Making the Transition

Lifelong farmers Roy and Theresa Perish and their five children raise livestock on their 280-acre dairy farm in Long Prairie, Minnesota. However, it was not until a dry summer left their grass too short to make hay in 1988 that they transitioned to rotationally grazing their cattle. That summer, Roy decided to try something new and “open the gate [of the pasture] and [that] started my education.”

A self-described renegade, Roy said his conventional neighbors laughed at him for two seasons after he switched his cows to rotational grazing. Ten years later, he still rotationally grazes his dairy cattle and, by doing so, maintains an ecologically sound farm that is completely on pasture. The Perish’s main goal is simply to sustain the family farm. They raise cattle, chickens, and pigs.

Breeding a Better Cow

Roy milks a herd of 50 dairy cows and maintains a breeding stock of 20. He keeps a mix of breeds on his pasture including:

• Brown Swiss
• Jersey
• Galloway
• Holstein
• Ayeshire

Roy decided to experiment with alternative breeds of dairy cows when he realized that his cows looked identical to all of his neighbors’ cows. In breeding cows, he looks for increased winter hardiness, better-feed efficiency, stock longevity, and a light weight to decrease the wear on the pasture. The cattle are outside year round with a “loafing barn” for shelter on severe winter days. Since the cows spend so much time on pasture, they act as their own manure spreaders. Roy’s manure management is minimal, unlike many conventional farmers who spread year round; he spreads only in the spring.

Improved Herd Health

The cows primarily graze on pasture, with a grain supplement of barley, oats, and corn, which the Perish’s try to buy from their closest neighbor. They supplement the cattle feed with minerals and kelp from an organic mix. The Perish’s herd health improved dramatically when they began sustainable farming practices and the veterinarian comes once a year for an annual check-up. They used to call the vet so often that, after their sustainable switch, the vet stopped by to see if they had changed veterinarians. As Roy observes, “with healthy animals we did not have to call the vet as often.” The Perish’s provide grass-fed milk and cheese to the Whole Farm Cooperative nearby from their cattle.

Theresa and the children are the primary caretakers of the chicken flock. Similar to the dairy herd, theParish’s experiment with a mixture of poultry breeds including:

• Buff Orphintons
• Barrocks
• Bufflace Polish
• Rhode Island Red
• Leghorn
• Silver Lace

All are dual-purpose breeds, good for egg laying and butchering for meat. The chickens are free-range from “thaw to freeze” and kept indoors only in the winter. In addition to grazing, the Perishes feed their chickens a supplement of oats, corn and barley. The chickens are raised without antibiotics.

A Special Ingredient

Roy believes that pork produced from the Perish farm is extra tender because of one special ingredient – milk. In addition to a typical mixture of oats, corn and barley, Roy feeds his pigs milk from cows for extra protein. Like other animals on the farm, the hogs typically require no medical care and the Perish’s raise them without antibiotics.

Roy and Theresa are proud of their natural approach to farming and the benefits they have gained from using sustainable farming practices. It appears the neighbors aren’t the only ones smiling now.