# How many acres for one grassfed dairy cow?



## Betho (Dec 27, 2006)

Caveat #1 - the dairy cow in question won't be a high production cow, but more likely to be one of the dairy crosses. We have no need or desire for 8 gallons per day! lol

Caveat #2 - We will be raising beef cattle but not in the same location, they will be located with the main beef herd at my parents place which is "next door." So there's not really any risk of needing to accommodate more than one cow on the pasture (except a calf) in the future.

We're just trying to make some tentative plans for the layout of our property. We won't be doing much for a few years, but have been working on solidifying our plans a bit. We have tons of acres, but a lot of it is lightly wooded and will need to be cleared and planted for pasture before we can have a grassfed dairy cow. 

Our soil is quite rich and we'll plant the pasture to suit. Winters are snowy here so we'll probably feed hay in the winter.

So, having said all that, how many acres should we think about clearing to support one grassfed cow?


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## buttonwillow (Jul 31, 2010)

Perhaps you should think about acreage for two grass-fed cows? Herd animals need company.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

Missouri you need 4 acres per cow....


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

it also depends on where you feel like letting your cow roam! We allowed our petite jersey/guernsey cow to wander and graze at will, including our front yard, flower gardens, the woods, etc. We fenced the property in around the perimeters and ran a gate across the drive - everything inside was cow territory. Yes, she was an 'only' cow but she hung out with us humans, following on hikes, mooing in the windows, watching through the front door, etc. We loved it. She did a pretty good job of mowing, too, but was 'spotty' on the fertilization.


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## Betho (Dec 27, 2006)

buttonwillow said:


> Perhaps you should think about acreage for two grass-fed cows? Herd animals need company.


That's a very important observation, though I don't think I want a second cow. I'd probably get a different herd animal, two cows' worth of milk is just too much and I am not even going to consider selling 

Myersfarm - thank you! I wonder if WA has any specific guidelines... will hafta check on that.

Cathleen - good point also! We won't have everything available to the livestock, we're learning that lesson here in the rental house with my laying hens. The deck is permanently poop-stained, so when we build we'll have a separate fenced area for the house/small yard within a larger fenced area for the livestock, but I definitely don't mind if the animals mingle. Haven't yet decided on what we'll have beyond a milk cow and my chickens though.


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

Let the cow keep her calf and grow the calf out for meat. You'd only ever have 3 animals, max, if you butchered the calves at 2 yrs.


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## FarmerRob (May 25, 2009)

"Caveat #1 - the dairy cow in question won't be a high production cow, but more likely to be one of the dairy crosses. We have no need or desire for 8 gallons per day! lol"

I agree with going grass fed. However, that will yield lower volume than grain supplemented. 

If you have or will have any pigs they are a good place to put any extra milk after you have all you want to drink or make cheese or butter with etc. They will also love the whey if you are making any cheeses.

Likewise, if you have layers producing more eggs than you can eat or sell, the pigs will thank you for them.

If you feed milk, whey and eggs to a heritage breed of piggies you will enjoy some rich creamy tasting "other red meat." Think Berkshire, American Mulefoot, Red Wattle, Tamworth, Large Black, GOS, etc.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Your question on acreage all depends on your specific location. Your neighbor may have a higher/lower stocking rate than you do. Provided you have quality grass with little to know timber I'd guess 3-5 acres on an average year. If you're able to strip graze or break your pasture up into several small areas you can get more out of it provided you have adequate rainfall.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

It really does depend on your land. I have areas up here on my hill that I can put 2 cows per acre and they get plenty. Then 300 yards away there is pasture that won't support 1. I don't have very cold or long winters here either so that helps a lot.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I've got 2 acres of really good irrigated pasture and it will support 2 cows for half of the year, as long as the pasture is well cared for. The other half of the year, they need hay.

You don't need 2 dairy cows. You can put a nice natured beef cow in with your dairy cow to keep her company.

At one time, I had 40 acres of irrigated pasture that wasn't nearly as good and I kept 4 pairs and 6 horses on it and they needed hay for half the year and kept the grass clipped pretty short during growing season. The 2 pastures about 5 miles apart.


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## guineatech (Apr 20, 2011)

NOte: this info is coming from my husband who used to be a herd manager at the Virginia Tech dairy farm. I don't have a milk cow  so this is his experience talking.

For the Virginia mountains area (temperate climate, good rainfall, growing season May-Oct), 3 aces minimum of established pasture. This is for the single cow only, no calf at her side. 

Young pasture (recently cleared) will be more vulnerable to hoof damage, as will pasture in a damp climate (isn't your area fairly wet?). Strongly recommended to split the pasture and rotate your grazing, going through with a drag or something to bust up manure clumps in the resting pasture.

So much depends on your soil quality, micro-climate, and the geology of the area (drainage, erosion, soil depth).


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## Creamers (Aug 3, 2010)

I think 2-5, depending on location


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