High Tech Ranching

[sidepasser]

here's a profile of a high tech rancher..note that he uses RFID and GPS collars to track his cattle and sheep.

http://men.msn.com/articlepm.aspx?cp...42111&GT1=9212

[uncle Will in In.]

Hi Sidepasser, If you could afford the hitech methods they are using you would't be trying to make a living on drouth cooked land with some half starved cows that are choaking for a drink.
You would move your herd to Pine Mountain Georgia. I'd like to winter over ther myself.

[arabian knight]

That is not high tech This is high tech.
The Cows milk themselves~!! Yup that is correct, Nobody is around at all. The barn is open and when the cow "feels" she wants to get milked she walks into the "Parlor" and EVERYTHING is done by robotic arms. Senors on the cow tell which cow it is a robotic arm goes under the udder inferred light tells the machines just where EACH teat is and each one is put on~! All this is done without One Human around~! Now THAT is high tech~! Once the cow leaves the "parlor" washing of equipment is done and lines are flushed and everything is clean for the next cow to walk in~!! Yuppers Right down to the sanitizing the teats this is all done by robotic arms and inferred sensors lasers beams, and RFID chip in each cow.

[Ohiofarmer]

It seems we are always trying to remove the human component from all lifes tasks to save money! How ironic we are humans! I can understand why a research farm at a university needs such advances, but I dont think I would farm if this became a requirement. I have animals because I like spending time taking care of them and watching them. I saw a documentary on the advances in dairy industry...pretty wierd stuff...no one wants to be stuck on the farm 24/7 anymore.
OF

[sidepasser]

Originally Posted by uncle Will in In.

Hi Sidepasser, If you could afford the hitech methods they are using you would't be trying to make a living on drouth cooked land with some half starved cows that are choaking for a drink.
You would move your herd to Pine Mountain Georgia. I'd like to winter over ther myself.

I'm just 20 miles from Pine Mountain!! Lovely place and I enjoy going to the Gardens to see the vegetable crops and flowers.

[arabian knight]

Originally Posted by Ohiofarmer

It seems we are always trying to remove the human component, no one wants to be stuck on the farm 24/7 anymore.
OF

And why shouldn't people want to get off the farm a few days a week and go do normal things that "others" have been doing for years?. Like vacations, skying, just having "fun time", etc. They also deserve to have a life off the farm, and still farm for a living. And this High Tech is a way for some to do just that.

[uncle Will in In.]

Do they have a high tech dog that will put the cows needing any form of treatment into a high tech head gate where an electronic arm can diagnose her condition, and give her the medical treatment she requires such as pull a calf.
One good cowboy with an old 4x4 pickup and a horse trailer to haul his roping horse is about as high tech as a cowman needs to have. Don't ask him to milk the cows. LOL
Sidepasser, I've been to Calaway Gardens a couple times. It is beautiful. I saw you mention Lagrange Ga. on another post.

[Ohiofarmer]

Originally Posted by arabian knight

And why shouldn't people want to get off the farm a few days a week and go do normal things that "others" have been doing for years?. Like vacations, skying, just having "fun time", etc. They also deserve to have a life off the farm, and still farm for a living. And this High Tech is a way for some to do just that.

I didnt say people should not be able to get off the farm...ha ha ha...I work off the farm every week and have plenty of fun times...that was not what I was saying. The trap of expensive High Tech is that the costs are not offset by the tech unless used on a HUGE scale. Thus, removing the small farmer from the picture and leaving only large or corporate farmers for our food supply. That is why this topic is so interesting. Totally different set of goals from one farmer to another. I have managed only 300 acres of farm at a time in the past, and never needed any GPS, or High Tech thing newer than a tractor and implements. The money used in developing these technologies is not benifiting most people, or even most people who have a small farm.

Ohio Farmer