Mini Cows: Answer to High Milk Prices?

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With a gallon of milk almost as expensive as a gallon of gasoline, some families are looking to mini cows to counter the pain of rising milk prices. The Dexter is one breed of mini cow, the size of a German Shepard, which has become popular in the United Kingdom for families seeking relief from high milk prices. The mini cows produce 2 gallons of milk per day and as an added bonus will mow the lawn if you're not too particular about the cut. Other mini cow breeds include the Mini-Hereford and the Lowline Angus. Mini cows will subsist on grass, so there is no feeding cost as long as the grass holds out. So far the mini cows have been more popular with cost-cutting farmers than suburban or urban dwellers in the United States, perhaps because in the absence of a couple of acres of grass, the mini cows may not prove cost effective. There are other advantages to bringing home a mini cow beyond saving money on milk. Drinking raw milk fresh - from a grass-fed mini cow or any other cow- has many health advantages. Fresh, raw milk from grass fed cows is nutritionally complete. It has every nutritional component a human needs to survive and humans have survived on diets consisting solely of raw milk from grass fed cows. Pasteurization eliminates some of raw milk's Vitamin C and 20% of its iodine content and makes most of raw milk's calcium insoluble. Proponents of pasteruization contend that raw milk is hazardous to human health because it can carry disease. Opponents of pasteurization do not disagree but they counter that the key to good health with raw milk is keeping it fresh. Fresh raw milk not only does not transmit disease but is effective in curing diseases. Fresh raw milk was used for centuries as medicine, according to raw-milk-facts.com, treating and curing a variety of chronic illnesses. City dwellers will not find it practical to keep a mini cow and will likely encounter zoning restrictions aimed at keeping livestock outside city limits. I wonder how long it will take for an enterprising group of trendy urbanites to establish a community cow pasture. The concept isn't all that different from community gardens and farm shares.

By Carol Bengle Gilbert, published Aug 27, 2008 Published Content: 353 Total Views: 507,588 Favorited By: 266 CPs