Land and Livestock Manager Ed Pitcavage outside with our herd of Belted Galloway.

The evolution of grazing and meat production at Philo Ridge Farm

Our “Beltie” logo can be spotted on merchandise and goods around the farm.

Everything seems to slow down during winter in Vermont, with its short days and cold temperatures—especially on farms, where garden beds lay hidden under snow and animals are tucked safely into barns. For many farms, this slowness is a welcome break from the busyness of the rest of the year. But at Philo Ridge Farm, while things may appear sleepy, the Land and Livestock team has a lot going on behind the scenes.

“This farm constantly evolves, adjusting grazing strategies and breeding plans yearly,” says Land and Livestock Manager Ed Pitcavage. Ed has been with the farm for almost a decade and has left an indelible mark, especially by helping to usher in the addition of our beloved Belted Galloway cows. The Belties, as we like to call them, were not the first animals on the farm, but they may be the most memorable, even inspiring our iconic Beltie logo.

The farm has grown and changed in many ways since Ed first joined and the Belties were added, but the underlying philosophy behind our grazing and animal management practices remains the same. At the heart is an unwavering commitment to quality, environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and continuous learning and improvement. “We are managing more animals than ever before, and that presents a lot of logistical complexity and unique opportunities,” says Ed. “Our goal is always to keep refining grazing strategies and improving efficiency without compromising ethics.”

We recently sat down with Ed and Grazing Specialist Isabelle Lourie-Wisbaum to get an inside look at the Land and Livestock program and learn about the latest developments on their team.

Grazing cows through all four seasons

Co-owner Peter Swift established Philo Ridge Farm’s grazing philosophy early on: It isn’t just about feeding animals—it’s also a tool for regenerating soil health. The cows and sheep at Philo Ridge Farm spend most of the year on grass, following a highly orchestrated grazing pattern designed to increase soil fertility. By rotating sheep and cattle strategically, we improve manure distribution, reduce parasite loads, and enhance soil organic matter. In spring, summer, and fall, the grazing animals are moved daily. They eat hay and haylage during the colder months when grazing is not possible.

“We sometimes bale graze out on pasture during the summer months. If it's particularly wet or dry, we feed out supplemental bales to slow the herds down when regrowth of pastures is slower. It's also part of our grazing strategy if we're trying to increase the animal impact on a specific field. Especially when we're trying to add a lot more concentrated fertility or have them trample down undesirable species,” explains Isabelle.

Winter is when Isabelle puts together the carefully choreographed grazing plan that will be followed over the course of the next year. The focus is on increasing field biodiversity and improving forage quality by working with what grows well in our Champlain Valley ecosystem, while balancing the nutritional needs of the different animal groups throughout the season. Instead of continually replanting pastures, we encourage desirable species to flourish. This maintains a healthy balance of cool-season grasses like orchard grass, Timothy, alfalfa, and red and white clovers.

The grazing plan evolves each year, taking into account learnings from previous years, changing farm conditions, and growing herd sizes. For example, “we have slowly transitioned away from making hay from Philo Ridge Farm fields. We make most hay off our farm on leased fields. And we make most of our early May first cut hay for the finishers and ewes during lambing from our own farm fields. But much more of our focus is on grazing instead of making hay,” Isabelle explains. “Every acre of pasture is carefully planned, mapped, and used efficiently, leaving little room for emergency reserves. Every blade of grass is accounted for.”

The farm’s grazing strategy has evolved for the Beltie herd in particular. In the winter, the cows are now spending more time outside than ever before, minimizing indoor barn usage. Belted Galloways are a heritage Scottish breed of beef cow with heavy double coats that keep them comfortable in colder temperatures. Ed and Isabelle have found the herd seems much happier and healthier when able to move freely outside in the winter, instead of being confined to the barn and a barnyard.

“They thrive in cold climates, making them ideal for the farm’s winter grazing strategy, which only works if the ground is frozen—otherwise it leads to compaction issues on our heavy clay soils,” says Ed. Weather permitting, the Belties are outside during the winter, eating round and large square bales of hay spread over the fields. “The cows are given windbreaks, extra feed, fresh water, and are closely monitored,” he says. And when the weather is too cold, snowy, or wet, the cows stay inside the barns.

When indoors, the Belties are kept in a pack barn system, where bedding builds up over winter, creating compost that’s later used to fertilize the farm’s fields. But “keeping animals outside as much as possible aligns with their natural adaptations,” Ed says. And “bale grazing directly on fields prevents excessive barn pack buildup and reduces labor for composting manure.”

Pack Barns

Our Belties overwinter in the pack barn, which is lined with a deep layer of comfy, carbon-rich bedding (the “pack”) made of hay and wood chips. We use this bedded pack to efficiently turn our animals’ waste products into rich, fertile compost during the months when our cows can’t be on pasture. The animals eat, sleep, and deposit manure and urine directly on the pack bedding. More hay and wood chips are added throughout the winter and the pack gets deeper and deeper. The pack barn provides the animals a warm winter home while turning their bedding and waste products into reusable, nutrient-rich compost. In the spring, we pull the bedded pack out of the barn and place it in windrows to start the composting process.

