Dairy Industry

Question 1

From where do Holstein cows originate?

Answer 1

The Netherlands

Question 2

What is the life cycle of a dairy cow?

Answer 2

herd is dynamic

Question 3

All stages of a dairy cow’s lifecycle require?

Answer 3

• feed
• water
• finances
• health management

Question 4

What are the milestones in dairy cow calving & lactation?

Answer 4

• calve at ~22-24 months of age
• breeding from ~60 days in milk (DIM)
• lactation until ~60 days before calving
• dry period ~60 days

Question 5

Why is body condition scoring important in dairy cattle?

Answer 5

• method for determining body reserves
• important management tool to assess: nutrition, reproduction, PPD, milk production
• corrective action if BCS < 2

Question 6

What are the different ways to house cows during lactation?

Answer 6

• free stalls: most common; NA & Europe
• tie stalls: welfare concerns, becoming unpopular w/ producers
• pasture: NZ
• bedding packs: low initial cost, high maintenance

Question 7

What must a milking machine do?

Answer 7

• minimize trauma to mammary tissue
• minimize pathogen spread btwn animals

Question 8

How are cattle milked?

Answer 8

• under a vacuum
• pulsation prevents damage to the teat end

Question 9

What types of milking systems are there?

Answer 9

1: Tie stall facilities: milk in stall
2: other facilities: milk in parlour
- static facilities (herringbone parlours)
- rotary/carosel facilities
- robotic milkers

Question 10

Number of daily milkings?

Answer 10

• cows choose to be milked ~2.8 x per day
• if you set up the system to the needs of the cow, they will produce more milk

Question 11

where does the milk go?

Answer 11

• bulk tank storage @ < +4 C
• pickup every other day in SK (each pickup tested for antimicrobials, water, other contaminants)
• more frequent on larger facilities (or some milk directly into the truck)

Question 12

What is important about the dry period in dairy cows?

Answer 12

• to prepare for parturition
• cell turnover occurs in the mammary gland
• colostrum production
• typically 60 days in length, but old research into shorter dry periods is flawed

Question 13

What is important about shorter dry periods?

Answer 13

• due to high milk production
• increased milk production in lactation before dry period
• no demonstrated adverse effects if > 40 days

Question 14

What is the problem with drying cows off?

Answer 14

• stopping milking while cows may still have high production

Question 15

What are the two ways of drying cows off?

Answer 15

1. abrupt: stop milking immediately, discomfort w/ milk building in the udders, really reduces risk of infection (esp if udder is plugged), better option in dairies that dont have their mastitis squared off completely
2. gradual: switch from 3x to 2x to 1x per day, better in dairies that have their mastitis squared off

Question 16

How do you feed & water cows during dry off?

Answer 16

Feed:
- do not remove
- do not make extreme changes

Water:
- should always be available
- do not restrict water intake

we used to stop feeding & watering them to help wean off milk production -> should not be doing this

Question 17

Why are the heifers important?

Answer 17

they are the future of the farm

Question 18

What affects herd composition?

Answer 18

• high cow culling rate + high heifer mortality = insufficient supply
• culling rate in Canada ~30%
• heifer mortality rate ~8%
• later lactations may be most efficient
• replacement heifers are critical to a dairy

Question 19

what is the fate of bulls in the dairy industry?

Answer 19

• rarely: breeding
• more common: raised for beef

Question 20

Why do we cross-breed dairy with beef cows?
Why do we cross breed w/ Angus, Speckle Park, Shorthorn, Waygu?

Answer 20

• better beef quality
• Waygu: marbling of beef
• size of calves to size of cows to ease birthing

Question 21

What is common practice for breeding replacement heifers vs beef bull calves?

Answer 21

• best heifers & cows: sexed holstein semen (Holstein heifer born)
• beef semen for animals w/ lower genetic merit or previous issues

Question 22

How much does the average dairy farm make per cow per year?

Answer 22

$307
Range: - $677 to $1409

Question 23

What is margin?

Answer 23

return in profit over costs

Question 24

What is common strategy?

Answer 24

minimizing costs

Question 25

How do dairy producers get the least costs with the maximum margin?

Answer 25

• efficiency maximizes margin
• but cutting costs often decreases efficiency
• as herd size increases, expenses increase, but so does income

Question 26

What kind of data can modern dairy systems record?

Answer 26

• production
• cow parameters
• precision farming systems

Question 27

What is Lactanet?

Answer 27

dairy recording system in canada

Question 28

What are the rules for adequate record keeping for dairy producers?

Answer 28

• useful
• readily converted into information
• simple
• avoid duplication
• take action on records!

Question 29

How to set operational goals in dairy farming?

Answer 29

Question 30

what is the biggest cost of dairy production after milk quota?

Answer 30

FEED