Image Credit: Gail Yeiser
The results are in and the winner is… RAVEN!
More than 5,000 people helped the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) name our newest calf during the Maryland State Fair. Raven won in a tight race with 1,434 votes, followed closely by Pickles, which received 1,419 votes. Other names ranking in the top 5 included Maggie, Midnight and Moonlight.
Raven was born on August 21, just two days before the start of the state fair. She was a popular attraction inside the Cow Palace on the fairgrounds in Timonium as fairgoers had a chance to see her up close and personal before casting their votes for her name. Past winners of the “name-the-calf” contest included Milkshake in 2011, Cow Ripken in 2010 and Oreo in 2009.
Raven has now returned to her home at the College of AGNR’s Clarksville Facility, which is part of the Central Maryland Research and Education Center. You can visit Raven and the rest of the UMD dairy herd at the AGNR Open House on Saturday, October 6 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Clarksville Facility. For more information, visit http://www.agnr.umd.edu/Extension/local/openHouses/files/AGNR_OpenHouseRelease2012.pdf.