Do you have a farmer?
It gives me great joy to say “my farmer” and my joy multiplies as I find more and more wonderful places and wonderful people in Grand Rapids, MI to which to apply that label. I’ve got “my milk farm” and “my egg farm” and “my chicken farm” and “my beef farm” and some that fit many categories. The photo above is from one of the first times we went to pick up our raw milk at Angelus Farms. Sadly, with 6 kids, new calves, an expanding chicken flock and maple syrup, “my” milk farmers weren’t able to find the time to participate in the panel.
I’m so pleased to introduce you to two of “my farmers” today, where I’ve bought all kinds of delicious meats, the best eggs ever, and even artisan cheese. I hope you enjoy getting to know them (and get a little jealous of me for my food “land of abundance,” the opposite of a food desert), but most importantly, I want to inspire you to talk to your own farmer and understand how to evaluate the conversation.Just so you know, I copied all answers in full exactly the way each panelist wished to be heard (although I may have edited a few misspellings; my English major’s fingers couldn’t be stopped).
If you missed it, the first two featured farmers dished out on life in New York and Ohio yesterday.
UPDATE: My wrap-up and opinions of the entire series, including grass vs. grain, big vs. small, GMOs, and if I’ll make any changes in my shopping habits after interviewing a diverse array of farmers, is HERE.
| Karin: a local dairy and beef farmer, my personal choice of late for meat, because she raises grassfed animals organically (not certified) traditionally and sustainably (Find her @wbdairy and Woodbridge Farms “The Udder Farm Owners” – UFO) | Betsy: another local farmer whom I patronize, raising certified organic, grassfed dairy cattle, also beef, chickens and pork (Find her at Grassfields Cheese) |
Find contact information and more for both local farms at my Grand Rapids Local Real Food Resources Page. | |
When someone asks you how you farm, what’s your one sentence answer? | |
| We farm with organic methods but don’t carry the expensive label of being certified. | Organic farming with intensive rotational grazing is one of the tools God has given us to impact the lives around us. |
How did you get started farming? Why do you do it? | |
| I married the farmer. I love the farmer and I love the farm and the lifestyle it offers us. I also enjoy serving the community at the local farmer’s market. Its nice to see others benefit from what I have. | Grassfields is a 5th generation family farm in West Michigan. We started intensive grazing with our dairy cattle in 1991 and became certified organic in 2007. In 2002 we began selling our raw milk cheeses and grass fed/free-ranging meats and eggs in our farm store. This is where we discovered a passion for direct marketing; knowing the people who buy our foods . Building relationships with the people who consume our foods is very important to us, not only because we like knowing who is eating our foods, but also because we want to be a light in the community around us. We believe that intensive grazing is a sustainable way of farming dairy cattle, pigs, chickens and beef. The animals are able to consume fresh growing grass, which makes the end products high in nutritional value, and the animals are fertilizing the soils in the most natural way. Rotational grazing just makes perfect sense to us. In 2005 we started a cow share program, Green Pastures, where people can obtain fresh milk through purchasing a cow share, then paying us to board their cow. We started this program because there was an interest from our current customers and from the people in our community. It is so rewarding to hear the feed back we receive from people who’s health has improved because they are eating the foods we produce on our farm. That is one of the reasons we farm. We do it for them. |
What’s your educational background, including life experience with agriculture, that led you to where you are today? | |
| I have a business degree from Ferris State University. I did not grow up on a farm, so all I have learned has been from experience. I never pass up an opportunity to educate myself about agriculture if I can help it. I go to as many meetings as I can during the winter season. | I am a Physician Assistant by education and a farmer’s wife by marriage. Jesse, Luke and Jay, the owners (and brothers) of Grassfields, have gained most of their farming knowledge through experience, studying, and from other farmers. Jesse, who is the cheese maker, has also taken courses in cheese making. |
How many head of cattle do you care for? What breeds? | |
| We have about a 150 head of cattle from babies to adults. We cross breed. So there isn’t just one breed. We do this for a few reasons; the ease of calving, the ability to forage for their own food, the quality of the milk produced, and health benefits for the cattle. The list of breeds would be too numerous to mention. | We currently have 200 milking cows that are Holstein, Jersey and Normandy cross breeds. |
What products do you sell, and to whom? (i.e., large companies, individuals, co-ops, etc.) | |
