The 2026 Baby Calves Are Here (and I Have Pictures)

Spring is my favorite time of year at Clover Creek. The grass is green, the weather’s getting warm, and—best of all—our baby calves start arriving. This year, as of April 1, 2026, we’ve welcomed 27 new baby calves so far, and every single one of them has a name. Not just any name, either. We follow a tradition that might seem a little quirky, but it tells the real story of what happens here on our farm.

How We Name Our Babies

Here’s the thing: on a farm with a herd our size, you can’t just hand out random names or numbers and move on. You need a system. So here’s ours. Every calf’s name must start with the same letter as her mother’s. That way, when you look at a calf named Vows or Proposal, you can trace back through our herd and see the family line. It keeps things organized, and honestly, it’s beautiful.

Every year, we pick a theme to inspire the names. Some years we’ve used Irish names (my sister Nika spent a semester abroad in Ireland, and that inspired us that year). One year—and I’m not going to lie, this is still my favorite—we used Crayola crayon colors. Can you imagine a calf named Burnt Sienna? We did it.

2026 Baby Calves: A Wedding Theme

This year’s naming theme has a special story behind it. My wife Danielle and I got married last year, and it was the biggest event for our farm family. I was pushing hard for a Lord of the Rings theme. We just got back from a trip to New Zealand, where we visited Hobbiton, and I was totally inspired. I thought “Gandalf,” “Arwen,” “Frodo”—perfect names for a new generation of calves.

Danielle had other ideas.

“We can do Lord of the Rings names anytime,” she said. “But we’re only getting married once.”

She had a point. So this year, we went with a wedding theme instead. And I have to say, it’s been fun.

Meet the Class of 2026

Our first baby arrived on March 13. We named her Vows—seemed like the perfect way to kick things off. Since then, we’ve welcomed Proposal, Favor, Knot, Harmony, and Zeal. We also have Porta Potty, which… well, ask my groomsmen about that one. Let’s just say it involves a photo that was their idea, and we thought it was hilarious.

So far, we’ve had 14 heifers (girls) and 13 bulls (boys). We even had one set of twins, which is always exciting.

The sires (the fathers) this year are a diverse group: a New Zealand cross-bred named Shipyard, a Normande named Tattoo, a Jersey named Charnock, and a Tarantaise named Marley. That mix means we’re bringing together different genetics to create healthier, stronger milk-producing cows for the future.

The Future of Clover Creek’s Herd

You might be wondering: why should I care about calves with cute names?

Because these calves are the future of Clover Creek. Every calf that grows up on our pastures will eventually become part of the herd that produces the milk we use to make your cheese. The grass they eat, the care we give them, the genetics we’re building into the herd—all of that shows up in every wheel of cheese and every gallon of raw milk you buy from us.

When you buy cheese from Clover Creek, you’re not just getting a product. You’re getting milk from cows that grew up on fresh pasture, that are part of families we know and care about, that are named and loved from the day they’re born. That attention to detail, that care, that connection to the land and the animals—that’s what makes Clover Creek cheese taste different.

Plus, there’s something special about knowing the story behind your food. When you’re enjoying Galen’s Good Old on a cracker, you might just be eating cheese made from the milk of Vows or Proposal or one of the other calves born this spring. How cool is that?

Spring at the Farm

If you want to see the calves in person, stop by our farm store on Saturday mornings between 10 a.m. and noon. The calves are up in group pens in the calving shed, and you might soon catch them running around the calf pasture in the sunshine. And while you’re here, grab some of our cheese or raw milk fresh from the cooler.

Every season brings something new to Clover Creek, but spring—with all these new lives starting—is when I’m most reminded why I love what we do here.