Mulberry

Misty Morning Farm Mulberry-PP, DNA Verified 100% Purebred Mini Jersey (BBR100), 41 inches at 6 years old (Vet Verified), A2A2 BB BB, 3 gallons per day

Mulberry is our family’s primary milk cow since she willingly shares everything she’s got with us, including all of her cream! I love the blissed out look she gets on her face while I’m milking her, and the affectionate way she licks me when I’m finished milking.

Mulberry’s pedigree is predominantly Holterholm and Misty Morning Farm. Both bloodlines of small Jersey cows she comes from have been bred for grazing, A2 milk, polled and smaller stature. Holterholm cows average 6,000 pounds per year (2.42 gallons per day), 5.2% butterfat and 3.8% protein.

We haven’t measured pounds of milk per year, but we do keep each of our cows’ milk separate. Mulberry increased her production over her first few lactations and she produces between 3-4 gallons per day at her peak. Her peak lactation lasts through the summer and then in the fall she reduces her production until it reaches about one gallon of milk during the winter.

Mulberry maintains her condition well on pasture. We have sometimes given her 1-2 pounds per day of alfalfa pellets and black oil sunflower seeds during her peak lactation (about 0.15% – 0.3% of her body weight), primarily as a treat at milking time but in general she eats all she needs from the pasture and is supplemented only with hay and minerals as needed.

Mulberry also holds her lactation well, we milked her for almost 18 months on her first lactation, and on her second lactation she stayed in milk for 2 years and 3 months. Mulberry is currently on her fifth lactation and still milking and maintaining her condition wonderfully at over 8 years old. We milked her through the winter again, and she’s gone back up to 1.5 gallons per day this spring, as she has also done in the past when we extend her lactation. We hope to meet Mulberry’s 6th calf in the fall of 2026!

Mulberry has wide orifices (teat canals), which allow for a faster milking time since more milk comes out with each squeeze. Mulberry’s rear teats are shorter than her front; when she was younger I had to milk them with three fingers and hold my pinky out of the way but as she’s gotten older I’ve been be able to use my whole hand to milk.

Mulberry, in January 2025 (7.5 years old)

Misty Morning Farm Mulberry

DOB	July 2, 2017
Sire	MMF Lazarus, 42″ @ 9 years
Dam	MMF Maribelle, 46″ @ 5 years
Conception	Natural
Color	Fawn
Height	41 inches at 6 years (Vet Certified) (22 inches at birth)
Polled/Horned	Homozygous Polled (Pf/Pf)
Beta Casein	A2A2 (AA)
Beta Lactoglobulin	BB
Kappa Casein	BB
BBR	100 GT100K
Stature	-1.7
Calved at	Misty Morning Farm, VA
Registration	JEUSA000175020076