Uploaded February 2017 | Updated September 2026, 30 minutes ago
Facing financial ruin and the prospect of losing his farm, a farmer recounts a pivotal moment when his cows, breaking into a field slated for a different crop, inadvertently revealed a sustainable and profitable farming practice. This serendipitous event led to a significant increase in milk production without the use of chemical fertilizers or feed, illustrating the unexpected benefits of natural grazing and diversified farming.
A dairy farmer's true story:
Quite a tale. During the 1980's, South Carolina farmer Tom Trantham was one of the top dairy producers in the state. In 1989, like many other dairy farmers struggling with higher input costs, suddenly found himself on the verge of bankruptcy. He even had the papers ready for signing and then a miracle happened.
This is taken from our full length video about Trantham's 12 April's pasture feeding system that evolved out of this experience.
The video was filmed as part of a project with the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research Education (SARE, now called NIFA) we produced for our show a few years ago.
Watch more videos: cookingupastory.com
Full version: Trantham’s Sustainable 12 Aprils Dairy Grazing Program
cookingupastory.com/tranthams-sustainable-12-aprils-dairy-grazing-program
Additional story about Tom Trantham's Happy Cow Creamery:
cookingupastory.com/happy-cow-creamery
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Facing financial ruin and the prospect of losing his farm, a farmer recounts a pivotal moment when his cows, breaking into a field slated for a different crop, inadvertently revealed a sustainable and profitable farming practice. This serendipitous event led to a significant increase in milk production without the use of chemical fertilizers or feed, illustrating the unexpected benefits of natural grazing and diversified farming.
A dairy farmer's true story:
Quite a tale. During the 1980's, South Carolina farmer Tom Trantham was one of the top dairy producers in the state. In 1989, like many other dairy farmers struggling with higher input costs, suddenly found himself on the verge of bankruptcy. He even had the papers ready for signing and then a miracle happened.
This is taken from our full length video about Trantham's 12 April's pasture feeding system that evolved out of this experience.
The video was filmed as part of a project with the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research Education (SARE, now called NIFA) we produced for our show a few years ago.
Watch more videos: cookingupastory.com
Full version: Trantham’s Sustainable 12 Aprils Dairy Grazing Program
cookingupastory.com/tranthams-sustainable-12-aprils-dairy-grazing-program
Additional story about Tom Trantham's Happy Cow Creamery:
cookingupastory.com/happy-cow-creamery
Food Farmer Earth - a journey of wide discovery about our food
youtube.com/ffe
Visit Cooking Up a Story for more video stories:
cookingupastory.com
Subscribe to Food Farmer Earth-receive the latest videos
http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...
Follow us:
facebook.com/cookingupastory
https://www.pinterest.com/foodfarmere...
Cooking Up a Story channel on YouTube
youtube.com/cookingupastory