| Our milk is sold to a Co-Op. (Michigan Milk Producers Association) For the most part, it stays local and goes to Country Fresh to be bottles and made into products that people buy at the grocery store. I sell grass fed beef and milk fed pork, duck eggs and chicken eggs at the Fulton Street Farmer’s Market in Grand Rapids. I’m there Fridays in the summer and Saturdays in the winter. (Katie note: seriously the best, orangest, most flavorful eggs ever. I’m getting spoiled on them. Do NOT buy eggs from Karin because I want them all!) | Grassfields Cheeses are sold in about 80 different restaurants, stores, farmers markets and co-ops in Michigan. We also sell our cheeses to people around the country who order from our website. Our grass-fed meats are sold from our farm store. (Katie note: this includes chicken, beef, and pastured pork – the bacon sells out within weeks each fall!) Our eggs are sold at several independent groceries, farmers markets and co-ops in West Michigan. |
What is the best food for a dairy cow? For a beef cow? | |
| The best food for any cow is GRASS. That being said, dairy cows need more then that in the winter. We supplement them with grain and corn silage these are mixed with minerals. TMR (Total Mixed Ration) is important for dairy cows to produce quality milk and stay healthy. For our beef cows, we feed them all the grass(hay) they can eat in the winter and they get corn silage, about a grain shovel a day. All of our cattle have access to pasture during the growing season. Dairy cows are intensive grazed. They get a new paddock every 12 hours. The beef cattle have 20 + acres to graze in. | Grass |
What do you feed your cattle, and why do you choose that feed? | |
| I think I answered this question in question#7. To keep them healthy and happy! | Grass, or stored hay in the winter, is the majority of our cows’ diet. They also eat some organic certified grains to help keep their condition healthy. A small amount of grain gives the cow some extra energy in her diet. We also give the cows supplemental minerals. |
How do you ensure your cattle stay healthy? | |
| Healthy cows start from the ground up. Soil should be healthy first. If the soil is healthy the plant will be healthy and give the cow that is foraging it the benefits of being healthy also. | Since we are milking them every day, we can inspect the health of each cow as she comes in the parlor. We watch for signs of infection and treat her if it is needed, with organic methods. Starting with a healthy diet and living environment, usually leads to good health in the cow. After we transitioned to completely organic farming we saw huge improvements in the cows’ health, even though we had already been doing intensive rotational grazing for 16 years. |
What do you do when a cow falls ill? | |
| We are preventive first. If one does fall ill we use holistic methods as our second line of defense. If all else fails (which is rare) we call the Vet to help. We are not against antibiotics, they have served us well. I would rather use what is available to us then watch an animal suffer or die! This is good husbandry! | Treatment of a cow depends on the type of illness. We use organic methods like herbal tinctures and topicals if the cow becomes sick with mastitis. Since we are an organic dairy we don’t use antibiotics, unless we believe the cow can benefit from them and we are willing to sell the animal. She is no longer an organic dairy cow if antibiotics are used. |
What’s your goal: more milk or higher quality milk, or some balance of the two? For beef cattle: faster growth, more fat, more lean, or what else? | |
| We would love higher quality milk. The higher the standards the better it is for the consumer. I love our beef animals. They are just right and I wouldn’t change how we are raising them unless it would be better for the animal. | Since we are making cheese and running a cowshare program one goal we have is high milk quality. (Note: a cowshare means that people buy a “share” of a cow to obtain raw milk each week. In Michigan it is illegal to sell raw milk, so we have to “own” the cow.) We are also shipping fluid milk to Horizon Organics as well, so volume is also nice. With our animals for retail meat sales, we believe that quality is very important. We never use growth hormones to help them grow faster. Since having a grass based diet leads to high Omega-3 fatty acids, we let the animals take their time growing. |
What steps do you take to reach the milk production/quality goal above? | |
| CLEAN is very important to us. Clean barn, clean feed, clean udders, clean milk! We have several awards for this from the State and Federal Government. | |
Do you think your operation is “sustainable”? Why or why not? | |
| Our operation is “sustainable”. We don’t have other jobs off the farm. The market doesn’t count as a job because it’s fun! The farm makes enough money to support itself and us. | Yes, we hope and believe that our farming operation is sustainable. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the most important thing in this life. He has given us the opportunity to farm and steward the land. We want to do the best we can to provide healthy food for the people in our community and be a blessing to them, and to bring glory to God in the process. We are so grateful to God for our farm and we give Him the praise for anything good that comes from it. |
