Dairy ScienceAn Introduction

Types of Dairy Cattle Operations

• Intensive Dairy Production- animals are raised in a more confined setting such as an open lot or tie stall barn.

• Pasture Dairy Production- cattle are turned out on pasture continuously or for portions of the day.

• Some producers us a combination of both types.

Dairy Breeds

Most popular are Holstein, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Jersey, Milking Shorthorn, and Red and White

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DHI

= Dairy Herd Improvement(Similar to EPDs)Technicians take milk samples and compare

components to improve the herd

Breed Herds (n) Milk (lb) Fat (%)Protein

(%)

Ayrshire 154 15,814 3.89 3.16

Brown Swiss 314 17,732 4.06 3.36

Guernsey 233 14,675 4.53 3.37

Holstein 25,590 21,614 3.66 3.05

Jersey 1,288 15,540 4.61 3.59

Milking Shorthorn

49 16,454 3.62 3.11

Red and White 38 20,011 3.70 3.02

Main objective = Produce the most milk Possible

Dairy cattle production in the United States continues to shift towards

larger herds that allow producers to maximize production and profits.

Dairy Cow Cycle

Conception

283 days

Birth

Lactation~10 months

Dry~2 Months~3 months

Conception

283 days

Birth

Conception

283 days

Birth

Lactation~10 months

Dry~2 Months~3 months

Production Cycle of Dairy Cattle

• Mature cows are milked 2-3 times a day after they give birth and their lactation cycle begins.

• Calves are removed from the cow 1-2 days after being born.

• Male calves are typically used for veal or are raised as slaughter steers.

• Heifers are either kept to become replacements or are used for meat.

What Happens to the Calf?

Colostrum saved out of milking process

Calf bottle fed

Then barrel fed until weaning

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Production Cycle of Dairy Cattle

• Replacement heifers are typically raised in feedlot or pasture settings until they are ready to be moved in with the dairy herd.

• Replacement heifers are bred around 15 months of age and begin producing milk 9 months later (2 years of age).

Production Cycle of Dairy Cattle

• During the lactation cycle, cows are re-bred.

• Approximately 60 days before they give birth again, they are “dried off” (quit producing milk) in preparation for their next calf to born.

• The average production cycle of dairy cattle is 5-7 years. Animals are then processed for their meat.

The Farm(WRITE THESE STEPS IN YOUR OWN WORDS)

The cows are placed in the holding pen while they are waiting to be milked.

The Farm(WRITE THESE STEPS IN YOUR OWN WORDS)

Next, the cows are placed in the milking parlor. This is where the actual milking takes place.

Cow’s view of the parlor Worker’s view of the parlor

The Farm(WRITE THESE STEPS IN YOUR OWN WORDS)

The cows are lined up one behind the other at an angle so that the udders are

facing the milking units

Milking unit

The Farm(WRITE THESE STEPS IN YOUR OWN WORDS)

The teats have been sprayed with teat dip in order to clean them before milking and will be wiped off with a clean paper towel before the

milker is placed on the teats.

Cow’s teat (1 of 4)

The Farm(WRITE THESE STEPS IN YOUR OWN WORDS)

After the teats are cleaned the milking unit is then placed on the cow. The average milking time for a cow is five minutes.

The Farm(WRITE THESE STEPS IN YOUR OWN WORDS)

Pulsator- provides

suction for the milking units.

Automatic wash system- runs sanitation wash through all pipes and milking units to sanitize after each milking.

Main control to the milking system.

The Farm(WRITE THESE STEPS IN YOUR OWN WORDS)

The milk from the cows will finally end up in the bulk tank. When the milk truck

driver arrives it is his responsibility to take samples of the milk from the bulk tank.

Processing Dairy Products

1. Milk is collected into large tanks at the farm and then transported to processing facilities.

Processing Dairy Products

1. The fluid milk (cream and skim) is separated and then re-blended to make skim, 2%, whole milk, etc. i. Fluid milk is pasteurized and homogenized.

a) Pasteurization- rapid heating and cooling of milk to remove harmful bacteria.

b) Homogenization- dispersing fat droplets so the milk stays uniformly mixed.

ii. The excess fat removed from the fluid milk to make low fat milk such as skim and 2% is used to make products such as eggnog, butter, whipping cream, etc.

Processing Dairy Products

• Other dairy products made from fat and butterfat at value added facilities include ice cream, yogurt and cheese.