Dairy Cattle Flashcards
True or false: Dairy cows and beef cows came from different common ancestors.
False! They came from the same common ancestor.
How were the cows domesticated different than what we use them for?
We think that way back when, cows were domesticated as dual purpose breeds that were milked and eaten.
Take some time to review cow behavior and noises and posture. Its the same through beef and dairy cow.
OKAY!
Since 2017, how have predicted US dairy demographic information predicited to chnage?
These numbers have been dropping! Predicted that in 2024 it may be cut in half.
Why are dairy numbers dropping so much?
For many reasons. People have stopped drinking as much milk.
What are the top five producing states in terms of fluid milk production?
California, wisconsin, new york, idaho, pennsylvania.
Why are the top states all so far away from each other and spread out? Compare it to the top states of other livestock.
In other livestock, the tops states were all in the same regions. Diaries are spread out across the country.
This is because milk has a very finite shelf life so it needs to be fresh. Production and processing centers should be close to consumption centers.
How does the diary production consumption spacing idea apply to NC?
NC counties leading in dairy production are closest to our cities.
How has NC dairy demographics changed since 2017?
The data is likely a third. We have dropped a lot.
How does the dairy industry in NC compare to the rest of the country?
The diary industry is very very small in NC.
Where are there the most diaries in NC?
Piedmont and mountian regions of the state.
Becuase they are closest to population centers.
How did milk production change in the 1990’s.
Do you remember the gov cheese issue. The government was buying milk and cheese to try and keep the price high. A price support. Then, they opted out around 1990’s
How did the government opting out of the cheese buying change the NC dairy industry?
There was a government buy-out program of the 1990’s, approximately 1/5 of NC dairy producers stopped production.
They actually paid the farmers to stop being diary ranchers.
What is a pressure pushing dairy producers to stop?
Urban Sprawl!
What is urban sprawl?
Because most of the production is near cities, as cities grow, taxes go up, and they have trouble justifying the price.
As the value of their land increases, farmers find it harder to justify continued production.
How might a dairy farmer change professions?
Someone often comes along looking to buy the land near the city and buys it off ranches for a very very nice price.
Why is most major dairy production located near major population centers?
Short shelf life of milk. Consumers want fresh products.
Who does Wisconsin produce for? New York? California?
- Wisconsin- Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis
- New York- Northeast, Penn.
- California- West Coast, Idaho
Why is there no major producer for the south or south east?
Heat is bad for dairy production!! Much harder.
Florida used to be a dairy giant but retirement took over.
Texas produced some, but dropped off because of the heat.
What are the five leading countries in milk production?
US, Russian, India, France, China.
Break down the numbers for the top five countries just to get a trend idea.
- U.S. 187 billion lbs
- Russian Fed. 97 billion lbs
- India 66 billion lbs
- France 62 billion lbs
- China 4 billion lbs
What are the top five milk consumption countries?
Ireland, sweden, poland, netherlands, US.
Break down the numbers for the top five countries just to get a trend idea.
Yearly Per Capita Consumption of Milk
* Ireland 421 lbs
* Sweden 362 lbs
* Poland 341 lbs
* Netherlands 267 lbs
* U.S. 211 lbs
Generally, how many pounds do we consider a gallon?
7lbs.
What is the expected trend idn the US and the world in retrospect to milk production.
Increased consumption of milk and other dairy products in the next five years!
What is different about dairy products versus other economic goods?
Generally, when a country makes more than it consumes, it can export that product and make a profit.
This is not true for dairy product! You cant export fluid milk very efficiently because of the short shelf life.
How does the short shelf life of milk and the lack of exports change consumption patterns?
Some places, half the year you can get fluid milk and the other half you have to consume powdered milk.
How long do we generally make dairy cattle lactate for?
305 days
What is a prerequisite for lactation?
Pregnancy.
What three stages of dairy cattle Managment is the same as beef cattle management?
Puberty, Gestation, Rebreeding. Review these things.
What three stages of diary cattle management is different than in beef cattle?
Breeding (its mostly AI)
Lactation
Weaning
How does weaning happen in dairy cows?
A lot more complex in dairy cattle! The point of the diary industry is milk for human consumption.
Calves are generally weaned at birth or given 24 hours for the colostrum and then taken away.
How are dairy calves managed?
Calves are hand fed and drink different formulas depending on their stage of growth. Then they are slowly transitioned to solid food.
How are estrous cycles in dairy cattle?
SAME AS BEEF
Heifers are usually allowed to exhibit several estrous cycles before they are bred.
The goal is to have heifers calve when they are two and have 1 calf a year past that.
When breeding, What is more common in dairy cattle?
Artificial insemination!
How many dairy cattle in the US are bred artificially?
about 85%
What is the biggest reason we use AI in dairy cattle more than natural service?
Milk production is an ecnomocally important trait. We want the most milk production as possible.
This trait has very high heritability!!
What does it mean that milk has high heritability?
It is very easy to make genetic improvements in milk production through selective breeding!
WHat does AI make possible?
Makes it possible to breed your cows with the very best bull without even owning it.
Why is AI so much easier in cattle compared to other animals?
You can freeze bull sperm!
What is another reason why AI is preferable in dairy cattle?
Dairy bulls are very mean! They are very unpredictable.
Number one agricultural animal-related injury is dairy bulls.
Why are we able to more reliably do AI in dairy cattle but not beef cattle?
Diary cows are intensively managed, so the labor associated with AI isnt an issue.
In other words,
In beef cattle, we cant do AI because we leave them alone in pasture and its too labor intensive.
In dairy cattle, you already have them in the barn twice a day for milking, so its not any extra work to just AI breed.
How do we detect estrus is dairy cattle?
Cows wear dye patches. In heat, they mount each other and the dye goes off.
Compare lactation length in dairy cattle compared to beef cattle? WHy?
Diary cattle have extended lactation in comparison to beef cattle. About 305 days
Milk is the commodity or product of the dairy industry. Its the whole goal.
What is it called when lactation is terminated?
Drying off cows.
What is a dry cow?
Mature, nonlactating cows.
Describe the average lactation curve for dairy cattle.
When she starts to lactate, shes producing fairly low (50 lbs)
Between about 50-75ish days it peaks sharply!
After 75 days, the amount is going to slowly decline.
Lactation continues until 305, where the amount ends lower than when we first started.