Can a cow give milk on grass alone? | |
| Yes it can and no it can’t! The cattle breed now have been so over bred to produce so much milk that it would have trouble sustaining that quantity without the extra supplements in TMR. The animal could do it but it would drop in production and strip its body of nutrient to produce the milk, making the animal sick in the long run. | Yes |
Do you think what cows eat affects the quality of the milk/meat? Nutritionally? In what way? | |
| Yes the old saying “YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT”! Poor quality feed equals poor quality products. That is why we start with the soil first the better the feed the better the product. | Yes. With our animals for retail meat sales and our milk, we believe that quality is very important. We never use growth hormones to help them grow faster or produce more milk. Since having a grass based diet leads to high Omega-3 fatty acids in the milk and/or meat we let the animals take their time growing. |
Do you raise your own calves? If so, what do they eat? | |
| Yes, I love the babies! They start out like all babies should on momma’s milk. We make sure that they have liquid gold (aka colostrum) in their tummy’s within 2 hours of being born. They get milk for the next 2 months before we introduce hay to them. They are then given a calf feed that has grains,molasses and minerals mixed into it. They have access to water when they want it. | In 2010 we sold all of our calves and we plan to do the same in 2011. Prior to that, the heifers drank milk from the cows, in keeping with the organic certification. Once they were a few weeks old we let them be outside in the pasture. They were weaned at 2 or 3 months of age |
What do you do on your farm to foster environmental stewardship? | |
| Last year we were Ottawa Conservation District Conservation Farmer of the Year 2010. We protect our water ways from contamination. We keep the soil healthy and give back what we take from it. We encourage others to do the same for the land as well. | Testing the soils is a good way to see how the land and environment are doing. Since the cows are fertilizing the land as they live in the pasture, there isn’t a lot of manipulating to do with the earth around us. We also test the water. Letting the different species of animals use the same land also increases the quality and health of the soils on our farm. (note from Katie: i.e., the chickens can follow the cows and peck at their manure piles to spread the fertilizer and eat the grubs, etc. A lovely ecosystem!) |
Anything you want us to know about GMOs? | |
| GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. A lot of people don’t know what it actually stands for. Anytime we mess with God’s creation there will be consequences. | |
What is your farm’s relationship with the government? (i.e., do you need and certifications? Do you receive any subsidies? Anything else you have to give them or get from them that the average citizen doesn’t?) | |
| We do not have a relationship with the government, we have relationship with the people that work for the government. We are certified as Grade A and have to have licenses to sell milk and meat. Yes, we get subsidies for milk and crops. I look at it this way if we are receiving subsidies then the prices aren’t where they should be to sustain the farm. We do not and never will count on the government for support in keeping our farm operating. We have to tell USDA office where and what we plant and how much milk we produce. They have satellite photos of the farm with the acres on them and every year in the spring we have to go and see the ladies at the USDA office to tell them crop information. The ladies in the government office do a great job and are a wealth of information. This makes the “headache” a little easier. | Since we are a Grade A dairy and certified by Global Organic Alliance, we are inspected by the MDA (Mich. Department of Agriculture), the county, USDA for our meats, the DEQ (dept. of environmental quality), GOA and probably others I can’t remember at the moment. |
What do you see as the future of farming/dairy farming in America? What concerns or hopes do you have for the future? | |
| I hope to see more small farms pop up in the future with the younger generations that want to know where their food is coming from. The future of farming is in SM and the transparency that it’s creating for the consumers as well as the farmers. Growing and producing things is in the human nature, so I don’t worry because there will always be people that have this want. Why not WANT to be a FARMER! | |
What did I miss? Here’s your soapbox: | |
| We truly love the people who support our farm and thank them and God for making our business what it is today, and what it will be in the future. | |
I always want to hear more, don’t you? I know the answers to some of the follow up “tell me more” questions from these ladies, but I know they couldn’t write a novel for you all; farmers are busy people!
My biggest surprise has been to find that in Michigan, because of the cold winters, almost no one grows 100% exclusively grassfed cattle, but most farmers end up supplementing just a little bit of grain when the snow is thick. I was interested to hear Karin explain about the modern breeds and how they need the extra energy because of their breeding.
If you want more, a while back Kate of Modern Alternative Mama posted a neat interview with her local farmer about his transition from conventional (confinement) farming to a more traditional, natural, grass-based model.
If you want $50 to cut your grocery budget so you can buy quality meats, hop in the gift card giveaway, open through Thursday at midnight.
Come on back tomorrow for the big finish of the Farmers’ Panel!
See my full disclosure statement here.
We believe that intensive grazing is a sustainable way of farming dairy cattle, pigs, chickens and beef. The animals are able to consume fresh growing grass, which makes the end products high in nutritional value, and the animals are fertilizing the soils in the most natural way. Rotational grazing just makes perfect sense to us.
In 2005 we started a cow share program, Green Pastures, where people can obtain fresh milk through purchasing a cow share, then paying us to board their cow. We started this program because there was an interest from our current customers and from the people in our community.
It is so rewarding to hear the feed back we receive from people who’s health has improved because they are eating the foods we produce on our farm. That is one of the reasons we farm. We do it for them.
Wendy (The Local Cook) says
It was fun to read the comments of two of my favorite farmers!
sara says
Glad you interviewed Grassfields 🙂 I recently started getting my eggs and cheese there-the country dill cheese is wonderful-I don’t share it with my family lol!
I can’t wait till the farmers market opens, and I’ll be able to check out the other local farms. I’ll be the frazzled looking lady with the purple hand cast (it may be pink by the time the market opens), with three kids running wild, trying to carry all my purchases with one hand eek!
But, I’m determined to get most of our groceries/food locally this summer, so I’m going to make it work somehow!
Tonya says
I am curious what Betsy as a certified organic farmer thinks of farms like Karin’s whobare not certified organic selling products as “organic but not certified”? Does she feel uncertified organic farms are undercutting the sales of certified farms?
Karin, are you growing all your own grains? How do you know they are not gmo? Also you said anytime we manipulate god’s creation there will be problems in reference to gmo’s. Do you think selective breeding is manipulating god’s creation?
Betsy, how effective are your natural remedies against disease? What’s your incidence of mastitis? How often must you turn to antibiotics & cull a cow?
Katie, you should not be surprised that it hard to find a 100% grain fed dairy cow in MI. I’ve been telling you that for awhile now.
Once again, I remind everyone, if you like what you hear from Karin, remember her milk is in the dairy case at your local MI grocer, blended with all the other milk from the milkshed as yesterday’s guest called it.
Tonya, BS animal science & former MI dairy farmer
Lori says
Tonya…Wow! Just wondering why you still don’t have a dairy?
Tonya says
The farm I grew up on was 40 acres belonging to my maternal grandpa. My uncle owned 20 acres next door. Several other fields were rented. It was a small farm of 50-75 milkers (tending towards the smaller size as I got older) & replacements. Mostly holstein, some jersey & some crossbreds. We rotationally grazed but did provide grain & sometimes silage. Milk was sold via Michigan Milk Producer’s Association. My uncle took over the farm from my grandpa. Then, my mom & her boyfriend took it over from my uncle.
