Syamala is our mulberry madame. Her coat is rare among Jerseys, but the mulberry color in Jersey cows does come from the Isle of Jersey, where the Jersey breed originates. She is by far our biggest milker; Syamala was born to milk. She is smaller than Prema in size and only slightly larger than Kama-dhenu. She has a serious and mysterious temperament that fits well with her color.

Prema is the largest of the three and many feel she is the most beautiful. Her coat is mostly orange with white splotches here and there, including a distinctive marking on her forehead. Her affection for calves is notable. It seems as if she loves others’ calves more than their own mothers do! She would make a fantastic nurse cow, one that would nurse others’ calves as well as her own if we needed her to. Her yield is second to Syamala’s, but she is an above average milker. She is very simple and childlike in disposition.

All of our cheeses are 100 percent vegetarian and are never made from pasteurized milk. We use sanitary, food-grade equipment and high quality cultures in our 6 to 8 pound wheels. After curing, we vacuum-seal, oil, or salt the cheeses (depending on the variety) and stow them away in our “cave”—a temperature-controlled fridge. Milder hard cheeses like Gouda and Havarti age for 2 to 6 months, while Parmesan and Manchegos age for 6 to 12 months. Fresh cheeses like Fromage Blanc and Mozzarella are age only a few days or not at all.

In addition to a rotating variety of cheeses, the monastics at Audarya have tested and worked diligently to hone the following cheeses:

-Parmesan
-Gorgonzola
-Varieties of Havarti
-Varieties of Gouda
-Fromage Blanc
-Mozzarella

We also make a variety of cheese spreads made from a Fromage Blanc base and flavored with organic herbs, fruits, and vegetables from Audarya’s garden.

35% Tetraploid Perennial Rye grass
25% Orchard grass
15% Kenland Clover
15% White Dutch Clover
10% Birdsfoot Trefoil

We also graze our herd on neighboring grasses. However, our cows are not fed only pasture grass, nor would it be natural to do so in our environment where for at least six months of the year there is no rain. Thus we supplement our pasture feed with dry organic alfalfa and organic wheat grass. We find that after feeding on pasture grass our cows desire lower energy, dry wheat grass, and this grass also increases the proportion of cream in their milk. During milking we feed our cows a small amount of organic grains. This we feel is a balanced diet for our environment and the results speak for themselves: happy, healthy, cows that love to share their milk. And our cows are cared for by Hindu monastics: holy cow!

Much of the religious West finds common ground with the rationalists, with whom they otherwise are usually at odds, on the issue of India’s “sacred cow.” Indeed, worshiping God is one thing, but to worship the cow while at the same time dying of starvation is a theological outlook much in need of reevaluation. Man is said to have dominion over the animals, but it would appear that the Indians have it backwards.

Popular opinion is not always the most informed opinion; in fact, this is usually the case. The many attempts to wean India from the nipple of her outdated pastoral culture have all failed. After 200 years of foreign occupation by the British, and after many subsequent but less overt imperialistic attempts, we find that although India has changed, the sacred cow remains as sacred as ever. In all but two Indian states, cow slaughter is strictly prohibited. If legislation were passed today to change that ruling, there would be rioting all over India. In spite of considerable exposure to Western ideas, one late Indian statesman said, when asked what he thought of Western civilization, “I think it is a good idea. When will they begin?”

An unbiased look at perhaps the longest-standing culture of the world, its roots and philosophy, may help us to see things a little more as they are — even about our own way of life. Sometimes we have to stand back to get the full picture. It is a natural tendency to consider one’s own way the best, but such bull-headedness may cause us to miss seeing our own shortcomings. An honest look at the headlines of our home town newspaper may inspire us to question exactly what it is we are so eager to propound.

Perhaps the most appalling aspect of the Western technological influence on India is found in the country’s few “modern” cities. Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, and other cities can be most frustrating to the average Westerner. Crude attempts at modernization can be worse than none at all. Although India’s technology lacks the polish and sophistication of the West, its employment in crude fashion nonetheless brings all of the adverse effects of a sophisticated form of the same amenities.

Real India is rural India. Village life accounts for the bulk of India’s population of 700 million, and best illustrates the nation’s ancient culture. The simplicity of India is often mistaken for ignorance, and her peacefulness mistaken for complacency. The serenity of Indian village life is overlooked or mislabeled by those who in the name of progress may really only be operating under the axiom of “misery loves company.” Perhaps the people of India live as they do for a good reason: much of what goes along with Western “progress”—the mental anguish which causes us to do the most bizarre things that make many cities living hells—is relatively absent in India’s rural lifestyle.

It is particularly difficult for Westerners to appreciate India’s worship of the cow. After all, we live in the land of the hamburger. The “American” restaurant abroad is McDonald’s. “Ole McDonald had a farm /Did it ever grow!” Western economists often contend that beef alone can solve India’s food problems and lay a foundation for a lucrative export trade. This has caused cow worship and cow protection to come under attack for centuries. Cow protection has been called a “lunatic obstacle” to sensible farm management.

