Adopt-A-Cow Service Boosts Income

Adopt-A-Cow Service Boosts Income AG WORLD 29-5-23 Stan and Betty Dobrovolny of Atkinson, Nebraska are trying a new approach to boost income on their 1,000-cow cattle ranch. They've started what they call "Dub's Adopt-a-Cow." They started the venture in October, 2004. "We got the idea from a guest who was staying at the hunting lodge we operate on our ranch. He asked if he could adopt a cow from us and a light came on for me." Stan Dobrovolny says. "We worked out an arrangement that we were both happy with." That first customer was Paul Berger of Boca Raton, Florida. "We have a lot of cow stuff in our house, so everybody knows that I love cows," Berger explains. "My whole life, I've wanted a pet cow. The one I adopted is actually still a calf, and I named her Bessie." It happens that Berger travels a lot for business, so visiting the ranch once a year isn't a big problem. "She costs me less than my dog does every year. My friends will go play 3 rounds of golf for the same cost as having a cow so, as far as I'm concerned, it's not a big deal. My wife and I plan to visit Bessie this summer." According to Dobrovolny, the adoptive "parents" have total ownership of the cows and "can come and take the animal from the ranch" if they decide to. They may even chose to have a GPS locator installed on the cow which they can check from satellite anywhere in the world at any time, to show their friends where their cow is grazing. The adoption fee is $1,000 plus a $500 per year fee for upkeep. Or clients can pay $7,500 up front, which will go into an escrow account to pay all fees for the life of the cow. The adoptive owner receives registration and birth certificates suitable for framing, issued by Dubs Adopt-a-Cow. Failure to make the support payment within 60 days of the due date will result in the adoptive owner having all rights severed. "So far, I haven't spent much time promoting the service other than our website, but I do think there are several thousand people out there with the money and desire to adopt a cow. Marketed correctly, there would be those who consider it to be a token amount. It is the wealthy elite who have a different perception of things than the rest of us," Dobrovolny says. "I've read about people who will spend $8,500 dollars on their 6 yr. old's birthday party. Lots of people donate tens of thousands of dollars to PETA, where most of the money is going towards public relations and making a lot people rich. I'm inviting those people to put their money where their mouth is and actually take a cow out of production. " Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dub's Adopt-A-Cow, Stan and Betty Dobrovolny, 86592 471st Ave., Atkinson, Neb. 68713 (ph 402 925-2528 or cell 402 640-1112; dubsadoptacow@inebraska.com; www.dubs adoptacow.com).

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