Information courtesy of Kansas Farm Bureau’s Safety and Ag Ed Division
Got Milk?
No one really knows how long ago people started milking cows, or how they discovered milk was good for us to drink. We do know that at least 10,000 years ago, cavemen raised dairy cattle. Their cattle were called auroch.
Cows are not native to America. Columbus brought cattle with him on his second voyage to the New World. When the Pilgrims made their voyages, it became English law that each ship coming to the new world had to carry one cow for each five passengers.
The average cow produces approximately 19,825 pounds of milk each year. That’s 2,305 gallons of milk a year, or approximately eight gallons of milk every day of her milking period. That’s enough for 128 people to have a glass of milk every day! Each day, the dairy cow can produce up to: 64 quarts milk (256 glasses) or, 14 pounds cheese or, 5 gallons ice cream or, 6 pounds butter. Cows drink 25-50 gallons of water each day. That’s nearly a bathtub full.
Cow Trivia and Useless Facts:
* Mosquitoes like cow blood more than human blood.
* Cows clean their noses with their tongues.
* Twelve or more cows are known as a “flink.”
* You can lead a cow upstairs, but not downstairs.
* Most cows give more milk when they listen to music.
Source: U.S. Department of Ag – National Agricultural Library
www.nal.usda.gov
Photo Credit: freedigitalphotos.net
