THE PRODUCER - The business end of cow #4066 at DeBoer Dairy in Tulare. In 1995 she produced over 40,000 pounds of milk, making her the Dairy Queen of the county. That is enough milk, from one udder, to fill a tanker truck.


The folks at the dairy didn't know what to make of it when we asked if I could photograph their cow, then proceeded to set up a white background in a stall for the shoot. Good thing they gave #4066 a bath first as she didn't stay clean for long. Spend any time around cows and you'll find that they can't go 10 minutes without making fertilizer. A vet was there and I asked him to hold the cow still so I could take a picture of its udders...the look on his face was priceless. #4066 didn't help the situation as she kept trying to move away from me. I guess I moved too quickly and startled her at one point. She responded by stomping on a pile of manure which sent the debris flying about the stall and on to me. I figured "good thing I wear cotton" and returned to the shoot but when I looked through the viewfinder all I saw was green...a circle of manure the size of a silver dollar had landed on the front element of my lens. Can you say bullseye?