On the luscious pastures of a family-owned dairy farm in the fertile San Joaquin Valley of central California, about 950 milking cows graze, seasonally, enjoying an abundance of sunshine, clear blue skies, and fresh air.

Undoubtedly, the foundation of every animal’s health begins with proper nutrition:

Pasture is an excellent source of nutrition. When our cows are not milking, grass is the daily activity they enjoy; however, when our cows are milking, we provide them with a few extra sources of nutrition. As any nursing mama knows, when you are nursing your baby, you need extra calories; the same principle applies for our milking cows. To produce enough milk, it’s important that they are as nourished as possible.

The supplemental feed we give our cows is chosen by a top-notch cow nutritionist who specializes in pastured dairy cows. Grass alone will not provide enough nutrition to meet their needs year-round. All of our feed is soy-free and non-GMO.

Our cows do a lot of walking as they graze on the pasture and walk to the milk barn two times a day. This increases their protein demand to keep their body condition strong. We also want to make sure they have a balanced diet of carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to keep them healthy because healthy cows make healthy raw milk. In addition to pasture, we feed them a custom diet of alfalfa hay (protein and fiber); almond hulls (protein and fiber); rolled corn (carbohydrate); fermented corn (probiotic carbohydrate); canola meal (protein and fiber) -this is NOT canola oil. It is dried canola plant that is ground in to a meal/powder; citrus when available (Vitamin C and other immune supporting nutrients); and a custom mineral blend. We DO NOT lock their heads into the feeding zones or lock them onto pasture. We have cattle guards that help us keep our gates open and allow cows to walk as they feel. In the summer we notice more cows enjoy grazing in the morning and at sunset when the cooler temperatures happen. They enjoy the shade during the heat of the day. We want them to also do this, so they do not get heat stress. In the Fall, Spring, and Winter, we notice cows graze throughout their day as the temperatures are mild enough to do so. Knowing exactly the ratio of how much each cow eats is impossible. We do not force our happy cows to eat . They diet is by choice and we are proud to offer them a wide variety of what their healthy bodies need. WHAT WE CAN TELL YOU is we feel the cows are happy, healthy, well fed, and completely satisfied. We will adjust their diet according to their dietary needs to assure they maintain healthy and thriving bodies. A healthy cow leads to beautiful raw milk!

Everything we do for our cows is intentional. From the grasses we grow to provide optimal nutrients year round, the extra feed they enjoy to ensure they have a well balanced diet, and most importantly, a loving, stress-free environment where they can focus on being happy cows to provide the best raw milk for our amazing customers!

HOW WE TREAT OUR COWS WHEN THEY’RE SICK OR INJURED:

The most important thing when our cows fall ill is early detection! Our dedicated team-from our herdsman and dairy manager who spend their day with the cows, our milking team who interacts with the cows twice a day, our farming team who observes the cows when they are out an about in the pastures, our mechanics, the owners, and grandkids playing-everyone is trained to report any cow that doesn’t look healthy. Once reported, we quickly bring the cow to our “hospital pen”, which is a dedicated area that allows our trained team to care for her easily.

We use homeopathic treatments such as garlic tincture, which is nature’s BEST antibiotic. Our family makes this amazing tincture. It is made simply by combing equal parts garlic and vodka then extract slowly for 1 month. This healing tincture treats infections caused by bacteria, virus, fungus, and parasites. WOW! This works well for people too. We also have a great Veterinarian who steps in to treat more complicated issues.

Here are a couple of natural remedies we use to treat our cows:

GARLIC AND VODKA MIX:

Garlic has many 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.

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 may use Oil of Oregano and Oil of Frankincense. We may 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.

HERD HEALTH PROGRAM

A closer look

Our herd health program is holistic. Every aspect of our cows is managed.

What makes our cows healthy?

To be healthy, they need a safe environment to live in. They need access to plenty of fresh water, an excellent diet, immediate treatment if they become sick, lots of room to roam , and plenty of sunshine.

What makes our cows happy?

Cows are very social. They have a herd mentality so they look out for each other, play with each other, and really enjoy being with other cows. They have best friends. Cows love to run around to get plenty of exercise. Our cows are inquisitive and a bit nosey and they like interacting with people and the farm dogs.

You can learn more about the Herd Health Program by watching this insightful, fun video below!

Summary

We are constantly learning better ways to improve our cows health and happiness. Our farm practices is not stagnate, it is always in motion. Making the safest and most nutritious raw dairy products and serving our beloved customers is our life mission.

HOW WE KEEP OUR COWS HAPPY AND HEALTHY