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-We've all got our favorites.
But for me, Maggie the Brown Swiss Dairy Cow is at the top of the list.
She's like a gentle little teddy bear.
Bound up in a 1400 pound body.
And she makes pretty good milk.
It's probably because of all that grass she eats.
And the only thing that she loves more than grass is Hank.
He's a small Scottish Highland bull.
And ever since we introduced the two of them.
Well, she's taken him as her own son.
But sadly, this relationship was about to change.
You see, Maggie was pregnant.
She was about to have a calf of her own.
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[Farm noises]
And as the big day approached, everyone could feel the shift.
Especially Hank.
[Cow noises]
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I knew it was time to give this friendship some space.
-C'mon, Hank!
I'll scratch his butt, put the halter on him.
-You see, even nice bulls like Hank can be dangerous for new
calves. So the safer bet was to separate them.
[Cow noises]
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-It was pretty clear that this separation was going to add some stress
on Maggie. But to be honest I was blinded by my own level of anxiety.
You know, birth is a pretty dangerous event.
When you're new at raising animals and you've come upon a birth
your impulse is to worry and try to help them out.
But an old wise farmer once said the best thing you can do is to
turn around and walk away.
I'm just not entirely there yet.
Because sometimes they do need help.
-Whoa, what's wrong with her neck?
-What's going on?
-But when my worry appears to pay off...
[Lamb noises]
It somehow perpetuates the notion that I am what stands between life
and death on this farm.
And in Maggie's case, this illusion of power has translated into a
burden of responsibility.
-How you feeling, Maggie? ...Goodness.
You certainly look ready.
How we doing?
-I was driving myself crazy.
-Maggie, where are we going?
-And her too.
-I can't chuck you if you keep doing that...
And so that night, I didn't visit.
While Maggie stood alone in the blackness of the night.
I layed restless in the gray.
The next morning I found her deep in the valley.
I sensed it was over and feared the worst.
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For me, knowing when to let go of worry has never been clear.
But what is clear is that worry has no real power.
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And as for Hank? Well, he has a new friend.
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