Supplements our dairy cows get for the best possible health and nutrition

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June 14, 2024

Miller's has always advertised our cow dairy as "100% grass fed". It's true. For food, the cows eat pasture (or dry pasture) only... and never grain.

But it's probably more accurate to say "100% grass fed +". This is because, in addition to pasture, the cows get a few supplements for optimal health... and therefore the best possible nutrition in the yummy food they make for us.

This is similar to you taking a magnesium supplement since our depleted soils don't provide enough in our food, drinking red raspberry leaf tea to strengthen your reproductive system, or reaching for Nux Vomica homeopathic at the first sign of tummy troubles.

I've had lengthy conversations with our farmers and supplement providers. And now, I'm breaking the avalanche of info down into easily digestible info for you (yes, the pun was intended).

What Supplements Our Dairy Cows Get & Why

Each supplement has a different purpose. On a whole, the supplements give our cows good health all around, including preventing disease, keeping good body condition, maintaining reproductive health, and so much more. Here's info on each supplement.

1- Organic Molasses

Molasses is naturally rich in antioxidants, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin B6. But, the main reason it's given to our cows is to help them digest any fiber in the pasture.

Our molasses is certified organic, made from sugar cane grown in South America. It does NOT contain any apple cider vinegar or additives. It's 100% molasses, just like molasses you would buy for yourself.

Each cow is given about 2.5 cups of molasses per day. It's poured on top of the energy pellets.

2- A Blend of Minerals

Nowadays soils are so depleted, and that's why fortified foods and supplements are so commonplace. Although we put a lot of energy into maintaining good soil and naturally regenerating it year after year, they may be small imbalances.

Giving minerals keeps up excellent body condition and overall good health. Reproduction is better. Basically, everything is better in animals with the right balance and amount of minerals.

Our minerals are simply ground up rocks. They include phosphorous, calcium, selenium, magnesium, zinc, sulfur, potassium, etc.

Our forage (fresh and dry pasture) is tested regularly. Then, based on those results, a mineral blend is specially mixed for our cows. For example, let's say the forage was slightly low is phosphorous. Then, the mineral blend would have added phosphorous. Since they have slightly different needs, there's one blend for dairy cows and one for heifers (which are dairy cows that haven't given birth yet).

The cows are given about 1/2 pound of minerals per day. If milking, the amount correlates to how much milk a cow is making. The more milk she makes, the more minerals she gets. That's because making milk is hard work, and the cow likely needs an extra boost.

3- Homeopathic Remedies

We give our cows homeopathic remedies to both prevent and treat disease. To be clear, illness is rare in our herds since we put so much energy into maintaining their health naturally. And, we never give vaccines, antibiotics, or any kind of drugs.

Our homeopathic remedies come from Hahnemann Labs and Washington Homeopathic Products. Both companies have been around since the 1800s. All of the products we buy from them are labeled for humans, not animals. In fact, you may have the same remedies in your homeopathic collection at home!

Here are some examples of homeopathic remedies the cows may receive:

Pulsatilla - This is for a big range of things. It gives cows a stronger heat, so it's good to give before conceiving. It's given preventatively after a cow freshens (gives birth) to help clean them out and discharge everything. It also helps with mastitis. Pulsatilla is also known as "pus-atilla", because it cleans out puss.
Sepia - This is given for fertility. If there’s a cow that doesn’t want to settle, we give sepia. And most times that works. It's not a guarantee but a big help.
Belladonna - This is given if a cow has a fever.
Ferrum Phos - This is given for a cough or respiratory infection.

The remedies come as little white pills. The farmers dissolve them in water, and the cows drink it. Different amounts are given to each cow, depending on her needs. And sometimes one works for one cow and not another. Our farmers pay close attention to each cow so they can make adjustments as needed.

4- Energy Pellets (Simply Alfalfa + Flaxseed Oil)

Cows get a lot of protein from forage... but not a lot of energy. Just a little flaxseed oil can go a long way. It helps keep the cows healthy. We can see this visibly with firmer manure.

Since the farmers didn't want to simply pour oil over hay, they worked with a natural feed supplier to make some natural alfalfa pellets just for Miller's. It's just ground up alfalfa (which we often grow in our pastures) along with organic flaxseed oil.

This is a very low percent of their diet. Each cow is given up to 1.5 pounds of energy pellets per day. If a cow produces a lot of milk, a little less is given. If a cow is having trouble producing milk, a little more is given.

