Big, pretty eyes, long lashes and the sweet disposition of the little brown Jersey cow wins hearts over easily. Our Jerseys range in color from light brown to black (with occasional splashes of white spots), exhibit deep dished faces, stand small in stature, and weigh around 900 pounds. Jerseys are excellent grazers and are extremely efficient. They produce more pounds of milk per pound of body weight than any other dairy breed. They also produce more butterfat than other breeds, making their milk extra sweet and delicious. Big, pretty eyes, long lashes and the sweet disposition of the little brown Jersey cow wins hearts over easily. Grazing efficiency is sought after in our herd. As we are a grazing dairy we love the small Jersey cows that can perform well on pasture. To insure our cows are healthy and have long, productive lives on our dairy, we breed for traits such as strong feet and legs to carry them from fields to the milk parlor twice daily, wide muzzles to make the most of every bite they take, large barrels to store plenty of forage for them to convert into delicious milk, and strong, tight udders that will last for years in our system. However, besides selecting for traits that will insure cows have long, healthy lives, we have been selecting for specific milk traits for several years. Not only do we want cows in our herd that produce the most delicious and nutritious milk and cream for our customers, but we also have diligently been breeding for genetics that make the milk easily digestible for all our customers to enjoy. How have you done that, you may ask? What we have done is select for the A2A2 gene. Letters and numbers together in “A2A2” may remind some of you of algebra and cause overwhelming feelings, so let me break it down for you simply. Milk is composed of three parts: cream/fat, whey, and milk solids. We are interested in the solids when talking about the A2 gene. The solids contain proteins which are made up of amino acids. The beta-casein protein effects the digestibility of the milk. Many years ago, a mutation occurred in the amino acid chain which produced a peptide called BCM7. This BCM7 peptide spread through cattle mating in Europe. It is most prominent in the Holstein breed though other dairy breeds were impacted as well. Cows that carry the BCM7 peptide are known as A1 cows, and cows who lack the peptide are known as A2 cows. To put it plainly, cows WITH the mutation are A1 cows. Why does A1 and A2 matter? According to research by Keith Woodford, PhD, professor of farm management and agribusiness at Lincoln University in New Zealand, the BCM7 peptide (A1) has pro-inflammatory properties and some evidence has shown the peptide even contributes to chronic diseases that plague society, including autoimmune conditions, heart disease, and autism, as well as some neurological disorders. On a side note, the French in their culinary arrogance (or artistry) have always refused to use A1 milk in their cooking because they regard it as inferior. I wonder why... Here’s how BCM7 (A1 milk) impacts consumers. BCM7 is not absorbed greatly into the human bloodstream of people with healthy GI tracts. However, when A1 milk is consumed by individuals with sensitive or poor GI function, BCM7 may significantly contribute to worsening the disease process and causing intense GI tract disturbances. Research has shown that when milk is drunk from a cow that is A2A2 (meaning the dam and sire of the cow were BOTH A2 cattle) there are interesting results. For example, Dr. Woodford, without any change in exercise routine or diet (other than drinking A2A2 milk and consuming A2A2 cheese), experienced no digestive disturbances and saw his body “leaning” out, which is not typical when consuming milk. Furthermore, many individuals consume sheep and goat milk as it is easier to digest and does not contain the BCM7 peptide. A2A2 cow’s milk tastes no different than the A1A1 or A1A2 cow’s milk, but it has the same benefits as drinking goat or sheep milk. It is easier to digest because the proteins are easily absorbed by the body, leading to less GI tract disturbances. To clarify, when describing a cow containing the BCM7 peptide, we refer to her as A1; cows lacking the peptide are known as A2. This is a genetic distinction, a cow can be homozygous for A2 (mother and father both contributed the A2 gene) and she will be A2A2, or the cow could have had one parent that had the BCM7 peptide (A1) and one parent that did not, creating an A1A2 cow. A cow that inherited the BCM7 peptide from both parents is an A1A1 cow. Because we value our customer’s health and want everyone to enjoy our milk, we are well on the journey to transition our herd completely to A2A2. This has been an undertaking that has taken us many years, and we have only been able to do so by obtaining genetics from herds that are related to the original cattle on the Jersey Isle in Europe. On this isle, monks bred Jersey cows in seclusion and kept them unadulterated from the BCM7 peptide influence. We have obtained some genetics from these “pure” Jerseys, and for several years have been making the transition to an A2A2 herd to improve the quality and benefit of our milk for our customers. Many of our customers have not been able to drink milk in years, but on our dairy with 100% raw, mostly A2A2 milk, many individuals are able to enjoy drinking milk, nature’s most perfect food source, again. We love that. So, besides loving the little brown cows for their sweetness, we love that we are returning our herd to the original Jersey genetics that provide healthy, easily digestible A2A2 milk that our customers can enjoy. Some information was gleaned from: “a2a2milk.com”
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Our Farm's Voice
Hello! I'm Madelaine Paige, and I'm so glad we've met. I love mornings, milk cows, and musings. Archives
July 2021
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