tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post1119986738245332094..comments2023-10-29T06:41:23.910-07:00Comments on Halfway There: Counting cowsZenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09058127284297728552noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-85207798995222510132009-10-06T03:57:16.576-07:002009-10-06T03:57:16.576-07:00I was on Sao Miguel in august and noticed the larg...I was on Sao Miguel in august and noticed the large number of cows.<br />A farmer told me all cows on the Azores had 5 tits:<br />4 of their own and 1 of the EU.<br />That fifth of course giving most...Robdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-6714983082872472102009-10-05T11:11:09.411-07:002009-10-05T11:11:09.411-07:00Milk-fed veal is definitely problematic, but regul...Milk-fed veal is definitely problematic, but regular old veal is what most dairy bull calves become. (Or dog food.) Same for excess heifers, I imagine. Nobody's going to waste time and feed raising them for beef, because even if there wasn't a slight red-meat backlash, dairy cattle just don't produce beef to compete with beef cattle. Especially since nobody can use hormones anymore to make 'em fatten up.The Ridger, FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01538111197270563075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-18917213670551931112009-10-04T14:28:22.923-07:002009-10-04T14:28:22.923-07:00As I understand it part of the problem with bullca...As I understand it part of the problem with bullcalves was a backlash against veal in the eighties. Calves living in little boxes, fed on milk.<br /><br />That's iffy from a welfare perspective, but it'd solve two problems if it could be brought back into fashion.<br /><br />Milk has become a discount item over here as well. Ridiculously low prices. Myself, I buy 'organic' in the hope that it helps the farmer and the cows a bit.<br /><br />wv: gostimen - <i>de gostimen non disputandum</i>Jens Knudsen (Sili)https://www.blogger.com/profile/14078875730565068352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-61932453938768413822009-10-04T11:59:06.725-07:002009-10-04T11:59:06.725-07:00My grandparents had seven grandchildren who grew u...My grandparents had seven grandchildren who grew up on the family dairy farm. Today one of the grandchildren (my brother) is running the family establishment and a second (a cousin) has an independent dairy farm operation. A third (yet another cousin) tried and failed.<br /><br />It's a crapshoot whether any farm kids will stay on the farm in any given farm family. If you don't have at least one in each generation, the farm goes away very quickly.Zenohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09058127284297728552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-29712524526915098892009-10-04T11:49:30.879-07:002009-10-04T11:49:30.879-07:00Zeno, all of your posts that I've read concern...Zeno, all of your posts that I've read concerning farming suggest that it's one hell of a hard way to make a living. My own family, running small farms in Minnesota, certainly found it so; none of my generation were willing to take up farming. In your experience, how many farmers have children following in their footsteps?<br /><br />Oh, and as to the point of your article: any farmer who can't do enough math to figure out that s/he's not going to be able to absorb the doubling of his/her dairy herd every year needs more help than "science" can provide. The same goes for any article author who can't figure out that excess heifers become sausage and cat food, not more milk producers.Karennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-78270377214473675832009-10-04T11:46:16.508-07:002009-10-04T11:46:16.508-07:00Karen, my connection with dairy farming is entirel...Karen, my connection with dairy farming is entirely second hand these days. I can tell you, however, that my brother's farm does not raise beef cattle. For one thing, Holsteins are bred and selected for milk production, not quality of meat. I've had plenty of Holstein steaks and hamburgers and they're fine, but that's make-do farm life for you. Beef ranchers raise Angus and other specialty cattle, castrated into steers and plumped up on feedlots to maximize marketability.<br /><br />I suspect that specialization will keep milk and beef production separate.Zenohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09058127284297728552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-86480130432106175652009-10-04T11:32:54.338-07:002009-10-04T11:32:54.338-07:00Do modern dairy farms in the U.S. sell off their b...Do modern dairy farms in the U.S. sell off their bull calves when young, or raise them as steers for meat? As a youngster, I remember visiting my uncle's small farm, where excess heifer calves were sold off but bull calves were raised until they reached optimum butchering size. Would it be better for the modern farmer to use that fancy sex-selection technology to produce mostly bull calves, and get into the meat business as a sideline?Karennoreply@blogger.com