The truth about breeding

Animal Welfare
Written By Derrick Josi

Fun fact: cows ride each other until they are raw and bleeding when in “heat.” Heat is the very technical term farmers use to describe a cow that wants to be bred. Being in heat is her way of getting a bull’s attention. (Or, activists, it could be considered the cow’s way of showing “consent.”)

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Fun fact number two: if she’s not bred, a cow will go into heat again in 21 days … and again … and again. Every time she will allow other cows to mount her, and every time she will have more damage done to her body.

That’s why farmers breed cows back every year, because that’s what is natural for her.

P.S. yes we breed them artificially with frozen semen. Trust me it’s less stress on her than a bull.

Derrick Josi

Derrick Josi is a 4th generation dairy farmer from Tillamook, Oregon, where he milks Jersey dairy cows and farms corn and grass silage.

Wilsonview Dairy, a family farm established in 1918 by Derrick’s great grandfather, Alfred, after arriving from Switzerland as an indentured servant in 1912, is located near the Pacific Ocean where dairy cows enjoy a relatively mild climate on their centennial farm.

The Josi family is proud to play a part in making delicious cheese by providing quality milk to the Tillamook County Creamery Association.

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