Who needs “Shark Week” on Discovery when you have “Cow Week” on Maryland Public Television?
The series runs this week through Sunday, including a special episode of “Maryland Farm & Harvest” airing Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“Cows are just amazing creatures and you’ve got ‘Shark Week,’ so why not ‘Cow Week?'” producer Jay McDonald told WTOP. “They do kill more people per year. On average, cows kill 22 people per year, where shark-attack deaths are only seven people, so you should be more worried on the farm and on land than you are in the water. We also have a behind-the-scenes video of us trying to put a shark fin on the back of a cow.”
Tuesday’s 30-minute special includes four segments, starting with “Cattle Breeds” filmed in Carroll, Frederick and Harford counties.
“You’re going to see the different types of breeds that Maryland farmers are raising,” McDonald said. “More than 65% of U.S. cattle breeds are bred Angus … but many Maryland farmers have chosen to fill their farms with other breeds, so we’re going to visit some family operations in Havre de Grace, Frederick and Keysville and discover the breeds they’re raising out there like Belted Galloways and White Parks and how they are choosing those breeds.”
The second segment is called “Caring for Calves” filmed in Carroll County.
“We visit Maryland Delight Beef in Westminster,” McDonald said. “We go through how you care for a cow from being born all the way up to when it’s an adult, and how the names change. Cows are calves, they’re young, then you’ve got heifers, which have not yet given birth, then you move into cows. Then, of course, you’ve got your bulls and steers — who are bulls without working parts — so we learn how to care for those animals at different ages.”
The third segment is called “Dairy Struggles” filmed in Carroll and Frederick counties.
“Even among farmers, milking cows is recognized as one of the most difficult ways of making a living because the prices are constantly being pushed and changed,” McDonald said. “We delve into the Haines family of Locust-Ayr Farm in Taneytown and the Grossnickle family of Ellerton View Farm in Myersville and … their fears of keeping their multigenerational farms running within a diary business that has been declining in Maryland.”
The final segment is called “The Local Buy: Misty Meadows Creamery” filmed in Washington County.
“Al [Spoler] went and visited the Misty Meadows Farm Creamery in Smithsburg,” McDonald said. “You get to see the Maryland Ice Cream Trail. Hopefully, it’ll direct people on these really hot days to get out there and hit some of these farm creameries and get some ice cream to support the dairy industry in Maryland. … Cows bring you more than just milk; if you’re cooling down at night with a little ice cream, you can thank a cow.”
He hopes the inaugural “Cow Week” is successful enough to become an annual tradition.
“If folks like it, hopefully we can bring ‘Cow Week’ back,” McDonald said. “To paraphrase Christopher Walken: if you watch ‘Cow Week’ and you have a fever, MPT has a cure: and it’s more ‘Cow Week.'”
Listen to our full conversation here.
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