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Our A2/A2 Bull



Over the last few years, I have been hearing more and more about A2/A2 cattle, and the health benefits of the milk, but I always kind of passed it over as rather silly; I mean, seriously, how can a genetic difference in the cow make a difference in how healthy the milk is?  I also did not like that the company who tests cattle for this gene was also the one doing the research.  But then recently, some friends who run an excellent natural farm in Lake City have started talking about it.  Apparently, a customer interested in buying a heifer asked if any of their cows were A2/A2, and when they tested, they discovered that 5 out of 6 of their cows were.
Now, the interesting thing about this, is that quite a few people who have reactions to cow's milk, even raw cow's milk, have told them that they can drink milk from their cows with no problems.  I always assumed that this was because of the high level of cleanliness, and the good quality grass/ minerals they feed their herd, but after doing some research, I am realizing there is a lot more to this than I had thought.  Some other testimonies I have recently read seem to confirm that A2/A2 milk is indeed easier to digest and better for you.
The most convincing testimony to me was Megan Steven's article on the website Food Renegade, in which she describes her personal experience with A2 vs. A1 milk.  After reading this, I began really wanting to test our cows.  Frankly, now I only want to have A2 milk cows, if possible.  And this leads to my news:
Our bull is A2/A2!

He is a really nice little bull.  At just a year old, he is a good size, and well built.  He has good Jersey conformation, is not too big (his sire was a medium/ mini Jersey), and he's polled.  He is from a very good milking herd, and now, I know that he is A2/A2.  Sadly, we will need to sell him soon as we simply don't have enough grass for all our animals.  (I just want to make sure Blossom and Buttercup are bred first!)
I am really looking forward to getting some nice calves from him, especially once I get Blossom and Buttercup tested, and we know what kind of genes to expect in the calves.
I can hardly wait!


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