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

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Probably around 750 trees and hedgerow plants. This season, we're planning to plants another 500 or so. 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. Trees are a cost-effective way to mitigate flooding on your farm. Thoughtful planting on farmland will improve soil infiltration and water retention. This will reduce the impact of flooding by increasing the capacity of the land to retain water; improving drainage of fields and lowering the likelihood of waterlogged pasture.

On-farm, we like to have a variety of tree species. Putting the right tree in the right place is important. They offer their own unique benefits. 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. Planting trees will help water management on your farm. They can reduce flood risk, remove water pollutants and increase water efficiency.

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Hawthorn trees: These are high in zinc in the spring, which is another brilliant mineral for animals and a great food source for birds

Lattimore, a third-generation farmer, managed to save all of his dairy cows but lost some 20 heifers. He has only managed to recover five of their bodies so far. It's one thing that one of the Challenger's crew members resembles someone alive today. For that, we can chalk it up to a coincidence. 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. This herd, a mixture of breeds, has been introduced to this forest to mimic the work that aurochs – the now extinct native wild cattle that used to roam here – would previously have done. They’ll eat the heather and churn up the ground with their hooves, creating more opportunities for biodiversity in the field layer and giving space for new flushes of blaeberries and crowberries that are such important food sources for capercaillies – those so elusive and threatened birds that I always hope to see. Nearly thirty years later, in May 2015, the online world contemplated a conspiracy rumor questioning whether the Challenger crew was in fact still alive, as evidenced by the fact that persons resembling those original crew members (at the approximate ages they would be now), and bearing similar or identical names, are still living and working in the United States:Along with planting edges, we’ve used agroforestry elsewhere to attract biodiversity to our land. For instance, we’ve put in a range of different plants on our farm’s steeper ground – which is unsuitable for grazing – to, once more, help us accommodate the diverse wildlife found throughout the Scottish Uplands. Benefit 3: Trees provide access to a range of nutrients Silvopasture gives cows choice in where to be and what to eat, which Karolini Tenffen de Sousa, a postdoctoral fellow at Instituto de Zootecnia in Brazil who specializes in cattle behavior, says can improve their health. Cows can be in the shade when they want, drink water when they want, and graze when they want. “If they don’t experience stress their physiology will be good,” she said. We own 25 acres of land and rent a further 60 acres for grazing and making hay and silage. We also have access to the mountain, which is common grazing for the cows to use. You can reduce water pollutants on your farm by planting trees. Water going into the soil in tree belts is less likely to carry potential contaminants, such as sediment. But farmers often need support in getting silvopastures off the ground. Some experts point out that while there is federal funding available to help farmers start silvopastures, it’s often difficult to access because of bureaucratic red tape and the time-consuming application process.

All mammals produce milk to feed their young, but dairy cattle, such as the well-known Holstein-Friesian cow, have been specially bred to produce very large quantities of milk. Since only females produce milk, they are far more common in the dairy industry. Dairy bulls are often large, powerful, and aggressive and are more challenging to keep. As a result, most breeding in modern dairy operations occurs through artificial insemination, with bulls living at just a few specialized facilities. Different breeds of dairy cows have been bred for specific milk characteristics, such as to maximize yield or to produce a desired level of fat in the milk. Milk from cows is a significant part of many food items; in addition to its direct consumption as a beverage, it is used to make a wide range of products including butter, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream. As a family, we've always cared for the environment and wildlife around us. We believe that farmers are here to work alongside their surroundings. It means caring for the soil, water and air that we share. 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. 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. The scope of the project is huge and has so far engaged with more than 15,000 farmers. Most of the milk is consumed locally but there are alo opportunities to sell any excess to local co-operatives and milk companies such as Brookside, which is partly owned by Danone.Downes has also planted other native trees, including sycamore and hornbeam, where the emphasis is on improving the soil and pasture. “Rye grass is the mainstay of grassland land production in temperate regions (but) it doesn't root deeply so accesses nutrients in the top of the soil,” he explains. In the UK, Tim Downes has found another benefit of silvopastoralism: plant the right trees, he says, and cows can self-medicate.