Small Farm in NE Texas

[amschind]

I'd like to know about your property. Former ranch or cropland? What's growing on it now? Fences and number of acres in each pasture? Cross fenced and number of paddocks? Water? Irrigation? Growing any hay? House(s) and outbuildings?

I think you said 133 acres? That's pretty large for a "hobby farm" where I come from but maybe in Texas it's tiny.

It's actually a former iron mine that has been in trees (natural mixed hardwood, not a pine plantation) for about 50 years, biggest trees look about 30 years old. They drag line mined for iron ore until they saw the writing on the wall with the EPA coming down on coal producers in the 1970s, and it has been trees ever since. That's the major limitation on land: I have a few patches that are flat enough to safely drive a tractor over, but the majority of it is too hilly and too rocky for much of anything except scraggly trees. To drive that point home, the big hills have rocks so big that the miners just mined around them and scraped what ore they could.

I have about 10 acres on an east facing slope that I want to put grapes on. I have a separate 10-12 acre area (using my laser rangefinger/NationalMap "survey") which I would like to use to grow hay, which is the big limiting factor. If you look at the topographic map, I basically own the Western half of Daingerfield; about 1/3 of my land is inside the city limits. The yellow areas are neighboring plots that I'd like to grab some day, but the red is the actual outline of the property. The light green is the area that I'd like to use for hay/forage. As you can see, I'm actually quite space limited. The soil on the hill tops is red clay or just rocks, but the flat ares are sandy loam, which is yet another hard limit on how much land can grow plants. Most land clearing folks in East Texas are forestry mulching now, so I will actually get a lot of organic matter by default. Rainfall is also generally quite high (40-50" per year, but we do get some really dry years, particularly in the summer). Friends down the way have about 100 acres of Bahia and get 100+ round bales one year and 10 the next. I will have a good sized pond (blue shading), but because of the impounded waterway the rules in Texas make irrigating from it a no-no.

In terms of ag infrastructure, I have a very nice 4" pipe fence gate and somewhere on the property is a rusted out 1950s Chevy, but I haven't found it yet; that's it. Friends who live close have very fancy albeit dated pipe fence chutes and pens (they lease pasture, but do not run cattle themselves these days), and Priefert is about a 20 drive away. I will use t-posts for a while until I really figure out where I want things, but I would ultimately like to have pipe fencing for a basic squeeze chute and loading/sorting area. I have a lot of local resources to help with this part of things, so I figure I won't waste y'alls time with those questions unless I get stuck.

I hope that sheds a little light.

 

[moses388]

Myostatin
disruptive variants:
C313Y
E291X
nt419
nt821
Q204X
E226X

non-disruptive variants
D182N
F94L
S105C

source

This article describes what you are planning to do. {click here}

 

[redcowsrule33]

Looks like you are trying to reinvent what the Parthenais breed was before they were selected only for beef.

 

[Warren Allison]

All AI sires have calving ease and weaning and yearling weights... bulls have EPD's with growth and such... You are looking for a calving ease DM bull that will put growth on the calves... I see nothing wrong with that... it is just that using these type bulls on a jersey cow is looking for trouble... MOST... not all.... are just not built to have calves of that "bulk"...

I know you don't care for their disposition so much, but would Brown Swiss, being a bigger cow, be more likely to suit his purpose? I remember 50 something years ago, when you could only get Chianina semen in to the US, Brown Swiss was the go- to cows people bred to.

Jersey holstein cross cows are okay... but they seem to inherit the "bad traits" from each breed... Many are moody or difficult to deal with... NOT ALL... but every dairy farmer that I have milk tested over the years that used a jersey bull on heifers for the calving ease... and then kept the resulting heifers for milking... has culled them out sooner than later... One of the things that is common with them, is their udders tend to break down faster... center ligament support falls apart and they wind up with basketballs with teats sticking out sideways more than facing down.
I have had several and their temperment can be interesting... some are real B#@%h"s ... I prefer NOT to have them...
My favorite breed is Guernsey, but the sad thing is they have been so "refined" to try to get away from the old "rough and rawboned" type animal, that they have bred all the strength out of them... There is constant fertility problems with them... they make a good cross with a jersey... so using guernsey semen on a jersey is usually a plus... I have had very very few with bad dispositions.....

