Page 76 - Food&Drink Nov-Dec 2020

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Beneath the Southern Alps on New Zealand’s windswept rugged South Island, graze free-range, grass-fed cows. Their milk is turned into Westgold’s dairy products.
The grass-fed difference
WHILE grazing on grass is a cow’s natural state, in global dairy production it is a minority practice. Westgold sources cream and milk from dairy farms that operate on a pastoral – or grass fed – basis. That means is the cows live and graze, free-range, all year round, with access to pastures 365 days of the year.
Westgold defines grass-fed forage as: grasses and other pasture species, i.e. pasture monocots and broadleaf species, including clover, Lucerne and plantain; fodder and cereal crops, i.e. swedes, rape, kale, turnips, fodder beet and similar species; and other vegetative species that stock may eat while grazing.
Grass-fed forage does not include grains, i.e. wheat, oats, barley, maize, rye and their derivatives, straw, silage and bailage made from these cereal crops.
Dairy products from free- range cows has been shown to be more nutritious that those from cows that don’t graze and/or have a higher proportion of cereal and grains in their diet. The four-part stomach of cows, especially the rumen, is designed for coarse fodder such as grass.
Grass-fed cows have a higher proportion of the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in their milk, which has beneficial effects in human health. CLA reduces body fat, lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases and
cancer, modulates immune and inflammatory
responses and improves bone mass.
Compared to milk from grain-fed cows, milk from grass-fed cows also has:
• a balanced ratio of
omega-3 fats, important
for general health;
• a greater concentration of
vitamin E, and antioxidant protecting cells from damage4 and vitamin A6;
• higher proportion of CLA; and
• beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A (retinol) – an essential antioxidant with skin, immunity, and vision benefits, as well as protection against the free-radical molecules that damage cells through oxidisation.
The rich golden colour, particularly noticeable in Westgold’s churned butter is a result of the beta-carotene in the grass which is stored in the
cows’ fat and carried into the milk. Because cow milk is mostly water, the yellow colour of the beta-carotene is carried with the cream which produces the butter, leaving a rich and golden, pure butter.
The grass-fed system is also a more environmentally friendly way of farming. Generally grass-fed systems are very efficient in their use of resources as the feed is grown on farm, minimising the need for purchased feedstuffs and, thereby, the resources used in their production (such as area, energy and machinery).
Grass-fed cows also produce less methane than cows fed a mixed ration diet made up of maize and grass silage, molasses and straw.
Grazing outdoors allows cows to express their normal behaviours, promotes social contact and allows herd hierarchy to occur. Positive animal welfare conditions have been found in cows grazing outdoors.
Free-range, grass-fed cows are healthier and happier, resulting in a high quality milk with environmental benefits. ✷
“ Grass-fed systems are efficient in their use of resources as the feed is grown on farm, minimising the need for purchased feedstuffs and the resources used in their production.”
76 | Food&Drink business | November-December 2020 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au