The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
They say art is in the eye of the beholder. That is a fair assumption. Vibrant color splatters on a white canvas to some is the gateway to the contemplation of a joyous life. To others, it is the end result after a three year old gets a hold of the paint brushes and starts flicking paint around the room. Some prefer watercolors, landscape scenes or portraits by the classic masters of Renoir, Rembrandt or Michelangelo. Still others call Picasso’s abstract view of a person’s face a work of art. Regardless, art is all in the eye of the beholder.
There is a living kind of art we are all familiar with, the art of farming. There are so many aspects to this art form. It can be seen in the way our farm yard and buildings are laid out with the trees and pastures serving as the framework. The splash of brightly colored flowers peeking out around old pieces of antiquated equipment which great guests to our farms. Growing crops and breeding good cows are also forms of living art we work with everyday. As with art, it takes a special knack, an eye for detail and intuition to develop these sustaining art forms.
As agriculture wraps itself in precision farming, genomics and other technological advancements, it appears to becoming more of a science and we seem to be losing the “art of farming”. I contend farming is still an art that must be learned and nurtured at the elbow of a “master farmer” and will never go out of style. Even the master artists developed their craft at the elbows of their elders.
Farming is a combination of science and art. Science is the knowledge we gain from research and experience. Art is the skill in which we use the science to grow our crops and develop good cows. An extension agent in North Carolina puts it this way. “A true definition of art in agriculture could be described as the farmer’s ability to use his or her senses such as sight, smell, and feel to adjust their scientific based practice. Using these senses are required more and more in an ever-evolving scientific world such as agriculture.” As technology pushes us forward, we must use our instincts and “gut feelings” to temper our decisions. We must remember that despite all of the technological advances we are witnessing, it still takes a knack, a special skill, an artist’ eye to “see” how the farm is doing and what needs to be done to keep moving forward. We have to use both the knowledge of science and the skills of an artist to improve our cropping practices and our breeding programs.
Today our world is consumed by numbers. We use numbers to define our age or weight. We use numbers to decide our mating selections or business objectives. We make numerous decisions everyday based on the numbers. We seem to be trying to take the emotional response out of our decision making process, but we must always remember, numbers and sciences aren’t always perfect.
The value of numbers depends upon their interpretation. For some people, 50 years old is considered over the hill to middle age. For me, middle age has moved much farther down the number line. Genomic numbers are supposed to interpret the potential of our breeding decisions. But who is placing the value on these numbers and equations? Numbers are really only a guideline, parameters, clues or benchmarks to strive for. You ask many older breeders and they will tell you, breeding good cattle is an art.
The art of breeding good cattle is also in the eye of the beholder. While one breeder strives for strength, size and beauty to win in the show ring; another breeder looks to develop production and profitability in their breeding program. Some breeders try to cross the two styles to work for their farming objectives. What are too big of cows for some dairymen are still too small for others. It is all in the eye of the beholder and their vision of the perfect cow.
The science of genomics is the rage in dairy breeding today, but contrary to popular belief, high genomic numbers do not necessarily equate to a great cow. Despite knowing “the numbers”, you have no control over how the chromosomes will fit together to create the animal. Here is a prime example. We have four children with the same genetics (no milk man in the mix) yet they are all four very different in their appearance, attitude and talents yet they still have certain similar traits. By looking over both our family backgrounds, you discover family traits passed through the generations. We still need to review and follow family traits in our breeding programs to continue to breed the kind of cattle we want to work with every day.
Here is something to think about. Even with all of the advancements in breeding technology, heat detection devices and quality semen, we still don’t have 100% conception rates. It still takes an eye for detail, or an intuition to know just when the right time to breed an animal is. We need both the science and the art of breeding good cows to be successful in dairying today. But I agree with many of the good old breeders, breeding good cows is truly an art to admire.
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As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.
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