"The cow radiated a form of happiness I have never seen before"

In Norwegian dairy production, separating the cow and calf immediately after birth is common. This practice applies to most of the 208,000 dairy cows in Norway.

Not all farmers choose to do it this way. Around 10,000 cows live on farms that operate organically. There, cow and calf are allowed to stay together for at least three days.

But some dairy farmers don't stop there. They lether the mother and calf stay together for two weeks, sometimes longer.

In a new study, researchers have taken a closer look at who these farmers are and what motivates them.

A good life

Brit Logstein is a researcher at the Ruralis Institute for Rural and Regional Research. She and her colleagues interviewed 17 dairy farmers who allow cows and calves to stay together for at least 14 days after birth.

The farmers in the study are of all ages and come from different backgrounds. Some have grown up on farms where they always operated in unconventional ways. Others come from conventional farming but have chosen to change. Four of the farms operate organically.

Animal welfare is the most important reason that farmers choose to let their cows and calves stay together. The farmers are concerned about the cows' physical and mental health and their natural needs.

As one farmer told the researchers, it is good to 'know that the way we treat them gives the cows and the calves a good life.'

Another farmer recounted the first time he left a cow with her calf: 'The cow radiated a form of happiness I have never seen before.' He 'saw it in her face, in her eyes, and even her whole body. It was incredible.'

Don’t want to criticise

“The farmers in the study don’t want to criticise the traditional way of raising dairy cows, but they find that their way works better for them. Some of them say that it simply became more pleasant to walk into the barn after they started this practice,” says Logstein.

The cow shows a 'different spark of life when she spends time with her calf,' one farmer in the study said.

'It would have been odd to separate the animals and then look the cow in her eyes,' another farmer said.

The farms range in size from 14 to 60 dairy cows. The latter is well above the Norwegian average, which is 34 cows, according to Animalia.

The largest farmers do not find cow-calf contact (CCC) difficult, even though the farming method requires more adjustments the greater the number of animals.

There is less work when the cow feeds the calf. Farmers do not have to carry buckets, heat milk, or keep bottles and equipment clean.

An invisible milk quality

The calf is allowed to drink milk from its mother until it is full. The leftover milk ends up in the milk tank as usual.

This means you can buy milk with high animal welfare without knowing it. The Norwegian dairy product cooperative Tine does not label the milk as such, and the 17 farmers in the study cover the extra costs of animal welfare themselves.

“Most farms deliver the milk to the market as dairy products where the interaction between cow and calf is an unknown and invisible quality that farmers pay for themselves,” says Logstein.

The farmers did not mention income as a motivation.

Like the challenges, but face an uphill battle

“They say it feels better to be a farmer when they let the cow and calf stay together. They also either have additional income alongside the farm or otherwise have financial flexibility to carry out this practice,” says Logstein.

Another important motivation for the 17 farmers is that they enjoy going beyond the usual routine. These are people who like challenges and are looking for new ways to run their farms.

Some of them have been doing this for more than 20 years.

But they face an uphill battle.

They are not paid more for the milk, and they have encountered little understanding and interest from the advisers at Tine, where they deliver their milk.

One farmer felt that Tine's advisers are only focused on maximising milk production.

Others lacked expertise on cow-calf contact.

'No one. No one had heard about it,' said one farmer.

Useful information for Tine

Stine Grønmo Kischel is a senior adviser within research at Tine. She says they are aware that some farmers have previously experienced varying levels of support.

“At the same time, we’re seeing that the situation has developed significantly in recent years,” Kischel writes in an email.

Tine wants to support farmers who are curious about or want to adopt a system with cow-calf contact. But offering advice is complicated.

“Solutions must be assessed from farm to farm. There is no standard model that suits everyone. But we're working to ensure professional support where it is desired and have strengthened internatl efforts in both expertise and advisory services. Studies like this provide useful information for moving forwards,” she writes.

Pay more for milk?

A Norwegian survey shows that 27 per cent of consumers are willing to pay more for milk from farms that let the cow and calf stay together. Other surveys have shown that Norwegian consumers trust that animal welfare in agriculture is good enough.

Some farms sell niche products directly to consumers.

“In large markets like Germany, it may be easier to sell cow-calf contact milk. Germany has enough people who are willing to pay extra, but in Norway the population to support a niche market may be too small,” says Logstein.

Not just profit

Still, the Norwegian agricultural model allows for different ways of farming, according to Logstein. There are many schemes that are not about efficiency and market mechanisms.

She mentions the Allodial law, which allows families to buy farms far below market price. Farms that are not optimally productive and farmers who let their animals graze in outfields receive subsidies.

“They create opportunities. Norwegian agriculture has more values than the market and industrial operations where productivity and efficiency are the only things that count,” says Logstein.

She does not take a position on whether all farmers should operate like this.

“Today, there's a growing recognition that animals have feelings with an instinctive need to be with their young. But farmers cannot change practices alone,” says Logstein.

She points to the advisers, regulations, and the market.

“If consumers demand CCC milk, it will happen on its own, because Norwegian farmers produce what the market wants,” says Logstein.

Doesn't fit in with the dairy industry

Research on cow-calf contact has not shown that it produces more or better milk and cheese or that these farms are more efficient.

“In that sense, it does not fit into the goals of an industrial dairy sector,” says Logstein.

Tine will not require cow-calf contact.

“But we do want to contribute to a knowledge-based and open discussion. Tine participates in research and development on animal welfare and calf health, including cow-calf contact. We collaborate closely with research groups and follow developments both nationally and internationally,” writes Kirschel.

Reference:

Logstein et al.'It Would Have Been Odd to Separate the Animals and Then Look the Cow in the Eyes'. A Qualitative Study of Norwegian Dairy Farmers, Sociologia Ruralis, 2026. DOI: 10.1111/soru.70032

———

Translated by Ingrid P. Nuse

Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no

Related content:

Calves not allowed to stay with their mother are more stressed and grow less well

She’s given birth to six calves before — but now she finally gets to be a mother

Subscribe to our newsletter

The latest news from Science Norway, sent twice a week and completely free.

Sign up