Interesting dairy farm-- definately not a homestead

[miss_thenorth]

My mom just sent this video. On an SS note, they are using the methane to power their own barns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJRy82i8e5Q&feature=email

 

[Beekissed]

What does the video consist of...for those of us who cannot view youtube?

 

[miss_thenorth]

They produce enough milk to supply 80 million ppl. and the public are invited to see it all. they cows go on conveyor belts to get milked, average of 80 calves born a day, they turn the manure into methane to power their barns. They have a viewing area to watch calves being born--really quite amazing.

 

[keljonma]

Fair Oaks Farm. Here is a write up about the episode on this site.

http://americasheartland.org/episodes/episode_311/from_grass_to_glass.html

 

[Beekissed]

I would have to say that their claims to be friendly with the environment stops at their methane production for electricity. The amount of grain they use tells me otherwise!

Truly a grotesquely mechanized agricultural example....its a wonder they even use cows! Why not just produce synthesized milk?

And milked three times a day? This is a prime example of agribiz mass production with no thought for anything but profit.

Not what I call farmin'. :/

 

[reinbeau]

Great business model, absolutely horrible farming. I'm sorry, but cows that never see grass are no better off than hens crammed into cages. Grain is not the answer to raising good dairy cattle. The milk isn't good for us, either, the way grass fed cow milk is. But if you can concentrate the work and the money all within a small business model I guess you're a raging success here in America

I so hope someday there will be another 'infotainment' farm showing it succeeding using sustainable methods.

 

[FarmerChick]

It is preferable for cows to be milked many times a day. The more relief off the full bag is healthier for them and keeps them in better production. Barb milks 2 times per day cause they can't handle 3 milkings cause of manpower...but 3 at least is preferable to cow health actually.

Automated systems etc. NEED to happen. While not great old timey farming practices, etc. MILLIONS upon millions of people do not make one OUNCE of their own food or contribute in anyway to their own survival. They live off others by simply spending money.

So I believe we truly need these systems to keep prices down and food on the table for everyone in this country.

I hope they continue to improve constantly on their productions and way of farming and I say more power to them if they can keep the practice as healthy and good as then, and still provide millions of lbs. of food for people!!! That is a wonderful clean facility and I am glad to see a company trying to progress forward!!!

I saw a better farm than that on Discovery Channel. Cattle are inside and milk THEMSLEVES.....and each cow would voluntarily milk herself about 6-8 times per day. It was AMAZING and had robots to put on the milkers, etc. etc. I was floored that cows would voluntarily walk into a robot machine to be milked and they sure did. I wish I remembered it but it was thru the roof on state of the art milking and care for cows.

I applaud their efforts and hope they can continue to improve their farming on such huge scales and can find that right balance.

 

[Frosting]

OUCH!

First as many of you know, I'm a small dairy farmer.

They produce enough milk to supply 80 million ppl.

It's not 80 million people they are feeding but 8 million.

One would be a dairy farm that alone produces enough milk for some eight million people.

Beekissed is right about the grain, if it's dry grain. By the program we use those cows would each need to give 180 pounds of milk/day. I don't know of any cow that does that! She would be all over the news if she did. If it's high moisture corn that would weigh more and then it may not be so high but, they do say grain so that leads to the assumtion it's dry grain. Another issue that hasn't been brought up is the fact that the cows are all getting the same ration. That means cows that are further along in their lactation are getting the same amount of grain that cows recently fresh are getting. Not only is that not cost effective it is hard on the cows.

Milking three times a day it harder on the cows. Cows that are milked three times a day give more milk because of the higher demand. With that higher demand they burn out within a few years. I bet they don't have cows that are 10 years and older! We do.

As for the automated system, that wasn't one. There is a system out there now that needs no humans present to milk cows. They are extremely expensive! That was semi-automatic. I'm not really familar with them so I won't comment more than that.

I don't care for the large/huge farms where the cows are contained in buildings all the time but, in an operation that size it's almost a must. I have seen a few where the cows have a few acres to wander around on but, feeding that large of herd requires a different setup than a small herd that you can put on pasture. They do usually have sides and ends that open so the sunlight and wind can move through and are big enough for the cows to have room to wander.

 

[FarmerChick]

In the true robot automated system with no human working the milking, all the cows were on computer chip feed system of course. It is the way it should be for best cow health.

My best friend is a dairy farmer. She has the computer chip collars on all cows. They are individually fed and supplemented. They are in pasture all the time since she only milks about 150 or so...has about 250 total.

It isn't as productive to have cows that are 10 years old. Any animal when farmed has a "super productive" life time of best bang for the buck. (of course there are cow exceptions where older still holds production) Most business use this to their advantage and send the animal on when production does slack off or the animal is too old for safe breeding.....onto the rest of the food chain. (I am talking about a real business of farming any animal and this is my practice also for my farm)




What is the worst in general....are the expensives and regulations that come with a small dairy. barb doesn't know if they can hang on much longer. they have been milking for over 30 years and Rex's dad owned the farm before them...they have been in dairy for over 80 years easily and times are just about catching up with them. they make the small share of the profits --as with any farmer I guess...LOL-LOL

 

[reinbeau]

It males sense that a cow would milk herself several times a day - that's the way a calf would nurse, after all. I'm not against good systems, but I don't think that system shown in the video is a good system, nor will I ever. The further we remove our food animals from nature, the worse the product is for us, and the worse the life is for them.