[sexysisam]

Is organic grain-fed raw dairy really that bad?

I understand that ideally I should be drinking raw grass-fed milk, but the grain-fed dairy has more cream on it, is fresher, and is sold locally. Whereas the grass-fed has to be trucked in quite a ways which means it's older and I noticed that the cream layer isn't that thick.

When we get our own cow she will be grass-fed, but for now I'm leaning towards getting the grain-fed milk. Is that really bad?

 

[dogmom327]

Hopefully you'll get a better answer than the one I'm about to give...but my basic understanding is that when a cow is fed grain, the bacteria in its stomach gets out of balance (this has to do with the fact that cows can't really chew grain as it's too small so they swallow it whole which doesn't aid digestion) and scary things can grow and be passed into the milk. Personally I wouldn't be comfortable with raw milk from a grain-fed cow (this doesn't apply to a handful of grain here or there to bribe a grass-fed cow into the barn for milking, etc.).

 

[Jasmine_xoxo]

Hi,
I lurk and haven't posted ever in TF.
I have a small goat dairy and we do feed grain in the milking stand only.
We are getting away from that this summer though and I am excited.
A small amount of grain on the milking stand is probably fine, but those cows that have tons of grain available at all times are the ones to avoid.
Can you go to the farm and see how they feed?
Also - you know most grain rations have tons of soy in them to up the protein? Yuk.

Back to lurkdom.

 

[Cupressa]

My understanding is that the milk from a grain fed cow will have a higher ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-6 is a pro-inflammatory substance that needs to be consumed in the right balance with other PUFAs in the diet so that inflammation is kept in check. Grains are higher in omega-6 and greens (grass) are higher in omega-3. The same goes for grass-fed meat, and grass-feeding improves other fat levels like CLA.

Also, like a PP stated, some studies have shown that the very dangerous form of E. coli lives comfortably in the digestive tracts of grain-fed cattle, however I read that this is due to the unnatural acidity the grain creates in the cattle. So, milk from grain fed cows could be more likely to cause illness than grass fed, but I think that feeding a little grain probably wouldn't create the overly-acidic environment that large amounts of grain do. I believe cows are equipped to digest grain, just not a diet of only grain.

 

[punkrockmomma]

I guess I just wonder if these cows are being fed only grain, or are they pastured as well? That is what would really matter to me. I have heard corn being referred to by some farmers as cow candy. That's why a lot of farmers use it to bribe the cows to come into the milking parlor. Now taking that into consideration would you want to eat only candy while you were breastfeeding a baby? Your milk is made out of what you eat, it's the same concept with any other mammals milk. That's how I look at it.
Also, cows that are fed only corn and soy are usually fed GMO corn and soy unless it's organic, from my understanding, but I could be wrong on that statement. But since I don't know, for me I would still consider that as a mark against the grain fed milk. I don't know if that matters to you or not.
And you also have to take into consideration that cows who are fed an all grain diet can't digest it properly and it usually causes them to have ulsers, and in turn receive antibiotics, which turns up in the milk. That is how I would look at it. We get grass fed only raw milk and it is really good and creamy.
I don't know if you've read a lot of Nourishing Traditions, but I also look forward to getting milk that has the x-factor in it this spring and summer, and that is totally destroyed, according to Westin A. Price's research, if the cow eats any grain, it can only eat grass, it's natural diet. I guess that's another small thing to take into consideration.

 

[sexysisam]

I looked it up on realmilk.com again and the farmer said that his cows are pasture-fed when available. Otherwise they get organic corn and hay that he grows himself. We just went there to pick up milk today and drove past the cows and they were eating green hay.

I do try to follow NT as much as possible, but I noticed that a lot of her recommendations are VERY pricey. Also (just as a side-note) I've been wondering if some of them bought their way in to her book.