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To some, the hair formation on Babe’s forehead looks like the Virginia Tech logo. The 16-month-old jersey calf belongs to James Hayden of Crockett. Photo by Jean Farley

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Holy cow! What the Tech?

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

Having a calf with its hair forming a Virginia Tech logo on its forehead has been a moo-ving experience for owner James Hayden of Crockett. His 16-month-old registered jersey named Babe has become somewhat of a celebrity.
Photos of Babe have been posted on the Internet and the animal made a personal appearance at an Orange Bowl party in Dublin. The calf also is poised to greet visitors at the Huffard Dairy Farm where she was born Aug. 10, 2006.
“I work for the Huffards,” Hayden noted. “I purchased the animal from Jimmy Huffard when it was a baby calf. I deal with other 300 calves a year. They’re all just big babies to me.”
According to him, Jimmy Huffard’s wife, Leigh, was the first to notice Babe’s unusual hair formation. She was washing dishes several weeks ago, Hayden said, when she looked out the window and saw it.
“Leigh is a substitute teacher,” Hayden stated, “and she took some pictures of the calf and showed them at Rural Retreat High School. It took off from there.”
Someone from Patty’s Kitchen in Dublin saw Babe’s photo and contacted Hayden about bringing the calf to an Orange Bowl Special at the restaurant. On the day of the party, someone else called a Roanoke television station, which sent a newscaster to the farm the next morning.
“There was a big crowd there that Thursday,” recalled Hayden. “Everybody was taking pictures. They really enjoyed it. Babe is just a big pet.”
With Internet exposure, Babe became an instant hit. She will make a return visit to Patty’s Kitchen and will welcome several Girl Scout troops including one from Rural Retreat.
Hayden is a Hokies fan. Jimmy Huffard and his brother John Huffard are alumni of the Blacksburg university.
Babe, Hayden noted, is two months pregnant with her first calf. He said she is due to give birth in July.
Concerning the interest in Babe, he remarked, “This is awesome. We’ve had a lot of fun with it.”
A comment on the TV station’s Web site concerned how much Babe would bring on eBay.
“I’m not really interested in selling her,” Hayden said. “Of course, if somebody offered me a ridiculous amount of money for her, I would sell her.”
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .