The dairy industry has been in crisis for quite a while, but this piece in the New York Times highlights some of the downsides of ever-increasing levels of technology when applied to farming. New technology that sorts bull semen by the sex of cow it will produce is now readily available - but it means that more heifers will be produced at a time when they're least needed.
Ironically, this technology was supposed to save male calves from going to slaughter, but right now milk prices are so low that the dairy industry is sending heifers to slaughter - even without considering the extra heifers that will be put into production with the new semen-sorting method. Technology's great, but if it causes more problems than it solves? We need to think again.
Do you have examples on your own farm where adding technology actually made things more complex, or worsened a problem rather than helping? What technology has been most helpful? No semen sorters on our farm, but I do love our trusty Ford tractor.
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