Grass works

After more than 25 years in the industry, fourth-generation dairy farmer Mike Meier knew a difficult decision lay ahead. Plagued with rising input costs, his father’s retirement and his brother’s decision to leave the business years earlier, only two options remained - sell the farm or change his conventional way of dairying.

While economics first steered him to open a Rhino-aligning dealership in the mid 1990s for extra cash flow, Meier says he never imagined the dealership would be anything but a side business. By the early 2000s, however, it had grown into a full-time job in addition to his daily dairy duties.

When his father announced his retirement in late 2004, Meier toyed with converting the dairy to a beef operation to allow him time to focus on the dealership full time. He knew the operation as it was would be too much for him to handle alone. Before making the decision to stop dairying though, Meier decided to give the dairy one last chance.

After seeking advice from dairy experts at the University of Missouri Extension (UME) in Columbia, Mo., and trying out various grass-based techniques, Meier started transforming Meier Dairy, southwest of Monett, Mo., into a 160-acre seasonal grazing operation in 2005, and runs replacements on another 80 acres on a second farm nearby.

“I love dairying and since the farm had been in the family so long, I had to try,” Meier says. “It was definitely the right decision. Once I got the grazing in order and had a better handle on things, everything started to turn around.”

With the help of Tony Rickard, PhD, dairy specialist at UME, Meier first implemented some grazing techniques with a seasonal herd on the conventional dairy. Eighteen months later, he found the right combination of cows to switch completely to a seasonal grazing operation. He kept his cows that worked from the original herd and culled the rest.

Rickard says Meier quickly settled into the pasture-manager role after some trial and error.

“Mike is one of the best graziers I have worked with and has made tremendous improvements over the years,” Rickard says. “He’s learned to adapt and make changes as needed to be successful. He realized the importance of first identifying a system that worked for him and then finding cows to match the system.”

In less than three years, Meier says he experienced enough improvements on the farm that he sold the Rhino dealership. Today, he works alone, milking 90 cross-breeds of Jersey and Holsteins twice a day in a double-six parlor, while his wife, Janan, handles the dairy’s finances.

Like many graziers, Meier’s grazing platform varies between seasons. He uses BarOtina Fescue during the cool season and plants Red River Crabgrass in the warm season followed by an annual rye.

Murray Lane, field representative in the Southeast Area, has worked with Meier for 12 years and saw the farm’s transformation. Throughout the last few years, Lane says Meier has become an asset to other producers in the area who are interested in the grazing process.

“Mike has done a great job and succeeded,” he says. “Others have noticed, and Mike is gracious enough to open his farm up to others who want to learn more. He’s proof that grazing works. He wouldn’t have stayed in the business if it wasn’t paying the bills, and he is a big believer in telling others that it’s not about what you make, but what you keep.”

Since converting the dairy, Meier has not only seen improvements with his input costs, but also with labor expenses. Now, he spends less than $1,000 a year on outside employees.

“When I finally went all the way and implemented all the necessary grazing techniques, I saw positive results almost right away. Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t do this sooner,” Meier says. “Of course I still have challenges when it comes to managing the grass and keeping my seasonal cows fed, but overall it’s taken less equipment and capital to generate more income per acre.”

Prior to contacting Rickard, Meier says he remembers talking with his father about grazing. Meier says his father understood where the industry was heading economically but did not think the techniques would work on their dairy. But before Meier’s father passed away in 2010, Meier says he had the opportunity to show him the dairy’s success.

“After working with my dad for so many years, it was neat to be able to show him how I’d transformed the operation,” Meier says. “When I’d show him milk production off cows with almost no grain needed, he could hardly believe we could get that much milk off grass.”

In the last three years, Meier says milk production per year has stayed comparable to the 18,000 pounds per year he saw on their conventional dairy. Last year, his rolling herd average (RHA) was close to 15,700 pounds; his first year’s RHA was 13,000 pounds. He may no longer be pushing 80 pounds of milk at the pump per day, but after seeing 69 pounds last spring with cows on no hay and less than six pounds of grain per day, Meier believes he’ll be pushing close to a 16,000 pounds RHA by year-end.

Meier’s somatic cell count has also dropped from between 700,000 and 500,000 to below 200,000 since the switch. In addition, he has not had to treat any of his cows for mastitis in 2011.

“As things continue to come into play, production is coming up with it. With this system, you can’t just look at milk production for the profit part of it,” Meier says. “I’m also looking at my input costs, which are low since I don’t have all the feed and equipment. If you adopt the system and do things right, you can get a lot of milk per acre with a lot less cost than a traditional dairy. It’s amazing how grass works.”

For young producers or other dairy farmers interested in grazing, Meier says DFA’s Dairy Grazing Services (DGS), a pasture-based consulting service, is a valuable asset to members who want more information about how grass-based techniques could work in their region.

“It’s our goal to provide members with the news, resources and access to other products and services they need to succeed at grazing,” says Andrew Fidler, general manager of DGS. “Whether we have a member who is just starting out or another who has been dairying for decades, our consultants can help them become successful managers of a pasture-based dairy.”

Although Meier may be the last generation to dairy on Meier Dairy as his sons have started careers of their own, he’s hopeful that his grazing success will inspire other producers, especially those who are just starting out.

“I may not be able to convince older producers who have been using traditional methods, but for the young and newer ones, grazing is definitely an option they should look at,” he says. “Once I learned the system, there was no looking back.”