The cookers and stars of a new comedy series about the world of competitive cows that show that the show is a “love letter” for small peoples and “working, honest and generous people” of the rural areas of Ontario.
The six episodes of The cows get home First season released in June in Bell Fibe TV1. The strange premise of the program focuses on the unexpected world of the exhibition of cows and on the relative friends, all in the picturesque backdrop of a dairy farm of Fort Erie, Ontario.
It is largely based on the personal experience of Lindsey Middleton, who co-created the show with Katie Uhlmann and grew in Niagara.
The series follows Tabby Acres, who hits the rock background but finds his way back with the help of his best friend, face, when he enters the world of cows. Uhlmann describes the general tone as an infused drama with important comic elements.
Portraying the rural ontario differently
Fort Erie’s choice as the main environment was deeply personal and practical. Middleton grew in Ridgeway, part of the Fort Erie area, and the production obtained access to shoot in the Walnutknoll Holstein dairy farm, a family operation.
“We really wanted to highlight the beauty of the Niagara region. It’s very beautiful,” Uhlmann said.
Both Middleton and Uhlmann grew in smaller communities, joining the shared values where “their word is their honor,” and the neighbors easily support, often fallen with fresh or honey products.
This authenticity fed his decision to portray small villages and farms not as the “King of the joke”, but as places full of “working, honest and generous people,” said Uhlmann.
A child connection
The two show creators were connected to the dairy farm in Fort Erie, where the series was filmed due to a personal connection. The farm was directed by Austin Miller, whose late wife Helen was once better friend with Middleton’s grandmother. Middleton grew by training calves on the farm.
Miller died in March of this year, after the series was filmed in 2024. Kathy Clement, Miller’s daughter, told CBC that the family was excited about the farm chosen for the series.
Clement said his father “always asked if there was something he could do,” offering constantly help.
Filming on Miller’s farm was a respectful collaboration, Uhlmann said.
Miller “Gentilly shoots on his farm whenever we did not bother the animals, and we had to adhere to their milking and food schedule,” he added.
Clement agreed.
“[The crew] It would accommodate when the cows needed to be fed, “he said.” It is a farm in operation. Cows still need to be milked twice a day. They need to be fed. Granero tasks should be done. ”
Exhibition creators spent a month working on the farm
The program approach in competitive cows that is shown deeply resonated with the Miller family.
“I did my years in 4-H,” said Clement, detailing how his father was a live-lived showman with many awards, competing in shows throughout the region.
4-H is a Canadian youth organization focused on agricultural skills, leadership and community participation, including competitive events such as the presentation of cattle.
“We all help him show his cattle as a flock,” he recalled, mentioning trips to Toronto, Markham and Rockton for 4-H competitions.
Miller was also a 4-H leader for a long time and involved with the Holstein Club of Niagara South, proud of his cows, which he affectionately called “his girls,” he said.
Uhlmann, who grew with horses but not with cows, dedicated a month to extensive research to guarantee authenticity in the program. This included a full day of tasks in the dairy farm, waking up at 4 am to bring, milk, clean and feed the cows.
Uhlmann and Middleton also attended regional fairs and to judge competitions, spending time with members of the 4-H community to accurately represent the subculture.
Clement expressed pride in his family’s farm in the series. “It’s quite impressive … It is a memory to keep forever. It is an experience that I don’t think I ever expect to happen,” he said.
Reflecting on her father, she got excited. “I would be very proud. Yes, I would have tears.”
Finally, Uhlmann said that spectators find inspiration in the series. “It is really a story about those dark moments in the life in which you feel a little lost, and then be helped through them by your friends who have been there for you in the bad and thin.”
