CARLYLE - Karen and Calvin Fischer wanted to contribute to the Carlyle Community Complex foundation after the success of the Farming for the Future fundraiser.
They wanted to get cattle into the campaign and began to brainstorm their ideas.
The Fischers moved to their farm in the Carlyle area in 2005. This is where Karen Fischer was raised on and it is located northeast of Carlyle.
They have three children. Jace and Kyla have graduated from school, but Jaden is in Grade 11. They have all attended school in Carlyle.
Being community minded and wanting to help with the CCCF, they came up with the Cash Cow idea.
The cow will remain on the Fischer farm with their herd of 70 cows. They calve out about 140 cows.
The cash cow will be bred yearly and when the time is right, the calf will be sold at auction. The money raised from the sale of this calf will be donated to the foundation.
The cow will stay with the herd and be cared for as usual.
The first calf was sold on Nov. 28 in Whitewood and weighed in at 675 pounds, bringing $2,429 to be donated.
The cash cow is due to give in the spring around March or April, and when the big event happens it will be announced, including whether she had a heifer or bull calf. When the calf is of age, it will be sold and again the proceeds will be donated to the CCCF.
Fischer thinks it would be great and fun to build a cash cow herd. The cows would remain on their own farms, but the calves would be donated, even if the donation was a one-time event.
It would not have to be a cow, either; it could be another animal that could be donated to build a farm for the foundation.
The past year, over $200,000 has been raised for the complex and the amount continues to grow steadily.
The Fischer family challenges other cattle producers to the cash cow concept to help the CCCF grow
