Are animals historical beings? Could we write their biographies? This article traces the unusual life of a single cow in the mid twentieth century, thus challenging the accepted boundaries of the archive and what counts as historical narrative. Stavit, a crossbreed that lived in the Jewish agricultural settlement Kfar Giladi, excelled during the two decades of her life by producing both a large number of calves and copious amounts milk. Toward the end of her life, she was awarded the title Champion of Champions, and received broad public acclaim. Through her character, this story—like all good biographies—portrays the spirit of the time and a sense of place. This fecund milch cow, that was a living body as well as a sophisticated machine, embodied through her labors the successes of the Jewish settlement project, as well as the anxieties that underlay it. Her udders overcame environmental and political challenges, proving that agricultural technology had the power to justify European intervention in the Middle East.
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