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Happy Cow Creamery is a family-owned dairy farm in Pelzer, South Carolina that bottles and sells its own milk on site from the farm’s closed herd of grass-fed Holstein cattle. The creamery’s whole milk, buttermilk and chocolate milk is sold in the farm’s on-site store and through grocery, convenience and country stores in Upstate region of South Carolina. The milk is not homogenized and is low-temperature pasteurized and inspected by the State of South Carolina.〔("Nutritional Facts" ). Retrieved on 2009-2-19.〕 The dairy is noted for owner Tom Trantham’s system of rotating pasture feeding dubbed ''12 Aprils.''〔("Twelve Aprils Dairying" ). Southern Region SARE. Retrieved 2-19-09.〕 For this innovation, Trantham was awarded the first Patrick Madden Award for Sustainable Agriculture in 2002 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES).〔USDA (Oct. 28, 2002). ( "Tom Trantham Wins National Award for Sustainable Farming" ). Press release. Retrieved on 2009-2-19.〕 ==Feeding== Trantham developed a grass pasturing method modeled after traditional paddock systems common in Ireland. With a USDA grant obtained through Clemson University, Trantham worked with Clemson Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Science Department researchers Jean Bertrand and Fred Pardue, who examined the feasibility of year-round dairy grazing.〔Palmer, Diane (Winter, 2003). ("Trantham converts dairy farm into fresh milk market" ). ''Extension Answers''. Retrieved on 2009-2-19.〕 The approximately 80 head milking herd is rotated through 29 paddocks of 2.5 to , feeding on a different paddock each day. By the end of the cycle, the first paddock has re-grown and the herd cycles through again.〔("Grazing System" ). Southern Region SARE. Retrieved on 2009-2-19.〕 The herd also receives supplemental feeding in the form of high-energy pellets and hay at milking time. Organic fertilizer is used on the pasture and no injected rBGH is used to treat milk cows. However, Trantham has not sought official organic certification. Before perfecting the grass-fed pasture system, Trantham operated as a traditional, high-volume dairy relying on chemical fertilizers and heavy grain feeding. Despite state awards for milk production, Trantham’s farm was losing money and he was facing bankruptcy. When the milking herd one day pushed out of its feedlot into a neighboring field of weeds awaiting planting, milk production immediately increased. Trantham allowed the herd to graze again and observed that the cows only ate the top half of the lush, virgin weed pasture.〔Savage, Leigh ("Keeping cows - and customers - happy" ). ''Greenville Journal''. Retrieved 2-19-09.〕 Further research by Trantham showed this top half contained most of the nutrients of the plant. It is from this chance encounter that Trantham researched and developed the “12 Aprils” grass-feeding system. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Happy Cow Creamery」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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