Adjusting animal genetics to improve meat production

Philo Ridge Farm co-owner Diana McCargo knew from the start that she wanted Belted Galloways on the farm. They are beautiful cows known for creating high-quality grass-fed meat, and they have famously nice temperaments. When Ed arrived at the farm, he already had years of experience working with them. “I love this breed,” he says. “Belties are highly efficient at turning grass into beef. And their docile temperament makes them easier to manage than breeds like Angus.”

The one downside to this beloved cow breed? They are “slow finishers,” meaning it can take them about 24 months or more to grow to the proper weight for harvest. To address this issue, Ed and Isabelle plan to introduce a new sire—a Red Devon who will hopefully help speed up the finishing process by a matter of months. Red Devons are another heritage breed from Scotland known to have similarly gentle temperaments due to their long history of domestication.

“The hybrid vigor from crossing Red Devon with Belted Galloway is expected to enhance growth rates without compromising meat quality,” explains Ed. The Red Devon bull is due to arrive in March to join our Beltie bull, Jelly Bean. The new bull will be a terminal sire, meaning his offspring will be used for meat production, not breeding. The breeding herd of Belted Galloways will remain purebred through the use of Jelly Bean, preserving the cows’ iconic look.

We’re also introducing a new terminal sire for the farm’s sheep flock this year. Our ewes are primarily Romney–Border Leicester cross-breeds—an ideal combination for our dual goal of producing quality wool and meat. Historically, we’ve introduced a new ram to the flock every two years, alternating between Romney and Border Leicester to maintain genetic diversity.

However, this year we are introducing a new ram to improve meat lamb production. Because certain lamb breeds grow larger, the introduction of a new sire will increase our meat lamb carcass size. “The goal of this change is to improve muscling and meat yield, producing larger lamb cuts, like chops, for consumers,” Isabelle explains.

Introducing a new breed that might not have a reputation for producing high-quality wool won’t pose an issue for the farm’s wool production. “This change is only for meat lambs, meaning the wool-producing flock remains genetically consistent,” says Isabelle. The farm will continue raising Romney and Border Leicester offspring for wool. In addition to our classic undyed wool blanket designs, the farm is experimenting with new blanket designs inspired by farm landscapes and dyed with natural materials.

Other new arrivals

Odyssey, the guard llama, with his sheep flock.

Friends of the farm who are familiar with Odyssey, the guard llama who has protected our sheep flock for many years, will be happy to hear that a new six-year-old guard llama will be arriving from Mystic Moon Farm in Middletown Springs, Vermont. The new llama will help keep the flock safe when the sheep are not all grazing together. Llamas are famously social, so our llamas will not be housed together, as they need to bond with the sheep rather than with each other.

In early February, twenty piglets also arrived at the farm. They are heritage crossbreeds, primarily Large Black and Tamworth, with some Idaho Pasture Pig and a little bit of Berkshire from Flying Dog Farm in Tunbridge, Vermont. Our pigs are always raised with indoor-outdoor access and are fed organic grain.

And in the coming weeks, meat birds (broilers) will also be reintroduced, including Cornish Cross, Royal Gray, and Red Bro. The birds will become an integral part of our grazing plan, housed in mobile coops that allow us to move them into recently grazed pastures to feed on grass, seeds, and insects stirred up by cow and sheep hooves.

On-farm research

Organic regenerative agriculture is still an evolving practice, with its environmental, economic, and social impacts yet to be fully studied and documented. Additionally, there is limited data on the costs and return on investment associated with transitioning from conventional farming to regenerative methods. Gathering and analyzing this information is essential to understanding and demonstrating the potential benefits of regenerative agriculture for Vermont’s farms, farmers, and the communities they sustain.

At Philo Ridge Farm, we are committed to deepening our understanding of the intricate relationships between soil, plants, animals, and people. As a former commodity dairy, our farm provides an excellent opportunity for on-farm research. By implementing organic regenerative practices, we can assess the ongoing health of our ecosystem. Our farmers consistently monitor soil conditions, evaluating physical structure, chemical composition (minerals and nutrients), and biological activity (plants, insects, bacteria, and fungi). We also track pasture yield and quality, animal performance, and overall farm productivity. Learn more about our research program and partnership with the University of Vermont, the Vermont Land Trust, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to study the outcomes of transitioning Vermont farms from conventional farming practices to regenerative systems for grass-fed livestock.

Looking ahead: a year of experimentation and growth

With each season, we adapt, experiment, and refine our practices to build a more sustainable, resilient farm. Whether it’s testing new grazing strategies, improving livestock genetics, or optimizing infrastructure, our goal remains the same: producing high-quality food while being responsible stewards of the land. We’re excited to see how this year’s changes play out and look forward to sharing more insights. Follow us on social media for more updates on our ongoing journey to balance tradition, innovation, and sustainability in modern farming.

Every Blade of Grass