Re: cow feed

[Guest guest]

Hi Lynn,

I'm not a farmer, just an owner of 2 jersey cows for a little over a year.

We started out feeding the same grain mix that the farmer that we bought the

girls had been feeding, but they both lost weight and I couldn't seem to put

it back on them no matter what I did until I stopped feeding grains. I

replaced it with wheat grass and then EM cultured compost. They started

gaining immediately. Now we mostly just feed extended EM (about 3-4

gallons/day/cow, costs me about .50/cow/day), pasture and hay, with a REAL

salt rock available at all times. One of the cows is really beefy, and the

other, who gives almost twice as much milk, is still slightly on the lean

side, but way better than she was. Their milk production is the same, 8 and

10 months into their lactations, as it was at the beginning of their

lactations, though the cream is less without the grains. We just had one of

them bred. if you want more info on EM's, go to http://www.eminfo.info

Meg

[Guest guest]

Hi Meg,

I'm so glad to hear about someone using EM with their dairy cows. Thank you for sharing that. Do you have snow in the winter where you are? and need to feed hay in winter?

When I clear some land and get a milking cow I will definitely give her EM.

Tonio

Hi Lynn,I'm not a farmer, just an owner of 2 jersey cows for a little over a year.We started out feeding the same grain mix that the farmer that we bought thegirls had been feeding, but they both lost weight and I couldn't seem to putit back on them no matter what I did until I stopped feeding grains. Ireplaced it with wheat grass and then EM cultured compost. They startedgaining immediately. Now we mostly just feed extended EM (about 3-4gallons/day/cow, costs me about .50/cow/day), pasture and hay, with a REALsalt rock available at all times. One of the cows is really beefy, and theother, who gives almost twice as much milk, is still slightly on the leanside, but way better than she was. Their milk production is the same, 8 and10 months into their lactations, as it was at the beginning of theirlactations, though the cream is less without the grains. We just had one ofthem bred. if you want more info on EM's, go to http://www.eminfo.infoMeg

[Guest guest]

That's interesting, Meg. I just bought a cow and was thinking in terms of cups

of AEM. You must dilute it beyond 20:1 to get 15 cent/gal. I would appreciate

some details.

Re: cow feed

Hi Lynn,

I'm not a farmer, just an owner of 2 jersey cows for a little over a year.

We started out feeding the same grain mix that the farmer that we bought the

girls had been feeding, but they both lost weight and I couldn't seem to put

it back on them no matter what I did until I stopped feeding grains. I

replaced it with wheat grass and then EM cultured compost. They started

gaining immediately. Now we mostly just feed extended EM (about 3-4

gallons/day/cow, costs me about .50/cow/day), pasture and hay, with a REAL

salt rock available at all times. One of the cows is really beefy, and the

other, who gives almost twice as much milk, is still slightly on the lean

side, but way better than she was. Their milk production is the same, 8 and

10 months into their lactations, as it was at the beginning of their

lactations, though the cream is less without the grains. We just had one of

them bred. if you want more info on EM's, go to http://www.eminfo.info

Meg

[Guest guest]

on 8/13/04 10:11 AM, RawDairy at RawDairy

wrote:

> Do you have snow in the winter where you are? and need to feed hay in winter?

Yes, we have a LOT of snow here in northern Wisconsin. We also have to feed

some hay in the summer to supplement their 2-acre pasture. We've sprayed the

pasture down with EM's a couple of times this summer, but it needs a lot

more, and some more organic matter, as it is very sandy infertile soil here.

[Guest guest]

on 8/13/04 4:52 PM, RawDairy at RawDairy

wrote:

>

>

> That's interesting, Meg. I just bought a cow and was thinking in terms of

> cups of AEM. You must dilute it beyond 20:1 to get 15 cent/gal. I would

> appreciate some details.

We have large pickle barrels that we fitted with a spigot towards the

bottom. We cover them with thick black trash bags and bungee cords since

they didn't have lids. We make the EM-X in the barrels outside during the

warmer months. We have 2 barrels going so one is working while the other is

brewing. We usually brew a batch off the bottom of the previous batch, just

add more molasses and water. Every so often I add 1/2 c. original EM culture

to keep it true.

In the colder months, I have to brew the EM in 5 gallon buckets in the

house.. uggh.. so then we'll go back to making more wheat grass and

fermenting the wheat grass root masses along with kitchen compost with EM

Bokashi. They'll get more of that and less of the straight EM.

Meg

PS We've also done some experimenting with adding EM/molasses to the water

for the goats. This has been working really well.. every day we add 2 c.

molasses/EM 1/2 & 1/2 to their 15 gallon water and refill the water. They

love it! You've got to be sure to keep replenishing it, though, or it can go

funky on you.

As for the cow's water, I want to get into doing this as well, but so far we

have just kept it clean with a single EM ceramic at the bottom of their

100-gal tank.

[Guest guest]

I skimmed through the EM web site, but I'm still very confused. I understand EM

is a

probiotic, but does it come in a powder, a disk that you set in water and use

the water?

Do you get it from the SCD place in Kansas?

You also mentioned feeding compost to your cows. Do you mean kitchen scraps?

Lynn

[Guest guest]

I've just started composting with bokashi. I've been brewing and consuming EM concoctions for my own health and well being. The possibilities are nearly endless with it.

TonioMore than just a probiotic, it's mineral-rich and antioxidant. It helps themget the most of their other feed. It comes as a liquid starter and I usethat to brew batches with molasses and water. I use some of the previousbatch to make the next batch for several consecutive batches, then go backto adding some of the original. Yes, I get my starter from SCD world.The compost gets lacto-fermented with Bokashi, which is something that Imake myself using wheat bran and my EM (I also add extra mineral and flaxmeal to the mix since it's for animal feed). It is a moist granular materialthat I layer between my kitchen compost and wheat grass root masses in a5-gallon bucket. When the bucket is full, I put a tight lid on and leave itat room temp for 4 days. All of the toxins that might be in the peelingsbecome neutralized and bad bacteria/mold disappears. It becomes anice-smelling easily digested feed for the animals, or you can dig it intoyour garden or feed earthworms with it. Neat stuff.Meg

[Guest guest]

Boy-- all these things that I have never heard of! My head's spinning

But it sounds like this stuff is basically sillage on a small scale but made

with kitchen

scraps (maybe it should be called scrapage!)

Lynn

> I've just started composting with bokashi. I've been brewing and consuming EM

concoctions for my own health and well being. The possibilities are nearly

endless with it.

>

> Tonio

>

> More than just a probiotic, it's mineral-rich and antioxidant. It helps them

> get the most of their other feed. It comes as a liquid starter and I use

> that to brew batches with molasses and water. I use some of the previous

> batch to make the next batch for several consecutive batches, then go back

> to adding some of the original. Yes, I get my starter from SCD world.

>

> The compost gets lacto-fermented with Bokashi, which is something that I

> make myself using wheat bran and my EM (I also add extra mineral and flax

> meal to the mix since it's for animal feed). It is a moist granular material

> that I layer between my kitchen compost and wheat grass root masses in a

> 5-gallon bucket. When the bucket is full, I put a tight lid on and leave it

> at room temp for 4 days. All of the toxins that might be in the peelings

> become neutralized and bad bacteria/mold disappears. It becomes a

> nice-smelling easily digested feed for the animals, or you can dig it into

> your garden or feed earthworms with it. Neat stuff.

>

> Meg