India’s cow is called the zebu, and an investigation of the controversy surrounding her brings us to the heart of village life in India. The average landholder in India farms approximately one acre. This is nowhere near enough land to warrant the purchase of a tractor. Even if the size of the land plots were increased to make the purchase of machinery cost-effective, the unique weather, a five-season year including the monsoon, would quickly render the tractor useless. After the monsoons, the soil is too soft for planting and must be quickly and efficiently prepared before the soon-to-follow intense heat brings an end to the very short growing season. The loss of even one day will considerably affect the overall yield. The zebu bullocks are ideal in this connection for they can easily plow the soft earth without overly compacting the soil as would heavy machinery.

Farming in India is a family affair, and the labor-intensive approach to cultivation involves everyone. This helps to sustain the family unit, which is sometimes considered to be the wealth of a nation. The staples of the diet are grains: wheat and rice. Most of India is vegetarian. While the bull plows the field, helping to provide the grains, the cow supplies milk from which many dairy products are produced. Day to day, year after year, the cow and bull are the center of rural Indian life.

According to Frances Moore Lappe in her best-seller, Diet for a Small Planet, “For every sixteen pounds of grain and soy fed to beef cattle in the United States, we only get one pound back in meat on our plates. The other fifteen pounds are inaccessible to us, either used by the animal to produce energy or to make some part of its own body that we do not eat (like hair or bones), or excreted. Milk production is more efficient, with less than one pound of grain fed for every pint of milk produced. (This is partly because we don’t have to grow a new cow every time we milk one.)” If India, with its already strained resources, were to allocate so much more acreage for the production of beef, it would be disastrous. Advocates of modernization maintain that with the application of the latest farming techniques, the yield per acre would gradually increase, thus making it possible for beef to be introduced over a period of time. Such advocates contend that with the introduction of beef into the Indian diet, the population’s health would increase, thus furthering productivity. However, it is interesting to note that although India is far from being free of disease, its principal health problems are a result of urban overcrowding and inadequate sanitation and medical facilities. Whereas high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, and cancer constitute the greatest health threats in the West, the Indian people are practically free from these afflictions. So the “fact” that India’s health would increase with the introduction of beef into the diet is not likely to overcome the “superstition” of the people’s religious beliefs which prohibit them from eating meat.

The religious “superstitions” of India are based on the Vedas, which constitute the most voluminous body of literature in the world. The Vedas and their corollaries deal elaborately with theism, describing many gradations of the theistic idea. The idea that one should not eat meat, although central to Hindu philosophy, is only a secondary theme. To a large extent it amounts only to common sense and sensitivity. It is from this basis of sensitivity, an indicator of healthy consciousness, that higher spiritual principles can be appreciated. Actually, the Vedas agree with the West’s contention that man has dominion over the animals; however, the West’s way of dealing with its dependents is revolting to Indians. After all, we have dominion over our children and ofttimes elders as well, but would we be justified in slaughtering them for food? We become incensed if someone even abuses our dog!

The Vedas do not teach that the cow is superior to the human form of life and therefore worshipable. Rather, the she gives so much practical help to human society that she should be protected. Her assistance frees mankind from much of the struggle of life, thereby providing us with more time for spiritual pursuits. Although modern technology may be said to do the same, the fact is that it actually complicates man’s life more and more and distracts him from more simple living and high spiritual thinking. We may become so mechanistic that we can fool ourselves into believing that cows or pets have no feelings.

For India, the cow represents the sacred principle of motherhood. She symbolizes charity and generosity because of the way she distributes her milk, which is essential for the nourishment of the young.

India’s critics have pointed out that although Indian village life may be simple, it is a marginal existence; it is a life of little surplus. If a farmer’s cow turns barren, he has lost his only chance of replacing the work team. And if she goes dry, the family loses its milk and butter. However the situation is not as bad as the technologically advanced may think. In village life, people are more interdependent. Helping one’s neighbor is also considered sacred. Sharing is commonplace. All of the father’s male friends are affectionately referred to by the sons and daughters as “uncle”, while all of the village women are seen as mother. Often the responsibility of caring for and nursing the young is shared by several mothers.

Perhaps the heaviest criticism of the pastoral culture of India is directed at the insistence of the farmers on protecting even sick and aged cows. Westerners find this to be the height of absurdity. At least they could be killed and eaten or sold. But no. Animal hospitals or nursing homes called goshallas, provided by government agencies or wealthy individuals in search of piety, offer shelter for old and infirm cows. This is thought to be a luxury that India cannot really afford, as these “useless” cows are seen to be but competitors for the already limited croplands and precious foodstuffs. The fact is, however, that India actually spends a great deal less on their aging cattle than Americans spend on their cats and dogs. And India’s cattle population is six times that of the American pet population.

The Indian farmer sees his cattle like members of the family. Since the farmers depend on the cattle for their own livelihood, it makes perfect sense both economically and emotionally to see to their well-being. In between harvests, the cattle are bathed and spruced up much like the average American polishes his automobile. Twice during the year, special festivals are held in honor of the cows. These rituals are similar to the American idea of Thanksgiving. Although in principle the same, there is a basic difference in the details of how we treat the turkey and how the more “primitive” Indians treat their cows.

