The Bovine Bugle

The grass is green and growing fast

The cows are starting their fourth rotation through the grazing paddocks and the grass is the best it's been all grazing season. The recent rainfall and hot, humid weather has really speeded up the growth of the grass. Through much of May, June, and early July the rain was plentiful, but the day and nightime temperatures were below normal. The cows will have plenty of feed through this rotation, and there will be plenty of "leftovers" for the dry cows following along behind.

With all the lush growth, we've seen a jump in the milk production of the cows. The better the quality and amount of the grass, the less we need to spend on grain to supplement the cow's diet. With better grass quality we can feed a lower protein grain, which lowers the cost of the grain. And with more grass volume, the cows eat less grain so we buy less. This is why grass farmers make milk for less money during the grazing season, and why some farmers have "seasonal" herds. Seasonal means that farmers have all their cows calve in the spring to take full advantage of the grazing season, and then have the whole herd dry during the two to three months of the winter when it is most expensive to produce milk.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

Should junk food vending machines be banned in U.S. public schools?
Visit our other blogs and join the discussion:

On environmental issues: The Dairy Planet
Get junk food out of schools: Creating Healthy Kids
Daily life and challenges at Stonyfield Farm: The Daily Scoop
Learn stress-busting, fitness and advocacy tips: Strong Women Daily News

Posted by Blogger Chris at August 3, 2004 04:50 PM