Ruminating on Ruminants

Have you ever passed by the farm and wondered what the cows are up to as they're lying in the pasture? They're ruminating! Although ruminating can be defined as the process of "thinking deeply," this type of rumination is the complex process of turning fibrous grasses into energy and milk!

Cows are ruminants, which means they’re members of a category of hooved mammals (with an even number of toes) that regurgitate and rechew their food. Ruminants have a four chambered stomach consisting of the reticulum, rumen, omasum and abomasum. When our cows go out to pasture, they happily and very quickly consume large amounts of fibrous forage. They don't chew very much of their food before it enters the reticulum and the rumen. This is where microbes assist the cows digestion through fermentation and initial nutrient absorption takes place. Between the rumen & reticulum, an adult dairy cow can hold 50 gallons of partially digested food (aka the cud)!

This article from Penn State Extension, does a great job explaining the rest of the rumination process, so here’s an excerpt explaining the next few steps (and stomachs):

During rumination, the cud (partially digested feed) is regurgitated, re-chewed, and re-swallowed. Chewing during rumination is slower and more consistent than during eating. The rumination process stimulates saliva production to help buffer the rumen pH and decrease feed particle size, allowing it to pass from the reticulum into the omasum. As partially digested feed passes through the omasum, water is absorbed, reducing the volume of material that arrives in the abomasum. The abomasum, often referred to as the true stomach, produces acid and digestive enzymes similar to the stomach of non-ruminant animals, further breaking down the feed before it passes into the lower gastrointestinal tract for further digestion, absorption and ultimately elimination.

One of the most important aspects of herd health is rumen health (think of the importance of humans "gut" health!). If our cows are not ruminating properly their health, body condition, milk production, and quality of milk suffers.

As Farmstead Cheesemakers we focus on offering the right balance of organic feed and opportunities to lie down to ruminate, to ensure the cows' rumens stay healthy! How do we know when they're healthy? Their coats are shiny, they have a good body condition, they chew their cud (regurgitate feed) 50 times each session (cows typically can ruminate 6-8 hours a day!), their cow patties are the right consistency etc. All sorts of observations and conditions are noted with care by the milking team and herd manager!