Dairy What is DAIRY? COW’S HEALTHY DIET Dairy cows are fascinating animals. teeth. Calcium also helps our muscles meal and vitamins/minerals. Dairy cows They turn grass and grains into milk. and nerves work properly, and helps also drink 30-50 gallons of water each Heifers are female dairy cattle that have blood clot. Milk products also provide day. That is about an entire bathtub Vitamins/Minerals not given birth to a calf. Once a heifer us with carbohydrates, protein and full of water. With all that eating and 2 pounds gives birth, it is called a cow. All female Vitamin D. You should have 3 servings drinking, are cows stuffed? The simple dairy cows must have a calf to produce of nonfat or low-fat milk and milk answer is ‘no’. They are eating to meet Ground Corn Soybean Meal milk. The gestation (pregnancy) period products each day. One serving of their energy (calorie) needs—they 8 pounds 5 pounds for cows is nine months. Newborn dairy is equal to 1 cup of milk, yogurt do not overeat. Young animals that calves weigh about 80-100 pounds. or ice cream and 1 ½ -2 ounces of are actively growing have greater Hay Male dairy cattle are called bulls and do cheese. requirements for protein than older 20 pounds not produce milk. animals. Corn Silage A 1,500 pound dairy cow eats 100 65 pounds Milk provides your body with calcium, pounds of feed each day. This includes which is needed for healthy bones and corn silage, hay, ground corn, soybean Total: 100 pound per day DID YOU KNOW? National Milk Day Each year, U.S. Milk is part of On average, is January 11th. dairy farmers your school each cow provide milk to lunch and has produces It marks the make more than been for over 8-10 gallons 70 years. first day milk 1 billion pounds of milk per of butter, 7 billion The National day. That deliveries in glass School Lunch bottles began in pounds of cheese is over 100 and 1 billion Act was the United States glasses per gallons of ice passed in day. in 1878. cream. 1946. DAIRY breeds Holstein Guernsey Red and White Holstein calf There are seven different dairy colors with patches. Some breeds cow breeds in the United States. produce a lot of milk and some The most common breed in breeds produce milk with a lot of the United States is Holsteins. butterfat. Farmers consider this Holsteins are black and white. when choosing a breed of dairy Other breeds include Jersey, cows. Farmers improve their herd Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Ayrshire, through genetics and select cows Milking Shorthorn, and Red and that produce more milk or have a White Holstein. They can be tan, higher butterfat content in their milk. brownish gray, golden brown, reddish brown or shades of these Brown Swiss Ayrshire and calf BULL: male cattle GENETICS: how certain PASTEURIZE: process used for breeding features pass from parents of heating and cooling milk to their young to kill bacteria and protect CALCIUM: a mineral found its purity and flavor in dairy products that is needed HAY: grass, clover or alfalfa for healthy teeth and bones that is cut, dried and baled, PASTURE: land covered and fed to cattle with grass and other low plants CALF: cattle less suitable for grazing animals. than 3 months of age HEIFER: female cattle STEER: male cattle that have not had a calf SILAGE: fermented corn, not used for breeding CARBON FOOTPRINT: wheat or hay with the stalks and the effect life has on HOMOGENIZE: process leaves that is chopped and fed UDDER: part of a dairy the environment where milk fat is broken into tiny to cattle cow that produces, stores particles that are evenly spread and dispenses milk COW: a female cow that throughout the milk SILO: a structure for storing has given birth to a calf bulk materials used in agriculture WEAN: switching a calf MILK: a nutrient rich to store grain or fermented feed from its mother’s milk to food group containing DAIRY: liquid that comes from known as silage eating on its own milk and milk products female mammals VOCABULARY Environment & FAMILY FARMS: Sustainability A True Commitment of all U.S. dairy farms are Most dairy farmers live and work on their farms. Dairy family-owned and operated. farmers protect the land, water and air not only for their There are about 42,000 dairy farms in animals, but also for their families, the surrounding the United States. Dairy farmers work 97% hard each day to provide safe, community, and future generations. Water conservation, manure management, and improving air quality are a few wholesome, nutrient-rich milk to the public, while caring ways they protect their farm and the environment. For for their animals, land and communities. Dairy farmers example, water used to clean milking parlors is reused to make positive contributions to rural America. To