How many cows do we keep?
posted on
February 2, 2020
People often ask how many cows we have on our farm. Well, the answer is zero.
Zero? How do you have a farm without cows?
Well, first let's be clear. A cow is the mother of a calf, and we do not have any of those. We do have cattle, but they are all steers and heifers (young cattle that haven't been bred).
Why don't we have any cows?
Good question!
Well, like people, animals need different levels of nutrition at different points in their lives.
Our pastures happen to produce rich forage that is best for finishing cattle, but not good for keeping cows. It is too nutritious (I know, sounds odd) for cows which can lead to them having pregnancy problems down the line.
Because of this, we no longer raise cows and calves on our farm. Instead, we support other local grass-fed beef farmers whose land is better built to support such animals.
We buy weaned calves from those other local farms that follow the same principles of grass-fed beef. The exchange of animals and roles on the land is beneficial for all and it keeps other family farms in business, too.
That is how we came to having this set of (adorable) British White Park calves on our farm, and a few other red Angus calves, too. They are the sharing of a communal effort to restore the land and produce better food for people.
We are proud to farm in a way that helps lift other farms, too!
Leave any questions below. Thanks! :)
