The Dairy Industry
Dairy Industry
• Provides milk and other dairy foods to consumers in North America and many foreign markets.
Beginnings
• Dairy cows were first brought to America in 1611.
• Early farms had only one or two dairy cows for their own use.
• Lack of refrigeration made it more difficult for people living in large cities to obtain milk.
The Dairy Industry
• Pasteurization, refrigeration, and bottled milk were developed in the second half of the nineteenth century.
• This allowed milk to be stored and transported to populated areas.
The Dairy Industry
• Small family dairy herds began to develop in response to improved storage and handling technology.
• Today there are 9.1 million dairy cows on farms in the United States.
The Dairy Industry
• These 9.1 million cows annually produce nearly 165 billion pounds of milk.
• Each dairy cow, on the average, produces nearly 18,000 pounds of milk a year.
• This is more than 3 times the production in 1950.
The Dairy Industry• Today, one dairy cow provides 25 people
with their dairy product needs.
The Dairy Industry
• The number of farms with dairy cows has declined.
• There are 95% fewer dairy farms today than in 1950.
• Each dairy farm is larger today.
The Dairy Industry
• Most herds range from 35 - 500 cows.• Some herds have as many as 10,000
cows.
The Dairy Industry
• Biotechnology has contributed to the changing dairy industry.
• BST for example - Giving additional bovine
somatotropin to cows causes them to milk at higher levels for a longer period of time in well-managed operations.
Dairy Cattle
• Dairy Cattle belong to the family bovidae, which includes ruminants with hollow horns.
• Members of this family also chew their cuds.
Conformation
• The udder should be well attached and have the capacity to hold 50 - 70 pounds of milk.
• Four teats should be shaped and spaced uniformly for machine milking.
Conformation
• Cows also need good body capacity to hold feed for digestion.
• They should regularly reproduce. Milk production is associated with the reproductive cycle.
Conformation
• The gestation period for a cow is 283 days.• Dry period - Milking is stopped and they are
dried up 50-60 days before the next calving.
Judging Dairy Cattle
• When judging dairy cows the most consideration is given to the udder.
• Scoring: TOTAL - 100 Udder - 40 points Frame - 15 points Dairy Character - 20 points Body Capacity - 10 points Feet & Legs - 15 points
Holstein
Milking Shorthorn
Brown Swiss
Ayrshire
Jersey
Guernsey
Red & White Holstein
Dairy Terms
• Cow – Mature female dairy or beef animal.• Bull – Male dairy or beef animal.• Heifer – Young female dairy or beef
animal.• Calf – Young male or female dairy or beef
animal.• Steer – Castrated dairy or beef animal.
Dairy Terms
• Lactation – When a cow is milking. Typically a cow will milk for 305 days out of a year.
• Colostrum – first milk from a mammal; full of antibodies.
• Dry Period – Time when a cow is not giving milk (rest period before calving).
• Gestation – When a cow is pregnant. It takes 283 days or 9 months for a cow to have a calf.