keep clean alleyways and irrigate fields. Nutrient rich manure a Dairy farm running, every member of the family is is spread on fields so crops grow better. Air quality is involved. Farm kids are learning hard work, dedication and improved by following proper manure storage practices family loyalty. This helps prepare them to come and by maintaining clean facilities. back to the farm to continue the legacy of their family. equipment identifies the cow, sanitizes models. They also provide more ability the udder, collects the milk and to quickly monitor changes in animal releases the cow when she is behavior that might reflect changes in done milking. health or well-being. Activity monitors (D), such as tracking Ear tags (F), similar to earrings, allow ON THE FARM collars, measure activity. They are farmers to track critical information similar to Fitbits. The collars detect about each cow. The ear tags contain Technological advances are enabling Milk yield recording systems (B) provide abnormal activity changes, which chips that can be scanned. The scan farmers to make smarter day-to-day individual animal data including the often are early warning signs of illness sends information to a computer about decisions to improve cow health, amount of milk produced at each or infection. This allows for quicker a cow’s body temperature, health, and production and on-farm efficiencies. milking. It also tests milk components, treatment. The Fitbit-type devices also how much milk it gives. Following are some examples of such as protein. Dairy farmers can spot show activity changes that help detect technology used on dairy farms. changes in animal health and provide when a cow is ready for breeding or Genetic samples can be obtained necessary care quickly with the help of labor so the farmer can provide timely from a cow’s blood, hair, or tissue. Automated calf feeders (A) provide these systems. attention and the cow can deliver a These samples are sent to a lab that nutrition for calves several times a healthy calf. creates a genomic report. The farmer day, adjusting for the calves’ age. Automated milking systems (C) reduce uses the information to make decisions Automated feeders can help calves the labor required to milk cows. Cows Computer, tablet, (E) and phone apps to increase milk production while grow faster and stay healthier because enter an automatic milking unit without and programs allow for greater data minimizing the number of animals of precise diet delivery. human help. Computer-controlled collection and accurate decision needed on the farm. A B C D E F ON THE FARM ON THE FARM ON THE FARM ON THEON FARM THE FARM There are many practices dairy farmers use to QUICK COOLING OF MILK AND PASTEURIZATION produce high-quality, wholesome and safe milk. IMMEDIATE TRANSPORTATION TO Pasteurization involves heating, then rapidly These critical practices start with the cow and THE MANUFACTURER cooling raw milk. This step is very important Safety end at your table. The practices include: Milk collected from dairy cows is cooled to 45° for the continued production of safe milk. The KEEPING COWS HEALTHY F or less within two hours of the completion of Food and Drug Administration and the Centers By adopting best management practices, such milking in order to reduce the possibility of any for Disease Control recommend drinking only and as climate-controlled barns, milking sanitation bacteria growth. The practice of quick cooling pasteurized milk. and regular veterinary care, dairy farmers assures that the most wholesome milk reaches PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION increase the well-being of their cow herd by the consumer. It takes about two days for milk to go from the Quality reducing the risk of disease and infection. TESTING FOR ANTIBIOTICS farm to the store. Milk is transported in tanker STRICT, ON-FARM Veterinarians help dairy farmers administer trucks that keep it cold and sanitary. When milk is received at the processor, it is checked to MILKING PROCEDURES antibiotics when they are needed to treat an ensure quality. Once the milk passes inspection, Today, human hands never touch milk as it illness. Antibiotics are not used regularly, but it is pumped into large insulated vats. Then it is travels from cow to consumer. People milking when they are used, the treated cow’s milk pasteurized, homogenized, and packaged for cows wear gloves to prevent any transfer of is discarded and does not enter the human distribution to stores, schools and households. pathogens from cow to cow. A cow’s teats are food system. Every tanker of milk is tested for cleaned before and after milking to minimize the antibiotic. In the rare event a tanker tests positive, chance bacteria is transferred to milk.