In week 5 Sustainable development we looked at Interdependence, the way in which two or more living things depend on each other to grow and remain healthy. There are 3 components of Interdependence: economic social, environmental. All components are as important as each other.
We looked at two different farms to explore interdependence. Environmental interdependence in farming is extremely important as farmers have to be aware of the implications that be caused not only locally, but globally. Farmers should keep farming as sustainable as possible and be aware that slight changes in farming may result in consequences globally.
We had the opportunity to visit Strandhead and Mossigel Farm where methods were different. Strandhead is a technological farm and Mossgiel is an organic farm therefore it was very interesting to compare the two.
I first visited Strandhead which is a farm that is very reliant on the latest technology to feed and milk their cattle.
It has been said that Strandhead is one of the most technologically advanced farms in Scotland. Strandhead breeds Holstein cows (the average black and white cow you would see in Scotland) where they are free to be milked, feed and rest as they please.
The cows stay inside at all times which is not a typical method of farming but farmers of Strandhead assured that the cows were happy because they were less stressed and enjoyed the temperature inside which remains constant all year. The calves are seperated from their mums at 8 weeks and are fed powdered milk.
Overall, I believe that Strandhead is a very advanced and can imagine this being the future farm of Scotland. The process is a much quicker and efficient way of farming. It was different that the cows did not go outside but I think that if the cattle are happy and healthy then there is nothing wrong with this method. One criticism I would have is that the calves are fed powdered milk rather than their mothers milk which may not give the calves as many nutrients.
Mossgiel is a farm that has recently become an organic farm due to economic issues of the price of milk decreasing drastically. The farm has now changed their methods in which they sell most of their milk to high end coffee shops situated in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Mossgiel farm breed Ayrshire cows (native to Ayrshire) which have a higher fat content in the milk they produce.
They keep all the fat in their milk unlike most manufacturers which separate the fat from the milk to make other products. This results in a creamier milk which high end coffee shops look for a better and creamier taste. It was interesting to find out that the calves drink their mothers milk throughout which was different to Strandhead farm.
Overall, I thought that Mossgiel was a farm with many fantastic ideas to keep their farm sustainable. I am aware that this farm is unlike most farms and would be unrealistic for all farms to be organic in the future.
In conclusion, I believe that both farming methods were efficient and effective. Both farms paid close attention keeping animals happy as well as being sustainable as possible. In my opinion, I preferred the methods of Mossgiel farm because everything was organic and natural. On the other hand, I think that Strandhead was a very interesting farm which may represent the future farms of the world. As a society, we have to remember that our actions come from our ancestors in the past which have brought us to this time in history with some consequences. We also have to think about what happens in the future will be impacted upon by our actions now.
This is the pictochart that we created for the Interdependence topic on sustainable seas. Please click on the link to view.
https://create.piktochart.com/output/25440578-sustainable-seas