Grass Fed/Pastured
Standards
Grass fed is another term that can’t simply be
slapped on a label, there are strict standards
governing its use. It means that the cow who
produces your milk is either fed, or grazes, on
her natural diet: grass. She is also allowed
other plants like grain crops before they produce
seeds, and supplemental feeding of grain in
emergencies only is allowed, but must be
documented. One important fact to remember is
that grass fed doesn’t mean organic, and organic
doesn’t mean grass fed. Some organic dairy
producers house their cows in grassless
enclosures and feed them a steady diet of grain.
Many grass fed cows turn out to be grazing from
conventionally produced alfalfa and wheat,
ingesting pesticide residue right along with
their food. So, make sure your milk label says
organic and grass fed.
Benefits
So what’s the big deal about pastured dairy cows
anyway? We know they must be happier cows,
because they’re out in the fresh air eating their
favorite kinds of food. We also know that the
average lifespan of a conventional dairy cow is
42 months, compared with 12-15 years for a
pastured cow. But is there more to it? Of course!
Environmentally speaking, a grass fed cow is a
greener cow. With proper grazing rotations she
will never eat the grass too low and damage the
land, she even fertilizes the pasture with her
manure, the perfect organic fertilizer. The
carbon hoofprint of a pastured cow is
significantly lower than that of a grain fed one
as well. Every bite of corn a feedlot cow eats
has to be grown and shipped there, often from
thousands of miles away. Think of all the
pesticides, diesel fuel, and genetically modified
corn we’re talking about here, and all the
pollutants spewed into the atmosphere from this
ridiculous system!
The surrounding community
benefits from pastured
animals as well, it’s a beautiful sight to
drive by cows grazing in their pasture, and
there isn’t that horrible stench pervading
the air that feedlots inevitably have. There
is also no danger of water pollution from
manure lagoons, or the soil erosion cause by
thousands of cows pacing the same ground
over and over.
In terms of nutrition, milk from grass fed cows
is higher in Omega 3’s, the good fat that is
beneficial for everything from your mood, to your
heart, to the prevention of diabetes. In
comparison, milk from grain fed cows is high in
Omega 6’s, a fat linked to depression,
inflammatory diseases, and obesity.
Green on a Shoestring:
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