History of Micro-Dairying
Micro-Dairying is small scale production of milk or milk products by cows, goats, or sheep. The term has only been in existence for the last 15 years but has evolved to encompass a “new” production system for dairy products. Up until the 1950’s almost all dairies were small in scale with often less than 20 cows, most of which were milked by hand. The milk and milk products were consumed locally. As mechanization crept into agriculture at all levels dairy herds grew in size with continually shrinking profit margins. The mantra was “bigger is better” to compensate for lessening profitability/cow. With the advent of large scale dairy operations (corporate dairy farms) small dairy farms were unable to compete and have been going down in numbers ever since, to the point of almost non-existence.
Micro-Dairying offers many opportunities: for those interested in just a family cow to the production of artisan dairy products such as cheese, ice cream, and yogurt. Today there is a plethora of resources available to anyone interested in pursuing Micro-Dairying, some of which will be mentioned at the end of this article. I distinguish between the simple family cow model and the “for profit” small dairy. Both require a willingness to embrace health and cleanliness in production but the profit oriented dairy also must have a keen sense of marketing to be successful.
Micro-Dairying Today
Micro-Dairy production models have many permutations. They include traditional, grass-fed, organic, once a day milking, milking 10 months a year or any combination there in. Strong consideration has to be given to location in any dairy production model with respect to facility costs, feed availability, climatic conditions, type of end product, and the ever present government regulatory process. What is feasible in Vermont may not be feasible in Texas. Micro-Dairying advantages include: less capital investment, less land, less equipment, and more control of your production model. The continual evolvement of Micro-Dairying, along with more public recognition of its societal benefits, presents a veritable cornucopia of opportunities for resourceful, dedicated, small scale farmers.
Hand Milking Equipment
Automatic Milking Equipment for Micro Dairy
Milking Shorthorns As A Separate Breed
Traditional Heritage Shorthorns have always been a dual-purpose breed with both beef and milk options. During the last 250 years that Shorthorns have been around as a distinct breed they were often called the “Family Cow” breed because families wanted to have a cow that provided them with everything: milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, meat, and hides for leather products. From 1790 through the 1930’s any discussion of Shorthorn attributes included their dual purpose flexibility which heightened their popularity . With the specialization of cattle breeds toward a beef or milk production model Shorthorns became mired in self destruction as they could not decide in which direction to go. Eventually this conundrum was “resolved” with the splitting of Shorthorns into two registries: American Shorthorn Association (ASA) (beef) and the American Milking Shorthorn Society. (AMSS) (dairy). This split was finalized on June 30, 1949. Today ASA and AMSS have gone their separate ways with neither embracing the dual purpose (meat and milk model) that was the original cornerstone of the Shorthorn breed.
Modern Milking Shorthorns
Modern Milking Shorthorns are quite different from the Milking Shorthorns of the past in both phenotype and genotype. Their incorporation of other cattle breeds into their Registry to increase milk production has distorted the traditional Milking Shorthorn gene pool to the point that Modern Milking Shorthorns do not fit into most Micro-Dairying situations. The Milking Shorthorn section of HSS (found under the Shorthorn Information heading on this website) provides a more detailed description of the genetic changes in Modern Milking Shorthorns that have occurred since 1945. Suffice it to say that changes to the Milking Shorthorn breed, carried out by AMSS in their pursuit of one trait—increased milk production, sacrificed many of the virtues of Traditional Heritage Milking Shorthorns. In one sense AMSS became so enchanted by the success of the Holstein breed that they have essentially decided to transform the breed into a facsimile of Red and White Holsteins. A recent post on a major cattle forum, by another breed registry official, noted that most owners of Modern Milking Shorthorns would be surprised at how little Milking Shorthorn blood is actually in their cows. Whether Modern Milking Shorthorns work in a Micro-Dairy setting is an individual decision but definitely raises a lot of questions. Perhaps if milk production volume is the only goal then they may be a reasonable choice.
