The Bovine Bugle

Analyzing the grain and hay needs for spring

I was getting ready to go to the barn when Mike Thresher, the grain salesman from Morrison's Custom Feeds, pulled into the dooryard. Mike stops by every few weeks to see how things on the farm are going and if we have any questions or needs. Mike also takes forage samples of our hay to be analyzed to make sure our grain ration fills in any nutritional gaps left from the forages. Today we mostly discussed changes we will make in the grain once the cows begin grazing the first grass of the season. After Mike left, the man we buy our hay from, Dennis Demar, pulled in with a wagon load of round bales. We had a lively discussion on the national organic standard regarding replacement animals for organic dairies. Dennis would like to raise some heifers using organic feed and then sell these heifers to organic dairy farmers. He wanted to know who he would have to buy the calves from in order for them (the calves) to qualify for organic certification when they are ready to be sold as springing heifers. Under the National Organic Standards (205.236 origin of livestock), the wording is rather ambiguous and people are interpretinginterperting it in two different ways as to where replacement animals can come from. Because of this I couldn't really give Dennis a clear answer. I suggested he talk with the people at the NOFA-VT office to get their opinion on the subject.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont