City Grows Around Dairy Farm in Cieszyn, Poland, as Herd Reaches About 100 Milking Cows
The Borut family's long-established farm in Cieszyn, Poland, keeps about 180 cattle while surrounded by urban development. The family is modernising buildings, using milking robots and limiting disturbance to neighbours.
In the southern Polish city of Cieszyn, the dairy farm run by Jerzy and Lidia Borut is now surrounded by urban buildings. It keeps about 180 head of cattle, and its owners face challenges that farmers working far from cities do not. The story was reported by the agricultural publication topagrar.pl.
A farm with a long history
Documents confirm that the farm existed on this site as early as the 18th century, and it has been operated across generations. Over time the herd has grown from a dozen or so cows to roughly 100 milking cows.
Limited space and modernisation
Urban development prevents the farm from expanding freely, so the owners are upgrading existing buildings and adopting solutions that make daily work easier. Two milking robots now operate there, replacing hours of milking by hand. The farmer stresses, however, that the robots require reliable servicing.
Scattered fields and city traffic
The farmland is scattered, the soil is clayey, and heavy car traffic makes even driving a tractor out to a field a challenge. Nearby houses, smells and noise add to the difficulty, so work has to be scheduled to disturb residents as little as possible.
Reducing disturbance
The Boruts use a closed slurry tank and have bought a slurry tanker with an applicator. Proximity to the city may also bring opportunities: the owners' son is considering selling milk through a milk vending machine.