Omega 6/3 Ratio Should be Optimal at 1:1

We pay attention to the details, and that includes the omega 6/3 ratio. Humans should consume a 1:1-4:1 omega 6/3 ratio. But, the conventional American diet is currently providing a 20:1 ratio (thanks corn and soy... but mostly corn). And that can result in a host of diseases including chronic inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, asthma, depression, fatigue, etc.

The good news is that truly grass fed dairy naturally has a 1:1 ratio, which is optimal. When selecting supplements for our cows, we keep this in mind. We want to provide our animals and customers with the best health.

For example, we could have chosen sunflower oil for the energy pellet, but sunflower oil has a 40:1 omega 6/3 ratio. That would have put everything out of balance. Instead, we went with flaxseed oil, which has a 1:4 ratio. The 1:4 ratio of flaxseed oil combined with the 3:1 ratio of molasses brings us about a 1:1 ratio in our feed.

We are Above & Beyond the Grassfed Certification

Basically all dairy cows everywhere get a supplement of some sort. Do you know what the grassfed certification requires? We're NOT certified, but it's an important comparison.

The American Grassfed Association (AGA) is the most popular grassfed certification in the US. When you buy grass-fed milk in the store, it's likely allowed to be labeled like that because they have this particular certification.

The AGA's certification allows all the supplements we feed, including molasses, minerals, alfalfa, and flaxseed oil. Plus, a lot more, too.

The AGA's certification requires cows to never be fed grain or cereal grain (including corn, soy, wheat, oats, sunflower meal, etc). But... pseudo-grains are allowed (including peas, lentils, buckwheat, canola, etc) grown to maturity and fed as the grain/seed only. And they may also be fed in manufactured cubes and pellets.

The amount of supplemental feed of pseudo-grains can be up to 25% of the total daily intake (or 0.625% of body weight). I mean, wow. That's a lot of food other than pasture!

What do you think about supplements? Do you personally take any? Are you ok with our dairy cows getting some?

I'd love to hear from you. Comment below.

Here's the untold story of raw milk. Raw or pasteurized? It should be your choice.

Raw milk has been a highly contested issue in modern history. Is it a healthy nutrient-dense “cure-all” for nourishing your body, or is it a dangerous vector for spreading life-threatening disease? The two camps are split. It is a complicated issue with mixed battles of bad science vs. personal testimony, morals vs. politics, education vs. advertising, and big agri-business vs. small farms. Let's dive in...

Warning: Fat Holds Toxins. Carnivore and keto folks should watch out.

