Just as plant breeding has given us stronger and more high yielding varieties; so animal breeding has done the same for livestock. In the 1950's, artificial insemination (AI) was beginning to become a practical technique to improve the quality of dairy herds.

Increasingly stringent hygiene regulations and milk quotas etc have ensured that mechanisation has continued until today, when the cows virtually milk themselves!

[Andrew Caldwell on artificial insemination in the 1950's]

[Joe Spencer on herringbone milking systems]

The quantity of milk from each cow is automatically recorded and automatic sampling ensures that it is safe and of a satisfactory standard…

An auto -sampling device.

In 1950, one man could milk 5-7 cows per hour; a modern parlour can cope with 50 per hour…

[Joe Spencer on rates of milking]

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