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It is not surprising that the average Nigerian is not fully aware of what happens on farms given that not many of our people are engaged in livestock farming.
To bring you up to speed, Agric Economy has compiled some prevalent myths about farm animals in an effort to clear up any confusion. Also note that all myths were debunked, concurrently.
MYTH 1: Dairy cows continuously produce milk
Mammals generate milk for a limited time to feed their young, and cows, like people, only produce milk after giving birth. Dairy farms artificially inseminate cows around once a year to keep the milk coming in. Dairy cows spend the majority of their lives pregnant because their gestation period lasts nine months. A calf is usually taken away from its mother shortly after birth so that the mother’s milk can be collected. For veal or meat, male calves are sold. Female calves start producing milk. This cycle will keep going until the mother cow can no longer produce enough milk to be profitable (usually between two and five years of age). She is then killed since she is deemed “spent.”
MYTH 2: In order to obtain enough calcium, people must consume dairy
Because milk and other dairy products contain such significant amounts of calcium, dairy was assigned its own food group. But there are other good sources of this vitamin than dairy. One serving of kale contains about as much calcium as a glass of milk. Combine it with other calcium-rich foods, including seeds, nuts, beans, spinach, or broccoli, to conveniently get the daily necessary amount of calcium.
MYTH 3: Cows are stupid
Many people actually think that cows are dumb. Please think again. Stop using the idea that cows are stupid to defend the cruel treatment meted out to our livestock, sometimes. Cows are intelligent, sensitive, and gregarious creatures. Right there at dairy farms and slaughterhouses, cows rely on all five senses and are influenced by what they see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Did you know? The amount of white in a cow’s eyes can tell us whether or not it’s scared or anxious, according to research. A mother cow’s eyes become noticeably whiter when she is separated from her calf. Cow mothers exhibit a strong maternal sense of protectiveness for their calves.
MYTH 4: The environment is not harmed by dairy
Climate change is mostly a result of the detrimental greenhouse gas emissions from dairy cows. Not to mention the soil deterioration brought on by the reckless management of fertilizers and the loss of the acreage utilized to raise the cows. According to a study from Oxford University, it takes more than ten times as much land to produce a glass of dairy milk than it does oat milk over the course of a year—7,000 square feet—or the size of two tennis courts.
Hmm…there you have it!
What myths have you heard about livestock-ing? Care to share? Please use our comments. Thanks.
