Cattle
The cattle at DD Ranch spend their lives grazing and eating grasses such as Alfalfa. An important part of the process that is regenerative pasture management is pasture rotation. This process of pasture rotation allows the grasses to regenerate and not become overgrazed. When a pasture is overgrazed or grazed too early (meaning the grasses aren't given enough time to grow - both above the ground and the root systems below the ground), it takes significantly more time, energy, and resources to get the pasture back to a healthy level. Also, when pastures are overgrazed, invasive species and fast growing weeds are able to flourish and pull water and nutrients from the grasses that are both natural to the region and ideal for the cattle’s diet.
Overgrazed pastures lead to poor soil quality, which in turn leads to less grass, and the cycle continues. When you allow grasses to grow to the proper level and manage the time the cattle spend feeding on a given area by moving them from pasture to pasture, you allow the root systems and soil to become more robust. More robust soil leads to better grass growth, and so on. As the cattle stomp around while they graze, they aerate the ground, introduce new nutrients into the soil with their droppings, and also kill weeds. It is the same natural process that bison followed hundreds of years ago when millions of bison would graze on swathes of land, stomp around, and then move to the next fresh pasture.
Pasture grazed cattle also lead to healthier, happier cattle and better quality meat. Grass fed and finished beef contains 2-5 times more omega-3 fatty acids compared to grain fed feedlot beef. Grass fed beef also contains more antioxidants compared to grain fed beef.
A few other interesting facts:
Cows don’t have top front teeth. They actually use their tongues to pull the grass and rip it. This makes a strong root system that will stay in the ground even more important!
The root system of grass is typically the same depth as the height of the grass above ground so taller grass means longer, stronger roots.
Grass fed and grass finished means that during their entire lives, the cattle are eating grasses. Some farms will finish their cattle on a grain diet a few months before they are processed which promotes fast weight gain. Most feedlot/ factory farming operations feed their cattle grain only.
Linda does not lease public lands for cattle grazing. Part of her reasoning behind that is because she really can’t manage or control the grazing levels of those lands compared to her private land.
