The following article was written by Appalachian State University student, Lauren Church, who interned at the N.C. Cooperative Extension of Watauga County.
Homestead Dairy Cows: The Basics
With everything going on around the world today, it has everyone racing to the grocery stores in hopes to find a gallon of milk. Instead of racing to beat people to the store, what if you could get your milk from your own backyard? Now is as good of a time as ever to think about getting your own dairy cow, whether you just want milk or to make your own cheese or yogurt. The first couple steps to accomplish your new goal is to decide on a breed and make sure you have the correct housing and facilities.
When choosing a breed, you want to take into consideration the main purpose of buying your cow. This may simply be to provide enough milk for your family of four, without having to fight the crowd at the grocery store. This brings us to the question of, how much milk will you need in order to provide a sufficient amount? The two most common breeds that can meet both of those needs are the Holstein and the Jersey cow. The Holstein is a breed that is most commonly used in the corporate dairy industry but can also be used at a home farm. They are mostly black and white in color, but they can also be seen as red and white. This breed is known for their high milk production, but they have less butterfat and protein in the milk when compared to other breeds. The average cow produces around 2,900 gallons of milk each lactation cycle which spreads out over a year. The Jersey cow can be seen as more of the “at home” type. Their coloring is a shade of brown with a black muzzle and a switch, the hair at the end of their tail. This breed produces high amounts of both butterfat and protein in their milk, however, their production is less than that of the Holstein.
