Earn a six-figure income milking 150 cows?
It’s possible with grazing and good management

Grazing pays in multiple ways

Successful farming today entails economically producing high quality food and fiber in ways which do not compromise the health of livestock, the environment, or our communities. It is a challenge to do all these things profitably, yet well managed grazing farms are demonstrating that it can be done.

Income

It’s well known that managed grazing can reduce costs on any livestock farm. More importantly well managed grazing farms can provide a great living wage, and a high quality of life. Well managed grazing dairy farms are earning six figure incomes with 150 cows or less. Plus, they are doing it without the large debt loads, siting concerns, and stresses of expansion. They use their cows to harvest their own high quality feed, and spread their own manure, significantly reducing costs. Their cows stay healthier, and remain in the herd longer, increasing sales of heifers. An eight year, University of Wisconsin, Center of Dairy Profitability comparison of confinement farms and grazing farms has demonstrated that the grazing farms consistently earn more per cow and per hundred weight of milk, than confinement farms, including large herds. (Kriegl, UW Center for Dairy Profitability)

Better Returns

With a grazing-based farms a higher percentage of the total investment is in land and livestock; that is, things that appreciate, rather than equipment and buildings, or other things that depreciate.

Manure

Grazing provides more options, reducing risk and cost. Cows spread their manure during the grazing season, and beyond, if you choose to outwinter your cattle. Additionally, the window to spread stored manure is much larger, since manure can be spread on pasture during much of the grazing season. This reduces the risk and the cost of manure storage.

Minimal Odors

While all livestock farms will have some odors from time to time, odors from well-managed grazing farms are negligible because most of the manure is deposited in the pasture, and not concentrated in a pit with urine. When urine and manure are mixed in a feedlot or storage pit, volatile compounds, such as ammonia, are released to the atmosphere. This does not happen in pasture situations where urine is absorbed by the soil almost immediately. While it is possible to control odors on any livestock farm, including confinement systems; by nature, it is much easier, and lower cost, to do so with a managed grazing system.

Siting Concerns

Many farmers who want to increase their income, and be more competitive, believe that the way to do is to undertake a major expansion by adding hundreds, if not thousands of head of livestock. While largescale farms can be well managed, the potentially large negative impact from an irresponsible, or poorly run large farm creates a great deal of concern in communities across the country. Large expansions can often run into months or years of local political debate, and much higher levels of regulation. While there is nothing wrong with personal aspirations to expand, a better approach to expanding farm size might be to create multiple farm locations. For instance in New Zealand, larger farms usually consist of multiple herds at different locations, each with simple, low-cost milking parlors. This allows efficient access to low-cost, high quality pasture; reduces environmental risks; reduces the costs of hauling manure; and keeps large farm equipment off the road, which reduces the high cost of repairing damaged roads.

Reduced Runoff and Leaching Potential

Multiple studies are demonstrating that well managed pastures are the best way to minimize nutrient runoff or leaching while producing feed for livestock. While no system is perfect, good grazing practices not only reduce the chance of runoff they actually improve production, and economic performance, as well.

Builds soil and carbon

Managed grazing is one of the few ways of improving soil and building organic matter. Higher levels of organic matter make the farm more resilient to the vagaries of weather, disease, and insects. Also, more carbon in the soil means less in the atmosphere.

For our Community

Farmer and ranchers are producing much more than just food and fiber. Every decision we make and every practice we do either adds value to our community or it degrades our community. So, we have to continually ask ourselves if our practices are adding value to our community or are if they are done only to enhance our bottom line. Many well managed grazing farms are proving that you can do both. Or course, there is room for all types and sizes of livestock farms, as long as they are responsible and make their neighborhood a better place to live. Yet, a well managed grazing farm is one your neighbors will appreciate.

Copyright © 2007 Grassworks, Inc.