• Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Fitness
  • Nutrition
  • |
  • About
  • Work With Me
    • Brand partnerships
    • Nutrition Coaching
July 6, 2010

Farm #1: Rotational Grazing, Cows, and Maple Syrup!

23 comments
share this post:
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

I’m back to share more in-depth details about the farms we visited on the Stonyfield Blogger Barnstorming Tour!

035

As I mentioned, one of the coolest things about the tour was getting to meet the farmers and the cows in person! 🙂

045

The first farm we visited on the tour was the Howmars Farm, which is run by Jonathan, Karen, Howard, and Mary Gates. The farm has been in the family for three generations, since 1943. Wow!

034

Howmars Farm has been certified organic for nearly 13 years and is an Organic Valley brand milk provider. It’s fun now to buy this brand at the store and think that it might have come from one of my new cow friends 🙂

041

We were shown around by one of the farm’s owners, Jonathan.

060

It was awesome to meet a farmer that’s so knowledgeable and passionate about his farm. The cows like him just as much as we did — doesn’t it look like she’s smiling? 🙂

057

Jonathan’s farm has about 50 milking cows, and they live to an average of 10 years old. He even has one cow that is 15 and a half! That sure beats the heck out of the conventionally raised average age of 4 years!

042

He doesn’t keep any bulls on site (they can be aggressive/dangerous), so all the cows are impregnated using artificial insemination. I didn’t even know they could do that with cows!

048

One of the most interesting things that Jonathan told us about is his employment of rotational grazing, which maximizes nutrients both in the land and for the cows themselves.

038

With rotational grazing, cows are frequently rotated to new areas of the pasture, letting them graze on fresh grass and allowing the other areas time to re-grow. 

055

His farm has a 28-day grazing rotation, which he says he has come about through trial and error.

051

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also loved that all the cows at his farm had names! I asked Jonathan if he can tell them apart, and he said definitely. Apparently they all have very distinct personalities!

046

The Howmars Farm is also cool because during the early spring, the entire family engages in the production of maple syrup! I’m not sure there’s anything more amazing than New England maple syrup. Am I right?!

068

 

 

I see pancakes in my future. 🙂

I will leave you with a quote from Jonathan:

People forget how important food is. If you’re going to spend money on something, spend it on local, organic food.

073

Do you try to buy local and organic? I love farmers markets, but I haven’t been able to go to any recently because of my weird school/work schedule. I’m really excited because when I move to North Carolina in August, there’s a co-op grocery store AND a farmer’s market right around the corner from our new place. Sweet!

Stay tuned — there are more farm recaps to come!

…

p.s. Per request, I just added a new section to my recipes page with all my “5 minute packable lunches” — check it out! 🙂

- anne
share this post:
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

join the list

Sign up for my e-newsletter and I'll send you a meal plan packed with a week's worth of healthy meals, snacks and a shopping list. Happy eating!

you might also like:

Wine Tasting the Day Away

Western Canada Hiking Trip Itinerary

Thanksgiving Day 2015 in Pictures

Weekend: Skiing at Whitetail and Super Bowl fun

leave a comment

Cancel reply

23 comments
  • Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete
    July 6, 2010 · 9:41AM:
    I try to buy as local and organic as I can! I'm so excited for when I finally move over to Spokane because there is an organic market less than a mile from my house! Less than a week!
    Reply
  • Morgan @ Life After Bagels July 6, 2010 · 11:01AM:
    cows have personalities!?!?! that might the cutest thing I've ever known a farmer to day :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      July 6, 2010 · 4:31PM:
      I know, right?? :)
      Reply
  • Matt
    July 6, 2010 · 12:27PM:
    I seriously LOVE that quote. That describes my eating almost to the the T!
    Reply
  • Olivia @ Blissful Runner
    July 6, 2010 · 12:42PM:
    I don't make a huge effort to buy organic at the grocery store (I'm too cheap), but I do head to a local farmer's market at least 2 or 3 times a month in the summer. To be honest, it's more for the experience (I love browsing all the stalls!), but of course there are undeniable health benefits from the goodies I bring home as well. Anne, you're pictures are incredible! They are shockingly ... intimate. Something about them makes me feel like I'm standing right there with you. Makes me want to drop everything, head out to a local farm and nuzzle me some cows. :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      July 6, 2010 · 4:13PM:
      Aw, thank you! :) I totally wanted to nuzzle them, too. Hehe
      Reply
  • Heather C
    July 6, 2010 · 1:10PM:
    Definitely try to buy Local when we can, and once you go Organic, you don't go back. This post is awesome, and I love that one of the cows' nametags says "emily". heh, just sounds cute.
    Reply
  • Evan Thomas
    July 6, 2010 · 1:17PM:
    You didn't know they impregnated cows with artificial insemination? You should look up online the scene from Dirty Jobs where Mike Rowe has to collect the seamen as part of his dirty job--classic
    Reply
    • Anne P
      July 6, 2010 · 4:13PM:
      Ha yeah I guess I'd just never thought about it!
      Reply
  • DHP July 6, 2010 · 1:19PM:
    This is wonderfully informative, not to mention beautiful scenery. Well done!
    Reply
  • angie July 6, 2010 · 1:43PM:
    Awesome pics! I try and go out to my farmer's market every saturday and get what I can from there, usually eggs, onions, spinach, tomatoes, and in the summer fruit. I then try and get the rest of my produce from the co-op. I try and buy locally first before going to walmart or other stores.
    Reply
  • Melissa @ For the Love of Health
    July 6, 2010 · 2:13PM:
    I love their philosophy! It must have been wonderful to see all of that! I definitely try to buy local in terms of fruits/veggies, meats & eggs to support the local economy as well as get fresh things!
    Reply
  • Lisa (bakebikeblog)
    July 6, 2010 · 5:49PM:
    What a wonderful post! Thankyou for sharing it :)
    Reply
  • amanda
    July 6, 2010 · 9:16PM:
    I sometimes buy local and organic...I also find that it can be hard to make the farmer's market times due to my crazy schedule. I notice that Harris Teeter has been keeping local fruits and veggies on hand and labeling them as such.
    Reply
  • Adventurer July 6, 2010 · 9:42PM:
    Thx for the explanation/education! Great stuff!
    Reply
  • Mal July 6, 2010 · 10:03PM:
    anne, i love your blog, but i love your regular posts so much more! can't wait to see you back on regular scheduled blogging!!<3
    Reply
    • Anne P
      July 7, 2010 · 7:57AM:
      Don't worry, I'll be mixing in regular posts and there's only a few more to finish from the Stonyfield trip :)
      Reply
  • Dawn
    July 7, 2010 · 12:19AM:
    Organic is definitely the best! Switching to organic eggs was the best thing I ever did - I don't think I ever really knew what an egg tasted like before that. It's so great to see how these farmers live and how they treat both their animals and their land with respect.
    Reply
  • Tina E. July 7, 2010 · 8:31AM:
    I love this post, Anne! The photos of the farmer interacting with his cows - and enjoying it - are heartwarming :) Knowing that these farms exist and are thriving make feel even more confident about the extra pennies we spend on local and organic foods. It's SO worth it! I love cows - and wish they all had names! I re-posted this on my Facebook!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      July 7, 2010 · 9:20AM:
      Aw thanks, Tina! Glad you enjoyed it :)
      Reply
  • Jenn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog)
    July 7, 2010 · 10:44AM:
    Awww, I love all of the cow pics. They look so happy. Who says only Cali cows are happy? :) They look very well taken care of. They also have an impressive lifespan, must be all the love and passion. That little maple syrup tin brings me back to childhood! We used to sell those in our farm market. Jenn
    Reply
  • lin July 14, 2010 · 10:21PM:
    I was asking Stoneyfield if the cows were humanely treated and they sent me to a website and I watched a very nice video of a farm much like your pictures..then I was going to share and it clicked me over to youtube.com and then I started watching another video........which is the link below.....what happens to the babies?? Did you see babies on the farm you went to?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kM387cI4rk
    Reply
    • Anne P
      July 15, 2010 · 3:02PM:
      Don't worry, we saw lots of babies at the farms we went to :)
      Reply
- next post
previous post -

about Anne

anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
Learn more

fannetastic reads

Top Posts
01

My Top 9 Most Popular Recipes + Posts

02

Why I Don’t Recommend Whole30

03

What Causes Sugar Cravings (+ How to Stop Them!)

04

How I Make Money As a Blogger

05

Blog Recipes We Make Again and Again

06

What to Eat Before and After a Long Run

07

What to Eat During Long Runs

08

7 Common Nutrition Myths

09

How to Love Veggies

connect with Anne

Email me
anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

When I’m not writing or cooking for fannetastic food, you can find me running, coaching nutrition clients, or on an adventure with my family. Feel free to reach out - I'd love to hear from you!

follow anne:

join the list

Sign up for my e-newsletter and I'll send you a meal plan packed with a week's worth of healthy meals, snacks and a shopping list. Happy eating!

back to top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Recent Posts
  • Privacy Policy
  • FAQ

© copyright fannetastic food - site by kc - exclusive member of mediavine