A combination of factors lead to stopping milking, largely it was my uncle selling off the farmland to a gravel mining operation (TRAGEDY!) & the fact our area was in Michigan’s TB deer infested zone.
The farm was sold my junior year of high school, but I continued on to MSU, thinking I wanted to go to vet school. Instead I got my bs in animal science, focusing in equine management but I also took dairy electives because they were easy for me. I worked for 4-H for awhile & then left MI when the economy crashed. now, I’m a social media agvocate & trying to get a small business as an urban ag educator off the ground. Hoping to teach courses in raising urban chickens, goats & rabbits in the Seattle area.
Betsy Meerman says
Hi Tonya,
No, we don’t feel like we are being undercut by anyone. A lot of people, who may not know us personally, like to see that we are certified organic. ..people who may be buying our cheeses from stores on the other side of Michigan. We really like knowing our customers and that is really the most important thing.
I don’t know exact numbers of incidence of mastitis. We used to really struggle with it in the past and antibiotics didn’t usually help then. The incidence has gone down a lot since we have become organic. If one gets sick with it we try herbal tinctures and things. If that doesn’t clear it up, then we dry up the quarter.
Hope that helps!
Betsy
Tonya says
Sorry, a few more questions.
Karin, since you say breeding has caused issues with te modern dairy cow, can you please share what breeds & crossbreed you have & your breeding philosophy?
& to both posters, can you talk about how the milk price crash affected your farm?
Suanna says
I’d like to know more about using antibiotics in an organic cow for an illness. If you wait for the antibiotics to get out of the cow’s system, wouldn’t the cow be able to be considered organic again?
That would mean, dumping that particular cow’s milk and not using that cow for organic meat.
Lorraine says
Here in NY, if a cow gets sick and you are a certified organic farmer, you can treat her with antibiotics. The consequences though are the reason I do not want to be certified organic: The cow must then be sold! I do not want to sell a beloved cow who had been ill and treated even one time with antibiotics, they are gone, history, vamoose, out the door of your barn. this is a major stumbling point for me.
What the conventional farmers do is treat the cow, wait for the antibiotics to clear out. Most have Delvo lab test kits on the farm, so you can test the milk. The labels on antibiotics have withholding times for milk…meaning you dump the milk for the recommended time and then test it again with your kit. As to meat there are also label withholding times, meaning the cow should never be sold for meat during that period either.
There are serious financial penalties in the event that you should ship a cow with milk that is antibiotics POSITIVE. Expect to pay a fine of about $4,500 in my cooperative (you pay for the 1/2 trailer of milk that has been spoiled by the antibiotic milk as that 1/2 trailer of milk (or compartment as it is called of milk in the trailer) will also have to be poured down the drain.
US farmers have adopted the on-farm testing for antibiotics with great success. It is now very commonplace. Anyways, just wanted to throw in my two cents, back to work now, its fun to talk on this thing that Kitchenstew set up for us.
Betsy Meerman says
The rules with organic dairy cows and antibiotics is that once antibiotics are used, she can no longer be considered organic, no matter how long you wait for the ABX to clear out of her system. So, dumping the milk wouldn’t make a difference. Her milk can’t go in the tank ever again and she has to be sold to a non organic dairy.
We have found on our farm that ABX don’t really help much with mastitis anyway.
M.E. Anders says
This was a tremendous idea to interview your farmers and give them a bit of positive exposure. I just might use a similar idea for farmers in my local area, too. Thanks so much for sharing – hurrah for our farmers!
Karen says
Hi, it’s so great to see people wanting to get their food straight from a farm. We’ve been buying our meat for over 12 years from local farmers, and it’s just delicious and cheaper than our local store.
There’s also a new web site for people who don’t have their own farmers:
http://www.homegrowncow.com/?src=kitchenstewardship
So if you are a farmer with some meat to sell or just want to buy farm fresh meats, you can use this site and feel good about saving money on excellent food
Annie says
very neat to read the responses from both farmers! thanks so much to ALL!
