> Alternative cows find their dairy niche
>
Grass-loving dairy cow breeds offer resilience in dynamic
> milk
economy
>
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20080502/nf1>
>
With the arrival of spring, organic dairy farms across
> America are
anything but tranquil. While farmers prepare
> for the work that comes
with better weather, they are also
> grappling with dynamic forces
that could change the entire
> dairy industry forever.
>
>
Skyrocketing grain prices, combined with ever-increasing
> global
demand for dairy products, mean that your average
> organic dairy
farmer sits at an all-important crossroads.
> Can organic dairy
farmers meet the demand for their product
> while producing milk in an
economically and environmentally
> sustainable manner?
>
>
Although Holsteins and Jerseys have been the breeds of
> choice in
American dairy barns for decades, some farmers
> are thriving by
working with other breeds. By making less
> milk at lower cost,
hardier breeds could be poised to
> occupy a larger role in America's
dairies, particularly
> on organic farms.
> Milking
Shorthorns
>
> People have kept Milking Shorthorn cattle in
Richard
> Beal's neck of the woods for centuries. Beal milks
about
> 30 Shorthorns, a breed renowned for its resiliency and
>
ability to thrive on a forage-based diet. Grazing his herd
> of cows
on about 80 acres of land, Beal estimates that he
> feeds a newly
freshened cow about 10 to 15 pounds of grain
> per day—a modest amount
by modern dairy standards. With
> organic grains currently fetching
more than $400 per ton or
> more, a cow like the ones in Richard
Beal's herd could end
> up being the cow of the
future.
>
> At one time, Beal's herd consisted almost entirely
of
> high-producing Holsteins, with a few Milking Shorthorns
>
used in his children's 4-H projects. "The Holsteins
> made a lot of
milk but I didn't keep much money," says
> Beal. Eventually, he
converted his herd to improve his
> herd's economics.
>
>
Organic since 1997, Beal's farm straddles the road in an
>
archetypical New England landscape: rolling hills
> interspersed with
brooks and dense woods. It's no
> accident that Beal transitioned to
organic with the first
> wave of dairy farmers switching over in the
area at around
> the same time he switched to milking mostly
Shorthorns.
>
> Richard Beal and Kate Dabny at Beal's farm with
Milking
> Shorthorn heifers.
>
>
> "I think it's a
great cow for an organic producer,"
> says Beal, emphasizing that
different strategies might work
> for different farmers. Although he
sings the praises of his
> prized Shorthorns, he does still have a few
Holsteins and
> Holstein-crosses left over from his old herd.
"I'm
> probably feeding the dry Holsteins as much or more grain
as
> the Shorthorns that just calved."
>
> With average
milk production hovering around 50 pounds
> daily, Beal aims for
keeping long-lived cows with very few
> health problems. In fact, that
is one way Beal's Milking
> Shorthorn's achieve economic
sustainability—by saving
> money with vet bills.
>
> "The
Shorthorns just seem to take care of themselves,"
> Beal says. 'I
haven't had a vet in in about 12
> years." The herd has virtually no
foot problems, which
> can devastate dairy cows. He hasn't had to trim
hooves in
> three years.
>
> Although Beal says that the
main management difference in
> keeping Shorthorns versus Holsteins is
just feeding less
> grain, they may also require a more long-term
perspective.
> They often live longer than the average
high-producing
> Holstein, but they also take a little longer to hit
their
> peak production.
>
> "A lot of the time, it takes
until the third lactation to
> really get them rolling," says Beal.
Heifers at Beal's
> farm also aren't rushed into their first
pregnancy. Many
> times, heifers don't calve until they are
2-and-a-half
> years old, a few months later than the age at which
many
> dairy farmers expect.
>
> Whereas Milking
Shorthorns might require a look to the long
> view of farming, they
also offer some unusual marketing
> potential. Beal says he has a
ready market for bull calves
> in the form of New England teamsters.
The striking Milking
> Shorthorn colors—red, red and white, and
roan—along
> with strength and an even disposition are in demand
among
> people training oxen across the region. Matched bull
calves
> don't stay on his farm for long, says Beal.
>
>
Even a modest amount of grain can quickly add up to a large
> bill on
any of today's dairy farms. Mary-Howell and Klaas
> Martens operate
Lakeview Organics in Penn Yan, New York,
> which supplies organic
grain for farmers in the northeast.
