ALF Index

Agriculture / Dairy

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It was recognised in the 18th Century improvements that the wet, mild climate of Ayrshire was particularly suited to growing grass, and that grass was equally well suited to the production of milk. Estate owners, their managers and enterprising tenant farmers began to seek ways of maximising milk production, through better grassland management, and through the improvement of the native cattle stock. The result of the latter was the (now less) familiar red-and-white Ayrshire cow. Milk production led naturally to the production of cheese, and the proximity of Glasgow provided a convenient market.

Over the decades milk production has continued to increase, with the traditional mixed farms declining in numbers. The development of ensilage methods, which allowed grass to be stored and used as feed during the winter, accelerated the process. By the 1950s farming in Ayrshire was essentially about milk production, with sheep reigning on the higher ground.

Images have been allocated into the following categories and subcategories.

Agriculture

- Animals

- Chicken Production

- Chickens

- Poultry

- Crops

- Hay

- Dairy

- Farming

- Forestry

- Instrument Makers

- Markets

- Feeing fair