At Maple Hill, we know the best milk comes from cows who are fed the best food. That’s why every cow in our milk shed is fed a 100% grass diet– never grain or corn or other filler. But that’s not the only benefit to feeding cows what nature intended; 100% grass-fed organic dairy farming is part of a regenerative agricultural practice that prioritizes the health and well-being of cows, communities, and the environment all at once. Learn more about how this unique way of producing dairy works at Maple Hill.
What is 100% Grass-Fed Organic Dairy Farming?
How Maple Hill Farms Become Certified Organic
Get to Know 100% Grass-Fed Organic Cows
What is 100% Grass-Fed Organic Dairy Farming?
100% Grass-Fed Organic Dairy Farming is a way of making dairy where cows graze exclusively on grass, producing milk without the use of artificial additives or hormones. This method benefits the cows' health, the environment, and provides consumers with a higher-quality, nutrient-rich product.
In the U.S., the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides strict guidelines for any product that is labeled “organic.” We take things further at Maple Hill, by also ensuring that our dairy cows are 100% grass-fed on open pastures.
All Maple Hill Farms share a few important differences from a conventional dairy:
Cows are never treated with synthetic hormones (always GMO free).
The dairy cows have access to grazing pastures for the entire growing season.
Pastures never use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
Antibiotics are limited to treating very specific conditions, and only with vet supervision.
Cows never eat feed that comes from genetically engineered (GE) plants.
After the growing season, cows continue to eat a diet of 100% dried grass, called baleage.
There is a unique relationship between cows and the land that they graze on. Grass naturally absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and dairy cows who graze aerate and replenish the soil to make healthier grass — this circular process is called carbon cycling. A 100% grass-fed diet promotes the wellbeing of both the environment and the dairy cows who live longer, healthier lives.
How Maple Hill Farms Become Certified Organic
Compared to the 20,000+ dairy farms in the U.S., there are only a few hundred farms that are 100% grass-fed and organic. At Maple Hill, we have about 135 small family farms with an average of 50 cows on each farm. While most of our farms are still located in New York where we originated, we expanded our operations to Pennsylvania in 2024, and we’re glad to see more and more farms are seeing the positive impact and possibility of 100% grass-fed organic dairy farming.
Our community of farmers are dedicated to raising healthy and happy cows in an environmentally sound way. Every year, farmers recertify for USDA Organic compliance with an on-site inspector who takes a look at the facilities, land, and animals. Certification also takes time — the pastures where cows graze need to be free from synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and GMOs for three years before they can be labeled “Organic.”
Becoming a 100% grass-fed organic network of dairies requires taking additional steps that encourage regenerative practices, like:
Fully Grass-Fed Dairy: Eliminating grains and corn in addition to providing dried grass during non-growing seasons meant that the cows have a natural and nutritious diet with increased immunity from the wide variety of grass they forage.
Eliminating Artificial Inputs: Our farmers don’t use any artificial hormones, antibiotics, and synthetic fertilizers.
Improving Soil Health: Rotating pastures and moving cows avoids overgrazing and soil compaction — it also means that more plants have time to regrow to keep up pasture health.
With practices like pasture rotation, avoiding artificial inputs, and ensuring USDA Organic certification, we're rapidly expanding our network of 100% grass-fed, organic New York State dairy farms. Many of these farms have recently transitioned from conventional practices to sustainable, organic methods with our assistance. This growth enables us to produce more delicious, wholesome dairy products while prioritizing the well-being of cows, farmers, and the environment.
Get to Know 100% Grass-Fed Organic Cows
Our 100% grass-fed organic cows are truly unique. In conventional dairy farming, a single dairy can house anywhere from 1,000 to even 15,000+ cows at the largest U.S. dairies. These cows are kept in confined conditions and may not have access to pastures, and don’t roam and graze freely.
With around fifty cows at each of our family farms, many of our farmers are on a first-name basis with each of their animals. They are able to roam freely and graze on certified-organic fields that are never treated with chemical pesticides.
There are other key differences that set Maple Hill dairy cows apart:
They tend to live more than 3x longer than the average dairy cow.
The 100% grass-fed milk they produce is higher in omega-3s and healthy fats.
They are never given artificial growth hormones.
Maple Hill 100% grass-fed organic dairy cows include different breeds of Jersey cows, Jersey crosses, and a few smaller Holsteins. They spend the bulk of their day out in the pasture when the grasses are growing, eating and foraging clover, rye, different kinds of legumes, and bunchgrass. When the growing season ends, they spend time in the warm barn with dried grass as their primary source of food.
Historically, cows were exclusively grazers. As the dairy industry expanded, so did the scale of herds. To meet the increased demand for milk, grain was introduced to boost production and supplement their diet.
Filler ingredients like corn and grain are commonly fed to dairy cows for one reason: cost. Grain-based diets are cheaper and easier to manage compared to pasture-based systems. While some dairy farmers believe that grain can increase milk production, it often comes at the expense of the cows' overall health and the quality of the milk they produce.
Grass-fed organic dairy farming is both a practical approach and a philosophy that offers so much to our dairy cows, our land, our farmers, and our customers. You can taste the difference for yourself in our 100% grass-fed dairy products.
Read more about 100% grass-fed organic dairy farming:
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