Karin says
Tonya,
We grow are own grains! Non-GMO and open pollenated. I don’t compete with Besty. At the time they certified with GOA, I was doing the same thing but the milk hauler fell thur and I didn’t have a place to go with our milk. I decided the headache wasn’t worth it! The cows are worth it still! We use to call the vet once a week, now we see the vet once a year. We don’t selective breed. Holstein are modernly bred to be big and produce a lot of milk. They have to be able to reach the ground to eat grass. They have to eat so much to maintain their size and production level. They also have trouble conceiving. Example: three way cross minimum, Holstein Jersey Brown Swiss. Then you can go back to Holstein. We use this for the health of the animal and they are more efficient at grazing. We find that the cross breeds product smaller calves as well. It makes it easier on the cow during birth.
The milk price crash, I don’t disgust our paycheck with others but I will tell you it was very rough and we are still struggling to make ends meet. I’m just happy we are still here and farming.
I hope I answered your question to your satisfaction.
Kind Regards,
Karin
Woodbridge Dairy Farm
Tonya says
Thanks Karin. Are you using AI to breed or producing/acquiring your bull(s)? By “do not selectively breed” do you mean you’re not planning your matings other than looking at the breed makeup up of the cow & selecting a sire based off that? I can’t imagine you’re not giving any consideration to herd improvement when planning matings.
Karin says
Ur welcome! I thought you were talking about sex semen, there are two other type of select semen but I can’t think of right now. My husband does the selecting of breeds. We artificial inseminate (A.I.) with the cows. But the heifers or first timers get the real deal, a bull! The first time should be special! The bull is then brought down to the milk cows for clean up duty.
Tonya says
so when your husband is planning the matings, is he selecting the AI bulls to improve on the cows traits like improving udders & feet & legs?
genetic manipulation started with selective breeding. crossing breeds & breeding animals & plants with traits one liked so their offspring carried on those traits & even improved upon them. Why is it bad then, if through our God given intelligence, we have learned to manipulate plants and animals at the genetic level to improve yield, prevent illness, reduce pesticide use, etc?
Karin says
My hubby picks a stick this way. It’s a holstein/jersey cross so he pulls a brown Swiss with it. It has nothing to do with legs or bags just likes to make a nice mix of cows. It’s simple really don’t try to over think it. They are all cows! Some ugly some productive some not productive but we keep them too! I know that our intellect is great but sometimes it’s over stated like the cows they have bred in china to product human milk! I still hold to my belief that there are consequences to your actions!
Katie says
Tonya,
Do we understand possible long-term consequences? No, we can’t, because it’s too new. The “new and shiny” always puts up a red flag for me. The fact that some of the plants will overtake others in their species and make them ALL GM also scares me a whole bunch (alfalfa, for example). That strips away our choice and the “revert” button.
Katie
Karin says
I second that comment. Lorraine did a nice job in explain it. That was also a big reason we didn’t complete organic certification. I wasn’t willing to let any of my cows go because I had to give them antibiotics. For example: I had a calf get pneumonia there isn’t a good holistic treatment but I can give it one shot and it’s all better. That’s like saying to my kids well I did all the holistic things I could for you. Your not better let’s go to the doctor for medicine but when your done with it you can’t live at home anymore! NOT FAIR is what my kids would say to me! If it’s not in the best interest for my family it’s the not good for my cows! Our cows have names and cowsonalities too!
Betsy Meerman says
Just to clarify, our beef cattle eat ONLY grass or stored hay. They are completely grass fed once they are weaned at a few months old. Our dairy cows get some organic grains, but the beef cattle do not.
Kelly says
Fascinating reading, thanks to all who have commented and shared! I have my personal beliefs, but am not responsible for providing food for anyone but my family, so I think that makes a difference in how things are done.
I have to agree with not allowing GMO’s though, as Katie said there’s no revert button. Once a GM plant takes over all the seed, what then?