The milk contains only A2 proteins, which is different from most milk found sold in stores.
CHARM The hillside is covered with what the average homeowner would call weeds.
Chicory, plenty of clover and orchard and rye grasses cover the hillside. The three dozen Golden Guernseys roaming a penned off section of the hillside seem to love the mixture. The cows have spent a day in the section and the grass is trimmed down compared with other parts of the pasture.
Aden Yoder said he seeds with the different grass varieties because that is what the Guernseys like. If the cows were roaming free, they would nibble away at one plant and then move to another to get a variety of tastes, he said. It’s a good mixture for the cows, he said, keeping them healthy and helping them produce more nutritious milk.
Yoder has been a dairy farmer since 2004, working land that has been in his family for a century or so. He started off with a herd of Holsteins, the traditional breed used by dairy farmers.
About 18 months ago, Yoder switched from Holsteins to Golden Guernseys after talking with Edward Keim, another Holmes County farmer. Keim had teamed with a Cleveland businessman, Adrian Bota, who wanted to introduce milk produced by Guernseys to the Northeast Ohio because the milk contains the highest concentration of A2 protein, the primary protein found in most milk produced by mammals.
Different protein
Milk market conditions were poor, and Yoder realized he had a chance at earning more income if he started raising Guernseys.
Bota was starting Origin Milk Co. As a co-owner of the Piccadilly Artisan Creamery and Artisan Yogurt shops in Cleveland, Bota researched ways to source local milk for ice cream and yogurt. That is how he learned about milk proteins and Guernsey cows.
“I’m passionate about what my family eats and drinks,” he said.
Milk is considered as one of nature’s perfect foods with the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and other nutrients. Cows’ milk has been a staple for centuries, and most cows produce milk with A1 and A2 proteins. The primary protein in most milk sold around the country is A1.
Researchers started in the 1980s studying the different components in milk and how they might affect digestion. Scientists noted the difference between A1 and A2, and that led to speculation that A2 proteins might be easier to digest.
A variety of studies into the health impacts have been inconclusive, but the research sparked interest in producing and selling milk with only A2 protein. In Australia, a2 Milk Co. Ltd. has marketed Holstein milk with A2 protein and grown to about 10 percent of the market. The company expanded to China and the United Kingdom, and is preparing to launch in the United States.
Bota said he was drawn to Guernsey milk because it has the original taste, original nutrition, original genetics of milk and a creamy texture, or as he put it, it’s the whole package.
“It’s milk as it should be,” he said.
Guernsey milk is about 5 percent butterfat, has high-protein and a high concentration of beta carotene. Bota said Guernseys also produce milk that contains more vitamin D, vitamin A, calcium and omega-3. But the most notable difference is the golden hue — possibly because of the beta carotene — of Guernsey milk when compared with milk from Holsteins.
Available at local stores
Guernsey cows are a breed tied to the Channel Islands between England and continental Europe. The breed was brought to the United States in the 19th century and hotels and restaurants would advertise that they served milk from Guernseys. But Guernseys are smaller and produce less milk than a Holstein. The larger animal became the standard producer for the dairy industry.
Origin Milk is processed in Paint Valley as whole milk, 2 percent and skim, as well as chocolate. The company also has sold heavy cream, half-and-half and cheese. The milk is non-homogenized and low-heat pasteurized.
The milk is sold for $5.49 in half gallons and $1.99 in pint sizes at Fishers Foods and Acme stores in Stark County. It also is found at Heinen’s grocery stores in the greater Cleveland area, Mustard Seed stores in Summit County and some Buehler’s locations.
Acme picked up the product because it’s “constantly on the hunt for unique, local products,” Katie Swartz, director of marketing, explained in an email. “Plus the milk is delicious,” she added.
Bota said his goal is to develop a network of Guernsey dairy farms around the country to serve as a source for A2 Origin milk. The company will always sell Origin milk less than 250 miles from the farms and processor as part of an effort to encourage local and sustainable sourcing of dairy products, he said.
There are about 250 Guernsey farms in the United States with about 14,000 cows, Bota said, of which 9,000 are being milked. The two Holmes County Farms supplying Origin are among four Guernsey farms in Ohio, he said. According to the American Guernsey Association, which is based in Reynoldsburg, 77.5 percent of Guernsey cows produce milk with only A2 proteins, while 21.5 percent produce milk with A1 and A2 proteins.
Source: Canton Rep
Link: http://www.cantonrep.com/news/20170911/better-milk-local-cows-key-to-origin-milk-co