The Bovine Bugle

The green, green grass of Vermont in late summer

Son Noah came along with me to give the cows a new paddock after the evening milking. The cows followed us down the lane, and waited impatiently while we took down the cross piece that would let them into the fresh, lush grass. As soon as the first few feet of fence were wound up, the cows poured through the opening and began looking for the best patch of grass. If there was any clover in the paddock, that is what the cows would want to eat first.

The grazing over the past few weeks has been the best I've seen in a few years. The grass is so lush, so thick, that I swear you could catch your foot in it and trip. I tried to capture the lushness with a few pictures, but the camera just doesn't do it justice.

And in the morning, when the grass is awash with dew, it looks so good that I want to take a bite. I may sound like a broken record, but it is such a joy to see the cows out grazing, enjoying the grass and the sunshine, lazing in the late summer sun chewing their cud contentedly. And then I think of the cows in confinement dairies that never get to enjoy any of these things. I know if I was a consumer, which cows I would want my milk and dairy products to come from.

As consumers, your purchasing choice in the end determines how well our organic dairy farms fare financially. Hopefully by telling you how we run our farm and take care of the land and the animals, you will appreciate what we do to produce a wholesome product and will chose to support our family farms by purchasing the milk and dairy products made from our milk.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Posted by Blogger Chris at September 2, 2005 02:35 PM