The Getz’s think their cows can help make decisions on their farm. (Photo by Kinna Ohman)
Family farming is in trouble. The country has lost thousands
of small family-owned farms over the last twenty years. Some researchers
say that’s because the agricultural industry and government policy favor
corporate farms. That makes it difficult for smaller farms to survive.
So some small farmers are trying a different way of farming. Kinna Ohman reports that it can all start with a little ingenuity:
Transcript
Family farming is in trouble. The country has lost thousands
of small family-owned farms over the last twenty years. Some researchers
say that’s because the agricultural industry and government policy favor
corporate farms. That makes it difficult for smaller farms to survive.
So some small farmers are trying a different way of farming. Kinna Ohman reports that it can all start with a little ingenuity:
(sounds of farm)
Steve and Karen Getz run a dairy farm in central Vermont.
They’re the type of people who think outside of the box. Not only do they let their cows
out on pasture (and that’s rare among dairy farmers) they also let their cows be part of the
decision making on the farm. They think their cows have some pretty good ideas.
It all started on a hot summer day a couple of years ago. The Getz’s noticed after the
morning milking, their cows didn’t want to go out to pasture. Instead, the cows stood at
the gate that led into a large indoor shelter they call a ‘pack’.
The Getz’s built this ‘pack’ for the winter – so their cows could get out of the harsh
winds. They didn’t know why their cows would want to use it in the summer, but Steve
Getz says they gave it a try.
“And what we did was to open the gate to see what would happen. And what we
found was they’d come in and sleep in the pack in the blazing hot heat. And it
started to cool down in the afternoon. They went back out and grazed all night
long.”
Steve Getz says there’s been no loss of milk production. And all this makes a lot of
sense. But he says they never read about this in any book or farm magazine.
So Steve and Karen Getz thought they’d see if their cows had any more good ideas.
And the cows did.
Karen Getz says they were told their cows needed to give birth in an area separated from
the herd. So they built a fence around a corner area of their indoor shelter. But soon they
saw their cows didn’t like this – they wanted to be with the herd. So Karen Getz says
they let that happen too.
“She can go off into a corner somewhere and calve and have enough space. And
then she feels comfortable because she can get up and eat with the herd, she can be
nursing the calf. But she’s not separated. That’s less stress for the cow. You know,
we let them choose.”
It’s this kind of creativity that could help small farming come back to rural communities.
That’s what Martha Pickard thinks. She’s a grazing specialist.
She says many farmers only know the industrial model used by large farms. So when
they see families like the Getz’s grazing their cows, saving lots of money on feed, and
letting the cows make decisions on their own, it gives them other options.
“It’s such a huge deal to change your style of management. It’s like you getting up
in the morning and having a different job. So it takes a certain personality type,
someone who’s willing to think outside of the box, someone who’s willing to have
their neighbors stop by and say, ‘why are you doing it that way?’ It’s tough because
they’re usually on their own.”
Martha Pickard wants those small farmers to realize they’re not alone. And to know
there are others who are also rejecting the industrial way of farming.
Darrell Emmick, who’s with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, says he’s seen
progress.
Even though there’s been a net loss of small dairy farms in his region,
Emmick’s also watched farms with alternative grass based systems survive. He says
that’s hopeful.
“Twenty-five years ago, we’d pretty much gotten away from this. But today,
farmers putting cows on pasture. Finally, we have that on the radar screen. And if
I have a success story to share, that’d be it.”
Those small family farmers have realized the conventional wisdom pushed by the
agricultural industry might hurt more than help them. And people like Pickard and
Emmick want to help those farmers to learn from each other. They hope it means more
farms will survive being taken-over by corporate farming.
For The Environment Report, I’m Kinna Ohman.