That Hereford x Guernsey nurse cow we have is a real sweetheart. When she calved with that Gyr calf, we sent her to Scott's brother to use as a nurse cow. He just fed her hay and grass, but since he didn't have any orphans at the time, he bought a calf to put on her, She still made too much milk for the two at first til they got a little older.

We have had a bunch of Red Poll's over the years... good dispositions, great mothers, milk good... they have bred the "dual purpose" out of them and gone more towards beef... often they had crummy udders. Most of that came from the "dairyness" of them... more milk than one calf could use many times...until the calf got a few weeks old....unfortunately, red just does not sell well here... and many times they will throw a red or reddish calf even with black sires.....

Speaking of Gyr, @amschind , with you being in Texas, you might do some research on them. They are the milk cow of India, and used a lot in Africa and central/south America. There was even a grant or some kind of program in the 80's to get American dairy farmers and ranchers, to produce Gyr- Holstein crosses, to help improve the milk production for Indian, African , and Latin American countries. Holstein for the milk volume, and Gyr for the heat, disease, and insect tolerance, and for the increased butter fat. Our Hereford- Guernsey nurse cow had a Gyr calf, and it was every bit as "meaty" as the 1/2 Brahmas we got from our other dairy nurse cows. Being in Texas, the "ear" shouldn't hurt you too much.

 

[amschind]

Myostatin
disruptive variants:
C313Y
E291X
nt419
nt821
Q204X
E226X

non-disruptive variants
D182N
F94L
S105C

source

This article describes what you are planning to do. {click here}

That's a great summary, and I really appreciate it. One of the other potential pathways might be to use one of the non-disruptive variants (e.g. F94L from a Limousin) in the momma cows and get a disruptive variant from semen (e.g a Piedmontese) for the terminal cross calves. The argument for is that an F94L carrier cow should have essentially the same traits as one without it, with the result that

Looks like you are trying to reinvent what the Parthenais breed was before they were selected only for beef.

I have only seen that name in lithuanian_farmer's posts; they look like double muscled Jerseys in her pictures, which is more or less exactly what I am after. Based upon my cave-man understanding the only real difference is that I'm not really looking for a new breed so much as a Jersey cow with slightly different traits (a single non-functional myosin and a slight selection for size and heavy selection for calving ease) which I can easily terminal cross to make animals that look like a Parthenais. The difference would be that every animal that looks like a Parthenais is going to to the butcher, whereas the breeding stock would look like a slightly big Jersey cow or just be a Piedmontese bull.

 

[amschind]

I know you don't care for their disposition so much, but Would Brown Swiss, being a bigger cow, be more likely to suit his purpose.? I remember 50 something years ago, when you could only get Chianina semen in to the US, Brown Swiss was the go- to cows people bred to.

That Hereford x Guernsey nurse cow we have is real sweetheart. When she calves with that Gyr calf, we sent her to Scott's brother to use as a nurse cow. He just fed her hay and grass, but since he didn't have any orphans at the time, he bought a calf to put on her, She still made too much milk for the two at first til they got a little older.

Speaking of Gyr, @amschind , with you being in Texas, you might do some research on them. They are the milk cow of India, and used a lot in Africa and central/south America. There was even a grant or some kind of program in the 80's to get American dairy farmers and ranchers, to produce Gyr- Holstein crosses, to help improve the milk production for Indian, African , and Latin American countries. Holstein for the milk volume, and Gyr for the heat, disease, and insect tolerance, and for the increased butter fat. Our Hereford- Guernsey nurse cow had a Gyr calf, and it was every bit as "meaty" as the 1/2 Brahmas we got from our other dairy nurse cows. Being in Texas, the "ear" shouldn't hurt you too much.

I will look into that! As for ears, they can have purple mohawks for all that I care; this is a numbers game to me.

 

[amschind]

I know you don't care for their disposition so much, but would Brown Swiss, being a bigger cow, be more likely to suit his purpose? I remember 50 something years ago, when you could only get Chianina semen in to the US, Brown Swiss was the go- to cows people bred to.

That Hereford x Guernsey nurse cow we have is a real sweetheart. When she calved with that Gyr calf, we sent her to Scott's brother to use as a nurse cow. He just fed her hay and grass, but since he didn't have any orphans at the time, he bought a calf to put on her, She still made too much milk for the two at first til they got a little older.

