Organic milk from pasture-fed cows is believed to be full of nutrients. A study recently published from Newcastle University in the UK suggest that cows that graz on fresh pasture produce milk with higher levels of antioxidants and beneficial fatty acids, such as omega-3’s.
“Grazing dairy cows on grass or grass and clover swards produces milk with a healthier fatty acid profile and higher levels of fat soluble vitamins and antioxidants,” notes Gillian Butler, livestock project manager for the Nafferton Ecological Farming Group at Newcastle University, who led the study.
This study points to the diet of organic cows — fresh grass and clover — as the major reason for these nutritional benefits.
“This study joins a growing body of science indicating strong links between what we feed our farm animals and the nutritional quality of what they feed us. Not only are you what you eat, but you are what what you eat eats too,” says Michael Pollan, author of the best sellers The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food.
The Cornucopia Institute released this study. The farm and food policy research group based in Cornucopia, Wisconsin, says consumers can be confident that “the vast majority of brand name organic milk comes from cows that were given the opportunity to graze on fresh pasture whenever possible.”