Page 81 - Spring2013

A Campaign for Real Milk

MEET THE TINIEST DAIRY COW IN THE WORLD!
VECHUR CATTLE
By Patrice Lopatin

Vechur cattle originated in the area around these cattle of particular value and winsomeness.
the village of Vechur in the southwest state of They are intelligent, hearty, clean, disease resis-
Kerala, India. The tiny gentle cows were so tant and adapted to high heat conditions, being
greatly valued that at one time wellwishers pre- native to tropical Kerala, India.
sented them as wedding gifts. Vechur cows are not prone to mastitis, para-
These native cattle have been rescued from sites, or hoof and mouth disease, and they calve
the brink of extinction by geneticist Dr. Sosamma easily. The milk of Vechur cattle is outstanding,
Iype. Dr. Iype received help from her students with a butterfat content of up to five percent, and
who volunteered to search for the last remaining with a smaller fat globule size from that of other
cattle in remote areas and temples, where they dairy breeds, making the milk easily digestible.
had been protected from government policies This milk is considered to have extraordinary
that forbade people to own them. medicinal properties and there has been some
A Campaign First eight and then later twenty-five indi- research claiming that the milk from such
for Real Milk vidual cattle were cattle helps lower
is a project of found to help pre- the risk of many
chronic conditions
serve the precious
the Weston A. germplasm for fu- such as diabetes,
Price ture generations. asthma, autism,
Foundation. Over twenty-five allergies, schizo-
To obtain years of dedi- phrenia, SIDS, and
some of our cated hard work cardiac disease.
has been done to
The Vechur

informative save these cows. breed carries the
Real Milk Many formidable A2 beta casein
brochures, impediments and gene variant which
contact the obstacles stood in has been linked to
Foundation at the way; however The author feeding a Vechur cow. a lower incidence
of the conditions
(202) ,the outcome was mentioned above. See web references 1 and 2
ultimately a success story: the Vechur Conserva-
363-4394. tion Trust was created in 1998. below for more information.
Check out our Now there is a wide appreciation for the
website, great value of these little cows and their numbers VERSATILE
www. are gradually being built up so that marginal The daily milk yield is between three to four
RealMilk.com farmers and others may benefit from the nourish- quarts (three to four liters). The Vechur does not
ing milk and other dairy products they provide. require much grazing space (only a quarter acre
for additional per cow), and no grain supplementation is nec-
information A SPECIAL BREED essary. These cows will be happy to eat a wide
and sources Their exceptionally small, manageable size variety of vegetation (some of which is extremely
of Real Milk (about the size of a large goat breed), and pleasant fibrous and tough), along with grass, banana
products. disposition (they are often considered a family peels and other kitchen vegetative leftovers!
pet) plus a very long, productive life span make The Vechur cattle can also be used as draft
Wise Traditions SPRING 2013 SPRING 2013 Wise Traditions 81