Twenty years of grazing profitably, inside and outside the box
Ron Holter is one of the smartest farmers you could meet. He thinks things through to create the life he wants. Now his dairy cows eat no grain, aren’t high producing, and he has time to take a nap just about every day. Here’s how he makes a good living in spite of (or because of) all this.
The Holter Family
Holterholm Farms has been in the Holter family since 1889. Now owned and operated
- Published: 7 years ago on March 17, 2014
- By: Rachel Gilker
- Last Modified: March 17, 2014 @ 11:04 am
- Filed Under: Dairy Cattle, Grazing Management, Livestock
- Tagged With: Grain-free dairy, Pasture based dairy
Great article! The info on mob stocking the Jerseys is invaluable.
I would be very interested in what, if any, grass based Jersey semen Mr. Holter may have used. Or did he just select for performance from his own herd? I wonder if other dairy breeds would do better with the tall grass grazing?
Another thought I’ve had, what about pros & cons on grazing deep rooted perennials vs. annuals (thinking 12 Aprils Dairy here) and there effects on nutrient density of milk, protein & fat numbers, cheese yield, etc.? Just loading you up with other article ideas…..as if you need more.
Kristin,
We switched to New Zealand Jersey semen in the late 90’s and used it for several years. We found the cows getting narrower in the front end and didn’t like that. We have used polled bulls from a small group out of Ohio (the Northcoast Group) that stresses longevity and some grazing characteristics. We are now using mostly our own bulls but still some from Northcoast.
I would think that breeds that carry more flesh might do better with the mature grass mob grazing.
You Rock Mr. Holter