Transitioning to Spring on a Micro-Dairy Farm, Part 1

Reader Contribution by Steve Judge
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Finally the winter weather has begun to moderate at our Micro-Dairy in Royalton, Vermont. I can finally start to think about the arrival of spring. Operating a Micro-Dairy is so simple and easy that very few changes are required when the seasons change. It is really simply a matter of letting the cows spend more time outside, which can make cleaning the barn easier.

Tread Lightly in Mud Season

Spring in Vermont means mud season. And it is not just muddy roads but muddy pastures as well. When the snow leaves I’ll let my cows stay in the barnyard until the ground starts to firm up and the grass begins to green up. Most of my pastures face south and have sandy soils so they dry up relatively quickly. But I am careful not to let my cows on them too quickly, avoiding a punch-up of the sod. But on the other hand I don’t want to wait until the grass is lush. I want my cows and their systems to get used to green grass gradually so they don’t get sick or have really loose manure. This spring I will put them on my largest pasture just when there is a hint of green from the new grass so they can slowly adjust. That is really important for the health of my cows. As the grass begins to grow in I will rotate them through all my pastures fairly quickly. When the grass is lush then I will reduce the amount of pasture I give them each day as we get into the summer grazing season.

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