Milking your family cow and experiencing the simple joys that comes with it are explained in this guidebook by veteran dairy farmer and cheesemaker Phil Hasheider.This book leads you through all the steps needed to make your dream a reality and the processes involved to make your own dairy products. You will learn the practical do’s and don’ts of buying a cow, milking, feeding, and assisting her when she gives birth to a calf. You may not have the experience yet, but time will take care of that as you learn. Your adventure starts here and this book will guide you along your journey with your family cow.
The cow is the most productive, efficient creature on earth. She will give you fresh milk, cream, butter, and cheese, build human health and happiness, and even turn a profit for homesteaders and small farmers who seek to offer her bounty to the local market or neighborhood. She will provide rich manure for your garden or land, and will enrich the quality of your life as you benefit from the resources of the natural world. Quite simply, the family that keeps a cow is a healthy family. Originally published in the early 1970s as The Cow Economy and reprinted many times over, Keeping a Family Cow has launched thousands of holistic small-scale dairy farmers and families raising healthy cows in accordance with their true nature. The book offers answers to frequently asked questions like, 'Should I get a cow?' and 'How Much Space do I need?' in addition to extensive information on: • The health benefits of untreated milk; • How to milk a cow effectively and with ease; • Choosing your dairy breed; • Drying off your cow; • Details on calving and breeding; • The importance of hay quality and how to properly feed your cow; • Fencing and pasture management; • Housing, water systems, and other supplies; • Treating milk fever and other diseases and disorders; • Making butter, yogurt, and cheese, and, of course . . . • . . . Everything else the conventional dairy industry doesn’t tell us! Now revised and updated to incorporate new information on the raw milk debate, the conversation about A1 vs. A2 milk, fully grassfed dairies, more practical advice for everyday chores, and updated procedures for cow emergencies. Keeping a Family Cow has not only stood the test of time, it still remains the go-to inspirational manual for raising a family milk cow nearly forty years after its first publication. Joann Grohman has a lifetime of practical experience that has been bound into this one volume and presented in the spirit of fun and learning.
A complete guide to the basics of cow selection, handling, milking, care, and breeding that provides detailed information on raising feed crops and utilizing manure
Discusses how to maintain the day-to-day health of one's cattle, covering symptoms, preventive care, and treatment of common diseases, body system disorders such as digestive and foot problems, and other ailments, accidents, and injuries that can occur, with case histories and anecdotes.
A hands-on barn and field guide designed for quick and easy use, presenting a thorough examination of animals in the barn and then listing symptoms with many pictures of what the farmer is seeing, possible conclusions and a concise set of treatments.
Hobby Farms Beef Cattle: Keeping a Small-Scale Herd for Pleasure and Profit, written by Ann Larkin Hansen, serves as an excellent introduction to raising cows for food or simply to graze while mowing and fertilizing the pasture. This colorful guide offers experienced hobby farmers and beginners all of the essential information necessary to purchase and maintain a small herd of beef cattle. While managing her own hobby farm in Wisconsin, Hansen shares her expertise in all things farm and has authored numerous books such as Making Hay, The Organic Farming Manual, and Finding Good Farmland. In this comprehensive book, Hansen corrals the hobby farmer into the world of cowboys and cowgirls: she begins, “Beef cattle are as much at home on the hobby farm as they are on the range.” This colorful primer begins with the basics, from biological traits and breeds to behavior and life cycle, and describes exactly what’s required for a hobby farmer to maintain a herd of cattle—the four F’s—fencing, feed, fields, and facilities. Given the expense involved in the purchase and maintenance of beef cattle, all hobby farmers will welcome Hansen’s sound and sensible advice on buying the right cattle, whether steer calves for meat or breeding stock for building up a herd. The buying chapter helps farmers focus on what to look for when selecting cattle; how cows, heifers, and bulls are priced; where to purchase; and how to get cattle to your farm. The feeding and nutrition of cattle is a complicated topic, and Hansen breaks it down into the three basic components that every keeper needs to understand: pasture, hay, and grain. With directness and clarity, she explains the ins and outs of grazing, selecting ideal foodstuffs, using salt and minerals, and maintaining good weight on the herd. The reader can rely on her expert advice to learn the fundamentals of handling cattle, including herding, loading, and transporting cattle, as well as keeping beef cattle healthy through preventive methods, vaccinations, parasite control and veterinary assistance. For hobby farmers planning to breed their livestock, Beef Cattle includes a chapter on pairing cows and heifers, the actual breeding, artificial insemination, the care of pregnant cows, calving, caring for the young, and weaning calves. The final chapter of the book “Marketing and Processing Your Cattle” is geared toward hobby farmers looking to get beef processed, grade meat, and sell the final product. Sidebars of fun trivia, stories from farmers, and useful advice appear throughout the handbook. A glossary of over 100 terms; an appendix of health issues; a resource section of useful websites, books, and periodicals; and a detailed index complete the book.
Every farm needs a cow – open the gates! With an approach built around investing for the long term, Homestead Cows prepares homesteaders and small farmers to open the farm gate to cattle, whether a single milk cow or a small beef herd. Homestead Cows covers the A to Z of husbandry: Cow history, biology, diet, and nutrition Understanding what you want, what's involved, and creating a plan Selecting breeds and determining herd size Housing and facilities, transportation, and equipment Financial management and the dollars and cents of cows Breeding and reproduction Cow health and happiness, including safety, handling, and good husbandry Processing, products, and cooking. Cattle are the most productive, versatile, and low-input sources of food and revenue on the farm and can help regenerate and build soil. The secret to success is excellent management, and Homestead Cows distills decades of hard-won, practical knowledge into an essential guide to successful small-scale cattle farming for every homesteader and farmer.
A guide to raising beef and dairy cattle that explains how to pick the best cattle, with an overview of specific breed attributes and information on how size, color, body shape, hair length, and milking abilities make each more or less suitable to various needs.
There is no simple recipe for setting up and managing a successful organic dairy farm, but this handbook can act as an introduction to important issues in organic dairy production and provide today's organic or transitioning dairy farmer with an overview of the tools and ideas available. Part of the NOFA guides. Organic Dairy Production includes information on: Soils, the foundation of health (manure management) Crop production and grazing management (forage species, pasture management, setting up a grazing system) Livestock (selection, nutrition, winter and summer feed considerations, seasonal milking, habitat, herd health, milk quality) Marketing (selling fluid milk, regulations, facility and equipment, selling raw milk) Recordkeeping The transition to organic Features examples from various farms in the Northeast.
From the American bald eagle in the 1860s to Elsie the Cow*r in 1939, The Borden Company has promoted its array of dairy products--including milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, ice cream, and even dog food--with images that have become American icons. This book is the first-ever complete collector's guide for Elsie the Cow and Borden's company items with over 400 color photographs of advertising signs, toys, games, china, bottles, and glass wares, pottery, lighters, neon signs, jewelry, lamps, and much more.