Speaking of Gyr, @amschind , with you being in Texas, you might do some research on them. They are the milk cow of India, and used a lot in Africa and central/south America. There was even a grant or some kind of program in the 80's to get American dairy farmers and ranchers, to produce Gyr- Holstein crosses, to help improve the milk production for Indian, African , and Latin American countries. Holstein for the milk volume, and Gyr for the heat, disease, and insect tolerance, and for the increased butter fat. Our Hereford- Guernsey nurse cow had a Gyr calf, and it was every bit as "meaty" as the 1/2 Brahmas we got from our other dairy nurse cows. Being in Texas, the "ear" shouldn't hurt you too much.

There is actually a guy who breeds Gyr and several other Bos indicus breeds an hour away from me who sells quite a bit of semen. I had never heard of the Gir before you mentioned them, but that's actually amazing for my purposes for a number of reasons. First off, they are still dual use animals, and seem to have not only A2/A2 beta casein but also relatively high milkfat. I am curious: reading around, some folks seem to equate "ears" with an impromptu rodeo, whereas other sources indicate that they're very calm (the ones in India seem pretty chill). Is this just another example of "there's a lot of variation within a breed"? If so, have the North and South American Gir been bred into hardy but wild animals or are cows with good temperament still available here if one is willing to search?

 

[Lucky]

Tried my best but I'm to dumb to follow this thread.

 

[Travlr]

Tried my best but I'm to dumb to follow this thread.

Might be an AI trying to pass the Turing test...

 

[amschind]

Tried my best but I'm to dumb to follow this thread.

There's a few walls of text, but the concept is actually pretty basic. I want to use DM and dairy genetics as "light switches". If a cow is pregnant, I want her to efficiently make a bunch of high fat, high protein high calorie milk. If a calf out of that cow was bred from a purebred DM sire, I want that calf to have very high percentage of boneless meat. My figure of merit is: (meat+milk calories out*'palatability')/feed calories in. I think that I can get away with trying this because I'm doing it at hobby scale vs trying to make a living at it. I am fully aware that if I bring one of these animals to the sale barn, even if everything that I hope for comes true, I will only get $50 from the buyers passing a hat to bribe me to remove my Frankenstein creation from their presence.

The main points of advice thus far have been: "pay attention to variation within breeds", "do not try to push an 80# calf out of a 450# heifer or cow unless that cow has been very well bred for calving and probably not even then", "Not all DM genetics are created equal", "look at Gir for heat tolerance", "Jersey cows are tastier than folks give them credit for" and "Holsteins are often mean/don't ignore temperament".

 

[Lucky]

There's a few walls of text, but the concept is actually pretty basic. I want to use DM and dairy genetics as "light switches". If a cow is pregnant, I want her to efficiently make a bunch of high fat, high protein high calorie milk. If a calf out of that cow was bred from a purebred DM sire, I want that calf to have very high percentage of boneless meat. My figure of merit is: (meat+milk calories out*'palatability')/feed calories in. I think that I can get away with trying this because I'm doing it at hobby scale vs trying to make a living at it. I am fully aware that if I bring one of these animals to the sale barn, even if everything that I hope for comes true, I will only get $50 from the buyers passing a hat to bribe me to remove my Frankenstein creation from their presence.

The main points of advice thus far have been: "pay attention to variation within breeds", "do not try to push an 80# calf out of a 450# heifer or cow unless that cow has been very well bred for calving and probably not even then", "Not all DM genetics are created equal", "look at Gir for heat tolerance", "Jersey cows are tastier than folks give them credit for" and "Holsteins are often mean/don't ignore temperament".

You're down the road from us so wish you the best. Sounds like a fun experiment.

 

[Warren Allison]

There is actually a guy who breeds Gyr and several other Bos indicus breeds an hour away from me who sells quite a bit of semen. I had never heard of the Gir before you mentioned them, but that's actually amazing for my purposes for a number of reasons. First off, they are still dual use animals, and seem to have not only A2/A2 beta casein but also relatively high milkfat. I am curious: reading around, some folks seem to equate "ears" with an impromptu rodeo, whereas other sources indicate that they're very calm (the ones in India seem pretty chill). Is this just another example of "there's a lot of variation within a breed"? If so, have the North and South American Gir been bred into hardy but wild animals or are cows with good temperament still available here if one is willing to search?

