Raw milk scare

[valley ranch]

Greeting Miss Cane, May I suggest, you look into miniature Jersey, They eat much less give wonderful rich milk and produce plenty for a family. She'll, a Jersey, will keep you in milk, cheese, butter and madzoon. {yogurt} and save you a fortune and they come with a great personality.

Richard

 

[seedcorn]

The Jersey of today will produce as many pounds of milk as a Holstein. Problem with them is the calves are not worth much as they don't dress out well or put on weight like a Holstein.

I LOVE Guernseys but they have fallen in dis favor as genetically they can't breed them for production. What my Ga'Pa had. Loved to wander out in pasture to pet her. When she had a calf, I was allowed out but she would chase my cousins out of the pasture. Being spoiled, I'd stand by her and pet her and go pet calf. I know, not a nice thing to do but I was 10....

 

[valley ranch]

The A1 - A2 was started by a diary in Australia/New Zealand, not every one believes in this. But we do have our cows and bulls tested for this, we think it valid.

Richard

 

[seedcorn]

Hadn't heard of the A-2 debate. Sounds very plausible. Wish there was a Gurnsey or Jersey dairy near me.

 

[dickiebird]

Thursdays local paper just had a story about a local dairy farm that has ceased operations after 100 years.
It has been operated as a farm, by the same family since the mid 1800's and as a dairy farm since early 1900's.
The last 30 to 35 years 4 of the family brothers, ranging in age from mid 50's to mid 60's, have run the operation.
Some time last month the trucks pulled up and the cows went off to auction.
All 4 brothers had children but none of them wanted to to work that hard!!!

THANX RICH

 

[Nyboy]

Cane what about getting your feet wet with a diary goat? Much easlier then cow

 

[Smart Red]

@valley ranch, what do you think of a Galloway? I've been thinking that an "Oreo" would make a good dairy cow as well as good for meat and, being small, would be easier to feed. Would you recommend a mini-Jersey over a Galloway and why? Thanks!

 

[seedcorn]

Thursdays local paper just had a story about a local dairy farm that has ceased operations after 100 years.
It has been operated as a farm, by the same family since the mid 1800's and as a dairy farm since early 1900's.
The last 30 to 35 years 4 of the family brothers, ranging in age from mid 50's to mid 60's, have run the operation.
Some time last month the trucks pulled up and the cows went off to auction.
All 4 brothers had children but none of them wanted to to work that hard!!!

THANX RICH

I don't blame them. Lot of work, very little profit for it. In last 3 years dairymen in Indiana have seen cycle from making an insane amount per cow to losing an insane amount per cow. About the time you do some major maintainance, you hit a down cycle. U r broke.

@Smart Red love looks of belted galloways. Quite a few around here. Most as novelty beef

 

[bobm]

Red, I would go with an Angus or Black Baldy ( Angus X Hereford ) and breed her AI to a Angus bull. Beef cows have a higher butterfat contact than Holsteins but a little lower than a Jersey . You can then have the calf in a pen and allow it to nurse on the cow and milk it too for your milk supply. Then you can grow out the calf to a decent size for meat at a much cheaper cost ( beef breeds put on muscle, dairy breeds put out milk volume but lack muscle development) and have a much better return on investment. One of our neighbors in Cal. does this. At least in Cal. as well as Wa., the small breeds sell for much less per lb. at auction. The minis go home as a no sale. ( ask my son's in laws who have to butcher the calf themselves after a very long grow out period or find another sucker to buy their mini Jerseys. They retired and sold a couple, gave away 5 and butchered 2 4 years ago ).

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I've never tasted Raw Milk. I did my Masters Thesis and lab research on Milk Toxins with the United Dairymen of AZ. I've never heard of A2 milk, but of course, this was 30 years ago now.