The Family Cow

Rating:
Summary: The rulebook for owning a milk cow.
Review: Broken up into vital aspects of cow ownership and handling, this book is a god-send for anyone venturing into this arena. Van Loon has a great sense of humor that adds to the value of the material. We now have our Jersey milk cow and the book is constanly open. And yes, God did put cows on the earth to be eaten as well as milked!

Rating:
Summary: Good Information - Well written -but somewhat dated
Review: The book covers the subject well and is carefully written. It stands alone in that there are no other books for the prospective owner of a single dairy cow rather than a herd. Some of the information is dated; recent improvements in genetics have more than doubled milk production and changed the needs for feed. There is a little philosophizing with a '70s back-to-the-lander slant which I found distracting.

Rating:
Summary: Tons of information
Review: This book has everything you need to know about owning your own cow...kinds of cows and their temperaments, purchasing a cow, how to care for it, fences and barns to build for it, milking, foods to prepare with the milk, breeding and calving, you name it. Much detail is given in each subject, including drawings and pictures, but the author avoids being a bore with his dry humor. We knew absolutely nothing about cows, but now feel some confidence after reading this book!

Rating:
Summary: Everything you wanted to know about Bossy, but didn't ask.
Review: This is a wonderfully entertaining book. It is full of essential knowledge, as well as humor. I'm the son of a dairy farmer who is the son of a dairy farmer. I will be the first person to admit that I learned a lot from this book. The subject depth that the author goes into in each chapter is great. Everything is explained in simple terms yet gets very detailed. I would compare his ability to keep a complex subject simple to the writings of Isaac Asimov. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a serious interest in small scale farming, the family farm, or simply wants to know all the essentials about cattle.