Brahmas, Gyr, all bos indicus cattle, are very smart. They can be the gentlest cattle you can fool with. 50 years ago, a neighbor bought one of the first Brama bulls I had ever seen, to run on his Angus cows. His 9 yr old biy named him General Lee. That boy could walk out into their pasture....abut 100 acres...find that bull, and hold on to one of his ears and lead him back to the house, and the herd would come with him. I have a Brahma cow now, that loves to stand there while Zeke sings to her, and she eats watermelon with him. You have to go read my "Update" threads to learn about Zeke. I never get around any cattle I own or have anything to do with, unless I am on horseback, and Bos indicus are as easy to handle that way as any cattle, BUT...they can be nervous, high strung, suspicious, if you will. People that have trouble with them are people that chase them with 4-wheelers, and try to push or force them in the working pens, chutes, etc. They get to hollering at them and whacking on them, etc.....and you do NOT treat them that way. You'd have to have 10' high cement block walls to keep them in. And if some idiot ever uses a hot-shot on them, they will be lucky if they jump out and run off, instead of turning on the fool. Anytime something has gone bad, it is not a Brahma problem. It is a people problem.

Down here, the further south you are, the more preferred a Brahma cross...that people called "ear" cattle are. They are heat, insect and parasite resistant. Now in the northern states and in Canada, you won't find any, and very few crosses. Any crosses you find will be 1/4th or less Brahma. People who don't know them say the loose skin ( called "leather" ) causes too much waste at processing. This skin, by the way, has an oily secretion that is a natural insect repellant. When crossed with bos taurus cattle, you get maximum heterosis . Maybe @Caustic Burno will post the pics of his Brahma x Jersey cows. They look as beefy as any Brama x beef cattle, just milk a little better. He breeds them to Angus bulls, and gets black polled calves with a little ear, that "mash the scales", as he says. IF I ever get to raise one of my 1/2 Brahma, half dairy heifers up instead of selling them, I would try some with a Black Simmental bull.

I think you would be pleased with Gyr cattle, or half-Gyr cattle if you used Gyr semen on your Jersies. Or whatever breed of cow you choose.

 

[amschind]

Brahmas, Gyr, all bos indicus cattle, are very smart. They can be the gentlest cattle you can fool with. 50 years ago, a neighbor bought one of the first Brama bulls I had ever seen, to run on his Angus cows. His 9 yr old biy named him General Lee. That boy could walk out into their pasture....abut 100 acres...find that bull, and hold on to one of his ears and lead him back to the house, and the herd would come with him. I have a Brahma cow now, that loves to stand there while Zeke sings to her, and she eats watermelon with him. You have to go read my "Update" threads to learn about Zeke. I never get around any cattle I own or have anything to do with, unless I am on horseback, and Bos indicus are as easy to handle that way as any cattle, BUT...they can be nervous, high strung, suspicious, if you will. People that have trouble with them are people that chase them with 4-wheelers, and try to push or force them in the working pens, chutes, etc. They get to hollering at them and whacking on them, etc.....and you do NOT treat them that way. You'd have to have 10' high cement block walls to keep them in. And if some idiot ever uses a hot-shot on them, they will be lucky if they jump out and run off, instead of turning on the fool. Anytime something has gone bad, it is not a Brahma problem. It is a people problem.

Down here, the further south you are, the more preferred a Brahma cross...that people called "ear" cattle are. They are heat, insect and parasite resistant. Now in the northern states and in Canada, you won't find any, and very few crosses. Any crosses you find will be 1/4th or less Brahma. People who don't know them say the loose skin ( called "leather" ) causes too much waste at processing. This skin, by the way, has an oily secretion that is a natural insect repellant. When crossed with bos taurus cattle, you get maximum heterosis . Maybe @Caustic Burno will post the pics of his Brahma x Jersey cows. They look as beefy as any Brama x beef cattle, just milk a little better. He breeds them to Angus bulls, and gets black polled calves with a little ear, that "mash the scales", as he says. IF I ever get to raise one of my 1/2 Brahma, half dairy heifers up instead of selling them, I would try some with a Black Simmental bull.

I think you would be pleased with Gyr cattle, or half-Gyr cattle if you used Gyr semen on your Jersies. Or whatever breed of cow you choose.

