Cows, Sheep, Goats & Water Buffalo!

Vermont's most familiar dairy animal is the cow - but in Vermont sheep, goats and even Water Buffalo produce milk that Vermonters make into incredibly delicious dairy foods.

Vermont has 1400 cow dairy farms, 20 goat dairy farms, 6 sheep dairy farms and 1 water buffalo dairy farm.

Milking

All dairy animals have one thing in common - lactation - or milking.

Female mammals produce milk after they give birth to their young. Cows, sheep and goats are milked for a period of time, then "dried off". When a dairy animal is dried off, she doesn't produce milk.

In most sheep and goat dairy herds, all the animals are dried off at once. Some cow dairies also do this. This is called a seasonal dairy.