Dear Editor,
Despite dwindling numbers of dairy farms,Vermont continues to be the largest dairy producer in New England and dairy is the most profitable sector of the state’s agricultural economy. Tourists flock to Vermont to savor its bucolic splendor and we are grateful to the farmers who toil to preserve its rural character. We should also take a moment to consider the animals who live on these picturesque farms. Andrea Arnold’s new documentary “Cow” tells the life story of a dairy cow named “Luma”with no dialogue. The viewer observes Luma’s life on a dairy farm from the animal’s perspective. In one piercing scene, Luma’s face stares straight into the camera as she bellows for her calf who was taken away from her moments after birth. All of Luma’s babies will be ripped from her at birth and she will bellow helplessly each time. It is plain to the viewer that Luma is an emotional being, capable of experiencing grief and despondency over the routine dairy farming practice of separating cow from calf. The effect is profoundly moving and forces us to grapple with how our food is produced. The documentary does not preach or seek to shock, but rather asks us to see dairy cows as mothers and sentient beings who must endure so many routine indignities and casual cruelties during their short lives. Albert Schweitzer said, “Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.” “Cow” asks us to do just that.
Lucy Goodrum, Reading
