# Cow trivia



## Farmer Kitty (Oct 27, 2008)

I came across this on Animal Corner.

Cow Trivia 
Did you know this about cows.....................?
	The oldest cow ever recorded was a Dremon Cow named "Big Bertha" that died 3 months just before her 49th birthday on New Years Eve, 1993.
	'Big Bertha' also holds the record for lifetime breeding as she produced 39 calves.
	The heaviest live birth of a calf is 225 lbs for a British Friesian cow in 1961.
	Dairy cows can produce 125 lbs of saliva a day.
	Dairy cows can produce up to 200 lbs of flatus (trumps and burps) a day!
	Cows often have their ears pierced-with I.D. tags.
	People first domesticated cows about 5000 years ago.
	The Holstein cow produces the most milk of all breeds.
	Cows can live to the age of 25 years old if people would let them.
	A cow stands up and sits down about 14 times a day.
	In an average herd, there is 1 bull to every 30 cows.
	Cows can detect odours up to five miles away.
	The age of a cow can be determined by counting the rings on its horns.
	Cows can see colour.
	There are approximately 350 'squirts' in a gallon of milk.
	Cows can pick and lick their noses with their tongues.
	Cows drink 25-50 gallons of water each day. That's nearly a bathtub full.
	When the Pilgrims went to America, they took cows with them.


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## wynedot55 (Oct 27, 2008)

those are some good cow facts.


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## MissPrissy (Oct 28, 2008)

Farmer Kitty said:
			
		

> Cows can see colour.


How do they know????


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## Farmer Kitty (Oct 28, 2008)

Beats me.


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## Thewife (Oct 30, 2008)

The nephew asked me an interesting question. I really had no clue as to the answer, maybe one of you do?

About how many pounds of food, does that average cow carry around in it's belly?


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## wynedot55 (Oct 30, 2008)

they consume 80 to 100lbs of dry matter a day.so id say tween 80 an 100lbs.


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## Kute Kitten (Mar 12, 2009)

Great facts mom! I wish I knew that much about cows!


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## wynedot55 (Mar 12, 2009)

i bet you know alot since your growing up with them.


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## Kute Kitten (Mar 12, 2009)

Some, but not a lot.


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## wynedot55 (Mar 12, 2009)

your bout the right age to start helping your mom an dad milk the cows.


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## Farmer Kitty (May 5, 2009)

From Wisdairy:

Dairy Cow Facts
 Cows did not always look like they do today  or produce as much milk. They used to roam wild,
and early humans hunted them for food.
 Later, people began domesticating cows and milking them. People also began to raise calves, which
meant they didnt have to hunt for more wild cows.
 Man milking cows is mentioned 44 times in the Old Testament of the Bible.
 Christopher Columbus brought the first dairy cow to America on his second voyage. Early settlers
brought dairy cows to Wisconsin.
 Each of the six breeds of dairy cattle  Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey and
Milking Shorthorn  developed in its own country.
 Brown Swiss is the oldest breed and developed in the Swiss Alps. During the summer, the cows are
taken to high mountain meadows where they roam free and graze. Brown Swiss still wear cow bells
so farmers can find them in foggy mountain pastures.
 Guernseys are called The Royal Breed because Guernsey milk is almost gold in color. Guernseys
were first raised by monks on the Isle of Guernsey. They are a shade of fawn (brownish), either solid
or with white markings.
 Jerseys come from the Isle of Jersey, very close to the Isle of Guernsey. Jerseys are the smallest of all
dairy breeds, with large brown eyes. They vary in color but are generally brown, sometimes with
white markings.
 Ayrshires originated in the county of Ayr in Scotland and first came to America in 1822. They are
reddish-brown with many spots and are noted for their vigor and efficient milk production.
 Holsteins (or Holstein Friesian) originated in the Netherlands. Dutch settlers probably brought the
first Holstein cattle to America about 1621. More than 90% of all dairy cattle in Wisconsin are
Holsteins. Although most Holsteins are black and white, there are some of red-and-white color.
 Milking Shorthorns are from northeastern England and best known for their versatility. They
efficiently convert feed to milk but also are very good meat animals.
 Cows have an acute sense of smell  they can smell something up to six miles away.
 An average dairy cow weighs about 1,400 pounds.
 Cows can live to be about 18 years old, but a normal productive life for a Holstein is around six years.
 A newborn calf weighs 90 pounds and can walk on its own one hour after birth.
 Cows spend an average of six hours each day eating and an additional eight hours ruminating and
chewing their cud. Most cows chew at least 50 times per minute.
 Cows graze by curling their tongues around grass and pulling rather than nibbling it like a horse does.
 Cows have four stomach compartments and consume about 90 pounds of feed every day. They also
drink the equivalent of a bathtub full of water  about 25 to 50 gallons  every day.
 If people ate like cows, they would have to eat about 360 cheeseburgers and drink 400 to 800 glasses
of water every day.
 Contrary to popular opinion, cows sleep lying down  just like people!
 A Wisconsin dairy cow produces an average of five to seven gallons of milk each day. Thats more
than 100 eight-ounce glasses of milk.
 There are approximately 340 to 350 squirts in a gallon of milk.
 Wisconsin is home to more than 1.25 million dairy cows.


