American Notes IOWA

When Iowa Farmer Arlo Van Veldhuizen sold his dairy herd to the Government under a program to reduce the milk surplus, he had not expected the deal to include his pet cow. Old Mama, the 15-year-old herd leader, was considered part of the family. Van Veldhuizen could not bear the thought of the decrepit old bossy being auctioned for slaughter. No dice, said the Department of Agriculture, which was afraid that other farmers in the buy-back program would also ask for exemptions. But after press reports called attention to Old Mama's plight, the department relented. To assure the USDA that the old, graying cow ain't what she used to be, however, Van Veldhuizen will have her sterilized.