In the parlour
BELLA GOGGIN
The milking parlour is like a bridge between the farm and the dairy. Connecting the pasture and the daily life of the herd to the bottling of milk, cheese and yoghurt making; the parlour is that transition point of receiving this gift from the land and from the cows.
The job of milking involves two different mindsets: one dynamic, one systematic. For the work with the cows, it requires adaptability to their behaviour as unpredictable animals. Whereas for the equipment and systems, it requires consistency to complete function and meet safety and hygiene regulations.
In my mind the parlour is a place of care as well as milking. It’s an opportunity to observe the cows' health and behaviour up close, to communicate with them and to perceive them in order to make choices of remedies. Naturally having them close helps with administering treatment too, so it’s a really crucial window in the farming day.
For me, the magic of it is in getting to know this herd, both as a collective and as individuals. Each cow is beautiful and distinct. Each cow has her own way of being and expressing. It is such a privilege to have proximity to them, to see them in their daily routine and their relationships with each other. I love watching them grazing and then munching the hedges as they come in along the track, seeing them take their pick of everything that, now in June, is in its fullness.
In the field and in the parlour, things might happen that you don’t expect, which keeps you alert and sensitive. It’s intense work and sometimes messy! A flick of the tail can really get you and bring you down to earth so you don’t get too carried away in the idyll of it all!
