Our Dairy Cows
Our dairy cows are 100% Jersey which is one of the smallest dairy cow breeds. Their names are Elaine, and Fiona and have been tested by the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory and are certified A2/A2. (If you don't know what that means please read the article below.) Elaine's milk averages about 5 1/2 gallons a day, and Fiona averages about 6 1/2. We feed them beet pulp, grain and kelp while they are being milked. Otherwise they have free choice eats of Alfalfa hay and Eastern Oregon grass hay with a high percentage of protein needed for highest quality milk to our consumers.
A1 Versus A2 Milk -
Here is What Big Dairy is Never Going to Tell You About Milk
By Terrie Bryan
Hello fellow milk drinkers. As many know who have read my articles or visited my sites, I am a big believer in raw milk. But there is some information you should know no matter what kind of milk you drink, whether it is raw or pasteurized milk. There is something Big Dairy is not telling you and probably never will. You'll see why. So what is this something? It is A2 milk versus A1 milk.
You are most likely scratching your head right about now wondering what I am babbling about. But please, read on. This is important and you will not hear much (if anything--ever) about it if you don't take it upon yourself to look for the information yourself.
Okay, I don't want to bore you or start spouting off a bunch of scientific jargon, but there are different proteins found in milk. One of the proteins is called casein, and one of those is the beta casein. The major beta casein types are A1 and A2.
Still with me? All right, A2 is the good protein. You'll find it in most of the old-fashioned cows like Guernsey, Brown Swiss, and Jersey. Guernseys are almost predominantly A2, followed by a high percentage of Brown Swiss, followed by Jersey, Ayrshire, and Milking Shorthorn. Then you have, lagging far far behind, the most popular cow in America, the Holstein, which is predominantly A1. This is the black and white dairy cow you see in all the ads.
You can pretty much assume Guernsey milk is A2, but the rest you would need to have a test run. Currently New Zealand is holding a patent on this and it makes it difficult to test in the United States (but not impossible, and I am having my cow tested right now).
The thing about this A2 and A1 is that the A1 is a mutated protein. It should all be A2 but people have "messed with" some breeds of cows too much and caused the A1 milk.
Now, here is why you will not hear about this from any of your local big commercial dairies. Most of these dairies have Holsteins. So most of the milk in the grocery stores is of the A1 variety.
So why is this bad, or is it? Well here's the thing. Evidence has emerged showing an association between A1 beta casein in milk to increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, and is also associated with neurologic disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. And that may only be the tip of the iceberg.
This is something everyone who drinks milk from the store needs to know. I realize not many will dig deeper and do their own research. Some will dismiss it all as a load of hooey, but I hope that at least a few people will read this and take action.
My own suggestion is to drink raw milk from a healthy A2 cow. But even if you are adamantly against raw milk, find a source of Guernsey milk or another old-fashioned dairy breed that has been tested A2, and pasteurize it yourself if you must. But avoid milk with the A1 beta casein protein.