Producing Quality Milk
• At Jones Dairy, we care for a herd of Jersey cows; they are loveable, gentle, brown beauties. The Jersey breed is known for its high butterfat and high protein content, which makes it ideal for cheesemaking.
• Each of our cows produces roughly 7 gallons of milk every day. The milk is sold to Agropur to make cheese.
Caring for Our Cows
• We strive to provide the best environment for our cows and take advantage of many technologies to keep them as healthy and comfortable as possible.
• Our cows are free to move throughout their pens and have 24/7 access to feed and water.
• Fans, air curtains, and state-of-the-art ventilation systems keep the cows comfortable year-round.
• The cows lie down in stalls padded with mattresses and fresh bedding.
• Each animal is paired with an electronic ID that provides us with her health data every day.
Young Animals
• We raise all of our own female calves for replacement milking cows at Jones Dairy.
• A cow will have her first calf when she is about 2 years old and then enter the milking herd.
Environmental Sustainability
• We raise crops to feed our cows, including corn, alfalfa and winter rye.
• We use many different strategies to protect our natural resources, including crop rotation, buffer strips and cover crops. By doing this, we are able to improve soil quality, prevent soil erosion, and manage crop pests and diseases.
• Manure from our cows is used to naturally fertilize the crops and is recycled for bedding.
• Water is reused several places throughout the farm. One example is water used to cool the milk rapidly is then saved to water the cows later.
Feeding Our Cows
• Each cow drinks a bathtub full of water every day. That’s about 35 gallons of water!
• Each of our cows will also eat about 60 pounds per day of feed. Forages, such as corn silage and alfalfa, make up a majority of the cow’s diet.
• We work closely with a nutritionist to create a balanced diet for the cows. This ensures they stay healthy and produce wholesome milk.