Aaron, myself, and a couple other team members went to Tennessee to participate in Meatstock 2025 last weekend. It's a carnivore/keto party in the Smoky Mountains. Boy, we learned a lot and met a lot of wonderful people, both people who healed through food as well as doctors and experts that help people heal. One person we had the pleasure of meeting was the amazing Dr. Kiltz. He's a carnivore. He's also a doctor who specializes in fertility. And can you guess how he helps many of his patients? Yup, through food. He's a big supporter of the carnivore and keto diets. He suggests getting 70-80% of your calories from fat, 15-30% from protein, and 0-10% from carbs. Dr. Kiltz spoke at a dinner we attended. And something he said shocked us -- "Don't worry about grass fed, regenerative, and all that natural stuff. It's the fact that you're eating fat that matters." 😳 Woah woah woah. Hold up a sec. We, of course, had a conversation with Dr. Kiltz about this. I mean, why are people having health issues in the first place? Sure, some of it could be genetics. Some of it's definitely environmental. But, a lot of it is likely the food we're eating. It's processed food laden with seed oils and carbs and sugar and yucky additives... but also the farming practices that result in toxic stuff hidden in plain old ingredients. Dr. Kiltz agreed and elaborated on his statement. What he's saying is that, if you're eating a standard American diet, the biggest and fastest impact you can make comes from altering your diet on a macro level - fat, protein, and carbs. But the granular stuff you can't see or count matters too, especially once you're making progress. OK, I get it. But then I thought some more... Toxins accumulate in the fat. So, if you eat animal-based foods (especially the fattier ones) and are looking to limit (or eliminate) that awful toxic stuff, farming practices matter. Like a lot! So, unsurprisingly, I went into research mode. Here's what I learned. Which toxins accumulate in fat and why? Not all toxins accumulate in fat. Some are stored in bone, muscle, organs, etc. But, there are certain toxins that a body stores specifically in fat. They include: Dioxins and furans (PCDDs/PCDFs) - These are persistent pollutants, resistant to breakdown, that are generally creating by burning things like plastic and chemicals and garbage. They can also be created as byproducts of industrial processes.PCBs - That's short for polychlorinated biphenyls, which are synthetic chemicals that were used to make various consumer products, from paint to glues to lubricants to coolants to batteries. They were banned in 1979, but because of their inability to breakdown, they remain as toxins in our environment.Pesticides & Herbicides - This includes previously banned pesticides (like DDT) that are still present in our environment. This also includes pesticides used today, like organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides. Certain Toxic Heavy Metals - Mercury, lead, cadmium, and aluminum are known for accumulating in fat. The reason the above toxins collect specifically fat (AKA adipose tissue) is because they are lipophilic. Liophilic is when a substance is "fat loving" and can bond with or dissolve in fat. Other toxins are hydrophilic, meaning they are "water loving" and can bond with and dissolve in water. These include bentazone, glyphosate, imidacloprid, flouride, and arsenic. They do not accumulate in fat. What can an overload of toxins do to your body? I like to think about toxic overload like a cup. Our bodies can process a little of it. But, when the cup is overfilled with stuff like pesticides, toxic heavy metals, mold, carcinogens, etc, that's when problems happen. Our bodies are pretty good at handling stress. That's why toxic overload can be confusing. It may take a long time - months, years, or decades - for the problem to arise. Then, once the problem happens, it's hard to pinpoint the cause. And then, healing time is often lengthy (and sometimes the damage can't completely be undone). When it comes to toxins, the response really depends on the body. The list of issues that can arise is exhaustive. They include fatigue, headaches, digestive problems and leaky gut, brain fog, anxiety and depression, increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, hormone imbalance, mast cell overreaction, histamine responses, bloating and inflammation, trouble sleeping, skin conditions, liver damage, obesity, and more. Where can toxins in animal-based foods come from? When it comes to farming, there are few places that toxins can be introduced to animals. This can be from toxins resistant to breaking down from decades ago or toxins being used or produced today. This can be on the actual farms or in the facilities that prepare food for sale: Air: Toxins can vaporize and float in the air. Animals can breathe it in or it can settle on top of soil or water. Water: This is especially true with city water, which often has chemicals added to it or may run through old pipes. But, as we all know, water pollution varies from area to area.Soil: This can come from the local area or a non-farming activity that happened on the land previously. This can also be from past farming practices or current ones. Slaughter and butchering: Did you know an antimicrobial is required by the USDA when processing meat? Processors can choose harsh chemicals like bleach or opt for more natural ones like citric or lactic acids or vinegar.Recipes: Think beef jerky or lunchmeat. They have ingredients. First off, anything that's less than 1% doesn't need to be listed on the package. And then, of course, there's the hidden stuff depending on the quality of the ingredient.Packaging: Even what our food comes in can leach chemicals into our food. I mean, think about microplastics in bottled water! When toxins enter your food, you can't see them. You can't taste them. You can't smell them. This is why knowing more about how your food is produced is important. How can farming practices decrease the levels of toxins? Well, there are bunch of ways toxins can get into food from farming. Here are some ways that farms can decrease toxins in the final food: Choose A Clean Location: If a farm is located right next to or downstream from a factory or city, toxin levels will likely increase. Farms should ideally be far from cities or factories. Have Clean Water: If contamination is persistent in your area, you'll likely know it. And, you can always test the water, too.Improve Soil Health With Regenerative Farming: When soil is dead and unhealthy, toxins break down at their normal speed. But, with regenerative farming that creates robust microbiology, toxins can break down faster.Fertilize Naturally: There are plenty of chemical fertilizers out there. But, compost and manure from natural chemical-free sources are just as good… if not better.Limit, Eliminate, Be Considerate With Pesticide And Herbicide Use: A grand majority of farms still use pesticides and herbicides regularly. Yeesh. Even the organic ones can contain yucky stuff. With things like fruit, it's kinda necessary to some extent. But, especially with pasture raised animals, they're simply not needed (even though some farms still choose it).Choose Naturally Formulated Feed: This is the idea of the ingredients in the ingredients. You can have the most pristine land, air, and water, raising beef. But, if you feed them GMO corn sprayed with glyphosate and grown in contaminated soil... well... those toxins are introduced. Farms can make sure they're feed ingredients are pure and the sources the ingredients come from are chemical-free.Eliminate Vaccines: Yup, vaccines contain toxins. And especially when injected, they can harbor themselves in fat. Aluminum is a common ingredient in vaccines. And, did you know that animal vaccines can contain Thimerosal (AKA mercury)? That's been banned in human vaccines. When animals are raised outdoors and to be naturally happy and healthy, vaccines aren't necessary.Be Mindful With Anyone Who Processes Your Food: This can be a challenge, especially if you're in an area with more conventional farms. Farms can ask the hard questions and ask for changes like what antimicrobials are used (apple cider vinegar is allowed by the USDA), what the ingredients are, and where the ingredients are sourced from. At Miller's Bio Farm, we try to reduce your toxic intake as much as possible. Here's a few notable things we do (among the many): All of our small farms are 60+ miles from any major city.Our pastures are never sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. We love the biodiversity!Our pastures are fertilized with manure and more manure!Our farms that raise our animals regenerate their soil year after year. The idea is to improve the quality of the soil, and that includes the microbes that can help break down toxins.Clean well water is used for the animals to drink and for processing our meat and all of our products. Our beef, pork, and lamb are washed with organic apple cider vinegar. Our chicken is air chilled. Our turkey is washed with water and only water.None of our animals are fed corn or soy. And, our feed is chemical-free.Our farmers do not vaccinate their animals. Our chicken and turkey and lamb is 100% vaccine free. The only way a vaccine could be given to a cow or pig is if the animal was bought in and previously vaccinated. We make sure that no animal has received an mRNA vaccine. None of our products have yucky stuff like nitrates/nitrites, additives, fillers, etc. It's simple natural food. We always vet our processors before working with them to make sure they're up to our natural standards. We'd love to supply you with clean foods and hope you join the movement! Do you eat a lot of fat? Whether you do or not, what toxins make you most worried? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us 😊 ----- References: Carnivore Diet Macros and How to Achieve ThemAdipose Tissue as a Site of Toxin Accumulation Pesticide residues in animal-derived food: Current state and perspectives Impact of pesticide exposure on adipose tissue development and function10 Powerful Nutrients Found Only in Meat