India cares for over 200 million zebus. This accounts for one-fifth of the world’s cattle population. Critics say that if India does not eat her cows, the cows will eat India. Exasperated critics feel that even the cow is underfed. However, in more recent years, India’s critics have come to agree that she is essential to India’s economy. Cattle are India’s greatest natural resource. They eat only grass –which grows everywhere–and generates more power than all of India’s generating plants. They also produce fuel, fertilizer, and nutrition in abundance. India runs on bullock power. Some 15 million bullock carts move approximately 15 billion tons of goods across the nation. Newer studies in energetics have shown that bullocks do two-thirds of the work on the average farm. Electricity and fossil fuels account for only 10%. Bullocks not only pull heavy loads, but also grind the sugarcane and turn the linseed oil presses. Converting from bullocks to machinery would cost an estimated $30 billion plus maintenance and replacement costs.

The biggest energy contribution from cows and bulls is their dung. India’s cattle produce 800 million tons of manure every year. The Vedas explain that dung from cows is different from all other forms of excrement. Indian culture insists that if one comes in contact with the stool of any other animal, they must immediately take a bath. Even after passing stool oneself, bathing is necessary. But the cow’s dung, far from being contaminating, instead possesses antiseptic qualities. This has been verified by modern science. Not only is it free from bacteria, but it also does a good job of killing them. Believe it or not, it is every bit as good an antiseptic as Lysol or Mr. Clean.

Most of the dung is used for fertilizer at no cost to the farmer or to the world’s fossil fuel reserves. The remainder is used for fuel. It is odorless and burns without scorching, giving a slow, even heat. A housewife can count on leaving her pots unattended all day or return any time to a preheated griddle for short-order cooking. To replace dung with coal would cost India $1.5 billion per year.

Dung is also used for both heating and cooling. Packed on the outside walls of a house, in winter it keeps in the heat, and in summer produces a cooling effect. Also, unlike the stool of humans, it keeps flies away , and when burned, its smoke acts as a repellent for mosquitoes.

When technocrats were unable to come up with a workable alternative, they came up with a new argument for modernization. They suggested that the cattle culture be maintained, but that it should be done in a more efficient manner. Several ambitious programs were initiated using pedigree bulls and artificial insemination. But the new hybrids were not cheap nor were they able to keep up the pace with the zebus. The intense heat of India retired many of them well before old age. Although they produced more milk, this also created more problems, because there was no efficient system for distributing the surplus of milk throughout India’s widespread population.

India’s system of distribution is highly decentralized. Although the solution seemed simple, modernization again met its shortcomings. With bottling plants, pasteurization, and other sophisticated Western methods of distribution, it was thought that all of India could have fresh, pure milk. Behind the automats set up for the distribution of powdered milk, milk, and cream was the expectation that in time, people would begin to appreciate the abundant rewards bestowed by these new modern deities of technology, and worship of cows would gradually disappear. But in the end it was modernization that failed to prove its value.

Pasteurization proved to be a waste of time and money for Indians, who generally drink their milk hot, and thus boil it before drinking. With the absence of modern highways and the cost of milking machines and other necessities of factory dairy farming, it was seen to be impractical to impose the Western dairy system on India; the cost of refrigeration alone would make the price of milk too expensive for 95% of India’s population.

Eventually, after repeated attempts to modernize India’s approach to farming—and in particular its attitude toward its beloved zebus—it became clear that these technological upgrades were not very well thought out. They were not to replace a system that had endured for thousands of years; a system not only economically wise, but one that was part of a spiritually rich heritage. On the contrary, it may well be time to export the spiritual heritage of India to the West, where technology continues to threaten the tangible progress of humanity in its search for the deeper meaning of life.

Nature’s Wellness Drink

Did you know that milk is considered “nature’s wellness drink”? The cold, creamy white beverage is full of calcium, vitamin D, phosphorous and a balance of other nutrients that have been proven to build your bones and teeth as well as promote the healthy function of your muscles and blood vessels. And in the midst of all the new vitamin waters, energy drinks, and other artificially contrived beverages, milk is a natural, healthy choice.

Milk provides a unique balance of nutrients

According to well-known nutrition expert Dr Wendy Bazilian, author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet and co-owner of San Diego-based Bazilian’s Health Clinic, unlike most other “wellness” drinks, milk is naturally nutrient-rich and balanced with a unique proportion of carbs and protein – in addition to the bone-boosting calcium, phosphorous and vitamin D.

Watching your fat intake or following a heart-healthy diet? No problem. Dr Bazilian, who has recently partnered up with model Christie Brinkley for the Drink Well. Live Well. gotmilk? campaign, recommends sipping on low-fat or fat-free milk. “Low-fat or fat-free varieties provide a lot of nutrients for very modest – worthwhile – calories,” she says. “Milk is also naturally low in sodium, and also contains potassium and plays a role in healthy blood pressure.”

Milk builds strong bones

Milk builds strong bones and teeth where, according to Dr Bazilian, 99 percent of the body’s calcium is stored. Plus, hundreds of studies have shown that calcium in milk helps improve bone density. “Denser bones mean less likelihood of stress fractures and a lower risk of osteoporosis – a major public health threat for over 40 million Americans,” adds the nutrition expert.

