UPDATE: Through this article, the man who reported the calf has been located! 

Andy Severson came upon the cow and calf and reported them to the Aldermere office. 

“My wife saw the article and told me about it,” said Severson, 41, of Waldoboro. 

He explained that he was driving back from Union Farm Equipment after dropping off a tire and rim, he works near Aldermere Farm. He has a friend buried in the cemetery and happened to be gazing across when he spotted the cow and calf in the abutting pasture. 

“I said to myself, ‘that’s a newborn, that calf is tiny,’” Severson explained. He added that his father is farmer and he knew the calf was susceptible to the elements. 

“The snow was just starting to pick up,” he said. “When you grow up around animals your whole life, you just know it’s the right thing to do.” He said of alerting the farm staff to the unanticipated birth.

On Friday, April 12, Severson met the calf at Aldermere Farm. He plans to bring his family back to the farm to meet the calf and help decide on her name. 

ROCKPORT- On Monday, April 8, a spring snowstorm surprised most of Maine, prompting closures across the Midcoast as six inches of snow fell from morning to evening. It was mid-morning, right as the storm was bearing down, that a man knocked on the door at the Aldermere Farm office to report that a Belted Galloway calf had been born in the pasture. 

“We were in our weekly staff meeting, so all of the staff was in the office,” said farm manager Heidi Baker.

Baker said that the team at Aldermere generally brings pregnant cows into the barnyard about two weeks before they are due to calf, in this case, the mother was calculated for a mid-May birth. Baker said that interestingly, another cow that was slated to calve in the middle of May had already given birth– outdoors and unexpectedly– that Monday morning. 

“We had just said, ‘let’s bring them in, we don’t want to deal with that again,’” Baker said. 

The knock on the door was answered by Aldermere Farm Outreach and Office Manager Joelle Albury who described a tall, blonde, blue-eyed man in his 30s or 40s who was either driving or walking. He had come from the Camden side of the farm and reported seeing a cow with a newborn calf in the pasture closest to the cemetery that abuts the farm property. 

Baker said that after hearing the report the staff mobilized and searched the pasture. 

“She was way down by the ocean,” Baker said. The calf had just been born, she said. “It was still all wet.” 

The little heifer and her mom were safely recovered to the shelter of the barn. 

“These animals are hardy and I’d love to think things would have been fine.” Baker said. “The reality is that it could have gotten very sick if it was left out there.” 

She added that morning chores had been done and without the aid of the passing good Samaritan the calf may not have been discovered for some time. 

Baker said they have determined that the due dates were off as the calves that have been born are full-sized, healthy, term calves. 

The farm posted the story on Facebook and appealed to the public to assist in finding the man who helped the wee calf. So far, no one has come forward. 

“We would just love to give him credit for doing that,” Baker said. “It’s a perfect example of how the community is so connected to this farm, how we are right in the middle of things and the community has eyes on the cattle.”

Baker said that the little heifer remains nameless. The farm would like to invite the man who helped find her to assist in picking her name. 

Baker added that Aldermere receives calls throughout the year from citizens that have questions or concerns about the cows. Most of the time things are fine, said Baker, but the eyes of the community are helpful. 

“We definitely appreciate all of the calls we get,” Baker said. 

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Aldermere Farm at (207) 236-2739. 

Reach Jenna Lookner at jlooknercopy@gmail.com