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The future of farming... from Australia
Posted by NoraWI at 2014-04-16 16:08:01
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2225094/royal-easter-show-electronic-monitoring-on-the-farm-has-all-the-right-mooves/?cs=12
Response by T Payne at 2014-04-18 06:55:44
Too much disconnection to suit me. Way too much.

All of the farms with too many cows around here have gone to robotics. They mostly poison the life out of their land, too. I don't know where they think they are going with that. Maybe "think" is not a propos.

I don't believe that the future of farming, especially in the long run (if any), will belong to the trained monkey system.
Response by Klaus Karbaumer at 2014-04-18 17:05:59
Thomas, as so often, I agree with you. I do not believe that any systems that put farmers more in front of screens or machines will be helpful to feeding the world. The intimate contact with the land and the animals which leads to improved understanding does a lot more for a sustainable future of farming. I am not at all against science, rather to the contrary, but science also tells us that the immediate contact is more important than remote supervision. Another example of the attempt to remove human beings from production and replace them with robots. Wendell Berry asked the question in his book " What are people for?" .
Response by T Payne at 2014-04-19 11:40:16
Good points, Klaus, concerning science. I would point out, that along that line, science and analysis of systems can identify resilience as the backbone of sustainability. When coupled with the science of climate change, it's easy to see that enhancing resilience to give the best possible chance of sustainability when unknown and untold hitherto unexperienced conditions arise to impact upon resilience, is critical to system design. High input systems minimize "high touch", in favor of "high tech", do precisely the opposite, and will fail soonest. The more of our collective eggs we have in that basket, the harder the ensuing times will be for all when the stuff hits the fan.

That is why I maintain that so-called developing, or under/undeveloped cultures are way ahead of the curve in knowledge and experience with eco-agriculture that will be required, than are industro-tech agriculture based cultures. One of the main differences between the two opposing forms is that the first has a population base where much higher percentages are already acclimated to carrying on agriculture, and the second can't imagine how horrible it would be for them to not be able to blow their hair dry.
Response by Dale Wagner at 2014-04-20 01:27:16
A neighbor told me that the Sheffles Co. tried raising cattle scientifically. Ater 5 years they decided that the ART of raising cattle was the correct way as they had lost enough money being scientific. He told me that us Wagner's knew the art of doing it as we had been on the same ground for 130 years. I told him we just never had enough money to move away.
Response by T Payne at 2014-04-21 08:06:29
Heh .. so Dale, would you say that the ability to live on no money is an art, or a science? A little of both, maybe? :-)
Response by Rob Johnson at 2014-05-19 17:42:03
I'd like to know the "take up" from the Sydney show .
SFA I'd say.
Real dairy farmers have better things to spend their money on than that stuff.
Rob J.
Response by T Payne at 2014-05-20 05:39:30
*Real dairy farmers have better things to spend their money on than that stuff*

Agreement! Just because somebody can arrange machines to simulate doing human tasks, doesn't mean its a good system in the bigger picture.
Response by Rob Johnson at 2014-05-24 04:31:32
I listened to an interview by a veteran rural reporter of people associated with the opening of the robotic dairy at Dookie Ag College (established 1886).
Yes , it did sound interesting , the cows basically just do their own thing , they can come through the dairy basically as often as they like , to be fed and milked , have a back scratch blah blah , all controlled by robots.
But the reporter , a very experienced horsewoman herself , noted the lack of any handling of the cattle.
She asked the question (in effect ,I forget her exact words) "there is no handling of the animals at all. If you do have to handle them , wouldn't that be very difficult ?".
The answer was "yes".
Apparently these dairies are being taken up in Europe , and the expectation is that in 5-10 years they will be taken up in Australia too.
But I'm wondering what sort of animal will we finish up with ?.
To me the ideal dairy cow is an Illawarra , that has evolved in to a good rangy type , with very good legs and feet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illawarra_cattle .
The breeders and dairymen I know that have them take pride in the fact that they can walk , and find a feed.They are perfect for working bullocks.
This modern dairy did have them going out on to fresh pasture , but some soon learnt to go around again , for seconds and thirds !.
So , I dunno.
What is your priority ?.
Rob J.
Response by T Payne at 2014-05-25 08:40:45
I think a great deal has to do with for whom one wants to work. If one want to work for the Bin g Banks, Big Oil, Big Ag, Big Insurance, etc., t the risk of being one of the ones who fails and loses all .. that's the formula .. then the Industrotech way is perfect.

If, on the other hand, one wants to work for ones FAMILY and local community, a more sane approach with resilience and sustainability in mind seems far more appropriate to me.

Thanks for the reference on the Illawarra, Rob !
Response by Rob Johnson at 2014-05-26 06:42:14
Our last drought lasted 11 years , and sorted out a lot of the people who took the "get big or get out "advise literally.
They got big , and had to get out , broke.
They had the big herds , expensive semen and embryo transfer , the whole bit.
The farms they had bought to produce the feed to be fed in the bail failed , and the cattle were not walkers , just big animals that could turn a lot of water in to milk.
On the other hand , the Illawarra farmers I got my calves from tightened up numbers , but those cows went out every day 24/7 on to bare paddocks , and found enough feed to milk.
The Illawarra dairy farmers survived , as did the other astute dairymen and women.
And their bullocks were rippers for working , big and strong , with great legs and feet.
Its something I'll never forget .
Regards Rob J.
Response by T Payne at 2014-05-29 05:37:26
That is a stellar example of resilience, Rob! It serves especially well to remind us of what we may need to span the unknown challenges we are sure to face in the future due to the effects of changing climate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illawarra_cattle




Response by Rob Johnson at 2014-06-03 17:19:43
Here are some working Illawarra bullocks

http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2010/05/21/2906236.htm
.
Rob J.
Response by T Payne at 2014-06-08 07:43:19
Awesome, Rob, thanks!

Thomas
Response by T Payne at 2014-06-10 08:26:53
I would love to give the Illawarra genetics a look, maybe a try, but I haven't yet found any trace of them in the states. Anybody? Maybe in the drought stricken regions?

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