One of the first things people notice on our farms is how rich the soil looks and how lush the pastures are. The streams run free with clear water. It’s not by chance.
The difference between traditional and organic farming is not what is added but what is left out. Organic farming is more environmentally friendly. It enhances the health of the air, water, soils and animals through natural, sustainable farming practices that do not use pesticides, chemicals or conventional methods to fertilise the ground. Instead it uses natural practices that help sustainability, soil and water conservation and is safer for our farmers. And it produces naturally healthy cows.
Our Grass Fed Standard
What we feed our cows is the reason our AwaRua Organic milk powders are so creamy and delicious. It’s all about well-fed cows.
Our AwaRua Grass Fed Standard, which promotes pasture grazing that allows cows to forage for their own food, is applied to all our organic farms. That means only milk provided by these AwaRua organic farmers is manufactured into our AwaRua products.
AwaRua organic dairy farms are predominantly pasture-based so our cows, thanks to our southern temperate climate producing good grass growth most of the year, are 365 days grass-fed. They enjoy a diet made up of a minimum of 85% grass, grass silage, hay and forage crops.
When winter chills or hot, dry days slow grass growth, we use pasture management and supplement feeding, generally with organic certified Fodder Beets that are often grown on the same farm, to ensure our dairy cows remain healthy and are well cared for.
During their lifetime our AwaRua dairy cows will source most of their food directly from pastures. However, when they are young calves and up the first year of their lives, we help them grow big and strong by adding extra nutrition to their diet.
Our Cows
If you were to follow one of our AwaRua Organic dairy farmers as they brought their herd in for milking you would immediately notice the care and affection taken by that farmer towards his cows and in return you’d see the relaxed, gentle nature of his cows. They may look similar to cows on a nearby farm, but look closer and you will see bright eyes, shiny surface hair, and good overall condition. Our cows are our livelihood but they are also part of our farm family, they have their own personalities, and we treat them with respect.
