An overview of organic, grassfed dairy farm management and factors related to higher milk production

Abstract

Organic, grassfed (OGF) dairy, which requires higher pasture and forage dry matter intake compared with standard organic dairy practices, is unique both in its management needs and in production challenges. The OGF dairy sector is rapidly growing, with the expansion of this industry outpacing other dairy sectors. There is a lack of research outlining OGF dairy production practices, producer-identified research needs or social factors that affect OGF systems. The objectives of this study were to, with a group of OGF dairy producers, (1) assess information regarding current production practices and producer knowledge, and (2) identify agronomic and social factors that may influence milk production on OGF farms across the United States. A mail survey, focused on demographics, forage and animal management, knowledge, and satisfaction of their farm, was developed and distributed in 2019, with 167 responses (47% response rate). The majority of producers indicated they belonged to the plain, or Amish-Mennonite, community. Milk production was greater on farms that had Holstein cattle, as compared to farms with Jerseys and mixed breeds, and employed intensive pasture rotation. Furthermore, most producers reported the use of supplements such as molasses and kelp meal, which can improve milk production, but also increase feed costs. Producers who indicated that they were at least satisfied with their milk production also reported high levels of knowledge of grazing management and cow reproductive performance. Comparison of response data from plain/non-plain respondents revealed that those that did not identify as plain were more likely to utilize certain government programs, had different priorities and utilized technology more frequently. Based on these results, more research exploring financial and production benchmarks, effective communication strategies to reach OGF producers and methods to improve cattle production through improved forage quality is needed.

Production performance, nutrient use efficiency, and predicted enteric methane emissions in dairy cows under confinement or grazing management system

“… Hardie et al (2014) demonstrated via a cluster analysis using 69 organic-certified dairy farms from Wisconsin that dairies feeding the least amount of concentrate and relying heavily on pasture had lower milk rolling herd average (mean = 3,632 kg/cow per year) and income over feed costs ($5.76/lactating cow per d) than those with greatest concentrate and least reliance on grazed herbage (mean = 6,878 kg/cow per year of milk rolling herd average and $10.2/lactating cow per d of income over feed costs). However, organic grassfed milk markets can potentially counteract production losses due to additional premiums paid to farmers ( Benbrook et al, 2018 ; Brito and Silva, 2020 ; Snider et al, 2021 )…”

“…Furthermore, consumers are willing to pay premiums for pasture-based milk and dairy products due to potential human-health benefits ( Benbrook et al, 2018 ; Stampa et al, 2020 ; Peira et al, 2020 ) and the perception that grazing is more environmentally friendly and welfare sounder than confinement ( Wong et al, 2010 ; Bir et al, 2020 ; Joubran et al, 2021 ). This opens opportunities to small dairies capitalize on organic certified and grassfed milk markets to remain economically viable ( Brito and Silva, 2020 ; Snider et al, 2021 ). However, only 10 to 15% of milk produced worldwide comes from grazing operations ( Shalloo et al, 2018 ) and, in Europe and Australia, inclusion of grazed herbage in dairy diets has been declining ( Hennessey et al, 2020 ; Joubran et al, 2021 ).…”

Assessing forage research and education needs of organic dairy farms in the United States

“…The geographic distribution of responding organic dairy producers across the US resembles to the distribution of organic dairies nationally and in line with the previous report by McBride and Greene (2009) whereby the eastern region of the US has the greatest number of organic dairy farms. Factors such as the dense human population, availability of diverse milk markets and milk buyers, as well as the presence of organic milk processors, may explain the greater concentration of organic dairy farms in the eastern and midwestern regions (Flack, 2016;Snider et al, 2021). Most respondents (53%) identified themselves as belonging to a plain-sect community which agrees with geographical data showing that higher densities of Amish and Conservative Mennonite communities are located in the eastern and midwestern regions of the US (Cross, 2016).…”

Supplementation of Ascophyllum nodosum meal and monensin: Effects on diversity and relative abundance of ruminal bacterial taxa and the metabolism of iodine and arsenic in lactating dairy cows

“…There is a growing interest in incorporating seaweeds in ruminant diets motivated by the effects of algal feeds on reducing enteric methane emissions while improving animal health (Allen et al, 2001;Makkar et al, 2016;Roque et al, 2019). The dried meal obtained from the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (ASCO) and commercialized as kelp meal is extensively fed in organic dairies across the United States (Hardie et al, 2014;Antaya et al, 2015;Sorge et al, 2016a;Snider et al, 2021). In addition to a wide spectrum of bioactive compounds [e.g., antioxidants, PUFA, and phlorotan-Supplementation of Ascophyllum nodosum meal and monensin: Effects on diversity and relative abundance of ruminal bacterial taxa and the metabolism of iodine and arsenic in lactating dairy cows nins (PT)], ASCO is rich in micro-and macrominerals, particularly I and Na (Evans and Critchley, 2014;Antaya et al, 2015Antaya et al, , 2019Makkar et al, 2016).…”