Molasses for Dairy Cows (And People too)

We’ve found that adding molasses to our dairy cows’ rations has been beneficial to their health.  Molasses is a by-product of making sugar and aside from being sweet and sticky, it is chock-full of minerals.  Molasses gives our cows quick energy, but also provides a high content of calcium.  Dairy cows need lots of calcium.  The sticky black stuff also has sodium, potassium, magnesium and sulfur, along with trace minerals like manganese, iron, zinc, and copper.

Molasses gives “sweet feed” that sticky consistency and that wonderful aroma that fills the feed room and reminds me (along with the aroma of Calf Manna) of experiences showing livestock as a young boy in 4-H.  Specific benefits of using molasses for dairy cattle include: improves digestion of hay, helps maintain conditioning, and increases milk production. 

As a result, especially in the fall/winter months, we pour molasses in the troughs for the cows to quickly lick.  The only problem is when it is cold, it is very slow to pour and requires some patience.  There is truth to the lyrics in Jimmy Buffett’s song, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere”:

“The sun is hot and that old clock

Is moving slow, and so am I.

Work day passes like molasses

In wintertime, but it’s July.”

Molasses is made by squeezing the sugar cane juice out of the crushed sugar cane.  Then the sugar is extracted from the juice.  Molasses is what’s left.  The juice is spun in a centrifuge and boiled and the syrup that remains is light molasses.  It is processed again to remove more.  The syrup is more concentrated and darker.  Finally, it is processed a third time, resulting in blackstrap molasses.  This is the thickest and darkest of all – loaded with minerals.

But hey, molasses isn’t only good for cattle, it is good for people, too.  Benjamin and I wanted to surprise Tricia and make some cinnamon chocolate chip bars yesterday and the recipe called for brown sugar.  Well guess what?  We were out of brown sugar.  No problem.  We made our own.  It’s very simple.  It requires molasses and we always have molasses.  To make light brown sugar you mix one cup sugar with 1 Tablespoon of molasses.  To make dark brown sugar, you mix one cup sugar with 2 Tablespoons molasses.  Here goes:

1 Tablespoon of Molasses

We’re making light brown sugar, so here is 1 Tablespoon molasses on top of 1 cup raw sugar:

Poured on top

Just pour it on top and work it together with a fork:

Benjamin did the honors, working it all together with a fork.  First it is kind of lumpy…

A little more fork action and it starts coming together 

But with a little work it all comes together:

And finally, the finished product, fluffy, sweet brown sugar!

Light Brown Sugar

We added the light brown sugar to the cinnamon chocolate chip bars and they turned out great!  You never have to buy brown sugar as long as you have some molasses in the pantry.