Rocky Acres Farm in Warren will host a workshop on transitioning a dairy herd from winter to summer feed on Tuesday, May 6 from 10am-1pm. Bob Richardson, who has been operating the farm since 1976, will lead the workshop. He will discuss the issues around deciding when and how to move cows from winter to summer feed, as well as selling raw milk. Meghan Moody from Blue Seal Feeds will be on hand to discuss the work she has done with Bob on ration balancing and forage/hay testing.
Kate Rossiter, Organic Dairy Coordinator of the Northeast Organic Farming Association, Massachusetts Chapter (NOFA/Mass) said “Farms on which the animals have a primary diet of pasture/grass tend to be more profitable. Farmers don’t need to buy as much grain and feed which have become increasingly expensive, and less fuel and energy are needed for a grass-based farm because the animals are outside doing most of the work.” According to Winton Pitcoff, NOFA/Mass Organic Dairy Technical Advisor, “Livestock raised on grass tend to be healthier than those raised on grain in confinement settings. Meat and milk from grass-raised animals is also healthier " it is higher in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), which some studies have found reduces the risks of cancer, as well as in Omega Acids, which are linked a lower risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.”
Mr. Richardson is the second generation on the farm and practices rotational grazing and seasonal milking. He said that “Rotational grazing was a practice that has evolved on our farm. We realized that the cows could harvest their own grass even more efficiently than we could.” Rocky Acres Farm is a grass-based operation consisting of 100 acres of grass hay and 60 acres of pasture. It was selected for the 2006 Massachusetts Outstanding Dairy Farm of the Year award by the New England Green Pastures Committee.
This workshop is the first in a series of seven throughout the summer that have been organized by NOFA/Mass, the Natural Resource and Conservation Service and the UMass Extension Service. For more information on this and other workshops in the series contact Winton Pitcoff at 413-634-5728 or winton@nofamass.org. Complete details and directions to the farm can also be found on the NOFA/Mass website www.nofamass.org. They are funded in part by CROPP Cooperative’s Farmers Advocating for Organics (FAFO) Fund and NOFA/Mass Sponsors Stoneyfield Farm and Whole Foods Market. ###