A Family Cow on Today’s Farm
by Paul E. Hauser of Lincoln University, PA
Everyone is familiar with the old parable – What comes first – the chicken or the egg? Well, when we moved to our current farm in 1981, the parable was – What will come first – the work horse or the family cow? For years we had been reading the works of Wendell Berry, subscribing to the Small Farmer’s Journal, and planning how we would incorporate all these thoughts when we had a larger farm. We had riding horses at the time and were trying to convert them into practical work horses with mixed success. But having a dairy cow and being able to produce milk and butter also captivated our interest. Several times we drove out to a dairy that sold raw milk, to get a taste of what unprocessed milk was like and to skim off the cream and make our own butter. We talked to neighbors we had who at one time had kept a family cow. The more I heard the more I became convinced, a family cow was a must when we finally got our farm. So it became a question of what would come first – the real work horses or the cow? Well, the horses won out – arriving less than a week after moving onto the farm, but they were joined a few months later by our first cow. And we have been faithfully milking for the past 20+ years.
Both my wife, Carol, and I had positive dairy experiences as children. Carol, as a child, had spent her summer vacations visiting on her uncle’s dairy farm. This was a farm, before today’s mega milk producing era, where a herd of 20 cows was considered large and the cows even had names. Part of her job was going to the top of the mountain pastures and bringing the cows down for milking. My remembrances and involvements were less, but still left an impression on me as a child. Both of my grandfathers had kept family cows but the cows went as soon as their children left the farm and before I came along. My parents had no interest in a family cow, but I had one great Aunt who in her 80’s still had her cow. A Guernsey with horns as I remember it. She would stake that cow out everywhere and really just seemed to enjoy its company. From these remembrances we looked forward.
Our milking experiences didn’t start out real well though that first spring. We bought a cow who had finished her lactation and was bred to freshen in a few months. The seller assured us she would be perfect. She probably would still give a little milk while we learned how to milk without worrying about mastitis setting in. Perfect, I said, and had her shipped in. Well, the milk supply turned out to be non-existent so we just decided to wait till she freshened. Within a few months she freshened – a beautiful heifer that we would keep for years. Then came the real job – the much anticipated routine of daily milking – but it didn’t quite go as planned. It turned out she was a perpetual kicker. She seemed to really enjoy battering around this novice milker who kept annoying her. Time for help – so an experienced dairy neighbor gave us a helping hand – only to find out she enjoyed kicking him just as much. So after all these years of planning, getting the butter churn ready, we were stuck with a battering ram instead of a docile, quiet milker. So, facing reality – we simply sold her for whatever and went back to the planning stage, with the obvious thought – is this really for us?
After spending some time rethinking our objectives and rekindling our interest in a family cow, we saw a local dairy farm auction listing a small mixed herd of cows. We visited one night prior to the auction at milking time. It was an old time farmer with a few of everything in his small herd. The cow he suggested to us was an old Guernsey with sawed off horns. A cow perfect for the novice he promised. So on auction day, my wife Carol set off on her own to buy us a cow. When I arrived home from work that day, the cow was patiently awaiting her evening milking. This Guernsey was perfect, she stood quietly while we learned the basics of milking. For several years she was to provide us with the fresh milk and butter we had long anticipated.
Now that we were officially dairy farmers, we did not want to be burdened by the twice a day milking routine. We wanted some flexibility and the freedom to occasionally take a day off if we needed to be away. So we instituted the once a day milking routine from the beginning. What we did was simply allow a calf on the cow during the day, then pen up the calf at night. In the morning we would take as much milk as we needed and then turn the calf loose to milk during the rest of the day. If we needed to be away for a day, we simply let the calf run continuously with the cow. To cover our needs, we usually use from one to two gallons a day. This still allowed plenty of milk to furnish the calf its needs. This once a day milking in conjunction with calf raising also greatly reduced any chances of mastitis setting in. As a novice milker it is sometimes difficult to know when you’ve milked the cow clean. And, by not milking out thoroughly, is the easiest way to induce mastitis. By having that calf constantly keep the cow clean, mastitis can be greatly minimized. In fact, I hardly ever remember mastitis being a problem in our milking herd.
Our family cow soon became not only the source of our dairy products but also became an income producer for our farm. We found that we could keep a calf on the cow for two or three months and then effectively wean a 200 to 300 pound calf and start another. Sometime it took some effort to get the cow to accept a new calf but with some help, the kicking would eventually stop as Mom and the new baby adjusted. Selling calves this size brought in top dollar and we were able to gross approximately $1000 from our cow in addition to all our milk and by products.
