Day 22: Small-Scale Cattle Farming Part I—Infrastructure And Care

Dear Student,

cowBefore starting any type of livestock farming venture, you’ll need to consider how this extra responsibility will affect your lifestyle…

If you want to escape the northern winters for a couple of months every winter for sunnier climes, or even just want to go away for the odd weekend, your animals will still need to be tended. They’ll still need water, food, and any medical assistance that may arise.

Just as you’d need a pet-sitter to watch your dog if you went away, you’d need to arrange a farm-sitter before you could ever leave it for more than a few hours.

Are you up for this level of commitment? Be honest with yourself.

Once you have come to terms with these added responsibilities or arrange for stand-ins in your absence, owning any kind of animal, whether the family dog or a couple of dairy cows, is an extremely rewarding experience, especially to the small-scale or subsistence farmer.

You will quickly learn that each animal has their own unique character and personality and, like us humans, they will respond to you depending on your treatment of them. The more time you spend with these animals, the more docile and friendly they become—making your life a good bit easier.

A well-treated cow becomes used to routine just as any creature does. At milking time, she’ll happily turn up at the barn door like clockwork if she knows she’ll also get a ration of food to eat while she gets her udder washed with nice warm water. While munching, she’ll stand quietly to be milked.

She is less likely to put up with being milked if she is chased round the field and threatened with a stick. She will kick and struggle during the whole process if she is shouted at. (Just as you or I might…)