Sponsored: Caring for the Cows

Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

Sponsored: Caring for the Cows

What do dairy cows feed on?

Bart Ramsey: They graze on grasses that we grow like ryegrass, bluegrass and fescue. In dry weather and from October to April that's not enough to provide them with the nutrients they need - they'd starve and not produce any milk if all they did was graze. We also feed them corn silage.

Did you know that technically corn is considered a grass? We bale alfalfa at 60 percent moisture and wrap it so it will ferment. It is inoculated during baling with a bacteria that produces lactic acid so the pH drops faster (this helps preserve the nutrients and prevents the growth of molds that will make cows sick.)

We also provide them with probiotics and spent brewers grains that are a by-product of beer making. Corn silage is an energy source, alfalfa is a protein source that also provides energy from neutral detergent fiber, and brewer's grain is a protein source that also provides energy from fat. It's important to keep the ratios consistent to keep the cows healthy. To make sure we have the nutrition of the cows right we consult with a Ph.D in ruminant nutrition from Purina.

Purina sells us a feed that balances everything out. It contains fine ground corn, soybean meal, bypass protein, cottonseed hulls, citrus pulp, minerals and vitamins. Brewer's grains, cottonseed hulls, and citrus pulp are feeds that would be thrown away but they produce food for humans when fed to cows.

“The cows are basically recycling machines.”

Related Items

Excerpt from blog on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. based on a visit to Ramsey Dairy Farm in Fairview, NC.

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Ingles Markets Corporate Dietitian

twitter.com/InglesDietitian

facebook.com/LeahMcgrathDietitian

800-334-4936

Tags:

Notes from a plant nerd: Like a podium

Creeping along the forest floor is a group of nati...

Up Moses Creek: 2 a.m.

A sudden, loud crack came through the open bedroom...

Up Moses Creek: Thinking Like an Empty

I was at Lazy Hiker brewpub in Sylva enjoying...

SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM

Contribute >

Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

Partner content: Sensationalism and Seed Oils

These days there’s a lot of negativity about “seed oils”. According to some of the social media “influencers”, seed oils are ones made from: canola, corn, cottonseed, soybeans, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, flaxseed, and sesame seeds.

Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

Partner content: When Following Food Advice May Not Be the Best Idea

Often we see articles in magazines, posts on social media, reels or videos that feature a celebrity talking about what they eat in a day or week. This person may be an actor, an athlete, or an influencer-- but in most all cases the message is, ‘Eat like me and you could look/perform like me’.