The document discusses managing cows at Bella Farm using natural feeding, permaculture genetics, and seasonal management. It recommends dual purpose breeds like Brown Swiss that are suited for grazing and mineralizing pastures rather than being mineralized. Legumes are important for pasture quality and extending the grazing season. Calving in May allows dairy cows to graze seasonally while beef calve in August. Integrating laying hens, meat hogs, and a market garden makes use of surplus milk and manure to fertilize soils and crops without purchased inputs. The goal is to nurture the farm and the farmer's family through the seasons.

2. How Do We Manage our Cows
at Bella Farm?
• Natural Feeding
• Permaculture Cow Genetics
• Seasonal Management
2
Right farm, right animals, right management

3. Spectrum of Animal Types versus Pasture Quality
•Yaks are lowest nutrient need animals
•Sheep can thrive on relatively poor pasture
•Bulls and heifers have more moderate needs
•Finishing beef requires good to excellent pasture
•Lactating dairy cows need the absolute best

4. 100% Grass-fed or Nothing!

5. Pasture Quality-
Do you have Dairy Quality Pastures??

6. Legumes are the best indicator of pasture quality
Red Clover is the absolute best for dairy cows

7. Species diversity in our fields equals healthy cows

8. Mineralize our cows to mineralize our pastures,
Not the other way around.

9. •Not all hay is created equal-
•Buy the best quality hay
•Alfalfa is ‘the best fodder’

10. 50 pounds per cow per day, feeding excellent quality hay
Gets real expensive real fast!
Number of days per year on hay will determine your profitability
Our local ranchers average 150 days/year-
We have gotten down to 60 days/year!

11. A small amount of alfalfa hay as a supplement can allow you to
keep grazing for significantly longer into the fall and winter.
8 pounds per cow per day can extend your grazing season by
several months!

12. The Breed Spectrum
•On one end are the extreme dairy types, notably Jersey and Holstein.
•At the other end, the extreme beef types, like Simmental and Hereford
•The sweet spot is in the middle, “Dual Purpose” cows, such as
•Brown Swiss
•Milking Shorthorn
•Ayrshire
•Devons

13. Classic Jersey cow, way too skinny for holistic dairy farming

14. Dual purpose cows have the body reserves to handle the
nutritional demands of permacultural management

15. Dexter cows, a specialty animal for special situations.

16. Brown Swiss Cow and Bull formed the
Foundation of our Biodynamic Dairy Herd
16Vivian and Arthur, 2007

17. An Ideal Dairy
Cow- ‘Bootsie’
17
Permacultural Genetics

18. Dairy Yield- 1000 gallons per cow,
each year, just from grazing pasture.
18

19. Bull Beef- 200 pounds of beef
from a yearling bull calf

20. 3 Types of Cows to Buy-
•Bottom Cows
•Bred Heifer
•Retiring Professionals

21. My Experience- The Story of Vivian and Sugaree

22. Managing our Cows in Harmony with the Seasons
Essential to Calve in May!

23. Beef Cows respond to different seasonal plan.
Calving in August makes sense for beef, not for dairy.

24. The year begins with
breeding

25. Timely Conception is
Essential for a
Seasonal Dairy

26. Artificial
Insemination
Not as fun or
easy as it
looks

27. Keeping a Bull-
No joking matter

28. Every king needs a castle, and every bull needs a bullshed

29. Laying Hens integrate with
and compliment dairy
cows perfectly

30. Meat Hogs make Excellent Use of Seasonal Milk Surplus
Cow Manure is complete Pig Multi-Vitamin
Joel Salatin’s ‘Pigerator’ System in Hayshed is Great!

31. Abundant Cow
Manure makes the
Best Biodynamic
Compost.

32. 32
Market Garden
Yields without
Purchased Inputs

33. Fertile Soils in our Fruit Orchards

34. Produce quality comes from soil biology

35. The Farmer is
The Most Important
Animal on the
Holistically
Managed Farm

36. Seasonal Dairying gives the Farmer
Quality Family Time in Winter

37. Nurturing
Life
37

38. Masanobu Fukuoka — 'The ultimate goal of
farming is not the growing of crops, but the
cultivation and perfection of human beings.'
38