Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Liz <liz@allslash.org>]

At 11:46 PM 5/19/2008, you wrote:

> I totally agree that grass fed cows are healthier. However, even organic
> farms feed their cows grain when they milk. There may be milk farmers out
> there who grass-feed only, but I haven't met a milk farmer yet who doesn't
> grain their cows while milking, or at the very least feed them silage. That
> is how they get the cows in the barn. Grass-fed is do-able for beef, but
> harder for milk. Therefore, most milk cows, even on the grassiest organic
> farms, are going to have a more acidic rumen.

The farmer I get my milk from takes the milking equipment to the 
cows, not the other way around. He built a stainless steel milker on 
a mobile base and tows it out to wherever he has the cows pastured 
that day. He told me that he knows of several others who are doing 
the same thing. I didn't think to ask him how he manages bad weather, 
but we've had a lot of it lately, so I expect he has worked something out.

So it's not just possible, but it may be something that is growing in 
popularity.

Liz