Cows in Trees: A Warm and Witty Memoir of a Vet's Life

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Longleaf pines are naturally dependent on fire, which encourages herb growth and prevents invasive woody plants from taking hold. But since these systems have been fire-suppressed for so long, invasive plants have creeped in. Cattle grazing and open stands encourage native plant growth, but Keyes and Keyes suggest keeping herd size under control, as cows could unintentionally trample seedlings.

Caledonian pines and Coniferous trees such as Scots Pines: these are brilliant for creating sheltered areas on your farm, especially useful during the colder months. Downes sells much of his beef to Waitrose’s organic scheme. “We couldn’t access that market with Waitrose if we were farming intensively,” he says, while much of his milk goes to the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative. The way in which he runs his farm has also allowed him to access the lucrative American organic market. There’s a strong connection between climate change and farming agroecologically, too. We allow our cattle to live the most natural lives possible - gaining their food and shelter from the trees and plants we have positioned around our land - as not only do we think that this helps them thrive, it also cuts down on our carbon footprint. Different trees have different rooting zones, he continues, and bring up different minerals to the surface, allowing different forage crops to thrive. The trees also make the soil more friable, and he has found far more worms at the base of trees then in the more compacted pastures that don’t have the sylvan cover.

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I’m certainly not asking for charity,” she said. “But any business that wears the financial impacts to put out a litre of milk needs to be paid well enough to continue to farm so that litre of milk still gets on the kitchen table. The key aim is to increase the quantity of milk that each cow produces but without asking the farmer to buy more feed from outside,” he says.

Same problems: These two Sharon McAuliffes don't really look all that much alike, and while Christa McAuliffe (she went by her middle name rather than "Sharon") the schoolteacher was obtaining degrees in education from Framingham State College (Massachusetts) and Bowie State University (Maryland), teaching social studies at Concord High School (New Hampshire), and training with NASA, Sharon McAuliffe the lawyer was attending Syracuse University and working for an accounting firm in Syracuse (New York). Soil is amazing in many ways, and one of those ways is that it contains plenty of useful nutrients, which often cannot be accessed through shallower-rooted grasses or other plants in your farm’s sward. With trees, however, you can access them, thanks to their roots. These reach deep down into the soil profile and draw up these hard-to-get nutrients, which your cows can then benefit from by munching on your trees’ leaves. The meat of adult cows is known as beef; meat from calves (typically slaughtered at three months of age) is known as veal. Beef cattle, such as the common Hereford and Aberdeen-Angus breeds, have been bred to produce muscle, not milk, and tend to be much heftier than dairy cows. Breeds of beef cattle have differing characteristics in regards to growth rate, fat content of the meat, disease resistance, and ability to handle drought. In addition to muscle meat, a variety of organs from cows—including liver, kidney, heart, brains, and various glands—are also consumed by people. Beef cows are typically farmed in less intensive systems than dairy cows, since they are not handled daily for milking. Dairy cattle breeds Science suggests increasing greenhouses gases as the main culprit. According to AHDB, transport (28%), energy production (23%), business (18%), and residential (15%) sectors dominate the UK’s greenhouse gases. With the whole of agriculture as the fourth-smallest emitter. On the farm I am investigating, beef cattle are grazing day and night in approximately 100 ha of grass and forests. The river that passes through the grazing land is once stored in a dam located downstream of the ranch, flows into the city, and then flows out into the Pacific Ocean. Some areas around the farm are conserved as water source recharge forests in the area, so there is concern about the effect of grazing on river water quality. From the previous studies, the ion concentration in the river water flowing through the ranch showed a slight increase in nitrogen concentration. Still, overall there was no significant difference with the water quality in the mountain stream area, and the effect on the downstream area was minimal.Shelter provided by trees can promote grass growth. Reports show it increases average annual pasture by 20%. This is due to a reduction of wind speed and evapotranspiration of water from grass. In dry springs and summers, this can be crucial in continuing grass growth. It also increases soil temperature in the early spring and late autumn, extending the growing season for grass. Over the winter months! There's plenty of water for their establishment, and the trees are predominantly dormant. Well, at the least not trying to produce new growth, leaves and buds. Ecology’ is the study of relationships between plants, animals, people and the environment, with a specific focus on how these elements work together. ‘Agroecology’, then, is the application of these ecological concepts to farming, specifically: using nature and natural relationships to boost your farm’s yields, productivity and more. Considered better for the environment and less emissions-intensive than most other forms of cattle production, silvopasture is seeing a resurgence around the world with major efforts to expand its usage in Canada, Brazil and the Mediterranean. And now, in part through Chedzoy’s work, in the US as well.

Silvopasture can also extend the grazing season, so that it starts earlier in spring and lasts longer in fall compared to open pasture. Photograph: Heather Ainsworth Oak trees - care should be taken in Autumn where overconsumption of acorns can cause fatal kidney damage. This is uncommon, and shouldn't stop you from planting oaks as these species are very important for wildlife. But consider precautionary to prevent your animals from feeding on acorns. Planting trees will help water management on your farm. They can reduce flood risk, remove water pollutants and increase water efficiency.The plots are often no more than couple of hectares, but many are now surrounded by ditches that collect rainwater, their banks carpeted in lush green grasses and sweet potatoes, while trees – some planted for timber, some for fruit – also mark out the boundaries between each plot. This has led to a root system that holds the soil together and prevents erosion. Whatever trees you choose to plant, consider your farm’s particular environment and select species that you know will thrive in, and benefit, your local area. After choosing, also ensure that you plant different tree species together to create a mixed woodland. Having a range of trees at close hand (or hoof) is important, as it will allow your cattle to access everything they need – including food and shelter – with ease. Considering the climate through agroforestry As you may well know, I've been an Assessor, and Senior Assessor at RSPCA Assured for over a decade. So you could say I know a few things about higher welfare farming. Cows belong in pastures, right? While that image is idyllic, farmers and conservationists in the southeast United States are bringing their cows into the forest to benefit longleaf pine restoration projects. His Shropshire farm has 150 beef and 500 dairy cows and went organic in 1998. Since then, he has worked with the Woodland Trust to introduce more trees, including willow, which is rich in salicylic acid, an active ingredient of aspirin. By grazing the trees, and eating a nutrient rich willow hay during winter, the farm’s medical bills have dropped considerably.