In addition to the daily milk we enjoyed, and the positive cash flow from our cow, we also were able to raise a substantial amount of our family’s meat from this cow. Obviously it was just natural to keep one of our calves. For us it never mattered whether it was a beef type steer or a Guernsey – we always got quality meat. Knowing that our beef was raised without any hormones or antibiotics was always a plus for us. In addition to the annual steer, we also fed excess milk to a pig raised for butchering. We’ve had the opportunity to eat a lot of home raised pork through the years but I don’t think there was ever any better than hogs fattened on milk. Our pigs would literally squeal for delight when they saw me come with the milk bucket and I would smile just as much from the high quality pork it produced.
Some have said – it is simply too inefficient on today’s farm to keep a family cow. And yes on some of my neighbors farms – many in the ten acre range – it would be more difficult. Many of them keep a family goat to serve their family needs. But I’ve never been a “goat” man and we have found that even though the majority of our 20 acre farm is devoted to vegetable and fruit production, we still can cost effectively keep a cow. You see, a family cow does not need to be fed like a high producing commercial cow. We have been able to keep ours well fed and producing enough milk on a lot of crop by-products. I can’t think of anything that we grow that the seconds or unsold produce don’t get recycled into livestock feed. For example, we have a small orchard from which we make cider weekly for about four months. The apple by-product is fed as a grain substitute during this time rather than be simply thrown away. In fact, one year we had so many apples that we couldn’t sell, we fed all the horses in conjunction with the cow clear through to spring as a substitute for grain. Potatoes, broccoli, squash, beets and turnips in addition to many others are all fed on a regular basis. For hay, we feed what we are able to grow. Some years it’s good hay, other years, it’s not. But we do not purchase feed. We have been able to keep our cow going in full home production with what we are able to grow.
One advantage a small farmer has over a commercial dairyman, is his ability to graze his single cow on small plots. We try to work with a young heifer calf that we intend to keep, haltering it and teaching it to lead. By doing this we then have the ability to stake out our cow in little plots of grass that are not part of our pasture system. Lawns, orchards, and driveways all have been pastured by staking out our family cow. Once again we try to waste nothing from our small farm, utilizing crops that would otherwise be wasted.
When we first started our search for a family cow, I was intent on finding a Jersey. Not just a Jersey but a Jersey that had that patent soft brown color along with those eyes that could just melt you down. But the years have certainly changed my thoughts on that. Through the years I’ve had, in addition to Jersey, Guernseys, Shorthorns, Holstein and a cross of all of them. Looks are pretty much forgotten about, and in fact, Jerseys are now on the low end of my choice list. For us, we have found Jerseys to be a little higher strung and have smaller teats which make hand milking very difficult. Guernseys and Shorthorns were both extremely docile and easier to milk. Our Guernseys always gave us an abundant amount of cream. Our current cow is a Jersey – Holstein cross who is bred to a Guernsey. She is the size of a Jersey, with Holstein markings and an udder that is similar to a Holstein. We’ve had her for at least six years and she is as gentle and efficient cow as I could hope for.
I’ve learned over the years that dairy farmers and fishermen all have one thing in common, the ability to tell a tall tale. And since I’ve been a dairy farmer for the last 20 plus years, I’ve also learned to spin that story into a tale.
This one I will share with you. A few years ago, a good friend of mine sold his entire herd, maybe around 60 head, at public auction in anticipation of relocating in the mid-west. Every one was sold, the best cows along with the finest heifers he was bringing along. He decided to keep his horses and take them with him in the move which meant he would be utilizing a livestock trailer in the move. Well, he came to me after the sale and inquired if I might sell him one of my family cows, which I agreed to do. This was the only cow that went west with him and became the cornerstone of his new commercial dairy herd in a few months. Yes – a true story. So we family cow farmers need to keep our heads high as you never know when your cow might be the key to a commercial dairy herd.
Twenty plus years have come and gone since we first started milking and I still enjoy it as much as I first did. By using our once a day milking routine, milking has never felt like a leg chain. Some flexibility and freedom is still mine. But our children are now grown and the question becomes, is the cow still worth the work involved? And to that question I still have to answer yes. Recently my wife has had the time to take a cheese making class and now anxiously looks forward to making Mozzarella and Ricotta cheeses.
I still love the taste of fresh, unpasteurized milk and can’t imagine a meal without a glass full. And having the cow walk into her stall and quietly look at me as I pull over the milking stool is still an anticipated part of my day. So, for the foreseeable future, our small herd of one or two family cows will be a fixture on our farm.
