11/29/2002: Swiss cow choppered home
 

http://cellar.org/2002/swisscow.jpg

Happy Friday. They have some massive mudslides in Switzerland, and after a particular mudslide there were 60 cows that were marooned from their usual home. They had to be airlifted to get back. No word on whether the grassy hills behind are where the cows came from. (Look at that, though - some of those fields are on a 60 degree angle. Farming in the Alps.)

Good luck Bessie! Hang in there!

Cost/Benefit?
 

Does it occur to anyone else that the cost of 60 new cows might be less than the cost of airlifting 60 cows one-at-a-time?

Re: Cost/Benefit
 

Except that: what are you going to do with the old 60 cows? Turn them into steaks? Well... lets look at the steps. I could see this becoming a Laurel and Hardy (Or Dumb and Dumber) skit real quick:

Airlift the butcher in

For each cow, (up to sixty times):

Chase down a cow.
Kill it (this will make chasing down the other cows so much easier).
Field dress 500 to 2000 lbs of beef
Airlift the meat out before it spoils

And finally, when done,

Airlift the butcher out
Airlift people in to dispose of 60 carcass

No one it going to stand for the rancher just letting the cows starve to death (or breaking their legs trying to cross the mudslide).

And bringing the butcher in, and airlifting the meat out doesn't appear to be workable. (I believe that modern butchers get to work on a carcass that hangs from a track, so that they can slice off cuts without trouble).

So ultimately, airlifting the cows out is probably the most expedient. Although....

If the land was cut off my a mudslide, won't they eventually (re-) build a road to the stranded area? Why not just ATV in a bunch of hay bales until the road gets rebuilt? Or wait untill the snows come, which will freeze the mud so that the cows can walk on it?

Eh. Happy Cows come from California.

I think most cows in Switzerland are dairy cows, so we'd have to air lift the milk maids and their billowy patterned skirts would , well, billow out - exposing the lederhosen- causing young Swiss boys to yodel for joy and would cause a sales rush for Ricola.

Gotta save those cows, they provide the main ingredient in CHOCOLATE for goodness sakes.

No to mention more mudslides, and we fall into a vicious cycle.

DAMN! Cost / benefit?
Didn't any of you live on a farm.
Cows are family!!!!!!!!

That's a misdemenor in Pennsylvania.

What, bovine marriage, or familial butchery?

Animal...erm..."husbandry". :-)

Once again showing how the laws are made for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, to the demerit of everyone in between.

Wasn't it James Carville who pointed out that Pennsylvania was Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in the middle?

Don't ask, don't tell.

Re: your computer must have sound to hear this
 

The link to the file seems not to be working. :( I like the moocow pic tho'.

Ahem. Harrisburg and its suburbs arent bad. Cow country is Lancaster and Lebanon. For hicks, yea, thats Perry county. One stoplight and going strong........ :D