Dairy Industry: Breeds

Dairy cattle breed that was raised as a "dual-purpose" breed, for meat and milk. Can produce up to 8-9 gallons of milk per day! ID: mixture of red and white ROAN colors, can be polled or horned.

• Brown Swiss cow
• Holstein cow
• Milking Shorthorn cow
• Ayrshire cow

Dairy cattle breed from Scotland that can withstand extreme temperatures, and makes about 5 gallons of high quality milk per day from less forage. Hard to distinguish from Guernseys: a bit larger and more reddish with more color variations. ID: reddish brown spots on white background.

• Jersey cow
• Ayrshire cow
• Holstein cow
• Guernsey cow

Dairy cattle breed with a large frame (around 1200 pounds), and golden colored milk. They produce 5-6 gallons of mik per day. ID: fawn-tan to golden brown colored with splashes of white: the creamsickle cow!

• Holstein cow
• Jersey cow
• Guernsey cow
• Ayrshire cow

One of the largest dairy breeds, with a mature cow weighing 1,300-1,400 pounds and a mature bull weighing as much as 2,000 pounds. The fat to protein ratio in their milk is ideal for cheese, thus making them one of the most popular breeds around the world for cheese making. They produce 6-7 pounds of milk per day. ID: greyish-tan colored, a distinct CREAMY-WHITE muzzle with black nostrils and dark blue eyes.

• Guernsey cow
• Holstein cow
• Brown Swiss cow
• Ayrshire cow

Dairy cattle breed with a small frame (average 900 pounds), great feed conversion, highest butter fat content. They produce around 6 gallons of milk per day, and it is higher in protein than any other milk. Very versatile and efficient breed. ID: small, reddish brown to tan, and always has a black muzzle, jet-black make-up around the eyes (emo cow), dark eyes, black switch and hooves.

• Guernsey cow
• Jersey cow
• Holstein cow
• Ayrshire cow

Dairy cattle breed with a large frame and #1 in milk production (largest production of milk volume per cow, up to 9-10 gallons a day!). These can also be red and white (but for ID we stick with the black and white versions because so hard to tell from Guernseys). ID: black and white splotches (Half and Half:)

• Ayrshire cow
• Guernsey cow
• Holstein cow
• Jersey cow

Which is a dairy breed?

• brahman
• jersey
• longhorn
• braford

Which does not belong in this group:

• jersey
• chianina
• brown Swiss
• ayrshire

Which does not belong in this group:

• angus
• Santa Gertrudis
• holstein
• hereford