Dairy Cows Across America

Milk is a grocery store staple. Almost every family in America drinks milk each day. Milk is an excellent source of calcium and protein. Throughout the history of America, dairy cows have played a large role in the farming industry. In the early 1900's almost every homestead had at least one cow to produce milk for the family.

While we no longer milk individual cows, the milk industry is a huge part of America. As you read on, you will learn about the 6 most common dairy cows that you will find throughout America. They all have their specialties and have come from various foreign nations to American farms.

The highest milk producing state in America is Wisconsin, commonly called the dairy state and known for its incredible cheese production. California is the runner up and has thousands of dairy farms throughout the state.

The first dairy breed is the Holstein. Holstein's are the most common dairy cow found across dairy farms in the United States. They are the large, beautiful, black and white cows you see scattered throughout the countryside. The Holstein breed originated in Holland and was brought to the United States in 1621. They are the staple dairy cow in America because they produce the most milk. They usually weigh about 1,500 pounds at maturity. A top producing Holstein dairy cow can be responsible for up to 67,000 pounds of milk in a year!

Another popular breed of milking cow in America is the Brown Swiss. The Brown Swiss is a beautiful cow with a lovely shade of light brown sometimes dappled to gray. They are about the same size as the Holstein and when mature weigh in at around 1500 pounds. The Brown Swiss dairy cow was brought to America in 1869 and had originated in Switzerland.