I am a Stonyfield Ambassador and receive product and/or compensation in exchange for sharing information with my readers. All opinions and writing are 100% my own.
Recently, Stonyfield introduced a brand new line of grassfed yogurt. As a Stonyfield Blogger, we had the opportunity learn about grassfed yogurt and how its nutritional composition differs from conventional yogurt. We also had the opportunity to learn about Maple Hill Creamery, the farm that is providing the grassfed dairy for Stonyfield to use in their yogurt.
What does 100% Grass-fed Mean?
Cows that are 100% grassfed eat only grass and other plants they forage on during grazing. During the winter months in colder climates, the cows are fed winter bale (grass that has been cut and properly stored during warmer months). By storing winter bales, they can eat grass all year-round!
Most cows that are used as an American food source are fed a conventional diet, which consists of corn, grain and high-carbohydrate feed. The problem with this set-up is that cows are ruminants (their stomach is divided into 4 compartments), and as such, they are designed to eat fibrous foods like grass and other fibrous plants.
Eating a diet of grasses maintains their natural gut flora and keeps the pH neutral in their stomachs. When cows are fed a conventional diet, the make-up of the milk changes. The pH of their gut becomes more acidic, resulting in negative effects on their gut flora.
Health Benefits of 100% Grass-fed Yogurt
There are clear benefits to choosing 100% grassfed dairy and yogurt. Grass-fed dairy is richer in omega-3 fats including conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA). It also contains more Vitamin E and betacarotene.
Additionally, the ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids in grassfed dairy is 2.3:1 (the optimal recommended ratio), whereas the same ratio for conventionally-fed cows is 5.8:1 (source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).
About Maple Hill Creamery
Maple Hill Creamery is a milk shed that works with 50 farms in New York state to provide 100% grassfed milk for dairy products. Their mission is to help convert smaller dairy farmers to 100% grassfed, as it’s better for your health AND the environment.
Maple Hill Creamery also produces cheese with the help of Grafton Village Cheese (Vermont). The creamery is 100% grassfed certified, and you can read more about why it’s so important (not just for your health, but for the environment too) to choose 100% grass-fed beef and dairy products HERE.
Stonyfield 100% Grassfed Yogurt
Due to consumer demand, Stonyfield now produces 100% grassfed whole milk yogurt (6 oz and 24 oz sizes). The following flavors are available in 6 oz cups: plain, strawberry, blueberry, and vanilla. Plain and vanilla area also available in the 24 oz size. To find out where you can buy Stonyfield 100% Grassfed yogurt, click HERE.
Hi Jessica,
We are so happy to see that the webinar went well and that so many bloggers are sharing our 100% grass-fed story. However, I’d like to suggest a correction — Maple Hill Creamery is not a farm, though we did start that way. We are a nationally distributed dairy brand and the leader in 100% grass-fed dairy products. The Maple Hill Creamery Milkshed, which is comprised over 50 farms in New York State, is our own exclusive milk supply that we have worked hard to grow over the last few years. Our mission is to keep converting small grass-based dairy farms to 100% grass-fed organic as we believe that it is the only dairy system that is better for cows, for farmers, for the environment, and for consumers.
Many thanks,
Sara Talcott
VP Marketing, Maple Hill Creamery
Hi Sara, corrections made! 🙂