Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from Australian Community Media, which has journalists in every state and territory. Today's is written by The Land journalist Samantha Townsend.
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Never ever give names to your cattle or sheep, it will be your undoing.
And anyway, isn't that farming 101?
Yet we still don't learn from that lesson.
I was eight when we had a handful of home-kill sheep we decided to name after the 1987 television series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
I recall one of Mum's famous lamb roasts - you know the kind of roasts you'd give up a date with Tom Cruise to attend (what Naomi Watts did in a 1990 lamb commercial).
Well my younger brother pipes up that night and asks, "who are we eating tonight? Bebop? Rocksteady? Or is it Leonardo?"
It ended up being Michelangelo.
And it certainly didn't taste any sweeter.
That was mistake number one.
Over the years we still didn't learn our lesson.
In fact, I was reminded of this story recently when my son's school attended the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza in NSW's Hunter region.
Every steer had a name. There was Frostbite and George as well as Keith, Dave, Warnie, Eddie, Reggie and Double Coat.
And then there was a Braford cross steer called Frank the Tank. Let me tell you about Frank the Tank.
He didn't need a blow dry before entering the show ring, he stood out for his shiny slick coat, striking face markings and downright great attitude.
Frank the Tank wasn't the biggest steer and he certainly didn't have a backside like a Limousin. He would have made a great bullock.
But he had heart (yes that's incredibly corny but hey that's the only way you can describe it).
Since February I have watched these school kids tend to their animals.
To them these show steers were more than four-legged animals.
Led steers teach kids friendship, responsibility, perseverance, and dedication.
They teach them the importance of presentation and building trust.
But when it came time for Frank the Tank to walk down the muddy race for his final destination (the abattoir), it was me that was in tears.
It was heart-breaking to watch these students say goodbye to their beloved steers.
While the students were tough and put on a good front, as a mother I was incredibly proud to witness the development and skills that came from this opportunity.
There is more to showing steers than winning a ribbon.
The biggest rule in farming might be not to name animals but that won't stop the unbreakable connection that can be built between a human and their stock.
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Journalist based on the Mid North Coast for The Land.
Journalist based on the Mid North Coast for The Land.
