Meuse floodplain by Wim Romijn

About "Meuse floodplain"

by Wim Romijn

About the artwork

A vanished image that needs explanation (recognisable to the true countryman).
With the exception of cows housed in cubicles - they go inside in the evening - most dairy cows are covered around mid-October. Fresh cows (just calved) get a burlap sack or better still a waterproof rug on earlier as protection against cooling at night and gale force winds. The decks are appreciated, during downpours the cows simply graze on, while cows without a cover (due to skin irritation) remain standing with their butt towards the wind direction. Completely ideal would be if cows can shelter behind solitary trees, wooded banks or windbreaks with trees and shrubs throughout the grazing season.
When using a mobile grazing trailer - with built-in milking machine - cows are tied to a pipe system and therefore wear a rope halter or, as in the case of this cow, a head strap (only possible with horned cows).

Much has changed in the meantime:

The classic red-white MRY (Maas-Rijn-IJssel) cow has become a rarity due to the use of more modern bred stud bulls.
The grazing wagons placed on the floodplain have also gone out of sight, making you start to miss them.
The made ( outer dike land ) itself is still in use only as hay land and also serves as an overflow area during high water levels.
Hares were once numerous here; in the rattle season, watching ten hares chasing each other was not exceptional.