Did you know that, like a human, every cow has a best friend? Cows are some of the most intelligent, precious animals on the planet, and boy are they interesting! From sleeping while standing up, to eating 40 lbs of food in one day, cows sure are unique! Continue reading to uncover 11 fun facts about RAW FARM cows.

(11) Fun Facts About Cows

(1) Every Cow Has a Best Friend.

A recent study by Krista McLennan of Northampton University found that cows do indeed have best friends. In the study, cows were group together two times for a duration of 30 minutes, once with a well-known partner, a “best friend”, and once with a cow they didn’t know. The heart rates of the cows were measured during both experiments. As it turned out, when paired with their close best friend, the cows’ heart rates were significantly lower and they experienced less stress overall. McLennan also analyzed the cows while they grazed, rested and were fed. She was looking for which other cattle, if any, they spent most of their time with. Fascinatingly, McLennan found that over 50% of the cattle spent time and shared space with one specific mate; interestingly, this preference wasn’t based on biological family. It was based on pure friendship.

(2) Female Cattle Are Called Cows and Male Cattle Are Called Bulls

Generally, we refer to both male and females “cows” as cows, but scientifically this isn’t correct. Female cows are called cows, and male cows are actually called bulls. The confusion may come from the fact that the plural version of both male and female cows is cattle, making it convenient to refer to the singular term as cow.

(3) The 6 Main Dairy Breeds Are…

Ayshire, Guernsey, Brown Swiss, Milking Shorthorn, Jersey and Holstein (the black and white spotted cows).

Which breed of cows does RAW FARM have?

Our herd is made up of many breeds, and cross breeds of each breed.

Here is a rough breakdown:

· 50% Holstein

· 30% Jersey

· 10% Normande

· 10% Other Dairy Breeds

The “Other Dairy Breeds” that make up 10% of our herd are:

· Montebeliarde

· Guernsey

· Milking shorthorn

· Scandinavian Red

· Brown Swiss

· Fleckvieh

For our Sires (bulls), we use three breeds:

· Holstein

· Jersey

· Normande

Our breeding selection is based on what makes the healthiest calves and future heifers to replace our cows. For the most part, we breed our Holstein cows and heifers back to Holstein, our Jersey’s back to Jersey and our Normande and all other breeds back to Normande. We pick only the best sires that are confirmed A2A2, have great grazing traits, high components, good calving ease, and healthy calves (Immunity+).

As you can deduce, we are not breeding “Other Dairy Breed” bulls back to those breeds, so as time goes on and Guernsey is being cross bred back to Jersey (for example), the Guernsey is slowing being bred out. By the time my kids are involved in the dairy, the herd will have gone from 9 breeds to 3 breeds: Holstein, Jersey, and Normande. This is intentional as we want to select only the best sires (bulls) with the best genetic pool, to make the highest quality milk and cattle for our farm.

(4) Cows Can Sleep Standing Up

Okay, this isn’t ENTIRELY true, but there is some truth to it. Cows can doze off while standing up, but during REM sleep, they lie down just like the rest of us. This is true not just of cows, but of most other large herbivores as well.

(5) RAW FARM Cows Are A2?

Great question. We have been breeding using only A2A2 bulls since 2014. However, we do not promote a full 100% A2 herd because we still have a handful of milking cows that are A1. As part of our Certified Humane program, we would never slaughter a healthy cow to achieve A2/A2 status. Under our values and mission, if a cow is healthy and happy, she is here to stay until her time is due.

Research shows that ALL raw milk is equally easy to digest if raw. The claims regarding A1 and A2 milk are mostly focused on ways to make highly processed, pasteurized milk products “easier” to digest (if possible). Those with lactose sensitivities have a nutritious and natural option with whole raw milk! We can give you a longer and detailed explanation if you would like one by emailing me kaleigh.L@rawfarmusa.com. We are always available to give great detail to our reasoning and practices.

(6) Cows Eat a LOT!

A cow will spend about 8 hours a day eating and will consume about 40 pounds of food in a day. That’s a LOT of grazing! What do RAW FARM cows eat? Read all about how we keep our cows happy and healthy here!

(7) Cows Do Not Have Any Upper Front Teeth

Cows have no upper front teeth. Therefore, when they’re eating food, they press their sharp bottom teeth against the top hard palate of their mouth to cut blades of grass.

(8) Average Body Temperature of a Cow

The average body temperature of a cow is 102 degrees Fahrenheit. This is what makes our products TRULY raw. Our fluid raw milk products (milk, cream, and butter) are never heated whatsoever. Our cheese, however, is slightly heated, but NEVER above 102 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping all of the beneficial bacteria and enzymes in tact. As long as a product is not heated above the internal body temperature of the animal it came from, it is considered raw.

