Years ago we wanted access to fresh unpasteurized milk, and as it is against the law for “raw” milk to be sold in Virginia, we bought a share in a herd of dairy cows! The trouble was that our milk share that we picked up each week was not enough, and so we took the plunge and became cow keepers around 2008.
When you buy a cow from an ad in the newspaper you really don’t know what you are getting. It is a bit like buying a used car.
In January 2012 we were blessed with a beautiful calf from our old cow Belle. Coco was the first heifer to be born on our farm, after having a few bull calves. She was a purebred Jersey, and provided calves and milk until 2022 when unfortunately, she had to go to the butcher. We had a special relationship with her, and what was really important is that we knew how old she was and that she had received good nutrition since birth. If you buy a “used cow” like a used car you need to beware as sellers often do not tell the truth.
Coco was a great cow.
In our rural county, many people over 60 yrs old, and a few who are younger, tell me how they grew up with a family cow, or went up the road to get milk from their grandparents or the local dairy farm.
Fresh unpasteurized milk cannot be sold as it is against the law in Virginia. Former Del. Matt Fariss co sponsored a bill in the 2016 Virginia General Assembly that would have allowed sales of raw milk from up to 3 cows, which was how it used to be till around 60 years ago. The bill failed due to massive opposition from the Virginia Farm Bureau, VDACS, Virginia Dairymens Association, VDH and others.
You can however obtain fresh unpasteurized local milk through owning a herdshare, which is what I do now as I do not have the time or desire to milk every day any more!! Google will explain it to you. For nutritional information on raw milk you can go to www.westonaprice.org
Daisy, the large cow, was Coco’s first calf. The calf with the collar was Daisy’s daughter Tootsie (11/3/15) and the black one was Coco’s calf Rocket (12/25/15). Our daughter was responsible for naming the animals!
old orchard farm va 