National Dairy Month with Howling Cow
We're celebrating National Dairy Month with some facts about NC State Dairy Farm’s beautiful herd! To kick us off, we have Snow White here. She’s a 7.5 year old Holstein cow. Did you know that a cow must have a calf first in order to lactate? Female dairy cattle are called heifers until they deliver their first calf, then they're called cows!
Meet the matriarch of the NC State’s Dairy Farm herd, Layla! Layla is their oldest cow at 10.5 years old and recently began her 9th lactation. To date, she has given over 244,000lbs of milk, equalling over 28,372 gallons for their delicious dairy products! This is an incredible feat and they're so thankful to have such an amazing cow in their care. In 2022, Layla received a certificate of recognition from the Holstein Association for being a Gold Medal Dam. To qualify for this award, a cow and at least three of her daughters are evaluated on milk production and type and must perform exceptionally well in these two areas. Layla has several daughters, granddaughters, and great granddaughters in the herd, with more on the way!
Have you ever wondered how NC State's dairy cattle are named? All of their dairy cattle have names printed on their ear tags, which are considered their barn name. However, their full name is much longer! All of their dairy cattle are registered and have at least three parts to their registered name.
The first part is called a prefix, chosen by each registered farm. It marks the origin of the calf and credits the breeder. Their Jerseys have the prefix of Randleigh because they descend from the original Randleigh herd, gifted to NC State by the Kenan family. Their Holsteins, Brown Swiss, and Ayrshires have the prefix NCSU for obvious reasons!
The second part of their name is typically their sire's (father) short name.
The final part is their personal barn name, which often starts with the same letter of their dam's (mother) barn name or follows the same theme. However, breeders can customize names to their preference!
If you’re eager to learn how Howling Cow’s Guernsey and Milking Shorthorn herd are named, here it is!
These herds have the additional letters of ANSC added onto their prefix as a tribute to the Animal Science Club at NC State University. The club donated five Guernsey heifers to the herd in 2016, who served as the foundation dams of their current Guernsey herd. In 2022, the club partnered with the Howling Cow farm to complete the project of integrating all seven major dairy breeds into their herd by jointly purchasing three Milking Shorthorn heifers. Their contribution will always be recognized within the registered names of these breeds!
Pictured is Daphne and her first calf, NCSU ANSC Audrey Daffy, born on May 3, 2023. Daffy is the fourth generation of NC State’s Guernsey herd and descends directly from their first homebred Guernsey since bringing this breed back to the farm!
Friends, meet Fuzzy! She's about to begin her seventh lactation and is NC State Dairy Farm's oldest Jersey cow at eight years old. Fuzzy is currently a dry cow, which means she’s not producing milk. Did you know dairy cows take approximately two months of vacation every year? During their dry period, they're preparing to deliver their next calf.
Sugarfoot and Lollipop are two of NC State Dairy Farm's most iconic and beloved Jersey cows. Their Jersey herd was recognized for being number one in North Carolina for Low Somatic Cell Count and Calving Interval in 2022. They also ranked for milk production! On a national scale, they were between the 100-105 percentiles for the categories of milk production, fat, protein, and cheese yield in 2022. Somatic cell count (SCC) is a measure of milk quality, udder health, and environmental cleanliness. Calving interval is a measure of reproductive success and good fertility. Their Jersey herd is a major contributor to Howling Cow’s rich and high quality Howling Cow ice cream!
Hello from Stella! Fun Fact: Stella was born during The Great American Eclipse of 2017! She is one of Howling Cow’s top producing Holsteins. Speaking of production, Howling Cow’s entire Holstein herd was recognized for being the number one herd milked 2X/d for milk production in North Carolina in 2022. Their ladies work hard to provide plenty of milk for delicious Howling Cow products!