WHAT MAKES THE HAPPY ORGANIC COWS AT ORGANIC VALLEY FARMS DIFFERENT?

You have probably heard that Organic Valley organic milk comes from the healthiest, happiest cows. So you might be curious what exactly a happy cow looks like. How can we know how a cow is feeling? Do cows smile? And what does that have to do with the quality of their milk? Let’s explore this together with Organic Valley!

How can you tell if a cow is happy?

Farmers on Organic Valley’s organic farms always do their very best to keep the animals as happy as possible. We define happiness through objective, observable facts that show a positive state in the animal. Let’s take a closer look.

According to Dr. Meggan Hain, veterinarian and animal care expert at Organic Valley, we use the “Five Freedoms” as a way to understand how animals feel. These include: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from pain and disease, freedom from discomfort, freedom from distress, and last but not least, freedom to express natural behaviors. If any animal is missing one of these freedoms, action is taken to correct the situation.

Another way to understand how animals feel is to observe them for signs of stress. Spikes in stress hormones are a sign that an animal is not happy. There are also behaviors that show stress, such as loud vocalizing, increased heart rate, limping, hens pecking each other, pigs biting, or calves sucking on objects. If any of these behaviors are observed by Organic Valley staff, immediate action is taken to address the underlying problem and return the animal to a positive state.

How does Organic Valley keep cows happy?

According to Dr. Hain, Organic Valley’s organic dairies are among the few places that truly pay attention to animals’ freedom to express natural behaviors. In fact, this freedom is built right into organic standards. Not only do we always protect the “Five Freedoms” for animals, what really sets our farms apart is the focus on natural behavior. For animals, this means lots of time outdoors to roam, graze, forage, scratch, leap, and do all the instinctive things animals love – and were born – to do. Because we believe an animal is happiest when it can live according to its natural instincts.

On average, Organic Valley’s cows spend more than 50% more time outdoors on pasture than required by USDA organic standards. And with large farm areas, Organic Valley’s organic cows have much more room to wander and move than conventional cows. We believe cows should live the natural way – grazing outside on fresh organic pasture. That means they spend more of their lives breathing fresh air and roaming wide-open fields, eating a natural organic grass-based diet. Ask our farmers what makes an organic cow truly happy and they will likely tell you exactly that. In fact, if you visit one of our farms in spring when the cows are first turned out to pasture, you’ll literally see them jumping for joy.

Spending more time on pasture is also better for the cows’ health. According to Logan Peterman, agricultural data scientist at Organic Valley: “Pasture is the king of nutrition. It strengthens the cows’ immune systems, so we don’t need to rely on antibiotics. All of this leads to healthier animals and higher-quality milk.”

Now, if you still wonder whether cows are truly happier when they are outside, consider this: A cow takes more steps in a day than the average human. So if you felt stir-crazy staying at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, imagine how unhappy cows must feel when they are confined indoors for most of their lives.

In addition, a recent study by the University of British Columbia looked at how strongly cows are motivated to go out to pasture and graze. The result: Cows are highly motivated to go outside and wander in the wide organic pastures that Organic Valley provides.