The Bovine Bugle

The benefits of grass grazing, for both cows and people

Sandy had a question after reading the September 13 blog, "More nice weather means more hay to put away". Sandy asked if organic cows, or mine in particular, get more grass than other cows? Her doctor has recommended that she take a CLA supplement, and she has read that grass-fed cows have higher levels of CLA in their milk and in products made from their milk.

First of all, CLA stands for Conjugated Linoleic Acid. It is a beneficial fatty acid with many health benefits. Dairy products and meat from animals on grass diets have higher levels of CLA than their counterparts being fed stored feed and high levels of grain. If someone wanted to raise the level of CLA's in their diet, they would just need to source out suppliers of dairy products and meat being marketed as "grass-fed only".

Do organic cows, including mine, get more grass than other cows? I would say that,for the most part, organic cows do get more grass than conventionally housed cows. Most organic dairy farmers, like myself, use rotational grazing to intensely graze their pastures during the growing season. For me, that means from the end of April until early October most, if not all, of the forage eaten by my cows is grass. Unfortunately, there are some very large organic dairies in the U.S. that are taking advantage of a weakend National Organic Standard in regards to pasture requirements for dairy animals, and these dairies don't actively graze their milking cows. Some would about argue how truly "organic" is the product coming from these herds. Is a confined 3,000-cow organic herd any better than a confined 3,000-cow conventional herd? If cows aren't out grazing in the sunshine, it just isn't right.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont