Grassfed Dairy…is still fed

• It’s math—calories eaten need to be equal or greater than calories burned to maintain condition.

• Environment is 60% of performance. Environment is more important than genetics. You control environment!

• Body type does matter. Wider, bigger ribbed cows (think beef type) are lower input and often lower production. The cows that aren’t dairy type enough for a dairy are great for a family cow.

• Body size also matters. A 800lb cow requires fewer calories to stay alive than a 1600lb cow.

• Grassfed milk isn’t cheaper.

• There isn’t a perfect breed, but you can manage your cow to be the perfect cow in your farm.

(GiGi our Red Holstein is pictured going dry in early June)

The beef cattle on our farm have been exclusively Grassfed for almost 20 years.  The dairy cattle transitioned in February 2023. I say transitioned, but it was a simple thing of changing from a dairy pellet to an alfalfa pellet within a couple days. The real transition though is in time. How do they hold milk production and body condition? Are they breeding on time, and are the heifers developing well?

(GiGi in late July, day of calving.)

Overall they’ve done amazingly well. We have had some trouble getting the cows to settle, but it seems that has been a bigger deal than just our farm this year. Production is a little less, but, this is our lowest point in the year with some late lactation cows and short daylight hours. Cream content, milk quality, and body condition has done well.

We spend at least as much on alfalfa as we did on grain, probably more. But our customers are happy and the cows are doing well.

(Fall grazing on annuals)

Ever since the grass fed movement became a “thing” some twenty odd years ago, folks have the impression that grassfed means zero inputs and minimally reduced production and vastly superior quality and health.

Folks—really??!! Don’t you think everything would be grassfed if it was that simple??

(Early spring grazing)

Grassfed is totally possible. And it CAN have excellent results. But, it’s not easy, it’s definitely not fast, and it’s not cheap.

Folks assume that true grassfed dairy cattle means the cows don’t get anything beside pasture, hay, and minerals, and that these cows still produce excess milk, plenty of cream, and stay in good breeding condition. It doesn’t make sense. If you’re burning 6000 calories a day and eating 3000 calories—you’re going to lose weight. It’s the same for a milking dairy animal. She has to have her calorie needs met in order to perform!!! And yes, sometimes pasture is enough to meet her needs—but that’s not 99% of available pastures! Feed your cow. Feed her well. Feed her enough that you’re comfortable with her body condition and she performs like she’s in good condition. Our smallest Jersey eats 10lbs of alfalfa pellets a day and our biggest Brown Swiss eats 25lbs. There’s a lot of variables in what “enough” food looks like for a cow. It’s ok, they’re different cows, and they have different needs to maintain their condition. You just need to be aware of your cow’s needs.

Grassfed is not the silver bullet to making good quality low cost milk, but if you enjoy seeing your fields develop and watching the cows enjoy a multitude of forages you’ve provided them, it’s very rewarding.

(Brown Swiss girl in Sudan grass)