| Name | Breed | Born | Came to Oxon Hill |
| Abby (cow) | Ayshire | Feb. 1990 | Mar. 1990 |
| Goldie (cow) | Jersey | about 1990 | Jul. 1993 |
| Camielle (cow) | Ayshire | Apr. 1997 | born here |
| Buffy (heffer calf) | Brown Swiss | Sep. 1998 | Sep. 1998 |
| Cloie (heffer calf) | Black Angus | Dec. 1998 | Feb. 1999 |
| Brooks (steer calf) | Guernsey | Jul. 1999 | born here |
Originally cattle were used as draft animals and to produce milk. During the last half of the 19th century, as the dairy industry and meat production business developed, a clear distinction was made between cattle raised for meat (beef cattle) and those raised for dairy products (dairy cattle).
Beef cattle are early-maturing and rapid-fattening animals. Some of the meats produced from these cattle are steaks, roasts, and hamburger. Examples of beef cattle breeds are the Aberdeen Angus, solid black in color (hence the name Black Angus) with short legs, a compact and round body, and naturally hornless; and the Polled Hereford, red with white flanks, underbody, and face (sometimes called Whiteface Hereford), a large, heavy body and short legs.
Dairy cattle produce milk and cream from which many products are made: cheese, butter, and ice cream. Like all mammals, cows must give birth before milk production can start. Unlike other breeds, dairy cows produce more milk for a longer period of time than is necessary for the feeding of their young. Cows are milked twice a day, morning and evening. Examples of dairy breeds include Holstein, black-and-white, producers of the greatest quantities of milk; Guernsey, large, fawn-and-white with rich, golden-yellow milk; Jersey, small, fawn colored, producers of the richest milk; the Brown Swiss, large, tan to chocolate brown, a dual-purpose (milk and meat) animal; and the Ayershire, mottled reddish-brown and white, a lesser known but top-quality breed.
Cattle Terms:
Bull - male (none at Oxon Hill Farm)
Calf - young male or female
Cow - female who has borne a calf
Dry Cow - cow not giving milk
Fresh Cow - a cow just having borne a calf and now giving milk
Heifer - young cow who has not borne a calf
Herd - a number of cattle or other large animals eating and living together.
Roughage - feeds that contain grass, hay, or silage.
Ruminant - animal that has a stomach with four different sections. This type of animal can eat hay, grass, and hard to digest feeds that other animals cannot. Beef and Dairy cattle are ruminants.
Silage - grasses or cornstalks that are cut and stored wet and allowed to ferment (pickle). Silage is a very good feed for dairy cattle.
Silo - building used to store silage.
Steer - castrated male
Teat - the projecting organ through which milk is drawn from the udder of female mammals in suckling young.
Veal Calf - A calf sold for meat when 4 to 8 weeks old
Dairy Producer Terms:
Dairy farm - where cows are kept to produce milk.
Dairy cow - a cow that give us the milk we drink.
Dairy producer - farmer who owns or runs a dairy farm.
Dry cow - a cow that is not producing milk; the period before the next calving and lactation.
Freshen - a cow having calved, and now giving milk.
Lactation period - the length of time a female gives milk following birth of an offspring.
Milk - a white liquid secreted by special glands of female mammals for suckling their young.
Milking Parlor - a special room attached to the barn where the cows are milked.
Production - the amount of milk a cow or group of cows is giving.
Udder - a mammary gland, especially one that is relatively large and pendulous, with two or more teats, as in cows.
Dairy Processor Terms:
Cheese - a solid food made from milk
Homogenization - (Ho-moj-e-nie-zay-shun) breaking up the fat in the milk into tiny globs. This done so that the cream in the milk will not rise to the top when the milk is stored (in the refrigerator).
Pasteurization - (Pass-tuh-ri-zay-shun) heating the milk to around 180 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds to kill bacteria.
Processing Plant - place where the milk is packaged and made ready for the supermarket. Also, the place where milk is made into ice cream, cheese, sour cream, yogurt, and other products.
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