In honor of National Milk Day, I’m putting you to the test!

1.     How long does it take from the time milk leaves a cow until it’s made into a loaf of Tillamook Cheese?

2.     How many pounds of milk are used to make one pound of Tillamook Cheese?

3.     How many pounds of milk does it take to make one carton of Tillamook Ice Cream?

4.     How many pounds of milk does it take to make one pound of Tillamook Butter?

5.     How much does a gallon of milk weigh?

6.     How many squirts are in a gallon of milk?

7.     How much water does a cow drink?

8.     How much milk can a cow produce in one day?

9.     Why is milk white?

10.  How many veggies would it take to equal the calcium in two servings of dairy?

Click here for the answers.

By Loafy

The easiest method to identify cows on a dairy farm is with numbers. But many farmers also choose to name their cows. Sometimes it’s a flowery name. Sometimes it is a sweet name. Some names come from baby naming books while others are geographic references. Then there are the names for physical or personality characteristics. One of the earliest Cow of the Month posts was Big Ears. This time, the calf’s name is Bucky…for obvious reasons.

Bucky’s under bite makes her endearing and you just can’t help but chuckle and say, “Awww… she is so cute!” She was such an active little calf that she didn’t want to stay still long enough for me to get a nice photo. But rest assured, she has no self-confidence issues about her looks. Beauty, or cuteness in this case, is in the eye of the beholder. And while some may think she is an unattractive calf, I think she’s adorable!

By Chandra

Dutch Belt cows look a bit like Oreo Cookies, don't you think?

Every breed of cow has something unique about it, whether it is long shaggy hair, giant horns, spots like a Dalmatian or milk that is golden. The Dutch Belt is no different. People may think the black and white markings mean they are a funny looking Holstein, but no, these girls are meant to look like giant Oreo cookies on four legs. The cows are black with a white belt circling their entire body between the shoulders and rump.

According to the history books, Dutch Belt cows were imported to the U.S. in 1838. One of the original importers was P.T. Barnum! Barnum exhibited his herd for several years as a “rare and aristocratic breed,” because the animals were bred by nobility to achieve the bright white belt.

Locally, with only one herd, Dutch Belts are a rare and unique site.

Photo courtesy of hans s

By Chandra

Thank you, cows, for being so udderly great!

How do we love our 4-legged Holsteins, Jerseys, and Guernseys? Let us count the ways!

We love that they give us the freshest, highest quality milk for use in producing Tillamook Cheese and Tillamook Ice Cream. We love the livelihood that they provide to all the farmer-owners of our cooperative. We love how picturesque they are in the rolling meadows and hills of Tillamook county. Heck, we even love the “dairy air” they provide!

So, to all the hard-working Tillamook dairy cows, as well as their cousins nationwide: We appreciate you!

Join us at the Cheese Factory today to help celebrate cows! For the first 500 people who visit us today, we have a special beanie cow gift for you. Rumor has it that our mascot, Tillie the Cow, will also show up throughout the day to greet our visitors. And don’t forget to sample some cheese and ice cream made possible for you by your friends and ours, cows!

See you at the Cheese Factory!

By Susan P.

Living on the Oregon coast with as much rain as we get, everyone anxiously waits for April when the rains (are supposed to) taper off. The cows are no different. By mid-April we finally had a few days of dry weather and many of the farmers were able to let the cows into pasture. Early one Thursday morning, these Holstein girls were enjoying a breakfast of spring grass after milking. Nothing but the sounds of birds chirping and the occasional car driving by on its way to work.

By Chandra

A Tillamook Jersey cow

Worldwide, there are hundreds of breeds of cows. Though all of them produce milk just by the nature of the animal’s anatomy, there are a few breeds that are specifically recognized as a dairy breed. The two most common breeds, especially around Tillamook, are Holsteins and Jerseys.

Now, there are Holstein farmers and there are Jersey farmers. Each of them fiercely defends why one breed is better than the other. One produces more milk; the other has higher butter fat. Both characteristics are important to dairy farmers. But not being a farmer, I don’t think like that. I think in terms of cuteness. And at the top of my list are the Jersey cows.

Jersey cows are the petite brown cows you see dotting the landscapes of the county. Their color can range in shades of very light tan to a very dark, almost black, brown. While their coloring is not as flamboyant as black and white spots, they have this doe-eyed appearance that just makes you want to go “aww, how cute.”

Jerseys originated on the Isle of Jersey and is one of the oldest dairy breeds. They were brought to the U.S. around the 1850s. Today, Jersey cows can be found just about anywhere in the world. Farmers favor them because their milk is the highest in butterfat and protein. They are also very efficient animals at converting their feed into milk production, and are capable of producing more milk per pound of body weight than the other breeds. For those reasons, some farmers, who may be die-hard Holstein fans, switch their herds to Jerseys.

Personally, I think they are just so adorable!

By Chandra

"Queenie" Jadean

Meet “Queenie” Jadean, a former show girl… er, show cow, actually… that, according to her farm family, has a serious case of princess syndrome. This 10-year-old girl is tall, even towering over her fellow Holsteins! But what makes Jadean, Queenie Jadean? She likes to get pampered. Show cows get handled a little more often than a regular cow. They’re trained to walk with a halter and handled often to get them used to being around crowds. They’re bathed and their hair is always trimmed so they look their best for a show. You could say they are a little spoiled. Jadean likes the special attention, in fact, she expects the special attention. She likes getting a bath, she likes getting her head scratched and she’ll give a big, sloppy kiss in return. Which isn’t as sweet as it sounds, those tongues are rough! Jadean earned her title of Queenie. In a herd prized for its genetics, Jadean has achieved a 4th generation excellent and is approaching some lifetime production milestones (her milk has produced 25,717 pounds of cheese so far!). In 2005, she won Grand Champion at the Oregon Black and White (Holstein) Show. All hail the queen!

By Chandra

Big Ears was a little too busy munching with her gal pals to cooperate and let me take her photo. I don’t blame her. If someone was taking my photo while I was eating lunch I wouldn’t cooperate either!

Cow No. 145 is called Big Ears on her farm. Big Ears was born June 23, 2010. She is a Holstein. According to her farm family, this girl’s ears were twice as big as her head when she was born! She’s also pretty smart. When she was just one day old, Big Ears was already drinking out of the 5-gallon milk bucket. Calves normally need to have the milk transferred to a bottle in order to drink the milk. What a little smarty-pants!

By Chandra

Meet Polly! She’s not being rude by sticking her tongue out; she was just licking her water bucket.

This little cutie was born Jan. 6, 2011. Her cow number is 188 but her farm family calls her Polly. She is a Holstein calf. According to her farm family, Polly is the spitting image of her mom. She has all the same markings, even around the eyes, which are little black spots in a mostly white and fluffy coat. She is just cute as a button!

By Chandra