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## Farmer Kitty (May 5, 2009)

Dairy Fun Facts
Butter
 Wisconsin is the No. 2 butter-producing state, making 368 million pounds  or 22.3%  of total
U.S. production.
 It takes 21.8 pounds of whole milk to make one pound of butter.
Yogurt
 Americans eat an average of 11.5 pounds of yogurt per person every year.
Ice Cream
 Per capita ice cream consumption in the U.S. is about 24 pounds per year.
 If all the ice cream eaten in the U.S. annually were put into cones and stacked on top of each
other, the stack would be tall enough to reach to the moon and back.
 It takes 12 pounds of whole milk to make one gallon of ice cream.
 Vanilla is still America's favorite ice cream flavor.
Cheese
 Americans eat about 350 slices of pizza per second. That's enough to cover more than 90 football
fields a day.
 On average, each American eats 32.7 pounds of cheese every year. That adds up to more than a
ton of cheese during a lifetime.
 Mozzarella cheese is the biggest-selling cheese variety, followed by Cheddar.
 The tradition of making Swiss cheese in 200-pound wheels began in the Middle Ages when the
Swiss government taxed cheesemakers on the number of pieces of cheese they produced  not on
the total weight.
Milk
 Approximately 5.8 billion half-pints of milk are served through federal school lunch, breakfast
and special milk programs every year.
 All cows make white milk, and flavors such as chocolate or strawberry are added at the
processing plant. Brown cows are not needed to make chocolate milk, and cows are not fed
chocolate to make chocolate milk.
Nutrition
 Most people need three servings of dairy products (milk, cheese or yogurt) every day. Teenagers
need four servings. One serving of milk is 8 ounces (one cup), 1 1/2 ounces of cheese (a piece
about the size of an adult's thumb) or 1 cup of yogurtflavored or plain.
 Chocolate milk is a great refueling drink after sports practices or events. Teen athletes should
drink chocolate milk in place of popular sports drinksit contains the same great nutrients as
white milk and is 90% water for hydrating.
 Milk contains calcium for strong bones and eight other essential nutrients needed to stay healthy:
protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, potassium, phosphorus, niacin, riboflavin.
 All milk (whole, low-fat, fat-free and flavored) contains the same amount of calcium and other
essential nutrients.
 According to government statistics, 9 out of 10 preteen and teen girls, 7 of 10 preteen and teen boys, 9 of 10 adult women, 4 of 10 adult males and 30% of children ages 4-8 don't get the recommended amount of calcium in their diets.

Wisdairy is part of the WISCONSIN MILK MARKETING BOARD which is funded by dairy producers (which I am one of). These facts and trivia came from Tour Kits available online.


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## Farmer Kitty (May 5, 2009)

From Wisdairy:

Did You Know?
 Cheese is the number one food craving, even beating out chocolate! When respondents were asked
which food gift they would like to receive, 19% of Americans said they want cheese  and only 13%
said candy.
 Residents of Greece, France, Malta, and Germany top the world in terms of per capita cheese
consumption, eating an average of 82, 52, 49 and 45 pounds, respectively, in 2007.
 Average American per capita cheese consumption is 32.7 pounds. Our average consumption of
cheese has more than doubled over the last 30 years.
 Cheese helps prevent tooth decay. Firm cheeses, such as Cheddar, are most effective.
 Wisconsin makes more than 600 varieties, types and styles of Wisconsin cheese.
 The outside rinds on cheese are edible (with the exception of waxed cheeses like Gouda and Edam).
If you like it, eat it. If you don't, cut it off.
 The average milk production per cow in the United States is 20,457 pounds.
 The natural yellow color of butter comes mainly from beta-carotene found in the grass the cows graze
on. The butter-making process concentrates the carotene present in the milk, making the yellow more
pronounced.
 Milk is better than water for cooling your mouth after eating spicy food. Milk products contain
casein, a protein that cleanses and soothes your burning taste buds.
 Chocolate milk is just as good for you as white milk, because they both have the same great
nutritional value.


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## Kute Kitten (May 5, 2009)

Farmer Kitty said:
			
		

> From Wisdairy:
> Wisconsin is home to more than 1.25 million dairy cows.


1.25 million dairy cows?


