The Benefits of Grass Fed Milk -

Today I spoke with Julia Joseph, the Co-Founder of Maple Hill Creamery out of Western New York. They are 100% grass-fed, 100% traceable product, focused on regenerative farming to discuss the benefits of grass-fed milk.

Conventional Milk vs Organic Milk

The difference between Maple Hill Creamery Milk and store brand milk is that “Maple Hill provides milk with integrity. Not just the milk itself but how the milk is produced. We were the black sheep 13 years ago with going 100% grass fed organic 365 days a year. We were told we wouldn’t be able to do it. Yet we felt it was more important to do it properly for the cows and the land.”

Maple Hill practices back to the basic farming, the way it used to be before industrialized farming. Some organic milks only require the cow to go out and roam only 30% of the day, they can still be fed corn, and still be confined a majority of the day; which is not best for the cows.

Understanding 100% Grass Fed

When you look for grass fed milk you will see many milk products that state they are grass fed on their packaging. This statement only requires that they be grass fed 10% of the time. It is important to look for the green seal which states that the cows are fed 100% grass throughout their life. Maple Hill was the first and the largest company selling 100% grass fed organic milk.

If you are looking for grass-fed milk from a local supplier, look into the product you want to purchase as there are some smaller companies that may not be able to afford the certificate yet, but they may still be practicing 100% grass fed. It’s important to learn about the products you are wanting to purchase and learning about their farming techniques. Also make sure to look for the Green Label to be able to know that they are 100% grass fed.

Transparency

It is important to understand where your food is coming from. That is why Maple Hill practices 100% Traceable and transparency. They have a milk shed, where every farm that sells to Maple Hill only sells to Maple Hill. We are a segregated milk pool from other larger milk pools. This ensures that they know all their farmers and that they communicate with their farms on a regular basis. Additionally, they are involved in farm walks and providing education to the farmers.

If you have issues drinking regular milk, you may want to try Maple Hill. Grass fed milk has a different composition than traditional milk. The cows are eating what they should be eating therefore the milk is more of what nature intended. (An aside: Cows are not supposed to eat corn 100% of the time and can create stomach problems for the cow. This in turn creates inflammation for the cow. This cannot be good for the end product).

Regenerative Farming

The goal of regenerative farming is to leave the land better than what you found it. Our farmers let cows be cows. The cows eat grass in the growing season and then hay in the winter. They are naturally eating the grass which makes the roots stronger. They are walking around which naturally aerates the soil. Then they offer natural fertilizers by pooping; and then winter allows for an incubation period for the grass and allows for more nutrients in the grass. All of these things provide you with more benefits through drinking grass fed milk.

If you are interested in trying Maple Hill Creamery, check them out at www.maplehill.com to find a store locator near you.