Modern farming is a far cry from the bucolic utopia beloved of certain 19th C painters: normally the only cows you will see in the fields these days are young heifers, As soon as they come into milk production, they are kept in sheds on a controlled diet in order to maximize milk yields.
That is certainly the case for most of the farms around us, with the exception of this one where the dairy herd are kept at pasture whenever possible.
Mid-April is about the time the majority of our farmers let their herds out. I was lucky enough to be passing a farm this week where they had just been released. For such ungainly animals they looked extremely happy. Running and kicking .. indeed a sight to be behold. A Montbelliard herd!
I love the composition in this picture and the contrast between the bright green field and light blue sky with the somewhat dramatic clouds. These are what I call "happy cows" :)
Lovely pastoral shot. You are right - we don't often see dairy herds in the fields, but since we see the milk tankers on the roads, the herds must be somewhere. The result of competitive supermarket pricing of milk I suppose.
Yes, I have enjoyed seeing large herds out this week. Though I was speaking to a milkman on a Svottish Island recently and he was saying that sadly in about 20 years it I'll get a rare sight. Very sad.
i love cows - chose to fav this ( not both only because I would have a fav full of cows hahaha ) because yes - cows should be out in a field en masse under a lovely sky
