Author Topic: Alpine Cheese Dairy  (Read 27732 times)

elkato

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #15 on: June 21, 2013, 11:15:35 PM »
Amazing work!
 for me this is very inspirational, as it is very similar to my operation but much nicer!(I love the hand made beams and woodwork)
 I will be waiting to see your progress and hope you document your project with many pictures!

what breed of cows are you thinking on getting?

Alpkäserei

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #16 on: June 22, 2013, 03:53:32 AM »
Hello,

We will have Brown Swiss

Would be nice if we could get the original Schwiezer Braunvieh,
and some day I would like to have Evolener cows

elkato

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #17 on: June 25, 2013, 02:55:47 AM »
I  just got 9 Brown Swiss heifers.
 I also like Original Brounvieh a lot,  do you think crossing the BS with OB is a good idea? (I understand they do it a lot in Switzerland)
Attached photo, and also from my cave (Raclette, Tomme, Blue, and Reblochon)
Luis.

Alpkäserei

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #18 on: June 25, 2013, 04:54:28 PM »
It's complicated.

With the 'mother breed' we have 3 classifications.

First there is the Braunvieh, the breed in switzerland
Then there is what we Call 'Original Braunvieh, which is an American breed taken from the Braunvieh, bred for beef (but still decent for milking)
Last there is the Brown Swiss, which is another variation of the Braunvieh, this bred for milking.

As for crossing, it has happened in all directions.

Swiss breeders have crossed some American lines into the Swiss Braunvieh stock, American breeders have recently imported new blood from Switzerland and crossed it into the local Brown Swiss Stock, and Original Braunvieh have been crossed both ways. Really all this is, is that farmers are getting different bloodlines. American Brown Swiss are descended from a few cattle imported up until the 1880s. Swiss cows carry on those and a number of other bloodlines. American bloodlines have maintained a strict pedigree from a certain line, because that is all that was available. Swiss breeders got hold of some of this line, and crossed it back into the parent stock.

Sounds complicated, that's how breeding works. We're always crossing lines back into each other. With humans, we'd call it inbreeding  :o

elkato

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #19 on: June 25, 2013, 06:01:46 PM »
Thanks for the reply!
I have the American Brown Swiss version, but can purchase imported semen from Switzerland  by the company : Select Star and Swissgenetics

http://www.selectstar.ch/Home.aspx

http://www.swissgenetics.com/

in their Original Braunvieh lines.
My Idea is to have a small pasture based grass fed organic milk production for my cheeses so that is why I was thinking on crossing with OB for the next generation
best regards.
Luis.

Alpkäserei

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #20 on: June 25, 2013, 09:55:28 PM »
Personally, I would contact the company(s) and get some info about their breeds and lines.

For example, they both list brown Swiss, are these the American Lines? Is their 'Original Braunvieh' the N. American version, or is it Swiss?

Also I have contacts in Switzerland, I may look up later the prospect of getting genetic material direct.

To me the idea of getting direct Swiss genetics is appealing, because it would really help me build up my Swiss image (good PR, you know) I've already gone to extra effort and spent a little extra $$$ for that image, as you can see above  ;)

Alpkäserei

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #21 on: June 25, 2013, 09:58:22 PM »
Sprichst du Deutsch? So Klicke hier: http://homepage.braunvieh.ch

Alpkäserei

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #22 on: June 25, 2013, 10:08:06 PM »
And here: Information about Swiss and International breeders and breeding organizations.
http://homepage.braunvieh.ch/xml_1/internet/de/application/d8/d113/f121.cfm
« Last Edit: June 25, 2013, 10:23:34 PM by Alpkäserei »

elkato

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #23 on: June 25, 2013, 11:12:48 PM »
  thank you for the links
Sorry don't speak  German but I do speak some French.

I have done some research, and found that in the European semen companies, they use the name "Brown Swiss" for the "American" lines witch are 100% dairy and are also very popular in Germany, Italy and Switzerland the cows are tall stylish, polled (no horns) high producing show animals
and the name "Original Braunvieh" for the real dual purpose (with strong emphasis on milk) Swiss cattle that are smaller horned robust cattle that are better at producing on pasture
 in the semen catalogues they also have "Beef Braunvieh" in the Beef cattle section. and that lines are specific  for meat production (US Braunvieh)
Best regards.
Luis.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2013, 11:18:29 PM by elkato »

Alpkäserei

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #24 on: June 26, 2013, 01:58:20 AM »
Thanks for sharing

I know of the abilities of the Swiss Braunvieh to better produce on pasture than other breeds -that is how most Swiss, at least Bernese Swiss, still manage their dairy herds. I have considered, and now am considering more strongly the notion of crossing my original Brown Swiss cows with European stock, and try to breed their grazing abilities back into them.

I'd love to get back into husbandry, my Grandfather was one of the finest horse breeders around.

Alpkäserei

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #25 on: June 26, 2013, 11:13:27 PM »
Over the next couple of months, I hope to build my dairy barn, it will look kind of like this:



I took that picture near the Village of Reichenbach im Kandertal, in the Swiss Canton of Bern

Offline H-K-J

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: South East Idaho
  • Posts: 1,776
  • Cheeses: 145
  • Act as if it were impossible to fail.
    • Cookin with uh dash dogs hair
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #26 on: June 27, 2013, 01:14:48 AM »
Nice Alp, NEED a carpenter????  ;)
Never hit a man with glasses, use a baseball bat!
http://cocker-spanial-hair-in-my-food.blogspot.com/

Alpkäserei

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #27 on: June 27, 2013, 05:07:36 PM »
I am a carpenter, currently that's my trade. Though right now my only client happens to be, me   ???

But anyone is welcome to come and lend a hand!  ;)

Smurfmacaw

  • Guest
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #28 on: June 27, 2013, 06:07:29 PM »
Yay!  Back to the subject of the creamery.  The discussion on cow.....ummmm....essence, kind of made lunch a little less better the other day!  :o

Offline Boofer

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Lakewood, Washington
  • Posts: 5,015
  • Cheeses: 344
  • Contemplating cheese
Re: Alpine Cheese Dairy
« Reply #29 on: June 27, 2013, 11:52:34 PM »
Yay!  Back to the subject of the creamery.  The discussion on cow.....ummmm....essence, kind of made lunch a little less better the other day!  :o
You may have been referring to the Bull essence. ;)

-Boofer-
Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.