Dairy Q&A

                                                                       Question: 

                    What kind of dairy cattle do you have on your farm?

                                                                         Answer:

Holsteins (black and white)

and 

Ayrshire (red and white)

There are 6 dairy breeds of North America: 

Jersey, Holstein, Guernsey, Ayrshire,

Milking Shorthorn and Brown Swiss

Spotted Cow's Tuesday Trivia with Taste

To celebrate June Dairy Month, I thought it might be fun to share a tasty dairy recipe every Tuesday during June served with a little dairy trivia!

 

 

 

Can you name the six breeds of dairy cattle?

Answer: Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey, Milking Shorthorn

 

 

Do you know how many spots are identical on the average dairy cow?

 

Answer: Every cow spot is like a snowflake; no two are the same.

 

 

No matter which kind of dairy cow produces the milk you enjoy---milk is a nutritional bargain costing about 25 cents a glass.

 

You can find Spotted Cow's Trivia Taste recipe this week at

Dairy Makes Sense.

 

 

Banana-Caramel Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 medium bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen
2 cups fat-free milk
1/4 cup purchased caramel sauce

*Note: Use frozen banana slices to chill and thicken your smoothie. Just peel and slice each banana and freeze in a separate zip-top plastic bag. This is a great way to use ripe bananas and have them ready for your smoothie.

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth. Serve in tall glasses or on-the-go drink containers.

Attributes of an Ayrshire

Last week, Roxanne,Cody's Ayrshire cow, gave birth to a beautiful red and white heifer calf. Roxanne is special to all of us because she is the daughter of an Ayrshire heifer that Cody purchased the last year he was in 4-H as part of his dairy herd project. Roxanne was born and raised on our farm and is now the fourth Ayrshire to be milking  in our mostly black and white Holstein herd.

Here are some facts about the Ayrshire dairy breed:

• originated in Scotland
• brought to the United States in 1822
• reddish to brown mahogany color with white
• average cow weighs 1000-1300 lbs.
• easy calving and longevity
• strong
• adapt to all management systems
• have vigorous calves
• produce moderate butterfat and relatively high protein milk
• efficient grazer
• adapt to less than ideal conditions

Roxanne was enjoying resting in the pasture this afternoon when I went to take her picture.  I would add photogenic to her list of attributes!

Cow Pride

It is impossible to party during June Dairy Month without bringing recognition to the heart of our dairy story---our cows! We milk a total of 300 cows twice daily every day of the year. Our herd consists of Holstein dairy cows ,one Guernsey and three Ayrshire. Our cows are the present and future of our farm. We respect them for what they provide for us and we work diligently everyday to provide nutritious feed,clean water, and comfortable surroundings. I enjoy watching the growth and development of each animal that we raise from calf to milking cow.

There are actually six different breeds of dairy cattle: Ayrshire,Brown Swiss,Guernsey, Jersey,Holstein, and Milking Shorthorn. Each breed was developed in its own country and brought to America. You can find more information about each breed at http://www.dairyfarmingtoday.org/.

Here are some interesting general facts about dairy cows:

• the average cow weighs 1400 pounds
  


• live to be about 18 years old; a normal production life for a Holstein is around 6 years



• a newborn calf weighs 90 pounds and walks on its own one hour from birth



• spend an average of 6 hours each day eating and an additional eight hours ruminating or chewing their cud
  


• most chew at least 50 times per minute
  


• graze by curling their tongues around grass and pulling rather than nibbling like a horse does
  


• have 4 stomach compartments and consume 90 pounds of feed everyday
  


• drink the equivalent of a bathtub full of water each day
  


• sleep lying down--just like people
  


• have an acute sense of smell--can smell something up to 6 miles away

June Dairy Month is the perfect time to celebrate our product and the commitment of America's dairy farm families working everyday to provide high quality milk by taking good care of our cows!