Welcome to the blog for Colgate University's interdisciplinary course on food. This is the place to keep up with what students in the course are experiencing in their work at Common Thread Community Farm and through their everyday encounters with food.

Friday, October 10, 2014

The Benefits of Grass-Fed Dairy Farms


After going to Bruce’s dairy farm I found an article about the potential of grass-fed dairy operations. Attached is a 2009 Marketplace Business article discussing the economic gain of raising grass-fed cattle. In 2009, milk prices were at their lowest since 1979. As a result, many dairy farmers were struggling to make ends meet. During this period, a number of New Zealand farmers settled in southwestern Missouri and started grass-fed dairy operations. Compared to the convention stall-fed dairies of the region, the grass-fed operations were very successful due to the minimal labor and expenses needed to raise feed for the herd. It begs the question, should more dairy operations switch to grass-fed? Would the American dairy economy be more profitable if more farms switched to pasture grazing rather than stall-fed? 

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