208
-Foragihg Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 21,2001
Calves and heifers have access to pasture from a very young
age. Milking cows have access to pasture from mid-April through
October.
Seeleys’ Milky Way Farm
(Continued from Page 3)
They milk between 40 and 85
cows year-round, but have begun to
selectively breed to have the largest
number of milkers in the spring,
summer, and fall.
Their pursuit of a fine-tuned
grazing operation has also led them
on a quest to find a better cow.
“We have crossbred seven breeds
into the herd now,” said Seeley.
The mixture includes Holstein,
Jersey, Dutch Belted, Milking
Shorthorn, Brown Swiss, Ayrshire,
and Lineback bloodlines. They
started cross-breeding their Holstein
herd about nine years ago.
“We’re trying to breed a tougher
animal for the northern climate that
needs less maintenance,” he said.
In retrospect, Seeley says he
would have modified his breeding
strategy by using bulls two years in
stead of one.
“We could have extended out the
breeding for 14 years, because now
we’ve almost gone through all the
breeds, so we’re ready to come back
around.”
In the next few years, they might
cross in some European breeds,
leaning more to the dual-purpose
breeds.
Besides breeding a tougher cow,
the Seeleys have also noticed a
change in their milk flavor.
“Milk flavor is not just a function
of quantity, it’s also a function of
other things,” said Seeley. “Those
other breeds all bring something
into that milk component structure.
Now we’re starting-to see a differ
ence in the flavor of the milk.”
Besides operating a jugging oper
ation, making their own ice cream
and supplying several area stores,
the Bradford County correctional
facility and Penn College with milk,
the Seeleys have also begun to
market cheeses under their “Ar
menia Mountain” label.
“The cheesemaker always says
that our milk behaves strangely,”
said Seeley. “And you’ve got to
expect that.”
The milk is tested monthly for
quality because of the jugging oper
ation. This spring they plan to begin
testing for conjugated linoleic acid
(CLA) and essential fatty acids.
“Those are really the most excit
ing part of the grass-fed movement
right now,” said Seeley. “The health
"implications of those components
are overwhelming.”
The benefits of grazing can be de
bated on the financial front as well.
“The biggest thing grazing has
enabled us to do is recoup our de
preciation. We’ve been able to up
grade the equipment that we need; a
new round baler, a new manure
spreader, a new tractor. We haven’t
made a lot of actual cash out of
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In search of a tougher cow, the Seeleys have been cross breed
ing for about nine years. These two calves are products of a Line
back bull.
pocket, but we’ve been able to keep
our buildings modern and looking
good,” said Seeley. “For the past 25
years that’s the biggest thing going
on in agriculture. Everybody’s
buildings are going downhill be
cause they’re spending everything
they have to do day-to-day things.”
Perhaps the biggest change the
Seeleys have seen is not in cash flow
or crossbreeding or making the tran
sition to pasture, but in the quality
of life for people and cows.
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“The quality of life has definitely
changed when we went from con
ventional to grazing. We’re still only
six months of grazing, because of
the weather, but it’s just that six
months that you need to change
your mindset and it’s something to
look forward to.”
Right now they are looking at
ways to improve cow comfort
during the winter months as well.
“We plan to maintain half of the
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