What I Learned At The Farm

This weekend we went on a little holiday to the beach in Parksville, B.C. On Saturday we took a side trip to visit Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, an old-fashioned dairy farm that makes artisan cheese. I thought it would be fun for the kids to see the animals and to explain to them where meat and dairy comes from. While we were there I ended up learning more about certain farm practices I have never liked. It made for an enlightening experience and I am happy to share what I have learned with you here. Timely, also after writing the post about how and why I became vegetarian.

First, I learned that these dairy farmers have a good sense of humour.

Or maybe they know something I don’t know about my children’s natural tendency to be clowns?

What I Learned About Dairy Cows

Calves are separated from their mothers immediately (or as soon as possible) after they are born. This prevents the pair from attaching. I always thought this was very sad, but I learned that if they aren’t separated the mother cow becomes very difficult for the farmer to handle. If bonding has occurred she becomes very protective of her offspring (wouldn’t you?) and the calf will cry for days after the separation takes place. The mom then becomes difficult to move back into the milking herd. She becomes difficult to milk. Mom is sad, baby is sad, farmer is sad. And what good is a sad cow you can’t milk when you’re trying to run a dairy farm? I was told that this is the way it has always been. I suppose it is kinder to the pair if they never know each other right from the start but it still made me sad. It also made me think of why some birth mothers who choose adoption for their babies choose not to see or hold their baby after birth. Heart-wrenching, but less painful in the long run? I don’t really know since I have never been in this situation. And I’m not sure if it is fair to make this connection between humans and cows. But I shall do it anyway.

What Happens to the Calf?

After the pair are separated the calf goes into isolation for 2-5 days. This is so the farmer can inspect it for health problems. During this time the calf drinks its mother’s colostrum from a bottle for as long as its mother produces it (she is milked a special way by the farmer who keeps track of whose calf is hers). Good to know the farmers are aware of the health benefits of colostrum.

This is what the isolation pens look like.

I felt so sorry for these newborn calves. I understand a farm’s need to ensure an animal’s health but it made my heart ache to see these babies being held apart from the herd. Not having any physical contact which I would think is crucial in the early days.  The newborns mooed a lot. So much my oldest daughter was afraid to pass their stalls. Poor things. I reached in and gave them each a pat. It was all I could do.

They told me that if a calf was left to be with its mother, as nature intends, that the two would be together for approximately a year.

Once the calves have been inspected they move into calf daycare – “The Kid’s Party Place” – where they can be around other calves. When I first visited this area the calves were all standing very close together with their heads resting on each other’s necks. It looked very sweet. I guessed they were attaching to each other since they didn’t have a mother. When I went back with my camera they looked like this. Didn’t look like a party to me.

I learned that in the late Spring and Summer many of the cows calve in the fields. In the colder months they have special Maternity Pens. I didn’t take a picture because they were empty, but I kind of liked the fact that they had a maternity ward, even though it’s more for the farmer’s convenience of calf removal than anything.

I learned that they artificially inseminate the cows and do so in a way that they try to ensure that the cows give birth to females. I thought this was cool. They didn’t tell me how they do this but I thought it was a kind way to try to decrease the number of slaughterings. When a male is born they sell him to auction or butcher him.

We visited the cheese making room and the milking pens. We tasted the cheeses and sampled the berry wines that they also produce on the farm. I appreciated that the farm has a low carbon footprint. The cows get to roam freely on over 60 acres of environmentally-friendly stewarded land which is self-fertilized and requires very little machine work.  The farm only distributes their cheese within BC and 99% of it is within 100 kms. The farm is SPCA certified for ethical animal treatment. I appreciated the agritourism aspect of the farm as well. It was a great way for the kids to learn about how a farm is run and what farmers do. I would highly recommend this as a field trip for local families who want to take their kids on an educational tour of a working farm. Great for homeschooling and unschooling families.

Oh, and my kids? They liked petting the rabbits, “driving” the vintage tractor and sampling the cheese. Just like 2 and 5 year olds should.

Have you ever visited a working farm? What were your impressions?

Related posts:

1. What We Learned At The Beach
2. What I Learned From Being Single and Childless For Three Days
3. Monday Musings: Cloned Breastmilk?

Tags: animal attachment, homeschooling, Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, Parksville, unschooling