Re: Grass fed dairy-our perspective

[Guest guest]

Well said, !

I know we are buying grain & alfalfa fed milk. We live in

Colorado. We are in the throes of a 3-year drought. Especially in

winter, there isn't ANY grass to eat!

I prefer that milk to pasteurized, homogenized, feedlot dairy milk.

If nothing else, it still has enzymes - and it tastes like it has

more benefits than that!

-Blair

> These are not religious values we are discussing. Nor are we

discussing a

> theoretical way that milk production " ought to be " . These good

farmers are

> trying to enlighten us on the real-world obstacles they face in

trying to

> provide us the milk we want.

>

> To be insensitive to the economic risks the dairy farmer takes can

promote

> an attitude that they are just commodity providers. They are not.

[Guest guest]

We cannot compare "cows who lived for thousands of years on grass and no grain" and our modern milk cow.

A beef cow will do fine on good pasture, without grain, but have you ever tried to milk a beef cow??? You won't get much milk! My point is....they are two different animals they must be fed according to their needs.

The modern milk cows have been bred to produce on grain and high concentrate diets. If you want to milk cows and only feed grass you have to be satisfied with a much lower production, and choose animals that are specifically bred for those conditions. It is not fair to take a cow or any animal that has been bred for a certain set of management practices and force them into another different set and then expect to not have problems.

We have to think through each aspect of the management practices in relationship to the animal we have and what it was bred for, and the climate the animal is in, along with many other variables. We can't just blindly adopt one practice or another just because it has been proved the best in one place or another.

for example there is no possible way to be 100% grass fed here in Alaska and have healthy animals. When the weather is below 0 F and the wind is blowing at 50-60 miles per hour there has to be a give somewhere, if you want the animals to produce they have to have supplemental energy, grass is not enough. Besides the grass was all dead 4 months ago.

Just my 2 cents

Matt Shaul

Palmer Alaska

[Guest guest]

Where in Colorado. I'm in Burlington and haven't found any source of raw

milk yet. I got a lead on some and have been trying to call but no one is

answering the phone.

>Well said, !

>I know we are buying grain & alfalfa fed milk. We live in

>Colorado. We are in the throes of a 3-year drought. Especially in

>winter, there isn't ANY grass to eat!

>I prefer that milk to pasteurized, homogenized, feedlot dairy milk.

>If nothing else, it still has enzymes - and it tastes like it has

>more benefits than that!

>-Blair

[Guest guest]

BRAVO , Well said!

Janet

----- Original Message -----

From: Langlois

These are not religious values we are discussing. Nor are we discussing a theoretical way that milk production "ought to be". These good farmers are trying to enlighten us on the real-world obstacles they face in trying to provide us the milk we want.

To be insensitive to the economic risks the dairy farmer takes can promote an attitude that they are just commodity providers. They are not. They are working within the limitations their current livestock manifest. If keeping the cow healthy mandates a 15% grain ration, then so be it. As we develop broader markets with cows bred to give milk on just grass, that resource will become available. However, no one has a magic wand that they can wave and make things like we want them.

One day we may see fresh, raw milk, delivered in bottles to your home or store.

In the meantime, I believe we should celebrate those few farmers who are courageous enough to fight the "big Agri" system and encourage their efforts.

Langlois,CFP