Our home dairy began with our sweet little Nigerian Dwarf goats, but our homestead's demand for dairy products quickly outgrew our goats. We made the momentous decision to bring home a family milk cow in the Spring of 2008.

The Jersey is one of the oldest breeds of cattle, originating on the Isle of Jersey off the coast of Britain, though they are not a rare breed. We thought long and hard about which breed of dairy cow we wanted on our farm, and the Jersey's small size, high butterfat, and large volume suited our needs more closely than any of the rare breeds.

Bella works harder than any animal here at the farm, except maybe the farmers. Her amazing biology enables her to transform sunshine in the form of grass directly into energy. She provides milk not only for the family but also for the poultry and pigs here on the farm, who think it's simply the best thing in the whole wide world. I'm inclined to agree.

We're able to have milk, butter, cream, ice cream and cheese approximately 10 months out of the year thanks to Bella. And that's just the dairy side of it. She also offers us meat from her bull calves and copious amounts of fertilizer for the gardens.

Early in her lactation cycle, Bella gives us about 4 gallons of milk per day. That's a whole lot of milk! Gradually, her production will decline until we dry her off two months before calving, giving her body a much needed rest.

We're due to have our first calf born here on the farm in February of 2009, and we're very excited. We will occasionally have heifer calves for sale in the Spring, so feel free to inquire.