Purpose Built

Fond du Lac Farms' was designed from the ground up to be a raw milk facility. Every decision was made with the thought of our cows’ comfort and cleanliness in mind.

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Why the Brown Swiss?

At Fond du Lac Farms we place a high priority on what we feed our cattle. We believe that what we feed our girls directly affects the quality of the milk they produce.

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Jul 14 2014

Brown Swiss Cows & A2 Milk

FondDuLac

Recently, there's been a lot of talk about A2 milk. Let's begin by explaining A2 milk and how Brown Swiss cows play a part in its development.

All milk contains six different types of protein- four casein proteins and two whey proteins. The casein proteins make up about 80% of milk and one of these is the beta casein, of which the two most common forms are A1 and A2.

Originally, ALL milk was A2, but due to a genetic mutation that occurred at some point, A1 gradually became the prevalent form of beta casein. Recent studies now show a possible link between A1 milk and certain illnesses, namely diabetes, heart disease, schizophrenia and autism, though it has not been officially proven. Researchers suggest that this may be the reason some people have a perceived intolerance to standard milk which has created a growing demand for cows that are A2 dominant.

There are still breeds that produce the original A2 milk.. These are typically the more "traditional" breeds which have not been as greatly impacted by over-breeding. Guernsey's, for example, has the highest proportion of the A2 beta casein gene at over 90%; Holsteins carry the lowest proportion with only 35% carrying the gene. Brown Swiss carry the second highest proportion at 70%. All other breeds carry an average of about 50%.

It must be noted that A2 milk does not contain only A2 casein, but is "rich" in it. Therefore, milk from cows which carry both genes are considered and can be sold as A2 milk. Milk that comes from a wholly Brown Swiss herd can be sold as A2, considering the percentage of the beed that carries the A2 gene.

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