Sisterhood runs deep

PLAIN, Wis. — Twins are not uncommon in cattle. In fact, about 3-5% of bovine pregnancies result in twins. What is uncommon is the bond formed between a set of twins on Ed Ederer’s dairy farm near Plain.

Ederer is a second-generation farmer milking 51 cows in a stanchion barn. He farms the land he grew up on, which has been in his family for 101 years. Never in his years of farming did he think he would see the kind of bovine connection that two twins have formed on his farm.

“Every time we see one, the other is right there or not far behind,” Ederer said. “They always eat at the bunk together, head out to pasture together, come in for milking together.”

Their connection as sisters is obvious, but it was not a connection Ederer forced.

“They were born and raised here, but when we started, we put them in separate huts,” Ederer said. “Even then, they were always together.”

They would spend time by the calf panels of their huts so they could be as close together as possible.

Ederer could tell that they were forming a connection, a stronger connection than that of typical cows in a herd.

“It was something I hadn’t ever seen,” Ederer said. “When one would calve, the other would be right there making sure that she was OK. When they’d bring the babies home, they (would) walk together to make sure everyone made it back safely.”

The rest of the herd does not mess with them.

“One time I saw one of the twins getting pushed on a little bit from this other cow,” Ederer said. “All of a sudden, here comes her sister running down the pasture. She pushed that other cow away and stuck up for her sister right there.”

The twins are on their fourth lactation together after having their first calves within a week of one another.

They have such a connection that Ed and his son, Kyle, knew that something was wrong when neither of them came back from the pasture one day.

“We were bringing them all down for milking and we couldn’t find the twins,” Ederer said. “We saw one up near some brush we had laying, and Kyle said, ‘I bet she’s up there calving.’ So, we went up there to check it out, and sure enough, the other was back behind the brush having her calf and her sister was right there to make sure it was all going alright.”

Almost all his herd Ederer has developed from calf to a producer in the barn. That development is what makes Ederer proud of what he does.

“You have the calf, and you see it grow up and become part of the herd, and if it’s really a good one it just makes you feel good,” Ederer said. “Seeing the progression of these cows becoming a better herd has been amazing.”

Milking his cows has become more than just his nightly routine Ederer said. It has become his most relaxing time of the day.

“When you milk in the morning, you’re thinking about all the stuff you need to accomplish during the day,” Ederer said. “But at night, you can just relax. I do my best thinking during night milkings.”

His state of mind during his nighttime milkings has become something his kids and sons-in-law have noted.

“I think all three of my sons-in-law asked for my permission to marry my daughters while I was milking,” Ederer said. “One, they knew where to find me, and another is that they’d know that’s when I would be most relaxed.”

From when he started, to where he is now, a lot has changed on the Ederer farm.

“When we started, we were milking with buckets,” Ederer said. “My first job was changing the straps on those Surge buckets, then it progressed to cans, and by the time we had our first child, we put our pipeline in.”

Ederer credits that evolution in technology, specifically the pipeline, with his ability to keep going.

He also credits Kyle.

“Kyle handles all the feeding now,” Ederer said. “I’m so thankful that Kyle came back to help me after high school. I couldn’t still be doing what I’m doing without him. And (I’m thankful too for) my wife, Pat, of course. She was a city girl when I met her, but without her love and support, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.”

With the help of his children, and some advice from his father, Ed, Ederer’s family has helped him continue working with his livestock.

“My dad always told me, ‘You be a good shepherd to your animals, and they’ll take care of you,’ and these girls have,” Ederer said. “They put a roof over our heads, put food on the table and, at some point, they’ll help me head into retirement.”