Livestock & Dairy
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Ever since the advent of animal agriculture 10,000 years ago, countless breeds of livestock have evolved and adapted in response to natural and human selection. Livestock breeds adapted to harsh environments and to the interests of their human partners, evolving traits such as increased milk or muscle production, smaller size relative to wild ancestors,…
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FROM VEGETABLES TO DAIRY After operating a vegetable CSA for six years at Wake Robin Farm in Jordan, NY, Meg and Bruce Schader agreed that they would rather milk cows. Meg and Bruce were inspired to keep their farm small when they heard about a friend’s grandfather who sent his four children to college on…
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Grazing domestic livestock in wooded areas is a common practice in many parts of the world and other regions of the U.S., but became taboo in the northeast in the later half of the 20th century when foresters and conservationists began to educate farmers on the potential harmful impacts of allowing livestock in their woodlots. …
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Let’s assume you have a parcel of land. You would like to get started but you don’t know how. Here is an outline. Pasture. If your parcel of land is a hayfield or has existing vegetation but there are lots of weeds, work with it. Don’t plow it up unless you have some extra money…
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Dairy farmers are suffering in the midst of dairy’s worst financial crash ever. With the very existence of the family dairy farm in question, 2010 promises many foreclosures, for both conventional and organic farms. As dairy farmers, my wife Phyllis and I understand that we do not control the greater economy or the price we…
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The Vermont Grass Farmers Association is a farmer-driven organization dedicated to furthering the use of managed grazing for livestock to create healthier soils, stronger local economies, and happier farmers. Today, the organization thrives with several hundred members, a high quality annual educational conference, and excellent relationships with state and regional partners. History Domesticated ruminant animals…
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“It can’t be done”. I hear that often when the topic of raising and finishing lambs on pasture is being discussed. Can it be done? Let’s take a look at the history of sheep. Sheep as well as goats were raised in areas that could not support a cow. Or they were raised by people…
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Learn from Kathy Voth’s work The Northeast Pasture Consortium (NEPC) Annual Meeting was held in January this year inVermont. The weather can be questionable at best in January, but it cooperated this year. The latest pasture research was presented by universities, agencies and producers at the two-day conference. Many great projects were shared and lots…
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New Zealanders Change the Dairy Paradigm in Missouri The contrast between a U.S. dairy management style and the New Zealand grazing dairy approach was easy to see at a grazing conference in Missouri this past summer. New Zealand-styled grazing dairies focus on intensive pasture management, rather than milk production, to lower costs and achieve profits.Missouri…
Read MoreI’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard farmers say after a dairy meeting or event that the best part of the program was talking to the other farmers over lunch or during the break. It’s clear that farmers find tremendous value in talking to other farmers about their practices and experiences on…
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