If you’ve tried Maple Hill dairy products– like our 100% grass-fed butter, 100% grass-fed milk, or 100% grass-fed yogurt, there’s a good chance you have seen for yourself that what a cow eats really does make a difference in the milk they produce. When it comes to making a creamier, premium, nutrient-dense dairy, a grass-fed diet is just better.
But the benefits of an entirely grass-fed diet don’t stop at the milk– a grass-fed diet is also better for farmland and its ecosystems. The reason is actually pretty simple: cows roam the pasture and eat grass all day, and as they graze, they naturally aerate and fertilize the soil. Well-aerated and fertilized soil grows abundant, healthy grass, which means there’s more nutritious, organic feed for cows. This is a powerful cycle that helps us create dairy that stands apart in nutrition, taste, animal welfare, and environmental good. But what does all this have to do with regenerative farming?
Regenerative farming is a practice that’s guided by common sense and a deep respect for our environment. It's about getting back to basics, reconnecting with the land, and doing what's right for our farms, our animals, and our planet.
Our cows roam freely on pastures and they’re tended to as part of a broader regenerative farming philosophy. At Maple Hill, we’re not just farmers; we're stewards of the land, working in harmony with nature to make the best milk possible. We're embracing practices like rotational grazing and cover cropping because they make sense– they improve soil health, promote biodiversity, and ensure that our farms can thrive for generations to come. This is why 100% grass-fed is bigger than simply being organic– it requires more rigor and more love.
It’s worth the effort, because we can taste the difference in the milk our cows produce. When cows nourish the soil, soil nourishes the grass, grass nourishes the cow, and so on. The result is healthier cows eating healthy grass and creating more nutrient-dense milk.
There are six key principles that guide regenerative farming. They require a sincere commitment from every farm, because in an age where industrial farming may be the norm, using intuitive, practical, grounded practices make a real difference on the field, the farm, and your table.
Holistic grazing management. We rotate our animals through pastures, letting the land rest and recover naturally. It's a simple idea that promotes healthier soil, more diverse grasses, and happier animals. This is also called managed grazing, which means that the farmer plans, times, and moves their cows through many paddocks to where grass is the lushest and most optimal for milk production. The cows have lots of room to wander around, looking for the best plants to munch on, and they always have a fluffy grass meadow bed to lay down on to chew their cud at midday, or to sleep on at night. Because they don’t stay long enough to eat the grass down to the dirt, the manure is always gone before they are back to that paddock. The grass farmer is acutely aware of the condition of his land and cows, and works in a holistic manner to keep both healthy.
Soil health improvement. We're all about working with nature, not against it. So, we focus on things like minimal tillage, cover cropping, and composting to build up our soil's natural fertility and resilience.
Enhancing biodiversity. By preserving natural habitats and creating wildlife-friendly spaces, we're not just farming; we're nurturing entire ecosystems, where every plant and creature has a place.
Carbon sequestration. It might sound technical, but it's really just about capturing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil where it belongs. Practices like no-till farming and planting trees help us do just that. Keeping the carbon in the ground improves the health of the plant life on the pasture, which means the grass that grows is abundant and healthy.
Water conservation and management. Our farmers are mindful of every drop, and use cover crops help the soil hold moisture, and
Animal welfare is at the heart of everything we do. Our animals are part of the farm family, and we treat them with care and respect, giving them space to roam, access to clean water and shelter, and ensuring their well-being at every step. Animals are critical to regenerative farming– they bring huge benefits to the soil, like breaking down organic matter and improving soil structure. Their natural behaviors enhance nature to improve soil life. After all, happy, healthy animals make for better milk and a better world.
These principles are the foundation of a more sustainable way of farming. And while we might not have all the answers, we're committed to learning and improving every day, because that's what it means to be a regenerative farmer and that is what we’ve been doing since 2009, when Maple Hill pioneered the 100% grass fed dairy category.
At its core, regenerative dairy farming is really just about doing what's right. It's about taking nature’s lead and leaving the world a little better than we found it. And that's something we can all get behind.
At Maple Hill, we’ve been committed to regenerative practices since 2009 because we know the highest quality dairy begins with the health of soil, grass, and cows. We believe that 100% grass-fed organic dairy farming done right is the pinnacle of organic, nourishes families with the best nutrition, and leaves the earth better than we found it. We are proud to be selected as a USDA Climate Smart Partner — supporting the production of climate smart commodities throughout the United States.
Our 100% Grass-fed Organic dairy products include: 100% grass-fed whole milk, 100% grass-fed 2% reduced fat milk, 100% grass-fed butter (salted and unsalted), 100% grass-fed kefir (plain, vanilla, and strawberry), 100% grass-fed greek yogurt (plain and vanilla bean), and 100% grass-fed cream-on-top yogurt (plain and vanilla).
