MICRO FARMING HOW-TO: Those involved in small-scale dairy farming may have known all along that cows in natural conditions without the stress of fearing the humans who regularly handle them produce better milk yields. The Ig Nobel prizes are awards given to legitimate scientific research that can’t help but make one laugh at first, but then make one really think after the laugh is over.
(See our small scale dairy profile where the successful dairy farm owners name all of their cows.)
Such an award was given to scientists at Newcastle University in a study that involved 516 dairy farmers in the UK which found that cows with owners who named them yielded more pints of milk. Some dairy farmers who were part of the study were noted as agreeing with the findings, with comments such as that when cows are treated as individuals, their milk production increases. It can’t help make one laugh, but the owners of family cows and small scale dairy farming of long ago must have been following some smart instincts when they went out to milk Petunia, Daisy, Bossy, Maribelle, Buttercup, and Ruby. Small dairy farming has many advantages over mega dairy factories, but here’s yet another one. — www.MicroEcoFarming.com