> Mary-Howell says the cost of
organic grain has gone up
> dramatically in the past year. "It has
essentially
> doubled," says Martens, adding that grain prices
are
> unlikely to go down in the foreseeable future.
>
>
Martens accounts the dramatic rise in grain prices to
> increased
demand, estimating that the number of organic
> animals has recently
increased by 50 percent while organic
> grain acreage has only
increased by 8 percent. In addition,
> demand for ethanol has subtly
affected the price of organic
> grain, since many farmers who might
have switched to
> organic grain production are staying conventional
because
> of the current lucrative market for grains to make
ethanol.
>
> Martens does not see increased interest in
lower-input
> cows. Instead she sees more farmers looking to
produce
> alternative forages or to grow their own small grains.
At
> the same time, she says, grain sales "are doing just
>
fine."
> Normande
>
> Mark Fellows of Chase Hill Farm in
tiny Warwick,
> Massachusetts, has been rotationally grazing for 25
years.
> After taking over his father's dairy farm, Fellows
found
> that the Jerseys and Holsteins he was working with
didn't
> fit his goals. He was striving for an organic,
grass-fed
> herd. "The Jerseys and Holsteins didn't really hold
up
> well," he says "They got a little thin." Fellows
> started
breeding his cows to Normande bulls to get his farm
> functioning the
way he wanted.
>
> A
move toward hardier, thriftier cows—cows
> that make milk from
grass—may be one essential way in
> which dairy farmers adapt to the
challenges of the modern
> marketplace.
>
> A black and
white cow originating in France, Normandes have
> been bred for
centuries for their ability to graze and for
> producing milk that
makes outstanding cheese. Because Chase
> Hill Farm makes cheese for a
local market, Fellows felt this
> was the breed for him. In addition,
he placed importance on
> the fact that if a farmer is breeding
artificially, there
> are many Normande bulls to choose from, since
they are a
> popular cow in many parts of the world.
>
>
Currently certified organic and a 100-percent grass-fed
> herd,
Fellows milks seasonally. He breeds his cows to calve
> March through
April. All the dairy cows milking together at
> the same time of the
year means that Fellows makes his
> cheese when the cows are grazing.
"It doesn't get any
> better than that," says Fellows, stressing that
grass is
> the premium feed for dairy cattle. Seasonal milking
also
> means that the farmer gets a respite from milking– in
>
Fellow's case he says "I get three to four months off
> every
winter."
>
> Fellows' cows give an average of 7,000-8,000 pounds
of
> milk per lactation with absolutely no grain. He grazes
for
> seven months of the year, makes hay for the winter and
>
saves high quality second-cut hay for the spring, when the
> cycle
come around again and his cows start making milk.
> "We can't keep up
with our market for grass-fed
> milk," says Fellows. In fact he feels
that dual purpose
> cows like Normandes will have to play a larger
role in the
> dairy industry. Citing upswings in the price of grain
and
> fuel, Fellows says "The dairy industry is going to have
>
to change."
>
> Mark Fellows sees an opportunity in the dairy
world. He
> says that he knows of several people that are
milking
> relatively few cows – five or six or ten –
dual-purpose
> cows like Normandes or Shorthorns and they are doing
quite
> well selling milk directly to an eager market. Mark
>
Fellows' experience with grass and cows tells him that
> more cows
like his Normandes will be grazing and making
> milk in years to
come.
>
> Jerome Chateau, the president and founder of
Normande
> Genetics, a company that sells Normande semen in the
United
> States, says that more farmers have been looking into
>
Normandes lately. "There's been a greater interest over
> the past few
months," says Chateau, noting that the higher
> cost of grain is only
one of the factors driving this trend.
>
> Methods like those in
practice at Mark Fellows farm may
> spell out more than just economic
sustainability for dairy
> farmers—they may help significantly
decrease the amount
> of greenhouse gases produced in the dairy
industry. Cows
> walking from paddock to paddock, grazing for their
feed,
> are less dependent on inputs such as grain—which is
often
> trucked in from distant locations. Alternative breeds
of
> cows may fit in well in a low-input farming model and may
>
also make an important contribution to the health of the
>
planet.
> Dexter
>
>
> The Dexter breed evolved from
the British Isles. This one
> lives on the John O'Mear farm in
Maine.
