Of the 6 major dairy cattle breeds in the USA, Holsteins produce the largest volume of milk as well as the highest annual yield of fat and protein. The average annual output for Holstein cows is 24,032 lb of milk with 3.7% fat and 3.02% protein.
By comparison, the average annual output for Jersey cows is just 16,835 lb of milk but it has 4.84% fat and 3.59% protein. Jerseys are known for producing milk with a high content of milk fat and milk proteins especially suited for cheese production.
Average cheese yields from Jersey milk are 11.33% for Jersey milk compared to 9.67% for Holstein milk. The milk that I use is from Holstein-Jersey crosses and I average just over 11% yield. Jersey milk has higher proportions of long-chained saturated fatty acids and lower proportions of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids, which means harder fat. Milk from Jerseys also has up to 19% additional casein and whey protein, so Jersey milk coagulates faster and forms firmer curd than Holstein milk.
And of course Jersey milk is yellower because the higher fat content maintains a higher concentration of β-Carotene.
