01/06/05 A cow`s life

A Cow's Life I know it's past Christmas but I know a good present for a cattleman or animal history buff. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll tell you about it in one minute. The present I'm talking about is a book about cows by M. R. Montgomery titled "A Cow's Life". Now this might sound like a boring book to some people but in a Capital Press article free lance writer Bill Duncan says the book is intriguing and after reading Montgomery's work he looks at cows in a different way and appreciates them more. The book tells of cattle's ancestor, the long-extinct Auroch, which weighed about 6,000 pounds and fell in line with man's wishes around 8,000 years ago. Montgomery thinks the domestication of the Auroch might have been one of the most crucial events in the survival of mankind. Cows have since then provided meat, milk, and muscle. The book examines most breeds of cattle but actually discusses the Angus breed the most. The author feels the Angus has a fantastic history that needs to be explored. Maybe Angus breeders will enjoy this a little more but it still sounds interesting for any cattleman. While Montgomery details day-to-day lives of cattle and their keepers the book always relates to civilization's history and how cattle were intertwined at each stage of that history. "A Cow's Life" sounds like a book I would like to read and it might be a good birthday or anytime present for almost anyone and especially cattle people. For a website to check out Mr. Montgomery's book look at "The American Rancher" at aginfo.net. I'm Jeff Keane. "A Cow's Life" http://www.emailbookclub.com/alt/cow1.html