Dairy Farm Modern

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Minggu, 15 Agustus 2010

Choosing a cow- the many dairy breeds

First lets talk about the prefect cow.

What breed should you get?

There are so many breeds to pick from plus all the mixes possible.




Veronica -the perfect Jersey -owned by Arethusa Farm

Jersey
Maybe one of the top options for a small family farm. Jersey cows are small and produce lots of
great quality milk with high butterfat percentage. Jersey milk is great for making cheese and tastes really sweet in my experience. They have great personality and their meat is of high quality and taste in case you get a steer out of you cow.
Jerseys maybe a little easier to find than other breeds but are not as common as the Holsteins.
This is a great article from the American Jersey Cattle Association:
Why Jerseys
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Guernsey
"The Guernsey cow is known for producing high-butterfat, high-protein milk with a high concentration of betacarotene." " The Guernsey is also an excellent grazer. She is a cow that is made for pasture-based milk production. Because of her grazing abilities, gentle disposition, calving ease and ability to efficiently produce milk with less feed than other breeds, she is the ideal candidate for intensive grazing." The Guernsey milk is also called the golden milk for its colour. Read more about the Guernsey here.
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Brown Swiss
The Brown Swiss is the oldest of the dairy breeds. They have great dairy strength and outstanding feet and legs. "The milk of the Brown Swiss cow is coveted by cheese makers. The volume of milk plus the protein produced by Brown Swiss makes the best milk for the fluid and cheese markets. Brown Swiss breeders benefit from the best fat-to-protein ratio of any of the dairy breeds for production of most cheeses." To read more about the Brown Swiss click here.
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Grand Champion Milking Shorthorn at Kansas State Fair

Milking Shorthorn
"The Milking Shorthorn breed is the most versatile of all breeds and this is one of its greatest attributes. These docile cows efficiently produce large volumes of nutritious milk each lactation..." "Other attributes of the breed include ease of calving, ease of management and economy of production, especially on home raised roughage and grass." To read more on Milking Shorthorns click here.
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Ayrshire
"Ayrshires are medium-sized cattle weighing over 1200 pounds at maturity. They are strong, rugged cattle that adapt to all management systems..." "They are known for low somatic cell counts, ability to convert grass into milk efficiently, and hardiness. The breed's strong points are the now desired traits of easy calving and longevity. They also have a very "spirited" nature, which may or may not be desirable." To read more on Ayrshires click here.
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Citiview Spirit Roxie


Holsteins

Holsteins are large cows. The also produce large quantities of milk, way more than a family could ever consume. They are easy to find as it is the most popular breed of dairy cattle around. They have a gentle disposition and are quite "shy". IF you want a lots of milk and has the space for a big animal this may be the way to go. To read more on Holsteins click here.
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of course there are other breeds like:
Dutch Belted
Canadienne
Kerry
Norwegian Red
Milking Devon

Some people also use dual purpose breeds like:



Dexter
The Dexter is a small breed that is actually triple purposed- beef, dairy and oxen.
The Dexter is consider a good option for a small family farm for its size and quality milk.

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