Where have all the "Oreo" Cows Gone?

Ever since the December 2011 article in The Patch describing the origin and long history of the Dutch Belted ("Oreo") Cows on Leonard's at the corner of Rt 30 & Rt 74 in Tolland, I have enjoyed going to see them on a regular basis. Living in Vernon, it was a quick ride up Rt 30 to get there and find them, whether they were out in a pasture somewhere or gathering by the barn. Their unique black and white coloring was easy to spot as we drove up the road getting closer to the pastures. They have four or five pastures at Leonard's and part of the fun was waiting to see which one they would be in when I went to visit "my cows". I used to love seeing all nine, including the one that was the "black sheep" of the herd as he was always yards away from the others, all by himself.

In 2024 I was going there two or three times a month and there were always nine cows there, except sometimes I could not find any of them. So, I thought they must be in the barn eating their dinner! Then about a month and a half ago I found them outside, but there were only four in the small pasture near the barn. Every visit since then there have only been four cows visible. Where did the other five go? Had they been sold or just moved to the much larger farm of belted cows up on Ninth District Road in Somers? Or, had something else sadder happened? We will have to wait and see if all nine return in 2025 or if this is the new normal at Leonard's.

In the meantime, I will be going to see them again this week, the next, and into January & beyond. They are unique and a very much-loved sight in Tolland County.