cow pies

Optimizing grazing -- including the even spread of cow pies -- can improve the ecosystem while also reducing fuel loads for wildfires.

Herds of cows and fearsome-looking long-horned Ankole cattle make frequent trips through the outfield looking for places to graze — and leaving behind cow pies that make diving catches treacherous.

Cow pies befoul apple carts, a teddy bear and a man trying to save a young girl.

The animals leave behind strewn and trampled grass particles, plus lots of cow pies for good measure.

But the idea of valuing genetic purity feels creepy sometimes, even if it is in animals who like to roll in cow pies when they get the chance.