Cows that graze at pasture healthier, says dairy owner

Kay Frye / News Virginian
Published: March 29, 2007

William B. Patterson Jr. operates a dairy with 195 cows near Crimora, but his herd differs from others for two reasons. One is that 3/4 of his cows are Jerseys. The other difference is that Patterson's cows spend most of their time grazing on pasture, instead of being confined and having feed brought to them.

Jerseys are the breed that looks like Bambi; the petite cows seem to be all eyes, ears and udders. Several years ago, a dairy field day was held at Patterson's farm and as the crowd of some 30 people stood in the corner of one of the pastures observing the herd, one of the Jerseys strolled over and mingled with the people. She seemed to be saying, "Hello, welcome."

For years, Patterson's dairy was the conventional confinement operation. The change to a pasture-based system occurred about 15 years ago. About that time, Patterson said he began to question the routine of harvesting and storing feed for the cows.

"We did the same thing every day - there was a lot of pressure to get it all done," he explained, adding that the dairy was very successful.

"We were making money and had one of the highest producing herds in the state," Patterson recalled. But at the same time, "it was hard on me and hard on the cows."

The herd had hoof problems, including laminitis, much like the disease that affects horses' feet, and DAs (displacement of the abomasum, which is one of a cow's four stomachs). To get the milk production, more grain had to be fed to the cows, which reduces the amount of forage or fiber they can utilize, so the ration had to be just right.

Patterson finally reached the point at which "I was going to make a career change - I even thought about selling out or going back to school."

However, he had read a little about pasture-based dairying and decided to try that first. He owns 150 acres and rents another 410 acres. In addition to the Jerseys in the herd, there are a few Holsteins and some crossbreds.

He said he enjoys milking now and there is less pressure. For Patterson and his family -wife, Alicia, and two sons, John, 23, and Tom, 18 - it's a lifestyle issue. Patterson said it appears that his sons will follow him into the dairy business.

However, while he is happy with the pasture-type dairy, he admits that there is some tendency to slide back into the former way of managing cows - "the idea of feeding a little bit of this" or trying something else.

"There is the saying, 'keep it simple, stupid,' but it is easy to complicate things. It's a slippery slope and soon you can be back where you started," he explained.

The dairy does change some in the winter, to sort of a semi-seasonal operation. Three-quarters of Patterson's cows calve in the spring and so he does milk in the winter.

"But even then, it's not as intense" as it used to be, Patterson added. He said the pasture system requires less machinery and there is not as much manure to spread because the cows are outside a lot more.

He notes that conventional dairies do turn cows on pasture, but these are basically dry lots, rather than a large component of the feed ration and a mainstay of management.

Patterson also says his cows last longer. His cows average five lactations and he has some cows that are 12 to 14 years old.

"They are healthier and they last longer," he added.

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