2022 Recap part III

The Dairy

With the ample moisture we received, it was a busy summer of hay-making and pasture-rotating on the dairy farm. On the farm were born quite a number of cute heifer calves, the future of our dairy herd, with a greater and greater percentage of them being A2A2 (you can Google A2A2 milk to learn what it’s all about; it’s better for you!). We took them off pasture a couple weeks ago to let the pasture swards rest and recover a bit before winter sets in.

Sue, the white cow, is the mother of twin heifer calves, Summer and Sunshine. Donna, the old red cow, attends every birth she can and tries to claim the calves as her own.

In January we fed the last of our corn to our cows and began the adventure of grass-fed dairy production. This is something I’ve wanted to try for a long time, so we decided to go for it. Supposedly grass-fed dairies are some of the most efficient farms out there, and of course the milk is much better for you too, so it sounded like a win-win. As the summer wore on and milk prices stayed too low, and milk production steadily dropped, and cow reproductive efficiency started to decline, it soon became clear to me that our cow’s genetics simply weren’t up to grass-fed dairy production, and if we continued with it, we could lose everything. Too many years of breeding with modern genetics created cows that don’t function well without the extra energy of grain. So it was with a heavy heart that we decided to purchase some expensive corn to try to bring our dairy operation back to the realm of profitability, and on September 1, we abandoned our grass-fed status. The cows have been grateful, and thankfully, things seem to have returned to the old normal for our farm.

Though no longer grass-fed, we still continue to offer fresh, raw, certified organic milk for sale on the farm for $5 per gallon. Just contact us to set up a time to come out and give it a try. Minnesota law states that you have to come to the farm and bring your own containers, but it’s well worth it to have a raw, healthy food that you can bring home to your family.

If you enjoy yogurt or other dairy cultures, we can set you up with a starter and show you how to culture your own dairy products to save a TON over buying it from the grocery store. We’ve been using our kefir culture since we first obtained it in 2016 and it’s still going strong! That’s the good stuff.

We also sell heavy cream occasionally, so feel free to ask about that.