Multispecies grazing shifts milk chemistry in Canterbury
Milk and yoghurt from cows fed diverse regenerative pastures showed a distinctly lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratio than products from conventionally fed cows, a change linked with heart and brain health benefits for consumers.
The same regenerative dairy products carried higher levels of the friendly culture Streptococcus thermophilus, which can help lactose-intolerant people digest dairy more comfortably and support gut motility while reducing inflammatory bowel symptoms.
Researchers also measured greater concentrations of bioactive compounds — including hydroxytyrosol, schaftoside, salicylic acid, and luteoloside — in regenerative milk and yoghurt, all associated in scientific literature with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-diabetic, and neuroprotective properties.
These differences were measured in a side-by-side comparison on two adjacent Canterbury farm platforms, allowing the team to test real-world feeding systems while keeping climate and management context consistent.
On the conventional platform, cows grazed mainly perennial ryegrass-based swards, whereas the regenerative platform they grazed a diverse range of plants including plantain, chicory, clovers, cocksfoot and other species.
The diversity in cow diets shifted the chemical fingerprint of the pasture and flowed through into the metabolomic and microbiome profiles of the milk and yoghurt, which is where the measurable nutrition gains appeared.
The work was led by Lincoln University’s Centre of Excellence Designing Future Productive Landscapes with collaborators from Utah State University and Lincoln Agritech, and the comparison was carried out at Align Clearview farm.
The study examined not only what was in the milk and yoghurt but also how the farm system influenced soil, plant, and animal health.
Sampling and analyses covered chemical composition, gas-chromatography fatty acid profiles, LC-MS/MS metabolomics and amplicon sequencing of soil, milk and yoghurt, providing a measured basis for the product and soil differences reported.
Herbage chemical composition varied mainly with season rather than system, but regenerative pastures carried the greater phytochemical diversity that flowed through to milk and yoghurt metabolite profiles.
Lower milk urea nitrogen in regenerative milk indicates potential for reduced urinary nitrogen excretion at similar milk yields, which the authors discuss as a pathway to lower nitrogen losses from pastoral systems.
While farmers rightly focus on total feed, energy, and protein, researchers say, the study showed that offering biochemically rich mixed pastures rather than monocultures can let cows choose healthier diets when they need them most.
Below ground, regenerative paddocks supported a greater abundance of some soil organisms than the conventional paddocks, indicating improved soil microbiome diversity.
This soil biology lift occurred with only about five units of nitrogen applied per hectare annually on the regenerative farm, compared with an average of 190 units per hectare on conventional farms.
The researchers note that such low synthetic nitrogen use suggests regenerative systems can maintain soil health and plant growth while reducing nitrogen pollution and its ecological impacts.
“This is a really powerful outcome,” says research team leader Professor Pablo Gregorini.
And that applies not just to farmers and industry but also for consumers who want to consume healthier dairy products.
While price matters, many will choose products from systems that positively impact the environment, animals and human health, he says.
“This research is a part of the growing body of evidence that shows a farming system that is focused on increased biodiversity, reducing synthetic inputs and delivering healthier outcomes across soil, animals and humans can deliver results while maintaining similar yields to those on a conventional farm.”