The importance of getting enough calcium starts young and extends into adulthood. “We are born with bones and as we grow from childhood to adulthood, we build stronger and bigger bones. However, after a certain point – around age 30 – our body starts drawing from our bones to maintain our other bodily functions,” says Dr Bazilian. So it is important to get calcium such as that from milk starting early in age and then to continue consuming enough throughout your life.

Calcium contributes to muscle and blood health

Dr Bazilian says the rest of the body’s calcium is found in the muscles, blood and intercellular fluid and is necessary for muscular and circulatory function. She explains, “Calcium plays an important role in our muscles (in the contraction phase in particular) as well as our blood stream, too. The human body works hard to keep a normal balance of calcium in the blood stream at all times to maintain ‘homeostasis.’ Calcium plays a role in blood vessel contraction and expansion. If calcium levels drop, the body will pull calcium from the bones to replenish the levels in the blood. But if you consume adequate calcium in the diet, you can maintain blood calcium and preserve your bones.”

Milk drinkers tend to be thinner

Not only do milk drinkers tend to have stronger bones, Dr Bazilian says “Milk drinkers tend to have healthier overall diets and tend to be leaner than non-milk drinkers.” And with today’s youth suffering an epidemic of obesity and obesity-related diseases, a wholesome beverage, like milk, can contribute to weight loss, strong bones and overall health.

Dr Bazilian further explains, “Studies have shown that mothers who drink milk are more likely to have daughters who drink milk. Milk not only provides children with a wide array of nutrients but also displaces some of the less nutritious, high calorie beverages like sodas. By some estimates, about 12 percent of adolescents’ total calories come from sodas and sugar-sweetened beverages. Low-fat or fat-free milk can go a long way to change these numbers and add a nutritional, developmental advantage to growing bodies.”

But how much milk is beneficial?

Any amount of milk you drink is beneficial but Dr Bazilian recommends aiming for three (8-ounce) glasses a day. She says, “Three delicious glasses of nonfat or low-fat milk a day is all it takes to get 100 percent of your calcium needs met and 75 percent of your vitamin D and a host of other essential nutrients from high quality protein to potassium, phosphorus, vitamin A and vitamin B12.”

In addition, milk is low in sodium and provides a lot of nutrition for its 80 to 120 calories per cup. Milk can also contribute to daily hydration needs – it is made up of about 90 percent water, which is essential to virtually every bodily function. As a bonus, milk is economical. Dr Bazilian adds, “It’s about 25 cents per cup, which is far less than the majority of new-agey ‘fortified sugar waters’ on the market today.”

8 Tips for incorporating more milk into your day

Dr Bazilian recommends eating a balanced, varied diet that includes fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, lean proteins, water, tea and milk. She says, “Foods and beverages should have ‘something to offer’ including great taste and be good for you, but also versatile. I also believe in a whole foods, wholesome and naturally nutritious diet”

Milk can fit nicely into your daily meals and partnered with other superfoods for a healthy and delicious diet that will deliver your daily recommendations for vitamins and minerals. Here are some of Dr Bazilian’s tips for drinking more milk:

1. Start your day with milk

Add milk to your morning cereal or oatmeal. Seems like the oldest tip around, but still a great, solid start to the day. You can also add milk to a smoothie to boost the creaminess and the nutrition.

2. Drink milk as a snack

Milk is perfect as an afternoon snack – a great balance of quality protein and carbohydrates, mildly sweet and lots of nutrition. Dr Bazilian says, “One cup mid-afternoon is not only easy and filling, but picks up your energy and helps get you to dinner without devouring the contents of a co-worker’s candy dish.”

3. Change your coffee habit

Have a café au lait or tea au lait instead of a latte. A café au lait is 1/2 coffee and 1/2 milk, giving you that coveted coffee taste and enjoyment, while reducing your caffeine content and increasing the beverage’s nutritional value with the additional milk.

4. Take the edge off your hunger

Before a party, have a glass of low-fat or fat-free milk. It’s fast and easy. It’s also filling and “takes the edge off” hunger, helping you make smarter choices on food and drink once you arrive. Dr Bazilian adds, “The bonus is the great nutrition, but the main perk is how it makes you feel and respond to the social ‘pressures’ of enjoying a party and maintaining your figure, too.”

5. Drink milk for dessert

Dr Bazilian recommends flavored milks for a sweet treat. “While we have to watch how much sugar goes in the diet overall, think about it – low-fat or fat-free chocolate or strawberry milk has the sweetness and appeal of a treat and still contains those essential vitamins and minerals that are lacking from processed baked goods, cookies, candy or other ‘usual’ treats,” she explains.

6. Milk is an excellent post-exercise beverage

Recent research suggests that the balance of nutrients in milk can help refuel the muscles after a workout as effectively as some commercial exercise beverages. And it tastes better, too!

7. Have milk before bed

A good bedtime routine can really help you fall asleep and stay asleep better. Poor sleep can impair your metabolism and may increase your risk of chronic diseases. Dr Bazilian adds, “I learned to drink a small cup of warm milk before bed as a child with my grandmother. It was a ritual, it was soothing, and the nutrients in milk may help you have a better night’s sleep.”

