This is all about a stubborn steer, a son of our beautiful Lily, so his wilful independence and expectation of special treatment was probably a mix of nature and nurture.

Last week he would not load into the trailer with two others, so we swapped him for a steer who would load calmly. This week the same Lily steer would not load again, even though we had run him up the ramp twice a day every day to train him.

We have been loading Dexter steers for almost 40 years and have never been defeated like this before. This chap was determined to stay home, but he had been sold and paid for so we had to get him in that trailer. A phone call established that the grain store in town had a prodder for sale, so they charged it up for 10 minutes until we got there to collect it.

I thought cattle prodders were a horrible cruel violence, but yesterday I changed my mind. Humans trying to physically load that yearling steer was a lot more violent for beast and human than that tiny little short sharp zap applied to thick fuzzy tail-hair could ever be. I didn’t hold it on him. I barely made contact, just enough for him to do a quick little skip … straight into the trailer where he immediately began to nibble at the wisp of oaten hay that I had tried to coax him in with earlier. This has been a great learning experience for us.

Five lucky beautiful boys have all gone to the same new home! They will now spend the next two years living in a milder climate, grazing on knee-deep lush pasture, and doing very well for their new farmers. Our best wishes to all.