Farms like this put a smile on my face! Look how happy the cows are and how nice and genuine the farmer was! The cows were all clean and did't looked stressed. They looked lazy and spoiled which is how every cow should live their life!
Dairy farmers daughter here, many many years ago, miss my cows, live in the state capital of New Jersey, cows not possible, have dogs, miss cows and goats, thank you for taking me back!!!!!!!! and thank you for doing what you do!
Dairy cows need to be bred once a year to keep producing milk for the season. I know this to be true of the grass fed farms in our area. They allow some of their cows to dry up for the winter and only keep milking enough of the cows for milk for a certain number of families. The cows will be "freshened" or bred and will have calves in the spring.
I like your philosophy regarding standing on concrete and feeding grain and stress on the cow, you have it in a nutshell. Your girls are lovely and look very healthy, as do your pastures. I would have liked to have seen your calf handling/raising practices, perhaps another video? You are a very fortunate man to have the family background you have, I admire that greatly.
Two small scale organic dairies in our area are 100% grassfed, pasture in the spring to fall, and hay and baleage in the winter - and they milk just once a day. At first, this 'blew my mind', but the cows are happy, their milk tests wonderfully on somatic cell count (measure of udder health) and the families get to 'have a life' as they put it. Some other pasture-based small-scale dairies are calving in the spring with the fresh grass and milking only through the pasture season in their areas. Some sell fluid milk, but the seasonal small-scale dairy is ideal for artisinal cheese production. That raised platform herringbone milking parlor is nice. Beats having to bend down to reach the udders!
Some healthy looking cows there. I wonder how you go with worms.... The cows on organic farms produce for much longer than conventional farms. In Australia the organic cows are living into their 20's, they don't even make 10 years on conventional farms. The difference in lifespan is vast. Organic dairy is becoming popular, conventional milk seems to cause so many health problems in consumers which totally dissipate upon the individual switching to organic dairy. Better for the cows, better for the consumer. It's the future.
Absolutely! It's the best thing that ever happened to me and now it's even legal in my state! (MA) I hear though it's still illegal in key states like WI.
everything dies sometimes. And around here the male calves are raised as steers for a few years before being butchered. This is far better than how these cows would fare in nature.
A very nice farm, and a very nice farmer. Wish more people would use this method of farming. Don't let anyone convince you that organic/natural farming is no good. Animals and crops are not robots or machines. Neither are they a part of the technology that is helping to destory mankind. Nature is an ally, waiting to help us if we work with it the way it's supposed to function - Naturally.
That's how things should be done but u can't make people see all they think of is factory dairies then all they complain about is pollution go figure. Good job fella keep on keeping on!!!!
134...that's a NY zipcode. Well north of the Catskills. Excellent video - beautiful farm and herd. Rosie's a beauty, alright. Love the pampering she got on camera. :) Is she the lead cow when the herd needs moving?
Hi Farmer Banson and Rosie, Yeah to all the organic dairy farmers who grass feed their cattle! Makes the milk rich in Omega-3 fatty acids - like getting your fish oil - without the fish! Organic Valley is an awsome organization but I have to agree with JackNeedles - Raw milk rules!
Terrific story! Loved Rosie and the girls, and the Banson family should be very proud of doing the right thing ... for the cows, customers and planet. Isn't it funny that his grandpa dairy farmed organic too -- just never called it that. We have to stop letting chemical and fertilizer manufacturers sell us on the hype of "better living thru chemistry."
Someone mentioned the cows are supposed to be bred back within a few months after having a calf, to keep them in the "rhythm" of the breeding cycle. Is this true, or is it stressing the cow too much? We only have two heifers that will be having their first calves and want to do what is best for them. Your suggestions would be appreciated.
I’m Montagnard indigenous first time I came to America I didn’t drink milk take me a year to drink Because milk not good for my stomach ,now I can drink anytime I want.
@fortbumper I'm sorry, but I'm not able to answer your question, for I am only the filmmaker. Have you tried searching any documents online? Or maybe a dairy farm forum? Or approach a dairy farmer in your area? Hope you find the answers you're looking for.
I should add that I am the only "nut" in my suburban neighborhood who refuses to "treat" my lawn as my neighbors do, I do my part, it may not be enough. Thanks again
No no no. Dairy cattle are for milking only. And generally once they get too old they're retired not eaten. Meat cattle are steers and yes you can get grass-fed meat as well which is healthier for you (and the cow while they are alive:-)
Industry? I think the dairyman meant corporate. Corps have a partnership with govt. This inserts a middleman between the producer and the consumer. Decisions are politically based. Politics is inherently coercive because all govt. is based on the initiation of violence, not reason or voluntary social/business interaction. This never ends well. It is unsustainable, as we can see by the rise in disease, drop in life expectancy, and the demise of the family farm. Big ag + big chem + big pharma + big govt. = collapse of culture/society. It can't be explained or blamed on the profit motive or capitalism, but often is. Then more govt. is prescribed. Any social/economic/political system based on the worldwide paradigm of the initiation of violence is immoral, impractical, and destroys civilization. Without a small community governing itself, independent of federal, state, county, and city govt. no rights are possible. Without rights, no culture/society can survive. We have created a monster that is growing without control. It was created the day the humanity based the political system on the initiation of violence instead of reason and respect for individual rights. This explains the rise and fall of nations, war, poverty, and domestic strife. When a new political paradigm of reason is implemented our species can begin to progress without slipping into chaos.
I disagree. Not everyone wants to deal with a potentially deadly bull (Jersey bulls are not known for their easy going natures) and certain bulls available through AI have traits you desire for your herd. There's also the risk of disease when using a bull whereas bulls are thoroughly tested when part of an AI program. Bulls eat a lot of pasture. Why keep a bull when you can keep a couple more cows in his place?
Darrell Doughty If you've grown up drinking unpasteurized milk from the start, and as a result developed tolerance and immunity towards the cocktail of microbes present in milk, then yes you can. However, someone who's been drinking pasteurized milk their whole life would likely develop gastrointestinal upset of some kind, likely diarrhea, from unpasteurized milk. Just because it's organic or "all natural" doesn't mean there aren't all natural species of E.coli or Staph. present in the milk. One question I have, is how does he treat mastitis without antibiotics or other pharmacological interventions, because mastitis will occur, regardless of whether your farm is intensive or organic.
Sv UOG Oh, and if you are concerned about antibiotics in your milk, there are mandatory withdrawal times for all medications used in dairy capable of being deposited in milk. In addition, all milk is thoroughly inspected for the presence of antibiotics and other medications to prevent them from entering the human food chain. If antibiotics are detected, the milk is dumped, end of story.
That's good. I am glad they do that. I know in the store brand milk they don't do that though. They are still putting that crap in there. Cool picture by the way.
i know ya think yr funny, but in essence it is all part of the organic cycle -- even shit (also known as natural fertilizer) Thx for adding to the confo ;)