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.