This week I attended a tour of the Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn which was absolutely fascinating. Our guide had a ton of knowledge on the workings of the farm and the techniques farmers use to provide for their cows. It was good to hear the seriousness that sanitation is considered with: before/after milking the cows are disinfected and the milk is inspected to monitor the health of the cow.

I was surprised at how little the difference was between pregnant cows and non-pregnant cows: since calves are at most 100 pounds and fully grown cows are 1300-1600 pounds, being pregnant has minimal impact on their gait. Another thing I didn’t expect was how early the calves are separated from their mothers: our guide mentioned that in general dairy cows aren’t known for their mothering ability, and so because of infection and other risks the calves are moved to individual “apartments” that they stay in for 2-3 weeks. They were all very cute, wearing their winter jackets and everything.

One thing I regret not asking about while I was there was what veterinary students think about the ethics of farming in general. What I saw while I was there was generally good (the cows seemed happy, clean, etc. maybe a bit cramped) but I’m not sure if this is just because the farm we were at is a teaching facility. I’d like to have asked about industry standards, what the ethical difference is (if any) between meat and dairy, etc.