>
> Given that higher grain prices could very well be a
fixed
> part of America's agricultural future, it's not just
>
Milking Shorthorns and Normandes that are getting a second
> look
across the dairy industry. A wide range of hardier
> alternatives to
Jerseys and Holsteins exist. Some farmers
> work well with Ayrshires,
a breed that rivals the milk
> production of a Holstein but often
requires less grain. At
> the other end of the spectrum stands the
tiny Dexter.
> According to the breed standard, Dexter cows range in
size
> from 36 to 42 inches tall. They originated in
southwestern
> Ireland, where they lived in a semi-feral state
for
> centuries.
>
> There's not much history of Dexters
being milked
> commercially in North America. In great Britain,
however,
> Beryl Rutherford ran a Dexter dairy for decades. At
one
> time, Rutherford milked 60 Dexters and shipped the milk
>
commercially. Now in her 80s and retired, Rutherford says
> that
Dexters can stand up against modern dairy breeds.
> "For their size
they compare very well, and because of
> the consistency throughout
the lactation it can surprise
> you. It also means a fair proportion
of yield can be taken
> on maintenance rations. My best cow would do
800 gallons,
> but only gave a peak of three and a half gallons
daily.
> When I was desperately trying to dry her off, she
would
> still be doing one-and-one-half gallons."
>
>
Suited to a low-input farming model, a Dexter dairy herd
> could be a
way for new farmers to get started with less
> debt and less
dependence on fluctuating grain prices.
> Unlike modern dairy breeds,
Dexters have not been bred for
> one particular trait. Beryl
Rutherford's cows making a
> good chunk of their milk on maintenance
rations in Great
> Britain may illuminate an opportunity for American
dairy
> farmers caught in the crunch of high grain prices–
>
producing less product while trimming costs to a minimum.
>
> In
2005, Beryl Rutherford completed a book on her life as a
> farmer: My
Love Affair with the Dexter (Triple D Books).
> Filled with tales of
adversity and success that could
> originate from someone working with
any breed of cattle,
> Rutherford also highlights some strengths of
the Dexter
> breed. Rutherford writes that over the years many of
her
> cows calved and milked well into their teens.
>
Rutherford's Dexters lived for many years with minimum
> shelter in
England's sometimes inhospitable climate.
> "Because of their long
history in Ireland of neglect,
> they are hardy and tough and live
where other breeds would
> not," writes Rutherford.
>
>
The milk records from Rutherford's herd from 1971 and
> 1972 show the
potential for the breed but also raise the
> question of where cows
producing this amount of milk fit in
> the modern marketplace. Many of
Rutherford's cows gave
> 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of milk in a lactation,
or around 500
> to 700 gallons of milk.
>
> Although this
much milk might not make much of a dent
> paying the bills on many
dairy farms, farms that process
> their own milk into a value-added
product may be able to
> make use of the strengths of a breed like the
Dexter while
> maximizing the value of modest milk
yields.
>
> Rosemarie Belforti runs Finger Lake Dexter Creamery
in New
> York, milking four Dexters. Belforti's Dexters stand
>
around 36 inches—somewhere around the lower height limit
> of the
breed standard. Belforti may milk small cows on a
> relatively small
scale, but she says that her product,
> kefir cheese made fresh on the
farm, is in big demand.
> "Sales have been good and consistent," says
Belforti.
>
> Like many farmers working with an unusual breed,
Belforti
> says that there is a large demand for the breed
itself.
> "There is great interest in Dexters right now. I
have
> people calling every week to come and look at them. I
have
> a waiting list of folk who want to buy Dexters. The
>
interest I think is getting bigger and bigger."
> Randall
Linebacks
>
> Jim Stampone, of Winter Hill Farm in Freeport,
Maine, milks
> seven cows that are even more rare than
Belforti's
> Dexters. Randall Linebacks originated on the farm
of
> Everett Randall in Sunderland, Vermont. Descended from
>
cattle common in New England in the 18th and 19th
> centuries,
Randalls are triple purpose—they historically
> produced meat and milk
and were used as draft animals. Kept
> as a closed herd by the Randall
family for 80 years, Randall
> cows exist as a genetic link to a time
when cows were not
> pushed as far as they are now for milk
production.
>
> "These cows are allowed to be cows," says
Stampone,
> whose Randalls give about 2 gallons of milk a day,
>
approximately the same level of production as Belforti's
> Dexters.
Winter Hill Farm sells its dairy products at local
> stores. "Our
customers just go wild for our product,"
> says Stampone, attributing
the demand to his herd. "I
> have to believe it's the cows," says
Stampone.
