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HomeFarming NewsThe relationship between humankind and cattle
Catherina Cunnane
Catherina Cunnanehttps://www.thatsfarming.com/
Catherina Cunnane hails from a sixth-generation drystock and specialised pedigree suckler enterprise in Co. Mayo. She currently holds the positions of editor and general manager at That's Farming, having joined the firm during its start-up phase in 2015.
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The relationship between humankind and cattle

Philip Walling, a farmer turned barrister and recently turned writer, shares the story of the relationship between humankind and cattle to tell the story of civilisation itself in his book entitled Till the Cows Come Home, The Story of Our Eternal Dependence.

He explains how since the beginning, cattle have tilled our soils, borne our burdens and fed and clothed us.

Walling explains how they have been our “loyal and uncomplaining servants in the work of taming the wilderness and wresting a living from the land”.

He blends personal experience, recollection and interviews with farmers, butchers and cattle breeders and studs the narrative with little-known nuggets of technical detail.

A spokesperson for the publishing company, Atlantic Books, described this as a “compelling and fascinating tale of our enduring dependence on cattle”.

In Nigel Farndale’s words, this 384-age book is “an elegy to a dying industry”. He also said it is a “well-researched, uncynical and thought-provoking” book.

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Others described it as “engaging, lively and fascinating”, while other reviewers deemed it to be a “vital, thorough and accessible history that everyone who cares about the past or the future should read”.

Philip Walling – about the author:

Philip Walling started out farming in Cumbria before training as a barrister, practicing for twenty-five years and later turning to writing.

From the law, he brings learning and rigour, while his roots in the land give him a passion for and deep understanding of the landscape and people of rural England – a combination which lends a unique perspective to his work.

Family tradition of breeding pedigree Ayrshires

My Father Was a Farmer in New Cumnock tells the story of a young dairy farmer in Ayrshire at the end of the nineteenth century.

The 232-page book, which The Choir Press released in recent years, documents the highs and lows of one Scottish farming family’s journey.

In general, this was a difficult period for farmers in Scotland, after ten years of cold spells made it difficult to grow crops and feed animals.

Despite the harsh conditions, John Baird and his wife, Flora, managed to raise a family, and a herd of pedigree Ayrshire cattle.

Read more on this news article.

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