Ahimsa Dairy April 2021

“Ahimsa” farming is the traditional, ancient Indian method of farming. “Ahimsa” means “non-violent”, and so Ahimsa farming does not entail any harm to the animals or land. Some would call it ‘Yoga farming’, or working in natural harmony with the land. At our Rutland Ahimsa Eco-Dairy, we uphold the principles inherent in this self-sustaining and cow protecting method. We never kill a cow Our calves suckle from their mothers until weaned We primarily milk by hand We give our oxen meaningful work Our farm is small but self-sustaining. Our delicious, vitamin D rich, pure milk is delivered to our customers weekly and we have over 1000 names on our waiting list. We have one bull in a field whom we allow a cow to spend a few days with if we decide she is ready to be impregnated. It’s a misconception that a cow needs to produce a calf regularly in order to give milk. We control the numbers of our herd, and as all cows and oxen have unique personalities, each member of our herd has a name. Our male calves are learning voice commands and will not need nose rings as many of the herd have, as they have been rescued from commercial diaries. We do not brand or label our animals. Rather, we treat them as family members. As part of our energy-saving and environmentally conscious ethos, we endeavour to source ploughs and treadmills so that our oxen can work the land naturally without us having to use fossil fuels on our farm. This is how the land was cultivated in pre-industrial societies, but commercial dairy farms have now done away with the traditional types of farming implements. Instead, the unemployed male calves are sold off to the meat market. In summary: We are non-violent and love our animals, and they love us too! For information on how to set up an ahimsa dairy farm yourself, please contact us.