The "Differences in Cows ....... Really!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Riding in the Rav5 along country roads in Centre County, PA.  My friend Jerry is quizzing me about the livestock as we pass by farm after farm.  "What are those called?" he says as we pass a herd of black steers.  "Black Angus!" I tell him.  "Right, now what are those cows on the other side of the road in that field up there?" he shoots back as he looks toward my side of the car.  "They're black and white Guernseys," I tell him.  "No, they're Holsteins, I told you!" he says, annoyed with me.  "The black and white and red and white cows with the painted effect are the Holstein cows.  How can you forget that?" he asks me.  I replied, "Easy, I'm not a farmer."  We're headed to the Grange Fair and I told Jerry that this year I want to take photos of all the breeds of milking cows at the fair and present them in a story so you can see the differences in them.  That's providing you give a hoot!  But, just in case you do, here are some of my photos with a brief description of each.  Hope I don't make a mistake in my description and hope I match the right photo with the right description or I may be in trouble.  But, most of my readers wouldn't know if I'm right or wrong anyway.  Right?  Anyway, this is not a story to be taken as the Gospel truth, but as my educated guess and what I thought the farmer's well telling me when I took the photos.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The Holstein is easy to recognize because of it's distinctive black and white markings.  An adult Holstein is usually about five feet tall at the shoulder and weighs about 1,500 pounds.  About 90% of the 9 million dairy cows in the U.S. are of Holstein descent.  The average production for a Holstein is about nine gallons of milk per day.  Holstein cows typically have a calf for the first time when they are about two years old with the calf weighing an average of 90 pounds. 

The red and white Holstein has much the same features as the black and white variety.  The Holstein's popularity, be it black and white or red and white, stems from its ability to produce more milk than any other breed.  The breed originated in Holland and Freisland, a province in the Netherlands.

The Brown Swiss came to the United States in 1869 from, naturally, Switzerland.  They are solid brown and vary from light colored, such as this one, to dark brown.  The adult cow weighs about 1,500 pounds.

The Milking Shorthorn is from Northeastern England and arrived in the United States in 1783.  The breed is red or white or any combination.  A mature cow usually will weigh about 1,200 pounds.

The Simmental is a versatile breed which originated in the valley of the Simme River in the Bernese Oberland of western Switzerland.  It is one of the oldest and most widely distributed breeds of cattle in the world.  The Simmental arrived in the United States before the turn of the 20th century.

The Hereford is a red and white color that usually has a white head.  Herefords are not as muscular as some other breeds and tend to be smaller, but are one of the most highly adaptable breeds of cattle in the world.  

The Main-Anjou is a breed that originated in the Anjou region in West France.  It was created by the Viscount Olivier de Rouge in 1908.  It is primarily raised for beef production but the cows are used for milk production.  Cows can weigh up to 1900 pounds.

My final attempt at identifying cows is the Guernsey.  It is a breed that is fawn in color with white markings and is renowned for the rich flavor of it's milk as well as it's hardiness and docile disposition.  The milk is high in butterfat and has a golden hue.  The Guernsey was breed on the British Isle of Guernsey and is believed to be descended from two breeds brought over from nearby France.  The cow weighs about 1,000 pounds.