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Species InfoDairy Cows
Organic dairying is challenging but highly rewarding. Organic milk is among the strongest and fastest-growing sectors of the organic marketplace, attracting many farmers with a diversity of operations. Keep in mind that it is a dynamic marketplace and the balancing of organic supply and demand is expected to continue in the years ahead. In this environment, it's important to consider all your marketing options before signing on with a particular group.
If you have the facilities, you may want to consider marketing directly to the public. This option will require a large investment in infrastructure, but if well managed, can also bring high returns. If you're farther from a consumer population or you're not interested in the marketing end of things, talk to other organic dairy farmers about their experiences before committing to a buyer. Having a positive marketing relationship is probably more important in the long run than securing a few more pennies per hundredweight of milk.
Successful organic dairy farmers recommend rotational grazing, high-forage diets and open housing to keep dairy cows healthy and comfortable without the use of veterinary interventions. Many also change their genetics, moving from purebred to mixed-breed herds, sometimes importing semen from countries such as New Zealand, where grazing has remained a priority. These producers focus on managing for lifetime per-cow milk production or milk production per pound of body weight rather than milk production per lactation.
As you make the change to organic, you may also find that your balance of cows to acres and of farm-raised grains to farm-raised forages changes. |
 (Photo: Mark Lichtenstein)
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