HOW UNIQUE IS RAW FARM?
Our family-owned dairy farm is located in the heart of Central California, Our cows are NEVER given antibiotics or growth hormones to stimulate production, and they live just as nature intended.
In this article, we’re going to take you behind the scenes of what really goes down on our family-owned dairy farm, including the lives of our cows, what they’re fed, how we treat them when they’re sick, and what the milking process is like .
OUR COWS
At RAW FARM, we have anywhere from 750-1000 milking cows at a time. The number varies depending on how many calves are born that month. In addition to our milking cows, we also have delivery cows and dry cows. Delivery cows are pregnant cows that receive special treatment when their due date is near. Likewise to when a pregnant mother goes on maternity leave, our cows enjoy a similar experience. We have a special delivery facility that we bring them into before they’re ready to bring their calf into the world. Secondly, dry cows are cows that are not currently producing milk, and they, like the milking cows, graze on open pastures year-round.
See behind-the-scenes footage of our happy grazers:
COW NUTRITION
We pride ourselves in choosing the best quality foods that we can find to keep our cows as healthy and happy as possible.
GRASS
As mentioned before, our cows get most of their nutrients from grass, which they graze seasonally throughout the year. Grass has plenty of CLA’s, Omega 3 fatty acids, and Beta Carotene.
CITRUS
Believe it or not, we’ve discovered that our cows LOVE citrus. When oranges are in season, we give them to our cows as a treat, and this provides them with a good amount of Vitamin C.
ALMOND WHOLES
Our cows also enjoy eating almond wholes, which are extra parts of the almond that our family doesn’t eat. Because cows are ruminants, meaning they have four different stomach compartments, they’re able to digest complex fibers that we humans cannot, such as almond wholes.
Canola Meal
We feed our cows a small amount of Non-GMO Canola Meal as a soy-free alternative source of protein. Canola Meal is not canola oil. It is made by drying and grinding the canola plant into a powder, which is an excellent soy-free source of protein for our cows.
Hay + Alfalfa
Our hay is cut, dried up, and bailed up especially for our cows. Hay and alfalfa provide our cows with a great source of fiber and protein, which is needed to sustain them as they roam around the pastures.
Small Supplemental Grain
Customers frequently ask us if we feed our cattle grain, and the answer is yes. Animal nutritionists highly advise cows to have a source of carbs for energy. Our cows consume small amounts of corn and barley, and they absolutely love it!
Check out this video, giving insider information about our unique heard health program that makes for the happiest cows:
Summary: Our cows eat a very clean, natural diet that’s free of soy, GMOs, and antibiotics. We even have an on-farm lab to test our food to make sure there are absolutely no unwanted ingredients or additives. Our dairy cows enjoy lots of sunshine and fresh air to keep them happy and healthy, which makes for healthy raw milk for our customers. Our cows truly live in luxury, and we couldn’t be more proud of our sustainable farming methods! We are one of the few dairy farms in the nation that has been recognized as Certified Humane.
What happens when our cows get sick?
Unfortunately, most of the conventional, factory-style dairy farms are cut-throat and motivated by the profit incentive. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to generate the most amount of money, such as keeping cows in dark, indoor confined stalls, feeding cows antibiotics to help them produce as much milk as possible, and even forcibly impregnating their cows through artificial insemination methods. They will work a dairy cow until her last straw, and if she falls ill, they’d rather send her to the slaughterhouse than fall a few dollars short.
On our farm, we do the complete opposite. We love all of our cows so much and want them to stay alive for as long as possible. They’re like family to us. We’d rather allow a sick cow to rest and rejuvenate and produce raw milk a little bit slower than lose a beloved family member for sheer profit. When one of our cows becomes sick, we do everything in our power to help her heal quickly. Here are a couple of our natural remedies we practice for our cows:
Garlic and Vodka Mix:
Garlic has innate, raw healing properties that have been used as a natural elixir for centuries by the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Romans and Chinese. Garlic has natural antibiotics that ward off illness and, thus, is a wonderful method to helping our cows build strong immune systems.
Manuka Honey
Manuka honey is made in Australia and New Zealand by bees that pollinate the native manuka bush. Proponents claim it can treat wound infections and other conditions. (Honey helps repair damage caused by bacteria, so when our cows have an infection, we rub a dollop of manuka honey on their open wound, and before you know it, they’re good as new.
Essential Oils
We started using essential oils for our cows when we came to the conclusion that WE use essential oils for our bodies, so why not use them for our cows, too? After all, our cows are like family to us. We use Oil of Oregano and Oil of Frankincense. We also use Tea Tree Oil to alleviate skin irritations.
Summary: Our cows provide us with delicious, nutrient-dense food, and the least we can do is give them an amazing way to live. One of the greatest delights of our day is to see our cows playing tag in the fields, and watching them run with joy when they move to a new pasture like they’ve never seen grass as green anywhere else. They truly are the happiest cows we’ve ever seen, and it’s a blessing to raise them, care for them, and share the gift of good raw food with the world.
The Milking Process
Furthermore, our cows get milked twice a day: once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Interestingly, each cow produces an average of 6 gallons of raw milk per day.
Here’s how it works
Our cows enter the milking facility in single-file lines and line up to be milked. Once they are finished, they are free to go right back to the pastures! Milking is a relatively quick process, and we take the upmost precautions to keep our cows, equipment, and raw milk as sanitary as possible. Every month, a state inspector visits our facility and ensures that our product is safe for human consumption.
Most importantly, we intentionally allow our cows to get pregnant naturally, and we do NOT give hormones to interrupt this natural process. As mentioned before, some brands will give hormones to help with supply. We stand by NEVER giving our cows hormones to make more supply.
Summary: Our cows get milked twice a day, every day-rain or shine. When milking is complete, they are free to return to grazing the fields. Due to their optimal nutrition and high-quality lifestyles, we can say with absolute confidence that they produce the BEST raw milk products out there!
why WE #DODAIRYDIFFERENT
All in all, dairy farming is not cruel to animals when it is done right.
Without a doubt, there are many dairy farms out there that confine cows to dark, indoor facilities. Not only does this make for a poor quality of life, but it makes for an unhealthy, poor quality product. Thankfully, this type of farming is diminishing as we speak. Every day, more and more people are become aware of the importance of ethical, sustainable, and regenerative farming practices over conventional concentration-camp style farming, and people are keening in on the amazing health benefits of high quality raw dairy products.
You know that dairy farming is done right when you can peek outside and see cows roaming vast, green pastures twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, enjoying plenty of fresh air and sunshine, enduring the NATURAL birthing process, eating a wholesome diet free of GMOs, and receiving careful treatment when sick.
Above all, our motto is to only do what’s easiest for our team and best for the animals. We pride ourselves in treating our cows like family because that’s who they truly are to us. They’re our co-workers, and we work alongside each other to ensure the best quality raw dairy products for our customers.
Healthy, happy cows = healthy raw milk and happy customers :)
#RAWGOODNESS
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