Each
breed gives a slightly different
milk product that varies in nutrient content (i.e. protein and vitamins).
Brown Swiss: Believed to have originated in the
Alps of Switzerland, these hardy
animals are tolerant of harsh climate and produce
large quantities of milk, close behind the Holsteins. Officially recognized as a breed in the U.S. in 1906, the first small
group of cows arrived here in 1869. Though few
animals were actually imported, this hasn't stopped their steady growth in number, and today, the Brown Swiss are very important members of the
dairy industry. Average output is
21,000lbs./9525kg (~2450 gallons) of
milk per cycle with 4.0% butterfat, 3.5% total protein.
Guernsey: As their name suggests, these cows hail from the B
ritish Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel. Well-bred by monks from select French Norman/Breton
cattle lines (Alderneys from Normandy, Froment du Leons from Brittany), the first to arrive in the U.S. were brought by ship in 1840. Guernseys are small, about three-fifths the size of a Holstein, but produce up to
14,700lbs./6,350kg (~1700 gallons)
milk with 4.5% butterfat, 3.5% total protein each cycle.
Holstein-Friesian: Originally bred in
Northern Germany, and the North Holland/Friesland regions of the Netherlands. These familiar black and white
cows were selectively bred to make large quantities of
milk from the area's most abundant
natural food source- grass.
First brought to the U.S. in the late 1850's, their ready adaptibility, and economic production of large volumes of
milk relative to other cows has made them common on dairies worldwide. Figures for average milk output range up to
28,000lbs./12,700kg (~3260 gallons) per cycle, with 2.5-3.6% butterfat, 3.2% total protein.
Jersey: Developed on
Britain's Isle of Jersey, close to the Isle of Guernsey just off the coast of France. With a history as a
pure breed that dates back several hundred years, they are descendants of stock from the French region of Normandy.
The 1850's saw the arrival of the first Jersey's in the U.S. Like the Guernsey, they, too, are small, but produce relatively large amounts of
milk- on average,
16,000lbs./7,260kg (~1860 gallons) per cycle, with a high butterfat content of 4.9%, total protein 3.7%.
Milking Shorthorn: Part of the Shorthorn cattle breed originally developed for
beef in Britain, descendants of these moderate producers were
bred and selected for
milk rather than
meat. Arriving in the U.S. in 1783, the first mulit-purpose
Milking Shorthorns provided the early settlers with not only
milk, but meat and pulling power as well. A typical
cow produces
15,400lbs./6,990kg (~1880 gallons) of
milk per cycle with a butterfat content of 3.8%, total protein 3.3%.