Using humor to connect rural, urban views

MADISON, Wis. — Finding humor in the roughest moments life presents takes a special sort of mindset, and returning to one's roots can be absolutely the hardest thing.

“Cows Come Home” puts a fresh, funny perspective on what it takes to pick up the pieces after life throws an unexpected curveball, like the one hurled at the story’s main character, Tabby Acres.

The film premiered as a series last year in Canada, debuting Oct. 6 on Amazon Prime in the U.S., and on Apple TV in the U.S., Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Created, written and co-produced by Lindsey Middleton and Katie Uhlmann, the film was directed by Uhlmann while Middleton held the lead role.

The project took shape as the pair chatted at a birthday party for Middleton’s brother, who Uhlmann had worked with.

“I was looking for a rural comedy to produce,” Uhlmann said. “Lindsey started talking about her experiences in 4-H, showing dairy as a kid.”

Gears began to turn in Uhlmann’s mind when Middleton equated the experience to the movie “Best in Show.”

“I’d never seen that done on television,” Uhlmann said. “It’s a unique, interesting world. I thought it would be great to do something on those lines.”

The pair began collaborating in 2022. Two years were spent developing the story, writing the script and securing financing; shooting began in 2024.

The series received critical acclaim, winning Canadian Screen Awards in two of four categories nominated in the web program or series category: best web program or series, fiction and best direction for Uhlmann. Middleton was nominated for best lead performance, while the pair was nominated for best writing.

“It’s been a long process,” Uhlmann said. “As soon as we got that first bit of funding, we knew 100% this was happening. We’re independent, low budget, and relied on favors, reduced rates and in-kind exchanges. When I run a show, I’m either paying everyone, or I’m paying no one. Luckily, we got some funding so we could pay everyone a little bit.”

Filming happened quickly, Uhlmann said.

“We were on set for 12 days,” she said. “Shooting is expensive, so we had to do it fast. You’ve got gear rental, you’re paying everyone a daily rate and feeding them. It was long hours, early mornings, late nights.”

Middleton equated it to exhibiting cattle.

“When you think of the planning and preparation that goes into a show and then it happens so quickly,” Middleton said. “Filmmaking is a lot like that — we’ve been working on the project for four years but were only on set for 12 days.”

Post-production was a 6-month process.

“As the director, I sat with the editor and worked closely with the sound team and music supervisor,” Uhlmann said. “It was challenging. Because we were low-budget, we were working nights and weekends. I lived with our editor, who is my best friend. It took a toll; we’re still friends, but it was hardcore.”

Uhlmann brought production experience to the project, and Middleton’s 4-H showing experience provided the creative inspiration behind the film.

“We knew we wanted it set around 4-H,” Uhlmann said. “I grew up in a small town around farmers, too, so we started thinking about the farmers we know and loved, and started developing characters around that, from the ground up.”

Sharing that story was a central part of the plot, Uhlmann said. 

“We wanted to let people know that 4-H exists,” Uhlmann said. “A lot of folks in the city have never heard of it, where the people in rural areas grew up doing it.”

The pair reached out to 4-H Canada early, hoping to bring the organization into the fold.

“We wanted to have their branding involved,” Middleton said. “We had a lot of conversations and spent time building their trust, as they had never worked with anyone in film before. I think knowing that I had come from a 4-H family, that we were out to tell the story properly with their values in mind, though definitely through a comedic lens, helped them partner with us.”

In her 4-H days, Middleton showed calves from Walnutknoll Holsteins near Fort Erie, Ontario. The farm served as the setting for “Cows Come Home,” bringing Middleton’s 4-H dairy career full-circle.

“They provided calves to a lot of town kids,” Middleton said. “Coming back to the farm and training calves like I did as a kid was special, a full art depicting life kind of thing.”

Working with the Miller family, the filmmakers converted a shed on the property to serve as the arena setting for the fictional fair where Tabby Acres would attempt to regain her mojo in the face of adversity.

“We owe a lot to Austin Miller and his family for letting us come and film,” Middleton said. “It was the first conversation, asking him if he would be open to having a film set on his property. He immediately said yes. We kept trying to go into depth about what it meant, but he never wavered; it was always, ‘How can I help you? What can I do for you?’”

Austin Miller passed away before “Cows Come Home” was released as a series in Canada.

“He never got to see the final, but he was there every day during filming,” Middleton said. “He became special to a lot of the cast and crew.”

A cast of 21 is featured in the film, mixing local talent with a more diverse group of actors, including Patrick McManus, who is from Niagara. Two-time Olympic figure skater Elvis Stojko offered comedic relief, playing himself as a color commentator during the cattle show.

“Elvis is a Canadian treasure and has a fun cameo,” Uhlmann said. “We took a little creative license with that and had him comparing things in the show to different figure skating moves. We had a beautiful mix of area farmers and 4-Hers, many who were on our film set one day and getting ready to show at the Royal the next.”

Portraying rural Canadians in a positive light was an end goal for Uhlmann and Middleton, one they believe they achieved.

“We wanted to represent dairy farmers as we know them: generous, smart, kind and hardworking,” Uhlmann said. “We don’t always see them represented that way, especially in comedies, and that isn’t right. They’re not the butt of the joke; these people are an amazing community. It’s a comedy, but it’s fun and accessible — it’s a good entry point for someone who knows nothing, sharing a bit of the story of life on a century farm.”