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Travis and Amy Forgues
Alburg Springs, Vermont
SUMMARY
 80
milking cows on 220-acre pasture-based, organic dairy farm
BACKGROUND
Until 1991, the Forgues family ran their version of a traditional Vermont dairy
farm. The cows spent most of their time in a barn, with occasional yard access.
Grain and feed were hauled to them and manure collected and taken away. When
son Travis left his parents' farm for college, the loss of this key partner
cut into profits.
Searching for an alternative, Henry
and Sally Forgues met with a University of Vermont researcher who was one of
the earliest advocates of management- intensive grazing. In 1988, Bill Murphy
had received one of the first SARE grants to study the profitability of grass-based
farming. Murphy went on to run a program for would-be graziers in Vermont. The
Forgues were eager students and became what Travis Forgues calls "pioneers"
in pastured dairying.
Travis returned to the farm in 1995
with his new wife, Amy. His father was grazing 40 cows and Travis committed
to building the herd - along with pasture to sustain them. Within a few years,
they had transformed their property into 10- acre permanent paddocks, using
movable fences to subdivide those into smaller areas. Today, they move the herd
to fresh ground twice a day. During Vermont's long winter, the herd remains
outside, but feeds on hay grown and baled on the farm. Throughout the year,
the herd receives an organic cereal grain supplement.
PROFITABILITY
By 1997, the Forgues' hard work paid off, and they received organic certification.
They began shipping milk to a Vermont company, but then joined Organic Valley,
a farmer-owned cooperative that accepts milk from farmers in 14 states, marketing
the product by region. As members of the co-op, the Forgues are owners and,
as such, help set pricing. They strive to receive 23 cents a pound for milk,
a strategy Travis calls "farm-gate" pricing, or fair compensation
for their labor. By contrast, the industry average for milk produced and marketed
conventionally is about half that.
"What we've found is that, if
you treat your animals with a little respect, feed them 10 pounds of grain and
hay, and ask them to do what they can do, they stay healthy," Travis said.
"Some may think you can't make money off a 12,000- pound herd average,
but we have a set price we're very comfortable with. And we don't want to be
in the barn for 12 hours a day."
ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES
As a certified organic operation, the Forgues forego any chemical pesticides
or fertilizers. They eschew hormones or antibiotics, and take a proactive approach
to sick cows, culling them quickly if a homeopathic remedy doesn't work.
After cows drop manure across the
pastures, the multiple worms and insects in their "biologically alive"
soil incorporate it rapidly.
COMMUNITY, OUTREACH, QUALITY OF LIFE
Travis and Amy took a media relations training course and now participate in
a co-op speakers bureau. They present at numerous venues, including the Boston
Children's Museum and the board of Newsweek magazine, about the virtues of grass-based
dairying.
Milking twice daily takes about four
hours. Harvesting hay in the summer remains time-consuming, but Travis feels
he is better off than when he was a confinement dairy worker. "You need
to be sure you are enjoying what you're working for," he said.
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