That's a lot of really good information; it sounds like if you treat a bos indicus breed like you would treat a mule, things work fine. I fear that my problem, especially at the outset, won't be trying to manhandle cows but pampering them so that they develop the opposite bad habits.

I also want to understand the economics of the size of an individual animal, but I will look around and maybe start a unique thread on that so that the answers are not buried in this mosh pit.

 

[Caustic Burno]

That's a lot of really good information; it sounds like if you treat a bos indicus breed like you would treat a mule, things work fine. I fear that my problem, especially at the outset, won't be trying to manhandle cows but pampering them so that they develop the opposite bad habits.

I also want to understand the economics of the size of an individual animal, but I will look around and maybe start a unique thread on that so that the answers are not buried in this mosh pit.

These are all Brimmer crosses from 1/2 to a 1/4.
Sorry I was late getting to this one.
Been having trouble reading the computer and have been diagnosed with macular degeneration. That explains a lot.

 

[kenny thomas]

View attachment 51460View attachment 51461View attachment 51462

These are all Brimmer crosses from 1/2 to a 1/4.
Sorry I was late getting to this one.
Been having trouble reading the computer and have been diagnosed with macular degeneration. That explains a lot.

I sure like the last 2 cows.

 

[farmerjan]

I think one thing you took from my comments on the holsteins and jer/hol crosses was not quite right. Holsteins overall do not have especially bad dispositions... There wouldn't be so many of them on dairies if they did... I just was commenting that many of the jer/hol cross females tend to get the "bad" from both breeds... this is not a scientifically proven thing... just observation over the years.
I really like the jer/brahma crosses that @Caustic Burno pictured. Sadly, they just won't cut the mustard here.
I also like to do a little experimenting... and really like the Parthenese cattle that @lithuanian farmer has.... I like the double muscling although some Belgian Blues are very extreme... and I am a sucker for Jersey cattle faces.

 

[amschind]

I think one thing you took from my comments on the holsteins and jer/hol crosses was not quite right. Holsteins overall do not have especially bad dispositions... There wouldn't be so many of them on dairies if they did... I just was commenting that many of the jer/hol cross females tend to get the "bad" from both breeds... this is not a scientifically proven thing... just observation over the years.
I really like the jer/brahma crosses that @Caustic Burno pictured. Sadly, they just won't cut the mustard here.
I also like to do a little experimenting... and really like the Parthenese cattle that @lithuanian farmer has.... I like the double muscling although some Belgian Blues are very extreme... and I am a sucker for Jersey cattle faces.

Thanks!

I think one other argument for a Gyr cross at an early stage is that heat and insect tolerance is a huge deal down here. Gyr is also very much a dual use breed, and an A2/A2 and 4.5% milk fat animal is an "artisanal" milking animal anywhere. One potential avenue is using Gyr for heat tolerance, Piedmontese for a copy of an mutant myostatin, and Jersey/Guernsey back crosses for milking. Nothing in that genealogy isn't used for milk, so you're never trying to overcome genetics that are oriented contrary to your original purpose.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Hi Amchind, fellow Texaxan here. I raised and milked a Jersey on a cattle ranch and now in Oregon Why overthink this? The Jersey disposition certainly makes a good 'pet cow' (I have one) that makes an amasing amount of cream. But what people do is breed Jersey's to Angus bulls, a heifer bull for the first calf if possible. This is what works. Jerseys have small pelvises, in fact they are small cows they are built to have 50 or 60 lb calves. The half Angus makes them chunky and marbling is great. Also, bred to homozygous black bulls the steers bring a descent price. My first half angus black steer calf brought over $1000 when cattle prices were good.

I also use a Surge milker. Have you ever milked a cow? It's about a half time job for just one. You can take the Surge milker into the kitchen to clean it but the 'dairy dishes' the milker, lid, inflations, the gasket, the milk buckets, jugs and pails, the strainer all have to be washed twice a day with hot water and sanitized with clorox solution. The Surge is great. It hangs from their belly with a strap. If they step around the whole apparatus goes with them. The milk stays clean because no dirt can get in there. There are other types of stand alone milkers (not connected to a pipe system) but they also have to be washed and sanitized. Hamby's Dairy Supply is your friend. All kinds of advice, support, spare parts, repairs. You are going to need a real milking pump to run the thing. Look at the pumps they sell. You have to set the vaccuum at 12 Hg and the pulsations at 60 a minute or you can overmilk and hurt the cow. Also, they sell see through silicone inflations so you can see the milk and take that inflation off when done.

