Got Milk?

Chapter #7

Milk• Most wholesome & complete food• Oldest agricultural industry

– dates back 7,000 years

Care of Milk• Milk is easily contaminated with bacteria

– udder is close to ground• Cows can carry Brucellosis

– causes undulant fever in humans– cows are tested each year

• Pasteurization: heat to 161 degrees F for 15 seconds– kills bacteria

Dairy Breeds• Holstein: most popular breed in U.S.

– largest breed– most milk production– lowest butterfat in milk– black & white

• Jersey: smallest breed , light brown color– least milk– most butterfat– fat on meat is yellow (butterfat)

Holstein (Dairy)

Jersey (Dairy)

Dairy Breeds• Guernsey: milk is yellower due to high

content of carotene• Ayrshire: newest breed, looks like Holstein

but red & white– good foragers

• Brown Swiss: oldest breed, dual purpose breed (meat & milk)

Guernsey (Dairy)

Ayrshire (Dairy)

Brown Swiss (Dairy)

Milking• Dairy cows require lots of high quality feed,

lots of concentrates & water• Dairies milk 2-3 times / day

– udder is washed & dried – primed by hand– milking machine pipes milk to a cooling tank– dip teats in iodine to disinfect & close sphincter

muscle

Milking• Any cows treated with antibiotics, milk is not

suited to humans– can cause a whole truck of milk to be dumped out due

to contamination• Lactation period = 10 months, dry = 2 months• Freshen: cows calve and begin to lactate• Colostrum: mothers first milk, loaded with

antibiotics etc. for the calf– first 3 days milk from a cow can’t be fed to humans

(feed to calf)

Milking• Calves are usually not allowed to nurse

from their mother– bottle fed colostrum, then milk replacer or cows

milk