Heritage Milking Shorthorns (Formerly Called Native Milking Shorthorns)
Guckian’s Betsy Pet Dawn, the dam of Columbus
The dual purpose nature of Heritage Shorthorns is well known but many people do not realize the opportunity they present to anyone interested in Micro-Dairying. The primary traits that exist within Heritage Milking Shorthorns that can be employed in a multitude of Micro-Dairying scenarios include: docility, longevity (often they are productive into their teens), foraging ability, high fertility, A2A2 milk, high milk solids (cheese making/butter), and high milk production in a grass-fed environment while being feed efficient. In addition, male offspring of Heritage Shorthorns that enter the beef trade have a much higher value than their Modern Milking Shorthorn brethren because of their increased muscling and shorter finishing time. All of these factors provide avenues of profitability that fit the Micro-Dairying niche. It is important to remember that certain Heritage Shorthorn bloodlines have a much higher ability to produce milk than others, so this should be taken into account.
When purchasing cows for a milk herd it is also extremely important to ask questions about health status such as test results for Johne’s disease and Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV). The cows should be vaccinated for Brucellosis and checked for Tuberculosis. Individual states may have additional health requirements especially where milk is being consumed or used in the production of other dairy products. Contacting them will insure that rules are being followed and milk is of the highest quality. Udder structure and teat size should be considered especially if the buyer is considering hand milking. Most modern dairy cows have small teats that do not lend themselves to easy hand milking.
Checking the list of HSS members for those who list Milking Shorthorns provides a starting point of contacts for anyone interested in using Heritage Milking Shorthorns in their Micro-Dairy operation. Finally it should be said again that Heritage Miking Shorthorns make the best family cow and have done so for 250 years. Their docility, longevity, and dual purpose makeup provide families with everything they would desire in a family cow including beautiful and varied coat color patterns. No bovine surpasses the beauty and dual purpose abilities of a Heritage Milking/Beef Shorthorn.
References
1. Micro Dairy Designs www.microdairydesigns.com
Complete design options for setting up a Micro dairy
2. The Rise of the Micro Dairy www.resilence.org/stories/2019-07-02/the-rise-of-micro-dairy
Informative article on the emergence of Micro Dairying.
3. The Ethical Dairy www.ethicaldairy.co.uk
An improved management system for managing milk cows where calves are left on the cow and the cows are milked once daily. This is a money-making enterprise that primarily produces specialty cheeses.
4. Bob White Systems www.bobwhitesystems.com
This company sells complete milking systems for small dairies. They also sell equipment for making various dairy products.
5. The Micro Dairy Website at https://themicrodairy.com
It provides Dairy Farm solutions along with Micro Dairying equipment.
6. A variety of books are available via online searches, such as: “The Small-Scale Dairy: The Complete Guide to Milk Production for the Home and Market”, by Gianaclis Caldwell
Author Profile: Dr. Joseph Schallberger
Dr. Joe Schallberger grew up on a family dairy in Milwaukee, Oregon. When he decided to go to college his parents sold their dairy herd and moved to the city. He attended Oregon State University from 1965-1967 and was accepted into the Veterinary School at Colorado State University, graduating in 1971. Instead of going into practice he decided to pursue his interest in math and physics eventually graduating with a PhD in Radiation Biology and Nuclear Physics in 1974. Instead of taking a faculty appointment at the University of Chicago, he decided to go into private practice where he met his wife Susan, who is a Veterinary Radiologist. They have one son Matthew who helps when needed with their Shorthorn herd. They raised Suffolk sheep for 40 years and had one of the best Suffolk flocks in the USA before selling their flock in 2018. They have been raising Shorthorns since 2006 with an increasing emphasis on Heritage Shorthorns. In 2018, along with his wife Sue, Joe helped start the Heritage Shorthorn Society to provide information and opportunities for anyone interested in Heritage Shorthorns.