What Happens on an Organic Dairy Farm?

Life on the organic farm is different because organic farming is a special type of farming. ‘Organic’ is the term used to describe a way of farming that is friendlier to the environment and which we believe is kinder to the animals and produces food that is better for you.
Why is organic farming good for the environment?

Doormouse Organic farmers help look after wildlife on the farm by not spraying the fields with chemical pesticides that may harm the birds and wild animals. This also means that there is no risk of the chemicals poisoning the rivers and waterways.

Organic farmers do not cut their hedges between March and October so that the birds can make their nests in them. They only cut them every two years so that they can flower and produce fruit and berries, providing food for the wildlife. The soil on an organic farm is full of goodness. This is because organic farmers use a method called ‘crop rotation’, which means that the fields are not used for the same thing each year and this allows the soil to recover.

Why is organic farming good for the cows?

In the winter organic farmers provide the cows with comfortable, clean shelter and plenty of space, and feed them a natural diet which is high in grass and clover. In the summer the cows live and graze in the fields. No organic cow is kept indoors all year round as this is very unnatural. This is called a ‘zero grazing system’ and is sometimes used on non-organic farms. The young calves are kept in a group, rather than in separate stalls, so that they can play together. We believe organic cows are happy cows!

Why is organic milk good for me?

Red Clover Organic cows eat lots of clover and fresh grass and this makes their milk high in something called ‘Omega 3 fatty acid’, which is good for your bones, heart and muscles. Also, organic diary farmers do not use chemical pesticides on the grass so traces of these will not end up in the milk you drink.