A Milford woman credits a farming technique she saw as a child for a recent dairy award.
Siobhan Griffin of Raindance Farm was recently named by NMC as a top innovator of quality milk production in its 14th annual National Dairy Quality Awards, placing in the silver category. More than 43 farmers were nominated for the award, with finalists in three categories, including platinum and gold, according to a media release.
"It's kind of special," Griffin said about the recognition from the group formerly known as National Mastitis Council.
Although the farm has been winning quality awards since 2001 from her dairy cooperative, Organic Valley Family of Farms, this is the first national award from an independent group, she said. She has been in business for 20 years.
She said the intensive grazing technique she started using in 1989 have a lot to do with the quality. The technique she first saw in practice as a child visiting family in Ireland, she said, and it is still in use there.
It provides cows with a fresh section for grazing every 12 hours during the growing season, she said.
"It does a lot for the milk quality," she said. "Grass is better than anything that can be harvested."
There are a number of environmental benefits from the practice, she said, including less use of fossil fuels.
The award will help the farm's milk earn about $10,000 extra a year because of higher quality premiums, she said. She runs the 333-acre farm with her son Dale, daughter Keira and boyfriend, Rob Grassi. The seasonal farm has 75 crossbreed cows and milks 29 in an operation that increases production in the spring.
"We congratulate Siobhan, who in addition to meeting the day-to-day demands of operating an organic dairy farm takes extraordinary measures to innovate and inspire others to ensure quality milk production," said George Siemon, chief executive officer of Organic Valley, which has about 1,200 organic farmers nationwide.
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