8. Before you drink it, lift it

Milk can give you strong bones and muscles! Dr Bazilian says, “A gallon of milk weighs eight pounds – not bad for a few biceps curls or overhead presses before pouring a glass to drink.” She jokes, “I know, I know. . .I always have to get a little exercise into the discussion about nutrition. . .but seriously, this is a good tip!”

So bottoms up to your health – drinking milk everyday will do your body good.

from www.sheknows.com

Consuming dairy products as part of your daily diet can help keep weight down, according to several studies. Findings in the Journal of Nutrition demonstrated that higher-protein, high-dairy diets shaved off belly fat and increased lean muscle.

“One hundred percent of the weight lost in the higher-protein, high-dairy group was fat. And the participants gained muscle mass, which is a major change in body composition,” says Andrea Josse, lead author of the study and a graduate student in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University.

In addition, a Harvard study, which suggests that the food quality is more important than its calorie count, found that eating specific high-quality foods was linked with less weight gain over time. Its data showed that the more daily servings people ate of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and yogurt, the less weight they gained. In fact, the research found that each extra daily serving of yogurt prevented 0.82 of a pound of weight gain.

The Nutrition and Metabolism journal reported a study in which participants who consumed three or more servings of dairy a day after weight loss were able to eat more calories without gaining weight than those who didn’t consume dairy.

Milk is nutritionally unique in that it is a great source of nine essential nutrients: calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins A, D and B12, riboflavin and niacin. It provides three of the five “nutrients of concern” that children do not get enough of: calcium, magnesium and potassium.

By combining a high intake of nutrient-rich dairy with regular physical activity, it won’t even feel like you’re trying to lose weight.

“However, as with any diet, you must be realistic. Results take time, so first commit to getting through January to establish a real routine,” says Alyssa Greenstein, a registered dietitian with the Dairy Council of Florida.

According to a National Health and Nutrition survey, 86 percent of women and 76 percent of men fail to meet the recommended dairy intake of three servings each day. That means the majority of Americans don’t have satisfactory levels of essential nutrients like potassium, zinc, calcium and folate. These levels plummet when dieters attempt to trim calories by purging dairy.

from NewsUSA

Can raw milk make grass grow? More specifically, can one application of three gallons of raw milk on an acre of land produce a large amount of grass?

The answer to both questions is yes.

Call it the Nebraska Plan or call it the raw milk strategy or call it downright amazing, but the fact is Nebraska dairyman David Wetzel is producing high-quality grass by applying raw milk to his fields and a Nebraska Extension agent has confirmed the dairyman’s accomplishments.

David Wetzel is not your ordinary dairyman, nor is Terry Gompert your ordinary Extension agent. Ten years ago Wetzel was winding up a five-year stint as the vice president of an Illinois steel company and felt the need to get out of the corporate rat race. At first he and his wife thought they would purchase a resort, but he then decided on a farm because he liked to work with his hands. The Wetzels bought a 320 acre farm in Page, Neb., in the northeast part of the state, and moved to the farm on New Year’s Day in 2000.

“We had to figure out what to do with the farm,” Wetzel said, “so we took a class from Terry Gompert.” They were advised to start a grass-based dairy and that’s what they did. “There’s no money in farming unless you’re huge,” Wetzel said, or unless the farmer develops specialty products, which is what they did.

In their business, the Wetzels used the fats in the milk and the skim milk was a waste product. “We had a lot of extra skim milk and we started dumping it on our fields,” Wetzel said. “At first we had a tank and drove it up and down the fields with the spout open. Later we borrowed a neighbor’s sprayer.”

Sometime in the winter of 2002 they had arranged to have some soil samples taken by a fertilizer company and on the day company employees arrived to do the sampling, it was 15 below zero. To their astonishment they discovered the probe went right into the soil in the fields where raw milk had been applied. In other fields the probe would not penetrate at all.

“I didn’t realize what we had,” Wetzel said. “I had an inkling something was going on and I thought it was probably the right thing to do.” For a number of years he continued to apply the milk the same way he had been doing, but in recent years he has had a local fertilizer company spray a mixture that includes liquid molasses and liquid fish, as well as raw milk. In addition he spreads 100 to 200 pounds of lime each year.

Gompert, the extension agent that suggested Wetzel start a grass-based dairy, had always been nearby – literally. The two are neighbors and talk frequently. It was in 2005 that Gompert, with the help of university soils specialist Charles Shapiro and weed specialist Stevan Kenzevic, conducted a test to determine the effectiveness of what Wetzel had been doing.

That the raw milk had a big impact on the pasture was never in doubt, according to Gompert. “You could see by both the color and the volume of the grass that there was a big increase in production.” In the test the raw milk was sprayed on at four different rates – 3, 5, 10 and 20 gallons per acre – on four separate tracts of land. At the 3-gallon rate 17 gallons of water were mixed with the milk, while the 20-gallon rate was straight milk. Surprisingly the test showed no difference between the 3-, 5-, 10- and 20-gallon rates.

The test began with the spraying of the milk in mid-May, with mid-April being a reasonable target date here in central Missouri. Forty-five days later the 16 plots were clipped and an extra 1200 pounds of grass on a dry matter basis were shown to have been grown on the treated versus non-treated land. That’s phenomenal, but possibly even more amazing is the fact the porosity of the soil – that is, the ability to absorb water and air – was found to have doubled.

