Milk is milk right?

Or is there a huge difference?

First of all the similarities. Both milks are produced on the pristine Atherton Tablelands by hard working family farms.

The rich red soils and elevated tropical pastures are ideal for dairying. The high rainfall and cool temperatures produce lush pastures in an environment in which dairy cows thrive.

Both milks supply a predominantly local market which reduces transport costs and enhances freshness.

So is there a difference?

At a glance Mungalli comes in a different shaped bottle, the cream rises to the top  and it is a bit more expensive.

Is there more to it than this?

Of course there is!

Mungalli Milk is certified Biodynamic which means that it is produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers, poisons, antibiotics, GMO’s or hormones.

This definitely makes farming a bit more challenging, at least initially, as the majority of chemical farmers in Australia use these tools and the technical support that goes with them.

However when farming Biodynamically, our farmers work within the laws of nature and do not push the pasture or cows beyond their natural limits. (Biodynamic Agriculture Introductory Lectures Vol -Alex Podolynski)

This creates healthy farms and cattle that do not require expensive fertilizers or vetinanary care to remain healthy.

Diverse pastures, mineral rich soil, the herbal biodynamic preparations  and ample rainfall produce top quality pasture all year around. The grass just grows by itself, year after year with very little external inputs.

Because of this our farms do not require high energy inputs as used on conventional farms like chemical fertilizers which are expensive to produce and transport.

These energy intensive inputs (Chemical Fertilizers)  are hard on the environment as after application the majority of this fertilizer either leaches away into the ground water or evaporates into the atmosphere as nitrous oxide where it is 300 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2. (The Food Solution- Dr Gundula Roades).

Pastures and crops which are growing healthily without synthetic fertilizers and ag chemicals generally are grown in soils with good levels of minerals and an active soil biology and hence the food produced has  all of the minerals and vitamins as is intended.

Mungalli Cows are also 100% grass or pasture fed, as nature meant them to be and hence there has been no grains, genetically modified protein supplements or antimicrobials used to push the cows beyond their natural limits. Because of this our cows may produce less milk but we feel that it is much more healthy.

On some of our farms  up to 30% of the farm e.g. steep, rocky areas as well as creek banks have been allowed to revert back to the natural rainforest, this allows greater biodiversity and encourages the natural animals and birdlife to have a place to coexist. Its great to watch Wallabies and Cassowaries as they move across the farm and the flocks of birdlife in the sky.

The Bio Dynamic preparations we use to fertilize our pastures breathe life back into the soil. In conjunction with good organic farming practices a golf ball sized lump of preparation 500 applied to one acre of land stimulates the soil biology to release the nutrients required for plant growth, building up humus levels in the soil while growing pasture and crops of exceptional quality.

This is all achieved without the use of expensive energy intensive fertilizers which in the long run destroy the earth.

Lastly Mungalli dairy products are produced with minimal processing, our milk is simply filtered, pasteurized and then packaged. Other milks are filtered, clarified, separated, Standardized homogenized and then packaged.

So please enjoy a glass of our milk – it comes in Full Cream, Low Fat and Lactose Free.

Remember to give it a shake to stir the cream through.

It has been made as nature intended without synthetic fertilizers or poisons.

Thanks

Farmer Rob