How many times a day is a cow milked?

A cow is milked twice a day

How do you make sure that the animals that provide your milk and eggs are well treated?

The dairies that supply milk for our North Coast Excellence Dairy products must be certified by the American Humane Association to be in compliance with their Dairy Welfare Guidelines. These guidelines specify how the calves are raised, how the cow is provided with housing, food, water, exercise, pasture, how the milking facilities are maintained, how the health plans are managed, emergency plans, and many other factors that encompass the welfare of the cow. The hens that provide Clover's Cage Free Eggs have their own set of guidelines under their certification by the American Humane program.

How do you keep rBST out of the milk supply?

In order to participate in the North Coast Excellence Certified program (NCEC) with Clover Stornetta Farms, all producers are required to sign a notarized affidavit that certifies that the producer has not, within the preceding 180 days, injected any cow(s) in the producer's herd of dairy cows with rBST/RBGH.

Are your cage free or organic eggs fertile?

No, there are no roosters in with the hens

What is the difference between pasteurized and ultra pasteurized?

Ultra pasteurized came into being so that milk would have a longer shelf life in the store. It is heated to 280 degrees F for about 2 seconds. Regular pasteurization heats milk to 161 degrees F for about 15 seconds. Milk that is ultra pasteurized tends to have more of a cooked flavor. Stabilizers need to be added to whipping cream or it will not whip, processors also will frequently add stabilizers to ultra pasteurized half and half. Ultra pasteurized heavy whipping cream takes a long time to whip. Some consumers feel that the proteins have been altered too much by the ultra pasteurization process. Once opened, ultra pasteurized products have the same shelf life as conventionally processed milks.

What is the percentage of butterfat in your heavy whipping cream? Why is your cream very thick on the top?

The percentage of butterfat in heavy whipping cream is required to be at least 36%. Our cream has butterfat of 40%. Our cream is not homogenized so it should be shaken gently before using. Because the fat has not been broken up by homogenization, the cream whips much quicker and the whipped cream has a very firm texture.

What is homogenized milk?

Homogenized milk has been treated with high pressure to decrease the size of the fat globules such that they remain suspended throughout the milk and do not rise to the surface.

Are the cows allowed to pasture?

The dairy farms in this area have many acres of rolling hills. The dairymen use these pastures for the cow as long as there is nutritious feed growing in them (at least 4-5months). The dairymen do not pasture their cows during the wettest part of the year because they want to protect the environment from pollution.

How do your dairy farmers keep their cows safe from mad cow disease?

Clover dairies operate closed herds (they raise their own calves and do not buy cows). They do not use any feed that contain animal byproducts.

Is your milk Kosher?

Yes, Clover milk is Kosher. We are inspected by OU and by Kosher Overseers.

How much calcium is in your milk?

One percent low-fat milk has the highest amount of calcium. It has 400mg per glass. Reduced Fat milk and Fat Free milk are next with 350mg per glass. Vitamin D milk has 300mg per glass. Federal law requires that calcium content is listed as percent of the recommended daily intake (RDI). It is easy to figure out how many milligrams of calcium is in your milk because the RDI value that is set as the standard is 1000mg. So if your milk has 30 percent calcium, it has 300mg of calcium.

Do any of the Clover dairy products contain glutens?

The only dairy products that contain glutens are frozen dairy products that have flour as an ingredient such as cookies and cream ice cream. If you have a question about a specific product, please email us: askclo@cloverstornetta.com

Do Clover cheeses, sour creams, cottage cheeses or yogurts use animal enzymes (rennet) to coagulate the milk?

No, microbial enzymes are used.

At what temperature should dairy products be kept?

Dairy products should be kept at less than 40 degrees F at all times. If milk is allowed to get warm and then cooled back down it will spoil much faster than if it is kept cool. If the milk is kept at 45 degrees its shelf life can be cut in half.

Can I freeze milk?

Freezing milk is not recommended because the freezing and subsequent thawing of the product results in separation of the milk solids. This does not pose a health hazard, but it does adversely affect the flavor and appearance of the milk.

What happens if a cow becomes sick?

The dairyman, like a parent makes a judgement as to whether or not he can treat the animal on his own, if not he calls a veterinarian. If an animal requires antibiotics then the milk from that animal is not used until the antibiotic is cleared from the animal. The prescription for the medicine lists the time necessary to keep this animal out of the milking herd. The milk is tested for anitbiotic residue as a condition of acceptance by the processing plant.

What happens to the bull calves on your farms?

Most of the bull calves are sold through auction or a broker. The dairy makes certain that the calves receive colostrum. The dairyman has no control over the eventual buyer. There are not any veal growing operations in the area where our dairies are.

What do cows eat?

The cows in this area have access to a lot of pasture during the growing season, (but they also eat silage and green chop and alfalfa hay for forages). They are also fed small amounts of grains and things such as cottonseed meal for energy, and are supplemented with vitamins and minerals. No animal byproducts are fed to our cows.

What is the average age of your cows?

The cows start milking at about two years old. A number of dairymen raise purebred animals, and they sell some young cows to dairymen outside our program. The rest of the cows remain in the herd until they have problems that the diaryman is unable to solve, usually having to do with reproduction. Some cows will be sold when they are 5 or 6 (that would be about 40 yrs old on the human scale), some cows will still be in the herd when they are 10 or 12 years old.

What happens to a cow after she no longer produces milk?

The cow is sold primarily for meat. These animals produce a very valuable source of protein, as well as providing many other products that are used in the medical and industrial fields.

How often do your cows deliver?

The cows calf about once a year. They follow the pattern of large mammals in the wild, that give birth and then breed back within a couple of months, while continuing to suckle their offspring, usually until they give birth again.

Do Clover dairy farmers use artificial insemination?

The dairymen mostly artificially inseminate. Bulls are very large animals, they are often a safety concern for the humans and cows.