When we first moved to our rental property in Northeast Ga, we knew right away that we wanted to start homesteading as soon as possible. Our 14 egg laying chickens (plus the surprise rooster) were delivered as chicks within the first two months of unpacking boxes. And I then began to research the perfect dairy animal to serve our family of 11. I quickly ruled out goats because of their goaty/curious nature. I fell in love with the idea of Clun Forrest sheep and still hope to add them further down the road. But there was something about a family milk cow that had my heart. If we were going to jump in this homesteading life with both feet, I was ready to bring a mama cow into our hearts and pasture.
Researching The Family Milk Cow
The first educational resource I picked up is the “bible” of all milk cow books, “Keeping A Family Cow” by Joann S. Grohman. If you are even CONSIDERING going down the homesteading road, you MUST have this book on your shelf. Everything from the first days of research to the last days of your cow’s life is found within these pages. The first piece of advice I gleaned was, “The dairy cow doesn’t ask for much, but she asks for it every day.” This was going to be quite the commitment.
The breed of cow I had my eye on was a mini Jersey. They are very popular right now for their small stature and gentle demeanor. But, because of their popularity, mini cows are VERY expensive and hard to find. A small mid-size Jersey would be more reasonable to find and afford. Jersey cows originally come from 4 small islands on the coast of France. They have the highest level of milk solids (protein & minerals), vitamins, and butterfat than any of the common cow breeds. They also start in milk younger than other breeds and can continue producing milk for 12+ years. And since they are generally much smaller than their cow cousins (around 750-800 lbs.) they give the highest return per acre of land in return on feed consumed. Plus, they have the sweetest faces with the most expressive eyes! I was sold…I was now a Jersey lady.
Meet Clover – Our sweet jersey girl
Now to convince my very awesome, very PRACTICAL husband. He agreed to start the milk cow search in the spring of 2025. By December of 2024, I had made an appointment to visit some available A2/A2 Jerseys in our area from a very reputable farm who needed to downsize as soon as possible. (He is the brake, I am the gas). If spring was good, bringing our sweet girl home in the dead of winter somehow seemed even better. 14* days don’t come very often to Northeast Georgia, but the week we started milking Clover the temperatures were record lows.
We were not deterred and brought our Jersey onto our pasture 3 months ago today. We named her Clover and she is 4 years old, gentle and patient, and due to calf in the early fall. So, if everything goes as planned, we’ll have a 2nd purebred Jersey heifer to milk when the time comes or a steer that we butcher to feed our family. And, until we have to dry her off this summer, we have 2 gallons of fresh raw milk everyday! Milk, butter, yogurt, cheese, oh my!
The learning curve was steep. My husband and I had never even TOUCHED a cow before! Thankfully, the land we live on is worked by a knowledgeable farmer. He has hundreds of beef cattle and years of experience. And Clover’s previous owner has gone above and beyond to come when we’ve called needing advice/help (mastitis anyone?!?). Plus we’ve found a very trustworthy bovine vet in our community. There will be future blog posts to share the things we’ve learned over the past 3 months, so stay tuned. It has been an ADVENTURE!
No Regrets
A family milk cow is an everyday commitment, just like the book stated. Rain, cold, sick, tired; none of that matters to a cow in milk. But the benefits have far outweighed the cost. Spending every morning in the barn with my husband has become my favorite part of the day. And feeding my kids quality, nutritional milk and milk products daily is such a great feeling. Maybe jumping into a milk cow 8 months into a homesteading journey isn’t best for every family. But, 3 months in, we can honestly say that we have no regrets.
Leave a Reply