So what’s going on? Gompert and Wetzel are both convinced what we have here is microbial action. “When raw milk is applied to land that has been abused, it feeds what is left of the microbes, plus it introduces microbes to the soil,” Wetzel explained, adding that “In my calculations it is much more profitable (to put milk on his pastures) than to sell to any co-op for the price they are paying.”

Wetzel’s Observations

Wetzel has been applying raw milk to his fields for 10 years, and during that time has made the following observations:

* Raw milk can be sprayed on the ground or the grass; either will work.

* Spraying milk on land causes grasshoppers to disappear. The theory is that insects do not bother healthy plants, which are defined by how much sugar is in the plants. Insects (including grasshoppers) do not have a pancreas so they cannot process sugar. Milk is a wonderful source of sugar and the grasshoppers cannot handle the sugar. They die or leave as fast as their little hoppers can take them.

* Theory why milk works. The air is 78% nitrogen. God did not put this in the air for us but rather the plants. Raw milk feeds microbes/bugs in the soil. What do microbes need for growth? Protein, sugar, water, heat. Raw milk has one of the most complete amino acid (protein) structures known in a food. Raw milk has one of the best sugar complexes known in a food, including the natural enzyme structure to utilize these sugars. For explosive microbe growth the microbes utilize vitamin B and enzymes. What do you give a cow when the cow’s rumen is not functioning on all cylinders (the microbes are not working)? Many will give a vitamin B shot (natural farmers will give a mouthful of raw milk yogurt). Vitamin B is a super duper microbe stimulant. There is not a food that is more potent in the complete vitamin B complex than raw milk (this complex is destroyed with pasteurization). Raw milk is one of the best sources for enzymes, which break down food into more usable forms for both plants and microbes. (Again, pasteurization destroys enzyme systems.)

* Sodium in the soil is reduced by half. I assume this reflects damage from chemicals is broken down/cleaned up by the microbes and or enzymes.

* If you choose to buy raw milk from a neighbor to spread on your land, consider offering the farmer double or triple what he is paid to sell to the local dairy plant. Reward the dairy farmer as this will start a conversation and stir the pot. The cost for the milk, even at double or triple the price of conventional marketing, is still a very cheap soil enhancer.

* Encourage all to use their imagination to grow the potential applications of raw milk in agriculture, horticulture and the like – even industrial uses – possibly waste water treatment.

Microbes

The purpose of this story is to convince farmers and livestock producers in this area to look into the possibility of using raw milk, compost tea, earthworm castings tea, liquid fish or sea minerals or some combination thereof to boost production at an affordable cost. It’s my experience that people in the Midwest are to a great extent unaware of the benefits of microbes. If the first part of this story has caught your attention and you intend to consider the use of raw milk or any of the other methods, you need to learn about microbes and the best way I have discovered is a book co-authored by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis, Teaming with Microbes.

In this story I cannot go into detail about microbes, the miniscule little critters that exist in abundance in good soil. There are four principal types of microbes – bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes. To get an example of their size, consider that there are a billion bacteria in one teaspoon of good soil. The role of microbes is to consume carbon, along with other minerals and nutrients, and these are stored in their cells until their ultimate release for use by plants. Microbes also store water, which make them drought-fighters as well.

I realize this is an inadequate description, but you need to read the book.

Brix

Brix is another concept that is not widely understood in the middle of the country. Brix is the measure of the sugar content of a plant (that’s an oversimplification but good enough for this article) and is measured by a device called a refractometer. If your grass has a brix of 1, that’s cause for nightmares. Our grass is routinely a 1. Clover and johnsongrass might on occasion measure 4 or 5 in the middle of the afternoon on a bright, sunny day. That’s deplorable for plants that should be double or triple that figure.

It’s not just our farm that has grass that’s not fit to feed livestock. I communicate frequently with three young cattlemen from this area – Jeremia Markway, Bruce Shanks and Chris Boeckmann – and they have the same problem. Last summer we were singing the blues over lunch and decided our refractometers must be broken. Someone came up with the idea of measuring sugar water. We tried it. Boom. The refractometer measured 26. Our equipment wasn’t broken, only our grass.

About three months ago Markway discovered a short article on what Wetzel and Gompert had been doing in Nebraska with raw milk. He emailed the article to me and that’s what got me to do this story. An interesting thing is what Markway discovered about the impact of raw milk on brix levels. He has a milk cow and took some of her milk, mixed with water and sprayed on his pastures with a small hand sprayer. Where he sprayed, the brix level of the grass was raised to a level of 10. That’s a great start and was good news to Wetzel and Gompert, who had not been measuring the brix levels of Wetzel’s grass.

Compost Tea

Raw milk is not the only thing that will improve soil. Compost tea is a liquid made by running compost through a “brewer,” a device somewhat akin to a fish tank, in that oxygen is added to the water containing the compost and this action flushes the microbes out of the compost into the water. The resulting liquid is a “tea” that can be sprayed on pastures and crops, to their great benefit.

Two men that make extensive use of compost tea are Mark Sturges and David Herringshaw. These two have never met and until recently had not even heard of each other.