> "We've been good to the cows, and the cows have
been
> good to us."
> Downsides of the
alternatives
>
> There are also some negatives to choosing an
alternative
> breed of cow to milk. Beryl Rutherford points out
that
> milking smaller cows means overhead for the entire farm
is
> greater. If a farmer milks twice the number of cows to
get
> the same amount of milk, overhead has to be at least
>
double. Without turning the milk into a processed,
> value-added
product like cheese—as do Jim Stampone, Mark
> Fellows and Rosemarie
Belforti—that extra cost may be
> insurmountable.
>
> Many
of the rare breeds, like Dexters or Randall Linebacks,
> also offer
the difficulty of assembling a herd. Dexter
> numbers have been on the
rise worldwide in the past decade
> but Randalls still number in the
hundreds. If a farmer
> wanted to buy 20 milkers of either breed, they
would be
> hard-pressed to find the animals.
>
> Many
people dedicated to the survival of rare breeds have
> herds where the
animals are only handled occasionally, so
> the animals aren't
accustomed the close quarters with
> people. Jim Stampone points out
the challenge of buying an
> animal from a herd that has not been
regularly handled:
> "If you bring a bred heifer home [from a herd
like this],
> you're going to have a handful."
> Dutch
Belted
>
> Although many dairy farmers are not in an economic
position
> to switch to a breed of cattle that produces
dramatically
> less milk than a modern Jersey or Holstein, all
dairy
> farmers are looking for a way of coping with rising
grain
> prices. Henry Perkins, who milks approximately 60
organic
> cows in Albion, Maine, says farmers should get a
better
> price for milk, given the current cost of grain.
"I've
> got to have more money or it's bye-bye," he says. "I
>
need to eat, too."
>
> Perkins stopped milking purebred
Holsteins about 15 years
> ago, crossing his cows to a Dutch-belted
bull. Introduced
> into North America by P.T. Barnum, Dutch Belted
cows have
> become somewhat popular in recent years as a way
of
> introducing hardier blood to the standard Holstein. An
>
extremely rare breed, with only approximately 200 cows of
> breeding
age in the world, Dutch belted cows are also known
> for the hardiness
and ability to turn grass into milk
> without large amounts of grain.
Henry Perkins' daughter
> Jackie, who works with her father on the
farm in Albion,
> says they also calve easier than the standard
Holstein and
> that the calves thrive. "The calves are a little
bit
> tougher," she says.
>
> You may sacrifice quantity,
but you'll get quality with
> the Dutch Belted. They do great on
pasture and produce a
> much-sought-after
butterfat.
>
>
> Henry and his daughter are using their
wits and expertise
> to balance milk production with health and
longevity. Henry
> Perkins says he got into Dutch Belted cows almost
by
> accident—he liked the color of one he saw at an auction
>
and got her cheap because no one else was smitten by the
> unusual
markings. The bargain milked well and thrived; soon
> the Perkins farm
boasted the first herd with Dutch Belted
> genetics in the state of
Maine.
>
> Although Perkins found that the cows with more Dutch
Belted
> genetics gained hardiness, he also found that when his
herd
> approached 100-percent Dutch Belted status, milk
production
> was not what he needed. Currently, the pendulum is
swinging
> the other way at the Perkins farm. Henry is breeding
his
> Dutch Belted-Holstein crosses with a Holstein bull,
aiming
> to keep hardiness and milk production at the same
time.
> With a wary and practiced eye towards farming
realities,
> Henry Perkins says: "I'm looking for options right
now.
> If they want a supply of organic milk from what they
>
consider a traditional organic farm, they're going to
> have to pay
more or it's going to dry up."
>
> Organic dairies across
America are succeeding in the goal
> of producing a product that
American consumers want. The
> question remains whether prices and
markets—feeds and
> breeds—will come together in such a way that
allows
> organic dairies to flourish financially. As fuel and
grain
> prices continue to exert negative pressure on organic
dairy
> farms, more pastures may become populated with unusual
>
cows—cows like Rosemarie Belforti's tiny Dexters or
> Richard Beal's
striking Milking Shorthorns. A move toward
> hardier, thriftier
cows—cows that make milk from
> grass—may be one essential way in
which dairy farmers
> adapt to the challenges of the modern
marketplace.
>
> John O'Meara farms in northern Maine, where he
milks
> both Dexters and modern dairy cows.
>
> Posted May
2, 2008
>
>
>
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