Is Grass Fed Really the Best Option for Dairy Cows?

Reader Contribution by Steve Judge
Published on April 28, 2015
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Lately there has been a lot of interest in grass-fed milk or milk that is produced by cows fed only grass on pasture or hay. The idea being that grain is evil and bad for the cows and the milk they produce.  I’d argue that this is one of the new marketing tactics for the dairy industry and may not be the best option for all dairy cows.

A couple of years ago I became interested enough in the concept of grass-fed to do some research. I milk Jersey cows and I was curious if I would save enough money to offset the loss of milk production and income I would suffer if I didn’t feed my cows grain. Milk production can drop by 30 percent or more when cows are no longer fed grain. It seemed like a fairly simple equation to solve, until I asked my vet, who is a very progressive practitioner. He studies holistic treatments and works extensively with organic dairies.  When I asked him about switching to only grass-fed, he urged me not to.  He said my cows were already thin enough and thought they would become dangerously thin if I stopped feeding them grain. Not only would their milk production drop but also they could develop breeding problems and not be able to regain the body condition needed when they become pregnant again. Dairy farmers call that getting bred back. 

I was a bit surprised and inquired about all the farmers he knows who have stopped feeding their cows grain. My vet told me he knew of a few farms that tried to go grain-less but he didn’t know of any that had succeeded. And we live in Vermont. So what gives? 

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