Another thing, you don't need to keep a bull, just have them AIed. Look at the Select Sires catalog online. They are all A2 (if that matters, I don't think it does) They are selected for grazing merit, cheese merit, high components, mastitis resistance, excellent udders, feet and legs, good feed conversion, sex selected for heifer or bull calves. Jerseys in milk have to be fed grain and good hay and alfalfatoo if the pasture is not good. You can also have them AIed to Angus for steer calves.

Now, about raw milk. In Texas you can have three milking cows, have to sell off the farm and can't be advertised. Thats what the law was when I was there. Be aware if someone gets sick from raw milk you can get sued and lose the farm. You don't know how people are going to keep the milk and at what temperature. Right now I am using the milk from one Jersey cow to raise three calves to sell and I have milk for the house. The cheese, butter, yogurt, icecream and sweet delicious milk is amasing.

 

[amschind]

Hi Amchind, fellow Texaxan here. I raised and milked a Jersey on a cattle ranch and now in Oregon Why overthink this? The Jersey disposition certainly makes a good 'pet cow' (I have one) that makes an amasing amount of cream. But what people do is breed Jersey's to Angus bulls, a heifer bull for the first calf if possible. This is what works. Jerseys have small pelvises, in fact they are small cows they are built to have 50 or 60 lb calves. The half Angus makes them chunky and marbling is great. Also, bred to homozygous black bulls the steers bring a descent price. My first half angus black steer calf brought over $1000 when cattle prices were good.

I also use a Surge milker. Have you ever milked a cow? It's about a half time job for just one. You can take the Surge milker into the kitchen to clean it but the 'dairy dishes' the milker, lid, inflations, the gasket, the milk buckets, jugs and pails, the strainer all have to be washed twice a day with hot water and sanitized with clorox solution. The Surge is great. It hangs from their belly with a strap. If they step around the whole apparatus goes with them. The milk stays clean because no dirt can get in there. There are other types of stand alone milkers (not connected to a pipe system) but they also have to be washed and sanitized. Hamby's Dairy Supply is your friend. All kinds of advice, support, spare parts, repairs. You are going to need a real milking pump to run the thing. Look at the pumps they sell. You have to set the vaccuum at 12 Hg and the pulsations at 60 a minute or you can overmilk and hurt the cow. Also, they sell see through silicone inflations so you can see the milk and take that inflation off when done.

Another thing, you don't need to keep a bull, just have them AIed. Look at the Select Sires catalog online. They are all A2 (if that matters, I don't think it does) They are selected for grazing merit, cheese merit, high components, mastitis resistance, excellent udders, feet and legs, good feed conversion, sex selected for heifer or bull calves. Jerseys in milk have to be fed grain and good hay and alfalfatoo if the pasture is not good. You can also have them AIed to Angus for steer calves.

Now, about raw milk. In Texas you can have three milking cows, have to sell off the farm and can't be advertised. Thats what the law was when I was there. Be aware if someone gets sick from raw milk you can get sued and lose the farm. You don't know how people are going to keep the milk and at what temperature. Right now I am using the milk from one Jersey cow to raise three calves to sell and I have milk for the house. The cheese, butter, yogurt, icecream and sweet delicious milk is amasing.

Tons of great advice here.

Hi Amchind, fellow Texaxan here. I raised and milked a Jersey on a cattle ranch and now in Oregon Why overthink this? The Jersey disposition certainly makes a good 'pet cow' (I have one) that makes an amasing amount of cream. But what people do is breed Jersey's to Angus bulls, a heifer bull for the first calf if possible. This is what works. Jerseys have small pelvises, in fact they are small cows they are built to have 50 or 60 lb calves. The half Angus makes them chunky and marbling is great. Also, bred to homozygous black bulls the steers bring a descent price. My first half angus black steer calf brought over $1000 when cattle prices were good.