Sturges lives in western Oregon near the coast and for 10 years has had a business spraying compost tea on vineyards, cranberry bogs, fruit and nut trees and pastures. Sturges adds malt extract, kelp and seas minerals to his tea, and if he is spraying pastures, he adds molasses to build the bacteria content.

Herringshaw lives in the near-desert southeast part of Oregon at an elevation of 4,100 feet. He uses compost tea on his own land and has the brix level of his pasture and hay ground up to 22. That’s tantamount to feeding corn. Herringshaw attributes the high brix to the compost tea and also sea minerals, which he applies at the same time. He uses nothing else.

I have seen the compost Sturges produces. It is so alive it literally moves. I have not seen the compost Herringshaw makes at the other end of the state. I can only imagine how good it might be. He fortifies it with raw milk.

Think for a second what Wetzel said about using your imagination to grow the applications for raw milk. Herringshaw has already used his imagination.

Earthworm Castings Tea

This tea is identical to compost tea except that worm poop is substituted for compost. Almost everyone thinks tea from earthworm castings is great stuff, and some even think this tea is superior to compost tea. Earthworm castings are known to suppress certain diseases of grass and some people think the use of castings might suppress harmful bacteria such as staph and E. coli.

There is a story going around that a university was having problems with athletes getting staph infections from burns sustained on grass practice fields and the university stopped applying chemicals to the grass and instead turned to worm castings and solved the problem. I spent two weeks trying to track down this story and at this point I don’t believe it is true. Maybe someone will prove me wrong.

I did, however, come across an interesting situation in St. Louis County, Mo., where the Parkway school district turned to earthworm castings in lieu of commercial fertilizer. The groundskeeper there is Matt Jenne, who prior to coming to St. Louis was a golf course superintendent in Florida. While working in Florida he noticed earthworms had built up their castings on the greens. They picked up the castings as part of cutting the grass, and then piled the grass-castings mixture and let it compost, after which they used it with great success on new grass and bare spots. To feed the life they had in the soil, they applied molasses once a month with their irrigation system.

When he got to St. Louis Jenne decided to go with worm castings on two football fields, applying between half a ton and a ton per field. The castings are applied dry and work best when the field has been aerated.

Jenne may have an explanation for the staph infection story. He says that artificial turf causes staph and the only way this can be controlled is to disinfect the artificial turf.

Here in Osage County earthworm castings are available at Eisterhold Brothers on U.S. 63 between Westphalia and Freeburg. Unfortunately they have decided to close their business when their current supply runs out.

Fish

Liquid fish or fish fertilizer is another product that has been successfully applied to pastures. Teddy Gentry, the founder of South Poll cattle, has been using a fish product for years and is pleased with the results. It seems especially beneficial in fighting the effects of a drought. Gentry mixes the fish with liquid calcium and is thinking about adding sea minerals to his mixture.

Sea Minerals

Sea minerals might be the best way to improve poor or depleted soils. We all know that a large deer in Iowa will weigh 100 pounds more than a large deer from that part of Missouri south of the Missouri River. Many people ascribe the difference to the mineral level of the soils. It’s difficult – if not impossible – to produce high-quality grass on soil that is no properly mineralized. It took Herringshaw years to get his grass to the 22 brix level and he is convinced he would not have gotten there without the seal minerals. Herringshaw prefers Redmond salt, while Sturges uses Sea-90. Sturges applies his sea minerals as a spray, along with compost tea. Herringshaw makes both dry and spray applications. He estimates he has broadcast approximately 85 pounds of Redmond salt per acre since he started using that product. This is in addition to what he has sprayed on. For both Sturges and Herringshaw a foliar application is one pound or less per acre.

Another individual that makes extensive use of sea minerals is Doug Gunnink of Gaylord, Minn. Gunnink produces high-brix grass for his grass-fed beef operation by the foliar application of liquid fish and sea minerals. He also tests his grass and adds those minerals that are in short supply in his pastures, whether boron, sulfur, copper or some other mineral.

Fish hydrolysate, Gunnink explained, is the entire fish ground up and then preserved with phosphoric or sulfuric acid. If the preservative is phosphoric acid, the phosphorus “bumps up the Brix,” he said, adding that “phosphorus gives grass power.” High-brix grass produces more organic matter, which in turn holds more water, Gunnink explained, stating that a 1% increase in organic matter will hold an additional 53,000 gallons of water per acre. “Organic matter is the sponge that holds water for dry spells.”

The organic matter also holds the nutrients that plants need.

Conventional Fertilizers

This story is not meant to be a war on conventional fertilizers. The late Dr. Maynard Murray, the pioneer that first advocated use of sea minerals, said there is a place for conventional N, P and K. We do, however, need to come up with better ways to use them. Bill Totemeier, a friend in southeast Iowa that is a commercial hay producer, uses ammonium sulfate rather than ammonium nitrate because the former is much more earthworm-friendly. He applies fertilizer two or three times per year in smaller amounts rather one large application in the spring. This reduces the shock to the microbes.

Houston-area rancher Tom McGrady spread ammonium sulfate on his ryegrass pasture in early March. In his area ammonium nitrate is no longer available. That may be a good thing.

