Organic cows live longer and better lives, following the natural rhythms of nature. That’s why the milk they produce is cleaner, more wholesome, and ultimately, tastier. And the entire cycle is designed to avoid harming wildlife. It may sound like a utopia, but luckily for us, this utopia is a reality.
What Do the Cows Eat?
While we humans often have a choice in what we eat and drink, cows usually don’t — they depend entirely on the farmer’s choices. In industrial farming, they are fed ready-made feed mixes in which at least 60% of the dry matter consists of concentrated feed. If you asked the cows, they’d probably tell you this isn’t food made for cows — it’s simply more convenient for farmers. Most often, the feed is purchased from other industrial producers and grown using a cocktail of synthetic fertilizers and harmful pesticides.
And What About Harmonica?
Almost half of each organic cow’s diet consists of pasture, while the rest is hay and preserved feed made by fermenting green forage (silage). All the feed is produced right on the farms, so we can be sure of its quality and that it is grown using organic farming methods, without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. And whenever the weather allows, the cows head up into the Balkan Mountains, where they graze freely in the fresh air.
How Are the Cows Treated?
In industrial cattle farming, it is common practice to purchase and transport animals from other dairy farms. Besides causing stress and physical injuries, this can make animals more susceptible to illness and facilitate the spread of infections from one herd to another. Veterinarians are then forced to treat the animals, often with antibiotics, and, of course, these medicines can pass into the milk that reaches consumers.
And What About Harmonica?
All the cows are born on the farms. They grow up within the herd and have always lived in the same conditions.
We seek the best solutions and ways of working in food production. For you, for wildlife, for the cows, and for the farmers.
Cows are highly social animals, and the herd has a strong hierarchy, so any change can cause problems. That’s why animals on organic farms tend to be healthier and get sick less often. And when illness does occur (because organic cows are still cows, and they have every right to get sick), treatment is subject to strict controls and must follow methods approved by the certifying body. After treatment, cows are given twice the standard withdrawal period, and their milk cannot be used during this time.
Where Do the Cows Go?
Industrial milk and dairy production has made us think of them as something that simply grows in the supermarket. At best, we might point out an elongated building in a field to our children as we drive past and say, “That’s where milk comes from.” No wonder so many city kids have a hard time telling a cow from a donkey.
And What About Harmonica?
If you visit one of the Harmonica dairy farms, you’ll find the herds out in a green meadow, surrounded by cheerful, good-natured cows. Each one even has a name, but we’ll let you meet them in person (we haven’t taught them to talk yet — but there’s always someone around to introduce you). If they happen to be in the barn that day, you’ll see that most of them choose to be outside. Since it’s up to them whether they stay in or go out (unlike their sisters on industrial farms), you’ll almost always find them in the yard, waiting their turn at the scratching brush, or lying comfortably on the straw.
What Does All This Mean?
The purpose of our work at Harmonica is very clear:
We seek the best solutions and ways of working in food production. We seek them for everyone along the chain — from wildlife, to cows and farmers, to you and your family. We want to show that a better alternative is both possible and successful.
