The theme of Interdependence saw us visit two strikingly diverse dairy farms: Strandhead Farm in Tarbolton and Mossgiel Farm in Mauchline. Both successful family-run farms, they vary greatly in their methods and ideology. This was by far the most interesting input for this module to date, and I not only had my preconceptions challenged, but also greatly increased my skills and knowledge, in terms of my own development and in the context of teaching.
Strandhead is one of the most technologically advanced farms in Scotland. The traditional methods of milking and feeding cows have all been replaced by computerised machinery; feed is mixed and distributed by a robotic device, with cows deciding for themselves when and how often they wish to be milked by entering the computerised milking vestibule. Whilst the cows seemed to be happy (after all, how accurately can one interpret bovine emotions?), the fact that they are prohibited from leaving the barn raises significant animal rights issues for me. I also left this farm feeling appalled at the seemingly heartless practice of separating new-born calves from their mother within hours of their birth. The youngest of the calves, who are confined to a relatively small solitary pen, seemed extremely distressed at only four days old.
Mossgiel farm was a breath of fresh air after that; a small, family-run organic farm which strives to be as ethically and environmentally conscious as it possibly can. The owner, Bryce Cunningham, took the decision to move to organic methods to ensure the farm could continue to be financial viable after the wholesale price of milk plummeted in recent years, resulting in a drop in income of over £10,000 per month at its lowest. Being an organic farm, they are restricted in the use of pesticides and use only natural fertilisers; not too difficult given the abundance of manure that comes with dairy farming. The aspect that fascinated me the most was the cows’ diet: having looked into the scientific research, Farmer Bryce incorporated seaweed into the cows’ feed as it not only provides nutritional benefits to the animals, but also reduces the methane levels that the cows produce. He also feeds them fresh Ayrshire potatoes (tatties!) which, importantly, he purchases from a local arable farmer’s excess stock that have been rejected by supermarkets. These two habits not only provide a superior diet for the cows, leading to a better quality milk, they both significantly reduce the overall environmental impact of the farm by lowering emissions and reducing waste.
Two other things struck me at Mossgiel: the breed of cows kept are native Ayrshire cattle, better suited to the soil and weather conditions present in this part of the country. This also means that the grass native to this area is perfect for the cows, reducing the cost of additives that other non-native breeds may require. This farm also used Mother Nature’s way of adding to their stock – four eager bulls are permanent Mossgiel residents, unlike the previous farm which favours artificial insemination to selectively ensure female offspring only. This does in turn increase the number of male calves born at Mossgiel, however this has led to Bryce creating Ethical Veal, an innovative brand development that enables the farm to continue with its ethos of ethical, organic sustainability.
The cows, affectionately called the “Mossgiel Girls” by Farmer Bryce, who makes the effort to know each of them by name, are milked twice a day. This is done by Bryce himself, who takes the time to check each cow over and ensure they are all at their best. The milk is then pasteurised on site, using a slow heating and cooling process which produces a superior quality froth on the milk, before being packaged and sent out to the farm’s customers. We were treated to a sample of the milk, and they are not lying when they attest to its superior quality.
The most remarkable aspect for me, was the issue of separating calves from their mothers. At Mossgiel, they too separate the calves, but this was an issue that challenged me to reconsider my stance on this process. Farmer Bryce explained that when he took charge of the farm, he too disliked the practice of separation, and insisted that the calves and their mothers were kept together for the first few weeks. However, within the first couple of days, sixteen calves had died. This was discovered to be caused by bacteria that lives on the mother’s udders, which are normally cleaned and disinfected prior to milking, but the cows were not milked whilst feeding their offspring and therefore the bacterial disease had cultivated in the young calves and killed them. The birth of his first child gave Bryce the inspiration for a “moses basket” system, whereby the calves are placed in a crib-like enclosure, safe from the hooves of the collective herd but within their mother’s reach. This method certainly seemed to be tremendously effective as even the youngest calf, at only 2 days old, seemed content and settled in her crib.
The two farm visits had a significant impact on my own thoughts and opinions, and initially I felt that I would rather take a class of schoolchildren to the organic farm rather than the high-tech farm. However, upon reflection, I realised that it would be better to give children the chance to experience both farms, and allow them to draw their own comparison between the two methods, using a critical approach and analysing the merits of each of the diverse processes involved. The visits have encouraged me to think about how I would teach the theme of Interdependence; I would probably incorporate this into a farm to fork topic aimed at second level CfE.
The second part of the Interdependence theme entailed a group research project. Under the topic of Sustainable Seas, our group was required to undertake investigation of several sources and create an infographic to present our findings using a website called Picktochart. Taking responsibility for exploring the global aspect of ocean sustainability using the WWF website, I increased my own knowledge in this area, and gained a comprehensive understanding of the impact of human activity on our oceans, from the disappearing coral reefs leading to drastically reduced costal defences and severe implications to the food chain, to the results of seabed mining and gas and oil extraction industry on the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Our infographic can be viewed here:
https://create.piktochart.com/output/25412201-new-piktochart
This theme challenged my views and beliefs on several issues, and allowed me to develop my critical thinking skills and develop a healthy respect for differing ideologies regarding sustainability and ethical practices. I also found my knowledge of sustainability in both farming and fishing/marine tourism has been extended. I have also added to my ICT skills using web resources to create an infographic – this could be a useful resource to use in the classroom.
REFERENCES
Picktochart: https://piktochart.com/
WWF (2015) Living Blue Planet Report
