A2A2 milk

[cabinguy]

What do you all think about A2A2 milk ?
For the last 5-6 years we have been working on breeding A2A2 Mini Jerseys.
We started with a mid sized A2A2 Jersey cow and have breed down to Mini the, Mini's were just to expensive.
Now we kind of prefer mid size over mini cause their easier to milk.
Currently we have a small herd of 5 cows/ heifers working on homestead genetics.
Now we are breeding towards A2A2,polled, BB kappa casein and BB lactoglobulin.
So far we have breed one heifer with these characteristics.
Our thinking is this combo would make a good homestead cow healthy milk, lots of cream and
increased cheese yield.

 

[Mini Horses]

And USED TO BE healthy soil, nutritious plants, healthy meats, healthy people. I like this quote:



Nina Planck, author of Real Food, give this advice: “How should you eat for maximum health? Simple—don’t eat anything with a label.“

 

[cabinguy]

Thanks for all the reply's I was thinking their was going to be more controversy about A2A2 milk and I only talked about milk quality and little about the traits of the cow that I'm breeding for such as food consumption,pasture grazing,easy calving,longevity and good "handles" for hand milking. Dexters are great dual purpose cows dairy and beef and small for a homestead setting. We always seem to be able to use our milk for something butter,yogurt,cheese,kiefer,treating the barn cats or fertilizer our Amish neighbor says never throw milk away. I was thinking a great combo would be to raise pigs each year as Bay suggested to use excess milk. Its been a few years since we have use to raise two a year and named them spit (for a hog roast ) and freezer . The 1st year we moved to the cabin had two piglets one got loose and it ran the city for two weeks the wife got daily sighting reports and finally our neighbor caught him in his flock of sheep.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Agreed, and I would add: healthy meat and healthy produce MUST come from healthy soil. You can have neither of the former without first having the healthy soil! We have so abused our soil with pesticides, insecticides and fake fertilizers. While a plant does not care what the source of NPK is, I believe the soil and microbes are much more discerning.

 

[thistlebloom]

I was the milkmaid at our house when I was growing up. We had Nubians and Saanens. The only time I remember our milk being an off flavor was once when we got some bad grain, and another time when I was a teen and left the milk out for a couple hours after milking having been distracted from my duties (blonde here). I remembered and snuck it in for filtering and cooling hoping mom wouldn't be the wiser. That made kind of a funky bottle of milk so my plan didn't work out so well.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

This discussion points back to the fact that we have lost so very much of what USED TO BE a good healthy diet.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Ah, here I go again... Off on another rabbit trail! I'm clueless as to what A2A2 milk is, so I'll have to go do some researching.

I DO like Jerseys, and it's been a hope of mine for quite a while to get one of my own. As far as I can tell, A2A2 is an extra protein? I've been reading up a lot more on the pros and cons of pasteurizing and homogenization than anything else, and have been searching for some time for a local source for raw milk. Jersey would be my prefered breed. I'm not very familiar with the dexter's, having grown up surrounded by holsteins.
I don't know enough about A2A2 yet to either ask intelligent questions or to answer yours. I don't think ANYTHING about it... yet!

 

[flowerbug]

Ah, here I go again... Off on another rabbit trail! I'm clueless as to what A2A2 milk is, so I'll have to go do some researching.

I DO like Jerseys, and it's been a hope of mine for quite a while to get one of my own. As far as I can tell, A2A2 is an extra protein? I've been reading up a lot more on the pros and cons of pasteurizing and homogenization than anything else, and have been searching for some time for a local source for raw milk. Jersey would be my prefered breed. I'm not very familiar with the dexter's, having grown up surrounded by holsteins.
I don't know enough about A2A2 yet to either ask intelligent questions or to answer yours. I don't think ANYTHING about it... yet!

that is what i love about these forums, you can find interesting things to ponder and talk about so easily. good way to spend a dreary day...

 

[baymule]

A2A2 is supposed to be easier to digest. people that are lactose intolerant are supposed to be ok with drinking A2A2 milk.
@milkmansdaughter have you considered a Guernsey cow? They metabolize the carotenes in grasses differently that other cows, giving verse to the phrase Golden Guernseys. The milk from a grass fed Guernsey is yellow and supposedly has more available nutrients.

There is a Guernsey raw milk dairy close to us and the milk is very good. They went up too high for us, $12 per gallon, and we quit buying from them. There is also a Jersey raw milk dairy about 30 miles away, $6 a gallon, we have bought milk there, but unless we are going that way, it's too far for a couple gallons of milk. LOL I do think the Guernsey milk is the best.

My Daddy was a milk man when I was a kid and worked for an All-Jersey dairy, so I grew up drinking jersey milk. It was so good! Plus jerseys are sweet cows, the bulls are noted for being the meanest in the bovine world. Guernsey cows are sweet too, I don't know about the bulls.

Unique Properties of Guernsey Milk and Milk Products - English Guernsey Cattle Society

Guernsey milk has several unique properties. 1 – Beta Carotene – As this is not digested and broken down by Guernsey cows it passes into the milk and creates the wonderful golden colour. 2 – Omega 3 – Guernsey milk contains three times as much Omega 3 as other milks. 3 – Beta Casein A2Continue...

www.guernseycattle.com

Guernsey

The Guernsey originated on the small Isle of Guernsey, situated in the English Channel just off the coast of France. There is no concrete evidence as to the development of the Guernsey before the 19th

www.thedairysite.com

American Guernsey Association | Golden Guernsey

Guernsey Dairy Cattle, Online Registration, Golden Guernsey Milk Products, Purebred Dairy Cattle, the Guernsey Difference.

www.usguernsey.com

Guernsey Cattle - The Livestock Conservancy

Ever wondered why your grocery store butter is that nice golden color? You can thank the Guernsey cattle & its golden color milk.

livestockconservancy.org

12 Things You Should Know About Guernsey Cattle! | THATSFARMING.COM

What do you know about Guernsey cattle? They're closely related to the Jersey cow, and their milk contains more calcium than that of other breeds!

www.thatsfarming.com

Do Guernsey or Jersey Cows Produce Better Milk?

Who does it better? The debate rages on: Is it Guernsey cows or Jersey cows who make better milk?

delishably.com

 

[thistlebloom]

We have raw Guernsey milk at the grocery store in my little town. It really is a pretty golden color like Bay said. It's expensive but I use it in place of half and half in my coffee. It's local and comes in glass bottles you put a deposit on.
Quite a splurge for me, but I like to think it's good to encourage and support small local farmers.

I used to buy raw milk from a farm family with Jersey X's. Don't know what the cross was. It was not on the way to anywhere and a 30 mile trip for milk was hard to justify, though it was a beautiful drive.