WATCH OUR CHEESE-MAKING PROCESS

(9) RAW FARM Cows Get Milked Twice a Day

Have you ever thought about what the milking process of a cow is like? Is it all done by hand? How many times a day do the cows get milked? These are all great questions. Well, the milking process is very unique to each dairy. Ours is unique and special.

Our sweet cows get milked twice a day: once in the morning and once in the evening. At RAW FARM, we have 900+ milking cows at a time. Not every milk cow is the same, depending on where she is in her lactation. We have milking cows that provide milk for all the wonderful products we sell. We also have newly calved cows (fresh cows in dairy lingo), and cows who stop milking to allow them to rest (dry cows). Our fresh cows receive extra special treatment before they deliver and during their 40 day postpartum period. We don’t use the raw milk from our fresh cows the first week after calving to make sure all of the raw colostrum has passed and the raw milk bottles for the customer is pure Whole Raw Milk. During that time, we test each fresh cow for these two pathogens: E.coli0157:H7 and Campylobacter. We wait until we receive lab results to confirm they are negative for these pathogens before their raw milk is used to make our raw dairy products. After 40 days, they are tested for these two pathogens again to ensure they are healthy before their milk is used to make our artisan products. We are proud to be the only raw dairy producer with this extensive food safety and pathogen testing program because the safety of our raw milk is the most important commitment we have to all of our consumers. The health of our cows plays an important role in our food safety program because healthy cows make healthy raw milk. A healthy diet plays a critical role in having healthy cows, which is why they enjoy pasture grazing and a special supplement diet full of extra nutrients to help them recover from their pregnancy and delivery.

Read more about our unique milking process here:

OUR UNIQUE MILKING PROCESS

(10) RAW FARM Cows Live their Dream Life

On the luscious pastures of our family-owned dairy farm in the fertile San Joaquin Valley of central California, 900+ milking cows graze freely on open pastures, enjoying an abundance of sunshine, clear blue skies, and fresh air.

Undoubtedly, the foundation of every animal’s health begins with proper nutrition:

What makes RAW FARM Whole Raw Milk products special is that they come from healthy cows who graze seasonally on luscious, green pasture. Pasture is their primary source of nutrition. When our cows are not milking, grass is the only commodity they enjoy; however, when our cows are milking, we provide them with a few extra sources of nutrition. As any new mama knows, when you are nursing your baby you need extra calories; the same principle applies for our milking cows. To produce enough milk, it’s important that they are as nourished as possible.

The supplemental feed we give our cows is chosen by a top-notch cow nutritionist who specializes in pastured dairy cows. Grass alone will not provide enough nutrition to meet their needs year round. All of our feed is soy-free and non-GMO.

Our cows do a lot of walking as they graze on the pasture and walk to the milk barn two times a day. This increases their protein demand to keep their body condition strong. We also want to make sure they have a balanced diet of carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to keep them healthy, because healthy cows make healthy raw milk. Our cows enjoy yummy pasture grass, lots of clean water, and sunshine. In addition, we feed them a small amount of dry alfalfa hay (protein and fiber); almond hulls (protein and fiber); rolled corn (carbohydrate); fermented corn (probiotic carbohydrate); canola meal (protein and fiber) -this is NOT canola oil. It is dried canola plant that is ground in to a meal/powder; citrus when available (Vitamin C and other immune supporting nutrients); and a custom mineral blend. Read about how we give our cows organic, fresh oranges as their winter source of vitamin c!

HOW WE TREAT OUR COWS WHEN THEY’RE SICK OR INJURED:

The most important thing when our cows fall ill is early detection! Our dedicated team-from our herdsman and dairy manager who spend their day with the cows, our milking team who interacts with the cows twice a day, our farming team who observes the cows when they are out an about in the pastures, our mechanics, the owners, and grandkids playing-everyone is trained to report any cow that doesn’t look healthy. Once reported, we quickly bring the cow to our “hospital pen”, which is a dedicated area that allows our trained team to care for her easily.

We use homeopathic treatments such as garlic tincture, which is nature’s BEST antibiotic. One of our owners, (mama) Blaine McAfee, makes this amazing tincture. It is made simply by combing equal parts garlic and vodka then extract slowly for 1 month. This healing tincture treats infections caused by bacteria, virus, fungus, and parasites. WOW! This works well for people too. We also have a great Veterinarian who steps in to treat more complicated issues. Our cows are like family to us, and they deserve to be treated environmentally, nutritionally, and physically with the very best care. They work hard to provide with with amazing raw milk, and the least we could do is provide them with the best life possible.

(11) One Cow Produces THIS Much Raw Milk a Day…

Did you know that each cow produces an average of 6 gallons of raw milk per day? Isn’t that amazing? Our beautiful cows provide us with high quality, nutrient-dense raw milk which we turn into a variety of delicious products for you!