure the new mother was nursing properly.
“It was awesome that they showed up as a team and made sure that the baby was OK,” Abi said. “I’m so thankful.”
Abi’s father, Justin, also felt the pressure on his daughter’s behalf.
“From a father’s perspective, it was stressful not being able to be there,” he said. “But, that’s what the FFA program is all about. Everybody pulls together when you see something that needs to be done.”
Abi had been showing Lulu the heifer at stock shows for over a year. Now, she’ll be showing her as a cow alongside her calf for the first time on Jan. 9 at the Burnet County Fairgrounds.