Generally, cattle in dairy farms utilize feeds which we can classify into: forages, concentrates or minerals and vitamins. Though classifying feed is somewhat arbitrary as the more important factors are their nutritive value, availability and other factors that affect their efficient utilization in a daily plan. grass-fed dairy farms are those which have a nearly full forage-based diet of their cattle with small amounts of mineral and energy supplements during the grazing season. Such dairy farms are what we categorize as to be doing “Grass-milk farming”.
Advantages of Raising Dairy Cows On a Grass-Fed Diet
Shifting towards grass-fed dairy farming has multiple advantages for both dairy farmers as well as the general public. Dairy farmers are always looking to lower costs to increase their profitability whilst maintaining quality standards, so moving away from high-production, high-cost systems that rely on purchased grains and concentrate feeds. Thus, with a varied mix of pasture and available cropland for forage production, animal genetics, a reliable market and guidance, grass-milk farms may provide many benefits to both the farmer and the consumer as well.
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The impact On the Nutritional Value Of The Milk
Grass-fed dairy is way more beneficial in terms of getting the most nutritional components than dairy which comes from cows raised indoors. Cheese manufacturers get better functional benefits with this type of dairy.
- Studies have prompted that consuming Grass-milk provides elevated levels of omega-3 and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid), a heart-healthy fatty acid and it also contains lower levels of omega-6, providing a healthier balance of fatty acids. An acute mix of omega-6 and omega-3 can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes. Grass milk has a 1 to 1 of omega-6 to omega-3 ratio compared to 5.7 to 1 in regular whole milk. For people striving to lower their risk of cardiovascular and other metabolic diseases, for pregnant women and children, the greater omega-3 intake from Grass-milk will aid them in improving their health.
- The omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid ratios alter in the cow’s milk when they get on a pasture-based diet. The PUFAs or omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are considerably higher in content in the milk which comes from pasture-based systems. Unlike indoor mixed ration-produced milk, grass-fed milk has lower levels of omega-6 PUFAs. You may see many dietary recommendations globally which promote the increment in seafood consumption only to increase the intake of omega-3 fatty acids as they serve many health benefits.
- The levels of vitamin E, B7 and B2 also increase in the milk of pasture-fed cows. Science supports the fact with evidence that these vitamins have an acute role in improving one’s diet. Among these vitamins, E and B2 are strong antioxidants. And vitamins B7 and B2 are water-soluble. You need all three of them to replenish regularly.
As you can see, the advantages of grass-fed dairy not only provide us with enhanced protein quality and increased quantity but also extends its benefits to other areas of nutrition and health in human beings.
Environmental Benefits Of Grass-Fed Dairy Farming
Nowadays, consumers are searching for food options which are ethically and environmentally safe. Since grass-fed cows live in a more natural condition and their diet is also healthy, their milk is better than those who have a conventional raising. Pasture feeding also allows the cows to have enough room to graze without much restriction.
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Have you ever heard of regenerative agriculture?
- Well, the grass-fed movement bases its fundamentals on regenerative agriculture which is a farming practice. The movement puts a great deal of importance on a healthy ecosystem which allows the grazing of cattle. Grass-fed cattle help with the fertility of the soil and grass health. It also decreases the emission of greenhouse gas so all in all benefits our environment greatly.
- Another point to remember, a grass-fed culture requires greater grassland and this can worsen the loss of biodiversity and deforestation. The FAO or the Food and Agriculture Organization stated that a considerably large amount of carbon dioxide along with many other greenhouse gases escapes into the atmosphere in the process of deforestation. Consequently, hundreds of plant species, as well as animal species, perish each year. This is why there is no stability in the sustainability of grass-fed milk.
- A study researched a total of 4 grain-fed beef production systems and grass-fed systems that mainly California cattle ranchers use. The study revealed that the GWPs or the Global Warming Potentials are lower in grain-fed systems but higher in grass-fed ones. However, grass-fed systems require less water.
- Since grass-fed cattle take more time to put on weight, the farming time for them is longer. Also, the amount of methane that grass-fed cows produce is quantifiably more than that of corn and grain-fed cattle. 30% more cattle in the grass-fed systems are necessary to sustain the current demand and production rate of the United States. However, the adverse effect of that is the emissions of overall methane gas will rise by approximately 8%.
The Bottom Line
When a cow eats a forage-fed diet, the milk they produce is what we call grass-fed milk. It can be organic but there is no surety of it. Regular milk and grass-fed milk vary in calorie and fat content though their protein, calcium and carb content remains somewhat similar.
However, one nutritional benefit that stands out the most and for which people tend to go for grass-fed milk is its enriched omega-3 content. You should know that grass-fed milk costs more than regular milk as it provides greater health benefits.
Grass-fed systems need larger lands and it can have disastrous repercussions on the ecosystem but it does provide several animal welfare advantages. There is this ongoing debate which converses on the environmental sustainability efforts get any support from the grass-fed systems.
One solution that can prevent such massive degrees of environmental disasters is to reduce overall consumption. This way, moving to a grass-fed system will not harm the nature and ecosystem as much. But the increased population of the world only adds to the worsening eco-condition of our Earth.
