Can Milk be Grass Fed During the Winter?

People often ask me, "How do you grass feed animals when there is 3 feet of snow on the ground?"

Can animals be grass fed during the winter in Vermont?

Before I answer that, though, let's talk about WHY you would want grass fed products in the first place.

It's a common belief that meat and milk are bad for you because, "They cause heart disease. They make you fat. They are hard to digest."

That may or may not be true of conventional, factory raised animal products. But it is not true of grass fed milk and meat.

Most dairy animals are fed grain because they make a lot more milk when they eat lots of grain. In fact, modern dairy cows have been bred to make more milk than they can produce on grass (or hay) alone, and they would milk themselves to death if not given plenty of grain.

My cows are a heritage breed, Lynch linebacks, and they have not been bred for heavy milk production. They don't make as much milk as modern dairy cows, and they thrive on just grass.

A farmer who makes the choice to sell grass fed milk is trading a larger quantity of milk for a smaller amount of higher quality milk.

Grass fed milk is so much better for you than milk from animals on a heavy grain diet.

One measurable component of milk is CLA, conjugated linoleic acid. Grass fed milk has 2 to 4 times as much CLA as milk from grain fed animals. CLA has many health benefits including...

• reducing body fat

• promoting lean muscle mass

• anti cancer properties

• boosting the immune system

• keeping cholesterol healthy

• reducing atherosclerosis

• preventing and treating diabetes

• enhancing bone formation

Grass fed milk is also high in omega-3's.

What it boils down to is, cows were designed to eat grass, not grain. Even modern dairy cows that make tons of milk have the same digestive system that all cows evolved with, which is designed to digest grass. Heavy grain diets create a state of acidosis that is stressful on their bodies. That is why modern cows have so many health problems.

Cows are healthier when they are grass fed. A healthier cow will produce products that are healthier for you. It's all about you are what you eat.

With that, let's talk about grass feeding cows during the winter.

It feels so good to have all the hay delivered before winter sets in.

Hay There, Cow.

Hands down, the biggest cost associated with making milk in the north is feeding cows through the winter.

Cows eat hay. A lot of hay. Like, 16 big bales each per winter.

You know those big white "cow marshmallows"? Those are bales of grass that were mowed, baled, and wrapped tightly to trap moisture in. Similar to sauerkraut, the damp grass inside ferments. A well made bale of haylage, as it's called, smells similar to an orchard in the fall when there are apples on the ground fermenting. I love the smell of a newly opened bale.

The cows love it, too.

My cows spend most of their days in the winter outside, munching hay. They are not confined like many dairy cows in a barn. There is a barn they can go into in nasty weather, but they prefer to be outside. That is good for them because they get sunlight on their backs all winter. They are producing natural vitamin D while you are huddled inside all winter not getting any sun, and that vitamin D comes through in their milk.

Liberty and Pippin at the hay feeder.

Pigs Eat Hay Too!

Nothing makes my heart happier than giving the pigs a new bale of hay in the winter. Their joy is contagious. They dance around pulling out mouthfuls of hay like a toddler that was just given free access to a birthday cake.

There is a misconception among some pig raisers that pigs will not eat grass or hay. That's because some won't.

Again, it comes down to the breed. Modern pigs that were bred for lightning fast growth really only want the intense diet of a soy/grain ration. They don't know what to do with grass.

Slower growing grazing pigs still eat grass and forage like their ancestors did. It's good for them. It makes their meat taste better, and more nutritious, than if they ate grain alone.

Not only do my pigs eat hay, but they love to burrow into it like a blanket. I love seeing a pile of hay on a frosty winter morning "breathing". When I call and the pigs hear me, they all burst out of the hay pile at once, eager for breakfast. Pigs usually prefer a bale of hay over a hut with a roof for shelter.

How many pigs can you spot?

Organic Hay Fields

A lot of Vermont farmland is hay fields. How we care for those fields matters.

Run off from chemical fertilizers on non organic fields pollutes rivers and lakes with excess nutrients. Repeated use of synthetic fertilizers depletes soil carbon and kills the complex soil microbe ecology.

On the other hand, managing hay fields organically builds the soil and does not contribute to nutrient run off.

My hay farmer loves to brag about how fertile his organic soil is. Any farmer that takes care of their soil is a farmer worth supporting.

I pay top dollar for organic hay. It's worth it. I feel good about contributing to the long term health of Vermont's ecosystem, and organic hay is more nourishing for my animals.

And that means that my milk and pork are more nourishing for my customers.

A farmer in Lowell, Vermont baling small square bales.

The term "grass fed" can be misleading. Hopefully all cows will eat grass at some point in their life. Most cows (not grass fed) are also given grain and soy, sometimes as much as 30 - 50 lbs per day. To be truly "grass fed" means that the cow eats grass and forage only (plus supplements), no grain.

What do you think are the most important qualities of the food you eat?