Grass-fed dairy cows, the next big thing?

What has our food come to, when the simplest, most natural process for raising food seems special, unique, or groundbreaking? So it seems with the return to grass-fed dairy cows.  Nutrition educator Jonathan Clinthorne, who works with Natural Grocers, visited “First Take with Lando and Chavis” to share the latest on “pasture-raised dairy.”

“Fifty to 100 years ago, all cows were out on pasture their entire lives,” said Clinthorne.  ”Our entire agricultural system has changed so much in the last decade.  Confinement dairies feed cows corn and soy, grains.”  

The land itself is also impacted by the lack of grazing, says Clinthorne.  ”Row crops are damaging to the environment.  The best example of that is the dust bowl era.  Animals back on the pasture supports healthy grasslands, which serve as big carbon sinks so we can sequester some of that CO2 in the atmosphere.”

On the audio segment posted below, Carlos and Steve sample some prairie-raised dairy products: cheese, butter, and drinkable yogurt.  ”These products have a yellower tint because they have carotenoids (a family of antioxidants found in grasses), and the cheese might be a bit sharper.”

Natural Grocers locations all over are celebrating Earth Day on Friday, April 22 with tastings.  Details at the Natural Grocers Facebook page.

Music on this feature is by Kid Thomas and His Algiers Stompers, “Big Milk-Cow Blues,” on the Riverside collection “New Orleans – The Living Legends” (which is a classic blues vocal, actually).

interview with nutrition educator Jonathan Clinthorne