Does varying yolk color affect the flavor of honest eggs?

As you know, we don't add any color to our feed. This is why our pastured corn & soy free eggs are called "honest yolk eggs". "Color" includes unnatural stuff like dyes as well as natural stuff like marigold and paprika. Nearly all egg farmers nowadays do this... even the natural ones. Why? People demand consistent color yolks, thinking it means a certain quality. Little do most know, yolk color is superficial now. At Miller's, we know this for a fact. Curiosity made us to send our eggs for testing, and there was zero nutritional difference in our orange vs yellow yolk eggs. What mattered most was the farming practices and quality of the feed, and our eggs came out on top for most tests. We really love having varying yolk color. It's an indicator of what the birds are eating. It tells our farmers how their pasture is doing. If the plants are too mature, not diverse enough, it's too wet or dry, or if chickens aren't eating the pasture, we'll see that with the yolk color! Now, we've had an array of responses since we removed the color from our feed. One baffling one is --- the light colored yolks don't taste as good as the dark colored yolks. Is this true? I mean, removing the color is only a superficial change. It shouldn't affect the flavor. Well, we needed to find out. So... we did a blind tasting on the farm a few weeks ago. Here's what that looked like: The results? The whole team agreed -- all eggs tasted the same! The biggest factor affecting egg flavor was the yolk to white ratio. The more yolk, the more flavor. It's spring, and our hens are out on pasture 100% of the time. An egg develops for about 6 weeks inside a chicken, so it takes some time. But... you should start to see darker yolks now. Have you noticed a change in yolk color? Have you noticed a flavor change? Would you prefer consistent colored yolks or honest yolks? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us 😊 PS: The egg shortage is 100% over, and we have plenty of eggs now!! That means egg bundles are back!

Supplements our dairy cows get for the best possible health and nutrition

What Supplements Our Dairy Cows Get & Why

Omega 6/3 Ratio Should be Optimal at 1:1

We are Above & Beyond the Grassfed Certification

What do you think about supplements? Do you personally take any? Are you ok with our dairy cows getting some?

More from the blog

Here's the untold story of raw milk. Raw or pasteurized? It should be your choice.

Warning: Fat Holds Toxins. Carnivore and keto folks should watch out.

Does varying yolk color affect the flavor of honest eggs?

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566