A few days before Christmas, we received a call about newborn twins, Missy and Bart.

Missy had been born a freemartin, meaning she was infertile and would never be able to reproduce. In a farming system where an animal’s value is often measured by what they can produce, that left her with very little value at all.

Bart’s future was just as uncertain.

They were tiny, completely dependent on each other, and had no idea that their lives had already been reduced to whether or not they were considered useful.

We brought them into care and made one decision very early on: whatever happened next, they would stay together.

Today, Missy and Bart are grown, deeply bonded and still side by side.

Their story is a reminder of how quickly a life can be written off when usefulness becomes the measure of worth — and what can happen when someone chooses a different outcome.