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## Farmer Kitty (May 5, 2009)

From Wisdairy:

History of America's Dairyland
 Wisconsin's first cheesemakers were farm wives who made cheese in their kitchens as a way of
storing excess milk. Throughout most of the 1800s, cheesemaking was considered women's work.
 In 1841, Mrs. Anne Pickett made cheesemaking history when she established Wisconsins first
cottage industry cheese factory using milk from neighbors cows.
 John J. Smith started Wisconsins first commercial cheesemaking factory in Sheboygan Falls back in
1858.
 In 1872, Samuel Hoard and other industry leaders formed the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association to
provide leadership and direction for Wisconsins dairy industry.
 Colby cheese was invented in Colby, Wisconsin, in 1874.
 Wisconsin has officially been known as Americas Dairyland since the 1930s.
 In 1890, the nations first dairy school was created at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It
remains the countrys top Dairy Science Department.
 Also in 1890, Stephen Babcock of the University of Wisconsin developed the milkfat test that
allowed dairymen to determine which cows produced the richest milk  the best for cheesemaking.
This test is still used today.
 In 1921, Wisconsin became the first state to establish cheese-grading standards to ensure consistent
quality and flavor.
 Today, Americas Dairyland produces nearly 24.5 billion pounds of milk every year. Thats about
13% of total U.S. production.
 Wisconsin cheesemakers use about 90% of Wisconsins milk supply to make nearly 2.5 billion pounds of cheese every year.


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## Farmer Kitty (May 5, 2009)

From Wisdairy:

Wisconsin Cheese Facts
 Wisconsin is the No. 1 cheese-producing state in the country, with over 25% of the total annual U.S.
cheese production.
 Wisconsins 135 cheese plants produce more than 600 varieties, types and styles of Wisconsin
cheese  far more than any other state.
 Wisconsins cheesemakers produce nearly 2.5 billion pounds of cheese annually.
 It takes ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese.
 Wisconsin has more licensed cheesemakers than any other state.
 Wisconsin has the countrys most stringent state standards for cheesemaking and overall dairy
product quality.
 Colby cheese was invented in Colby, Wisconsin.
 Wisconsin leads the nation in the production of specialty cheeses, such as Gorgonzola, Gruyere,
Asiago, Provolone, Aged Cheddar, Gouda, Blue and many others, accounting for approximately 45%
of total specialty cheeses.
 Wisconsin is the only producer of Limburger cheese in the country.
 Brick cheese was invented in Wisconsin. Brick is named for its shape and because cheesemakers
originally used bricks to press moisture from the cheese.
 A one-ounce slice of Wisconsin cheese contains about the same amount of protein as an 8-ounce
glass of milk.
 Wisconsin has the best-tasting cheeses because of the grass the cows eat. The grass in Americas
Dairyland is less acidic than in other areas of the country which results in cheese with a milder flavor.


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## Kute Kitten (May 5, 2009)

Mom, where are you finding all those cow facts? What website?


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## Farmer Kitty (May 5, 2009)

www.wisdairy.com


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## Farmer Kitty (May 5, 2009)

From Wisdairy:

Wisconsin Dairy Trivia
 How much milk is produced in Wisconsin every year?
 Nearly 24.5 billion pounds (24.46)
 Wisconsin produces how many pounds of cheese per year?
 Nearly 2.5 billion pounds (2.495)
 How many varieties, types and styles of cheese are produced in Wisconsin?
 More than 600
 Wisconsin's dairy industry means how much per year to the state's economy?
 Nearly $21 billion
 How many people work directly or indirectly with Wisconsin's dairy industry?
 Nearly 160,000
 True or false: Dane County is one of the top five milk-producing counties in Wisconsin.
 True
 Wisconsin produces what percent of the nation's total milk supply?
 13%
 What percent of Wisconsin's milk supply is used to make cheese?
 Approximately 90%
 Wisconsin produces what percent of the nation's cheese?
 25%
 What percentage of Wisconsin cheese is sold outside the state's borders?
 90%
 On average, Americans eat how many pounds of cheese per person every year?
 Nearly 33 pounds (32.7)
 Wisconsin is home to how many cheese manufacturing plants?
 135


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## wynedot55 (May 5, 2009)

kitty your giving me the milk barn blues.i loved reading all those facts.if id do it i could eat 200lbs of cheese a year.


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## Farmer Kitty (May 5, 2009)

Sorry, if you lived close by I would tell you to come over and milk some cows to help with it.


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## wynedot55 (May 5, 2009)

i loved being in the barn.an feeding the bottle babies.whenever the releif milker milked.i was in the barn from start to finish.unless i was having todo more outside work.


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## Farmer Kitty (Jun 16, 2009)

Even though TV and movies make it seem like farming is going to the big cooperate farms, it's not really.

98% of the farms in WI are family owned.
95% of the farms in the U.S. are family owned.


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