For Row Crop Farmers

Row crop farmers can also benefit greatly from some of these practices. Lowenfels, who co-authored the book on microbes, urges anyone who uses herbicides or insecticides to soon thereafter apply compost tea to increase the microbe population that was probably greatly reduced by the chemical spray. Fish would also work in this situation.

For the busy grain guy, there are companies that make products ready to go into the sprayer. One such firm is AgriEnergy Resources. Mike Wyatt, an independent consultant that works with AgriEnergy, has helped me gain some insight into world of microbes.

Hunters

If you want bigger deer like you read about in Iowa and Illinois, the methods set out in this article should be used on your hunting land, especially the food plots. Animals are clearly attracted to plants that have been treated with sea salt. And they also choose high-brix plants over those with low brix levels.

My Experience

I know Terry Gompert personally. He’s the real deal. In 2007 he organized a high-stock-density grazing seminar in as remote an area of northeast Nebraska as you can find and attracted over 200 people. Included among that crew were Jeremia Markway and me. Based on my knowledge of and respect for Gompert and the results Markway experiences just down the road from us, why wouldn’t I be willing to try this? To me it’s a no-brainer. I’ve made arrangements to buy milk from Alfred Brandt, who lives just south of Linn, and Chamois MFA has agreed to spray 50 or 100 acres in mid-April. A 1,000 gallon tank containing 150 gallons of raw milk and 850 gallons of water will provide the perfect ratio of three gallons of milk and 17 gallons of water, which applied at the rate of 20 gallons per acre will cover 50 acres. I hope to get over at least 100 acres. Whether we include something with the milk – such as fish, molasses or earthworm casting tea – is a decision we haven’t made at this time.

We are also going to broadcast one ton of sea salt at a rate of 20 pounds per acre.

Conclusion

For years I’ve been a dung beetle fanatic, thinking that I needed dung beetles to build my soil. I’ve probably been wrong in this regard. I now think I need to build my soil and the dung beetles will come. Dr. James Nardi, in his classic work Life in the Soil, describes dung beetles as picky eaters. That may seem strange, but my experience convinces me his assessment is totally accurate. I hope – and I do believe this will happen – dung beetles will choose to come to our farm because we have upgraded the food supply.

This article originally appeared in the Unterrified Democrat.

Often as the delivery date approaches a few of us will start sleeping in the building near the cow pens and performing regular checks throughout the night, as the calves are often born in the middle of the night. When Kamadhenu recently gave birth to Nandi, the night shifts went on for almost two weeks. In Prema’s case, we had not even started them. We began noticing her showing signs of early labor when we were milking the other cows in the evening, and a couple hours later her water broke. Even after that she showed very mild signs of calving, but around 9pm, out came Tilak.

Tilak, like his mother, has a distinct white marking on his forehead, from which he got his name. In India, people wear tilak, a forehead marking made from clay or ash, to signify the specific spiritual tradition to which they belong.

Aside from being adorable, Tilak was quite wise right out of the womb. He was up and standing and walking steadily within fifteen minutes, skills that often take around forty minutes. Additionally, he somehow knew exactly where to go for milk, whereas often calves will bump their noses anywhere and everywhere before finding the real source.

Tilak’s birth also marks another occasion, the beginning of our second season of cheesemaking. Since last year we have invested lots of time and energy (and a fair bit of money) in preparation for this time. We hope to really be able to put out some top-notch cheeses that will compete with the pros in both flavor and appearance. Soon we will post an update demonstrating the cheesemaking process and tell you about our new cream separator as well.

Another successful birth and exciting prospects on the horizon here at Audarya.

When Nandi is weaned, he will be flying to Central America to become the herd bull for Madhuvan, our monastery in Costa Rica. With nearly 150 acres to run around on, year-round summer weather, and bushels of mangoes and other tropical fruit, Madhuvan is cow paradise.

Madhuvan recently completed construction of a new barn with a small methane tank that converts cow manure to methane gas, which will be used for cooking. Madhuvan is already self-sufficient in terms of power (solar and microhydro), water, and food, so the addition of methane for cooking takes Madhuvan a big step forward in terms of self-sufficiency.

We are eagerly awaiting the birth of Prema’s calf in the next two weeks.

The culinary possibilities with fromage blanc are truly endless: you can use it as a sweet or savory spread or dip with fruit, spices, herbs, or extracts. You can even make cheesecake with it! We plan to play with a wide variety of interesting and delicious flavors using many ingredients from our own land.

Here is a quick, attractive, and tasty idea for a snack or hors d’oeuvre using plain fromage blanc. You will need:

1 fromage blanc
1 T honey (lavender honey is great for this)
3 T pistachios, chopped
Crackers or crostini

1. Toast the pistachios in a 350 oven or in a sauté pan over a low flame, stirring often.

2. Arrange the fromage blanc on a nice serving plate.

3. Place the honey inside the corner of a plastic sandwich bag and use scissors to snip off a very small piece of the corner, forming a small opening for the honey to flow through. Use the bag like a pastry bag and slowly pipe the honey on the plate and cheese in a zig-zag pattern or other attractive style. Sprinkle the plate and cheese with the pistachios.

Serve with crackers or crostini.