Published Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Coweta's cattle farmers take cue from New Zealand

The Times-Herald

In their quest to raise healthier cattle in a more environmentally sustainable way, some Coweta County cattle farmers are taking a cue from New Zealand.

If that seems like a strange place to get some inspiration, one might compare today's New Zealand with a young, 19th-century United States of America: geographically isolated, with a very small population.

And, oh yes, one more thing -- New Zealand, like the U.S. of a hundred years ago, has herds of cattle that actually eat grass, as they were meant to.

David and Rita Brown, owners of Longview Farms near Haralson, were hosts for about 50 local farmers, leading them on a tour of a farm that began its life 20 years ago as a "decimated" piece of heavily-stumped logging land -- "a county dump of gullies, stumps, and briers."

Brown and his family started the farm from ground zero, he said, "so every mistake you see on my farm is my mistake."

But Brown didn't waste much time talking about the past. He's focusing on the future -- specifically the future of cattle farming.

"These are the cows of the future, and they have never been fed a grain of corn," said Brown.

He said feeding cattle corn is not just bad for the environment and bad for the cows -- it's also getting much too expensive.

"With corn going over $4 a bushel, it's not too compatible with the type of operations we're running here," Brown said.

At first glance, it might seem like a wacky idea to feed corn to cattle, sheep, and other grazing animals that are, after all, endowed with two stomachs, which gives them the natural ability to convert grasses into energy. Why waste that natural 45-gallon fermentation tank?

Feeding cattle corn and grain is a relatively recent idea, actually. Traditionally, all beef cattle were grass-fed. But today just about every hamburger or steak you put on your plate comes from cattle that ate grains.

The reason is simple. The cattle get bigger much faster when they're fed grain, versus their natural grass diet. A century ago, cattle were five years old when they were killed, but today they are slaughtered in just over a year.

It would be impossible to take a calf to 1,200 pounds in a year on a grass diet. But you can do it by feeding the steer lots of corn, protein supplements, antibiotics and growth hormones.

But Brown said that on his farm the goal is to make the cattle smaller, not larger.

"We're getting them back the way they used to be, the way they're really supposed to be," Brown said.

"Little Bill" was one of the bulls Brown decided to show off. He lives up to his name, but he's the type of bull that will be desirable in years to come, Brown said.

"Just look at that crest," said Brown. "And he's got a good, straight top line, and he's heavier in the front quarters than in the back.

"Now if you've got plenty of cheap forage, maybe you want those great, big ol' giant bulls," he said. "But mine are going straight to grass.

"Basically my farm is now set up on the New Zealand system," he said. "Every cow that's 5 years old or younger has never seen a grain of corn. There's no corn here at all."

There are many advantages to this new system, he said, including:

* Feeding cattle grass instead of corn cuts out "feedlot bloat" and gastrointestinal problems.

* The cattle can actually get sick from eating corn, if it's not handled in the correct way. Problems can include acidosis and even breathing difficulties.

* When cattle are routinely fed antibiotics, it can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or "superbugs."

* Feedlot cattle are much more prone to develop problems with e coli bacteria, which can lead to sickness and even death in humans.

* Grass-fed meat is lower in saturated fat and provides more of the healthy omega-3 fats.

* Meat from a pasture is up to four times higher in Vitamin E.

* Grass-fed livestock tend to live lives that are more natural and humane than those of animals confined in factory farms.

All of this comes at a cost, however. Many people prefer the taste of corn-fed beef over beef from a pasture, which can be more sour than what Americans have become used to. Beef that comes from the pasture may also be more expensive for the consumer, in the long run.

Brown acknowledges that no one system is going to work for everyone. But he hopes other local farmers can learn from his little experiment.

Brown said learning the new system has been "enjoyable," and he loves sharing what he's learned with other cattlemen.

"I hope we can all learn from each other," he said.