Transitioning to Spring On a Micro-Dairy, Part 2

Reader Contribution by Steve Judge
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I look at the calendar and it says spring, but outside my window at my Micro-Dairy the temperatures are creeping up above freezing and some of the snow refuses to melt. However, spring will arrive even if not quite on schedule, so I’m prepping for the inevitable. Here are a few more tips and steps that will become routine as you prepare your Micro-Dairy for spring.

Springtime Brings New Opportunities and New Challenges

Now that spring is on the doorstep I will begin to think about buying another mature cow or two. I am very fortunate that there are several high quality Jersey herds in this part of Vermont so I generally have several cows to choose from. However I have learned to never buy a cow until I have her milk tested for “staff ” mastitis. I also have the cows tested for Leucosis (BLV) and Johnes. I think everyone should test their cows for those two diseases, especially if you are going to drink or sell their milk raw. They are both contagious and can be fatal for an infected cow. Plus there is growing concern that the milk that comes infected cows can also infect people. The screening tests can either be done with blood or milk and aren’t expensive.

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