I also use a Surge milker. Have you ever milked a cow? It's about a half time job for just one. You can take the Surge milker into the kitchen to clean it but the 'dairy dishes' the milker, lid, inflations, the gasket, the milk buckets, jugs and pails, the strainer all have to be washed twice a day with hot water and sanitized with clorox solution. The Surge is great. It hangs from their belly with a strap. If they step around the whole apparatus goes with them. The milk stays clean because no dirt can get in there. There are other types of stand alone milkers (not connected to a pipe system) but they also have to be washed and sanitized. Hamby's Dairy Supply is your friend. All kinds of advice, support, spare parts, repairs. You are going to need a real milking pump to run the thing. Look at the pumps they sell. You have to set the vaccuum at 12 Hg and the pulsations at 60 a minute or you can overmilk and hurt the cow. Also, they sell see through silicone inflations so you can see the milk and take that inflation off when done.

Another thing, you don't need to keep a bull, just have them AIed. Look at the Select Sires catalog online. They are all A2 (if that matters, I don't think it does) They are selected for grazing merit, cheese merit, high components, mastitis resistance, excellent udders, feet and legs, good feed conversion, sex selected for heifer or bull calves. Jerseys in milk have to be fed grain and good hay and alfalfatoo if the pasture is not good. You can also have them AIed to Angus for steer calves.

Now, about raw milk. In Texas you can have three milking cows, have to sell off the farm and can't be advertised. Thats what the law was when I was there. Be aware if someone gets sick from raw milk you can get sued and lose the farm. You don't know how people are going to keep the milk and at what temperature. Right now I am using the milk from one Jersey cow to raise three calves to sell and I have milk for the house. The cheese, butter, yogurt, icecream and sweet delicious milk is amasing.

There's a lot here, so let me try to divide up to keep things organized.

1) If I were building a commercial operation, I would absolutely do a standard Beefxdairy cross. I'm not a commercial operation, and I have no illusions about that. Part of the fun for me is that I think that I can do better than the status quo. Am I right? I have no idea, but my insurance is keeping the whole cost structure hobby sized. One of the most helpful things is getting criticism from folks who do it for a living, and I really appreciate all of the experience shared on calving. One thing that I've taken away is that there has been a focus in the US on the size of the calf as the determinant of calving ease, and that the industry is beginning to turn around on that. To that exact point, it will be very tough to push calf size down enough to make calving easy with pure or nearly purebred Jerseys for exactly the reasons that you mention. One of the really neat ideas that this forum has pushed forward in my mind is using a GyrxJersey AND THEN a Piedmontese cross with the F1; Gyr and Piedmontese are both used as milk animals, so there's at least a fighting chance of getting an animal with good milking traits and high milkfat. It will also likely be a larger animal than an Jersey, which may help with calving.

2) I really appreciate your wisdom on milking. I set up a vacuum pump with an adjustable pressure limiting valve (i.e. a Tee fitting with a valve that allows atmospheric air in when the vacuum hits a set point). I may well start with hand milking just to learn to do it, but it would be nice to outgrow even the Surge Milker some day. Those would be good problems to have, and I have the time to take it slow.

3) selling ANYTHING is way down the road for me. Liability makes raw milk a stupid risk for me: the possible loss from a lawsuit outweighs all of the money that I could ever make on it. For reasons that are way beyond the scope of this forum, raw milk is less interesting to me than skim milk cheese and clarified butter. To keep things within the confines of this forum, suffice it to say that I'm not in any hurry to get product to market. I would much rather spend time learning the mountain of stuff that I don't know AND then try to scale that up and monetize it once I have gotten some of the mistakes out of the way.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

It really is fun to learn new things and figure things out. Please use an actual milking pump. They generally cost over $1000. They need to also have a balance tank to make the pressure variation gentle and keep milk from being sucked into the pump engine. Other cheap or homemade pumps have been used and have ruined many cows and made kickers out of others. If you hand milk, or machine milk, please always wear nitrile gloves when handling the teats. The Staph aureus that is normal flora found on human skin gets into the open teat ends and infects udders with a chronic and recurrent mastitis almost impossible to cure. Clean the teats with sanitizing wipes, not water. Use a before and after teat dip containing 1/2% to 1% iodine and glycerin for an emolliant. I use this one https://www.farmandfleet.com/produc...nd-1-gallon-pre-post-1-2-iodine-teat-dip.html
Let the cows out to eat hay after milking so they remain standing for at least half an hour. This so the teat ends close and they don't lie in dirt. Let them bed down at night in clean fields not muddy corrals.