My First Two Cows

[Lorinda Barnes, PMJS President, North Woods Homestead, ID]

This time of year always makes me think about shopping for my first cow.  I knew she HAD to be a Jersey!  I found one, Ditzy, on Craig’s List that was bred and about 2 years old.  I started messaging and referred to books like Keeping a Family Cow, and articles online to ask relevant questions.  We stocked the barn with grass hay and bought a two-horse trailer.  As the agreed date approached they offered me her dam, Sweetie, who was bred to the same Jersey bull as her daughter.  Sweetie had been milked for a couple of weeks but Ditzy was a heifer.  Turned out, I was afraid of them and they were afraid of me!  They were huge at about 46″, the biggest pets I’d ever owned.  Now I know they were small, even for Jerseys.

We renamed them Sweet Cream and Buttermilk.  I was told they were due in Feb 2013.  I hardly slept for going to the barn every two hours.  The months rolled by and finally, a calf, Creme Brulee, arrived at the end of April with her sister/niece, Creme Caramel, arriving a couple of weeks later.  Milking was terrifying with feet and milking flying.  WHY DID I STICK WITH IT?!  I’m stubborn and I suddenly felt courageous.  I had nursed my kids and this wasn’t so different.  I followed them around the pasture, milking one spray at a time and trying to avoid getting kicked.

So, ask those questions because they matter!  But, also find a mentor so you can avoid most of the mistakes I made.  The sellers lied to us.  They never mentioned that Sweetie was deaf.  I never thought to ask where she came from and was naive about disease testing.  They took down their Facebook page and immediately stopped answering my emails.  I was alone.

Finding Tracy Howe and groups online about 2 years later saved me.  I had read everything but still had to rely on my gut instincts so often.   There are resources now to vet a seller and a community in PMJS that agrees to an Ethics Clause.  You can find trusted sellers and mentors to help you.  These things came about from some hard-learned lessons.  PMJS is here for YOU and your dream of a little Jersey family milk cow!!

[Sarah Milcetic, VP & Director of Web Services, Better with Thyme Farm, WV]

I can envision what that experience must have looked and felt like! We were very fortunate to get a fantastic little heifer from a great breeder for our first family cow but the breeder retired just a few months after we brought our girl home and we had so many learn-the-hard-way and go-on-our-gut experiences the first few years too! I’m so thankful for this community! 😁

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