Raw milk scare

[Beekissed]

R U nuts??????? Milk her 2X a day, every day, for the rest of your life???? I married my wife, not going to be married to an dang old stinky cow! No thank you, I will GLADLY pay whatever the price for dairy products.

(turn on sarcasm meter as you read but I am serious as heart attack on no milking cows, goats, sheep...... For me).

See below...there are ways to make a dairy cow pay, not just in milk, butter and cheese, but also in beef. And you don't have to be chained to them for life...just for a season. I only milked mine in the morning, then let the calves have her the rest of the day, penned them up at night, repeated the next day.

View attachment 7033 "married the cow" hahahaha
I've been doing a LOT or 'research' - since I am starting from ZERO cow-care knowledge.
Did you know that you can 'share' with the calf and only milk when you want to?
Or that there are 2 different kinds of milk? And that A2 milk can be consumed by people who are lactose intollerant?
I've still got a lot to learn... But I'm getting excited to get something in the barn & pastures again.

You can even get a few bottle beef calves at the auction or if you know a local beef farmer who doesn't want to fool with bum calves and place them on your dairy cow. It's a quick and cheap way to get into beef if you have the land and the want for it.

This is a good way to keep the milk flowing to capacity and still have some for the family....just pen the calves in the evening and let that milk build up all night, take what you want in the morning and let the calves have her for most of the day. They get what they need, you get what you can handle and you also get a nice beef or two. It also works well if you breed her to a beef bull and can use her calf for eating as well.

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

That's a shame but it's what the whole world is coming to...like work is a dirty word or something. It's not like they have to milk them by hand any longer...imagine if they had to do that? Well, that would be like getting a public beating every day, it would!

If I was going to choose a "milky" breed of beef cattle, I'd choose the Canadian Speckled Park..they have shorthorn genes in them....not only are they incredibly beautiful with a good carcass, but I've seen the bag on some of these girls and they are HUGE. A milky beef cow is a huge plus on a homestead when one doesn't want too much milk to handle and still wants beef for eating.

 

[canesisters]

@Nyboy - I would love to go with goats. As a matter of fact, I have a couple of friends who have goats that I could get them from. But, I'd have many hundreds in fence up-grades before I could keep goats.

@valley ranch - I'm set on either a Jersey or Gernsey just for the greater chance of getting one that is A2. I've found a farm a few hours away that is raising mini to smaller Jerserys that are all A2. But, they are very expensive. I have a line on one in NC that is possibly pregnant and has a 7mo old hefer with her for practically nothing. My delema is: rush into picking up 2 pure Jerseys (possibly with 3rd 1/2angus) that MIGHT be A2. Or spend the summer woring on fence and pasture improvements/cleanups and get in line for a confirmed A2 hefer in the fall or next spring.
Good sense says not to rush..... but on the other shoulder is the little bargan hunter booger saying that the price on the NC ones is too good not to take a chance.

 

[so lucky]

Do they have to send in the milk somewhere to be tested, or is it a simple test that can be done at the farm? I would think a lactose intolerant person could test the milk pretty quickly for you: just chug a big glass full and wait 15 minutes.

 

[canesisters]

It's a genetic test - but I'm willing to bet that as word spreads about the A2 thing, getting a friend to 'drink test' it is going to be happening alot.
I'm keeping in mind the possibility of offering some herd shares in the future. So having an actual confirmed tested A2 cow would be an advantage.

 

[Nyboy]

 

[canesisters]

There are no easy answers to the issue and I wouldn't dream of trying to address all the different areas of it. But - in my mind - it always comes back to ... why not just simply immigrate legaly?????

 

[Smart Red]

There are no easy answers to the issue and I wouldn't dream of trying to address all the different areas of it. But - in my mind - it always comes back to ... why not just simply immigrate legaly?????

There are quotas, restrictions, and lengthy waiting periods for legal immigration. Not saying these are not necessary, but for many, a short walk and better life in the shadows is to be preferred over lengthy waiting without security.

 

[Nyboy]

I didn't post video for immigration issue but on how hard dairy farming is. @canesisters to answer your question money. I got to see the whole posses first hand with my cleaning lady, from green card to citizenship cost $20,000 for the 2 people.

 

[Beekissed]

Just stupid. If they had revised immigration processes that didn't cost an arm and a leg, could verify that the people coming in are of good standing in their own community and have a real need for asylum/work as they live in an economically depressed neighborhood or live where drugs and gang violence make it impossible to live safely, then maybe we could have better control over who or what comes across that border.

There should be processing centers/communities where they could live and get established in education on the language and culture and taught a trade for X amount of years before assimilating into the general populace as they progress past the introduction time. That would be another place where they could be evaluated as to what their intentions are in this country and turfed out if they are just coming in to deal drugs or engage in other nefarious activities, such as terrorism.

And that goes for all immigrants from all other countries, not just Mexico...and even those who come here with doctorates in hand. The sheer number of foreign doctors in this country is startling and some can barely speak the language and have no intention of learning the culture.

There should be a waiting period and a waiting place that is safe for them to learn, live and find work before they can gain full citizenship and leave the processing communities. It would provide jobs for immigrants and citizens alike if we had these processing centers/communities at various places in the country.

 

[seedcorn]

IF we let in everyone that will work cheaper. Guess what happens to our wages? We've already seen one adjustment (love that terminology) for taking away our decent jobs. Of course, rich can get more for their $$$$$.

Learned about A2 milk. My wife is now lactose intolerant. Will try to find some Guernsey milk. 1/2 glass will,tell the story-worst part is hearing and smelling the story........