PastureLand is always looking for farmers to be part of our growing cooperative; we hope you will consider joining our growing list of farmer-owners.
If you are interested in becoming a PastureLand farmer-owner, please contact Steve Young-Burns, general manager — 888.331.9115 or Contact Steve.
PastureLand’s purpose
PastureLand was formed in 1998 in response to the consumer demand for grass-fed dairy products and as a means to reward perennial pasture farmers with economic reward for their agricultural product (milk) and their environmental stewardship. We began marketing our Summer Gold™ gourmet butter and artisan cheeses in 2000.
As a marketing organization, PastureLand is committed to providing our farmer-owners a stable pay-price and supplying consumers with highest quality grass-fed products, and at the same time, promoting perennial pasture farming as a very viable option in the re-creation and revival of rural communities and a sustainable regional food system.
Environmental stewardship and healthy cows are a fundamental part of PastureLand’s mission. Our success as a marketing organization is built on our co-op members’ commitment to perennial pasture farming. All of the co-op’s farmer-owners practice management intensive rotational grazing. Each farm has been certified in accordance to the USDA’s National Organic Program. They also have been certified for their sustainable farming practices by Food Alliance.
PastureLand families have played a strong leadership role in sustainable agriculture issues in the Upper Midwest. In addition to successfully running their own small farms, they have taken leadership roles in organizations from the Dodge County Water Board to the Farm Beginnings® Program, not to mention the Land Stewardship Project, the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, the Nature Conservancy, and North Central Region SARE. Members are well connected with regional conservation programs and have participated in many studies on wildlife species and water quality.
More about perennial pasture farming
Our pastures naturally provide a perfectly nourishing and humane home for our cows. On each farm, cows are housed outdoors year-round and harvest their own feed from living pastures during the growing season. Such pasture environments, which combine carefully selected diverse mixtures of plant types, build soil vitality, offer cows natural remedies for minor ailments, provide habitat for a rich array of wildlife, and cleanse the water for area watersheds. As such it is a manageable environmentally friendly and cost effective lifestyle for family scale farms, allowing for participation of the entire family, if desired.
Perennial pasture farming also reduces soil erosion, reducing the likelihood of small to moderate flooding, provides drought resistance, and can substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It has also reduces housing, manure handling and feed costs for the producer.
PastureLand has compiled a list of resources to help dairy farmers transition to or start their own perennial pasture dairy operation.
Organizations
Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
Midwest Organic and Sustainable Educations Services
Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance
