What Does a Dairy Cow's Diet Look Like?
On a dairy farm, you can find most cows eating something called a mixed ration, which consists of corn and grass silage and byproducts such as almond hulls and soybean meal. However, breaking this down, there are many things that go into the specific diet of a dairy cow.
Almost half of their diet consists of forages, which is items such as grasses and legumes. Silages are fermented and stored forages, which overall improves the nutrition of the meal for the cows. Forages provide them with protein and fiber, keeping their stomachs functioning.
Another major part of their diet is grains, made up of foods including dried corn and barley. A fun fact about this corn is that it is not the same corn we humans eat, it is grown to not be sweet like what we are used to.
A dairy cows diet is essential to them functioning and being able to supply up with milk. Click the link below to shop for local, Staten Island milk and dairy products!