Welcome to the website of the Appalachian Springs farm, located in beautiful Southwestern Virginia, and home to some of America's best Old World Jersey Cows.
On the column to your left, you can find various links, including contact information, photographs, and information on Miniature Jerseys.
Feel free to browse around the website!

As time progresses things change, not all change is for the better. There was a time in American agriculture when people believed that breeding larger cows to produce even more milk was something everyone should do.
Over the years, we have learned the problem with such a strategy. Larger cows consume more resources including food, water and space. They produce more waste. And for the average small farm, they just aren't a good fit.
What if there were a way to find the kinds of cows your ancestors depended on for milk, food and clothing? What would it take to go a step back in time in raising animals that fit the farm and the farmer?
Welcome to the Appalachian Springs Farm, where our goal is to breed the most authentic old world Jerseys you will ever see.

The Old World Jerseys are descendants of the first Jersey imports from the Jersey Islands and are not miniature replicas of the larger production Jersey Cattle. The breed was developed on the Channel Islands off the British coast; imports were also received from Britain and the Guernsey Islands. The first registered Jerseys were imported into the United States in 1850.
Today, The American Miniature Jersey registry is recognized and maintains the standard for the breed. Depending on where you live, American Miniature Jerseys may be referred to as the Barnyard Jersey, Island Jersey, Rabbit-eyed Jersey, and Guinea Jersey; all of which are the same breed.
The ideal Miniature Jersey's general appearance should be small in size - being 38" to 42" in height at the hip. Milk is higher in butterfat and milk production at 2 to 4 gallons per day, depending on the quality of pasture, hay, and supplemented feed. Bulls weigh around 850 pounds and the cow's average weight is within a 600 to 650 pound range. Physical conformation follows the standard as seen in the larger animals, however, their reduced size is what draws more attention and desire by the small land owner, fancier, or the need for a docile family milk cow.
Calving usually occurs without complications, presenting newborn calves within 15 to 30 pounds, and 18 to 30 inches at the hip. Typical color is fawn; occasionally some may be lightly splashed with white.
Ralph Martin helped to establish the standard, we hope to maintain it.