Benefits of Year-Round Grazing

As we’ve grown in our knowledge and experience of grassfed farming, we’ve learned more about year-round grazing and how much better it is for our environment. 

Let me explain. 

So by having the cows and sheep in the field year round, it means that, for one, we don’t have to buy or bale our own hay for the winter. 

And two, the livestock spread their own waste on the field, which means we don’t need to clean out the barn every spring like we used to.  

And as you can imagine, by not having to use tractors, bailing equipment, loaders, or manure spreader, we ultimately reduce the amount of carbon input into the atmosphere.

Now you might be wondering, “Then what do the animals eat in the dark winter months when there’s snow on the ground and to us it looks like there’s nothing edible for miles around?” 

This is where stockpiling comes into the picture. 

I first learned about stockpiling at a cattle conference my brother took me to several years back. 

Here’s how it works... 

As we approach the later months of the summer and the beginning of fall, we start to move the cattle more quickly over the fields, not grazing the grass as short as we normally would. 

In doing so, we leave over half of the grass still standing. 

The idea is to leave the hay in the field for the cows to find under the snow in the winter months, and surprisingly enough, they do find it with no problem at all. 

Ultimately, this method does require a little more physical work. 

But we are striving to do things as naturally as possible here at The Maker’s Meadow. 

We understand that hard work and time spent is part of what it takes to raise good meats for your family to enjoy. 

So to us, the effort is worth it. 

Sincerely,

Rhoda Filbrun (and Sir Rocco)