The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Research into cow-with-calf milking data
The innova t ive approach to milking cows while they also feed their calves has captured the attention of S co t t i sh fa rm ing researchers who are looking at the social, economic, welfare and environmental aspects of the system.
T hree Scottish dair y producers are already leaving calves with their dams for five months, and now researchers at the James Hutton Institute (JHI) want to hear from other farmers or n ew en t ran ts who a re considering taking a similar approach.
The aim is to analyse the full economic costs of keeping cows with calves, finding markets for the product, and look at cow and calf health benefits and environmental impacts.
Dr Orla Shortall, of JHI’s social, economic and geographical sciences department, is running the survey and is asking farmers to get involved in the research.
She said: “The questions look at people’s motivation, what’s currently stopping them, and what would help them in the future.
“We hope that the data will inform future policy and help develop the right resources for farmers interested in operating the cow-with-calf system.
“T here are ver y farmers operating system in the UK and result little research advisory support.
“Our existing research suggests there’s a consumer market for milk produced in this way and it can provide rewards to the few the as a and farmer, so part of the aim of the project is to support farmers interested in trialling the system.”
The project will establish how a cow-with-calf system performs in terms of h um a n , a n im a l , env ironmen ta l and financial health.
It will consider calf growth, cow longevity, an ima l hea lth and investigate which business models and marketing channels are available for cow -w ith -ca lf da iry products.
There will also be a guide for producers who choose to follow the system, with information on finances and animal health.
The survey is open until the end of the year and can be accessed at www. keepingcowwithcalf.com/ survey