© 2025 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
DONATE
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Warm Up The Barn When The Cows Come Home

WKAR Public Media | By Kevin Lavery
Published January 31, 2019 at 4:00 AM EST
snow and barn
1 of 4
Snow drifts line the fields on the edge of the Michigan State University campus.
Kevin Lavery / WKAR/MSU
man near cattle pen
2 of 4
Tristan Foster is a farm manager with the MSU Beef Cow & Calf Teaching and Research Center.
Kevin Lavery / WKAR-MSU
group of cows
3 of 4
About 30 cows at the MSU research center were expected to calve by late January.
Kevin Lavery / WKAR-MSU
cow and calf
4 of 4
This calf was born approximately 10 minutes before this photo was taken.
Kevin Lavery / WKAR-MSU

The bone-chilling cold we’re feeling this week in Michigan isn’t just dangerous for us.  Domesticated animals need to be sheltered from the weather too…and not just dogs and cats. WKAR’s Kevin Lavery ventured out in the subzero deep freeze to meet  Tristan Foster, a farm manager with the Michigan State University Beef Cattle Teaching and Research Center.  Foster explained what he does in the winter chill when the cows come home.

 

 

 

 
Tags
Environment wintercattleExtreme Cold
Kevin Lavery
Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.
See stories by Kevin Lavery
Related Content
Every WKAR News story you read is rooted in fact-based, local journalism, produced without commercial influence and available for free to everyone in mid-Michigan. No paywalls. Ever.

But this work doesn’t fund itself. With significant cuts to federal funding, public media is facing a critical moment. If you believe in journalism that serves the public interest, now is the time to act. Donate today.

DONATE