Dairy Farming

The rearing of cows in order to produce milk has been undertaken in Pembrokeshire for thousands of years. There are a large number of dairy farms found around the county.

The last two hundred years have seen many major advances and changes in the practices involved with dairy farming.

The introduction of selective breeding meant that new breeds of cattle could be developed specifically for the production of milk.

In order for cows to produce milk they need to calve once a year. A common method of ensuring that a cow becomes pregnant is the use of Artificial Insemination.

Up until the 20th Century, cows were milked by hand. However, by the 1920's farmers were beginning to use machines to milk the cows. Machines also became common in the production of dairy products.