Dairy Cattle Flashcards
(119 cards)
1
Q
True or false: Dairy cows and beef cows came from different common ancestors.
A
False! They came from the same common ancestor.
2
Q
How were the cows domesticated different than what we use them for?
A
We think that way back when, cows were domesticated as dual purpose breeds that were milked and eaten.
3
Q
Take some time to review cow behavior and noises and posture. Its the same through beef and dairy cow.
A
OKAY!
4
Q
Since 2017, how have predicted US dairy demographic information predicited to chnage?
A
These numbers have been dropping! Predicted that in 2024 it may be cut in half.
5
Q
Why are dairy numbers dropping so much?
A
For many reasons. People have stopped drinking as much milk.
6
Q
What are the top five producing states in terms of fluid milk production?
A
California, wisconsin, new york, idaho, pennsylvania.
7
Q
Why are the top states all so far away from each other and spread out? Compare it to the top states of other livestock.
A
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.
8
Q
How does the diary production consumption spacing idea apply to NC?
A
NC counties leading in dairy production are closest to our cities.
9
Q
How has NC dairy demographics changed since 2017?
A
The data is likely a third. We have dropped a lot.
10
Q
How does the dairy industry in NC compare to the rest of the country?
A
The diary industry is very very small in NC.
11
Q
Where are there the most diaries in NC?
A
Piedmont and mountian regions of the state.
Becuase they are closest to population centers.
12
Q
How did milk production change in the 1990’s.
A
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
13
Q
How did the government opting out of the cheese buying change the NC dairy industry?
A
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.
14
Q
What is a pressure pushing dairy producers to stop?
A
Urban Sprawl!
15
Q
What is urban sprawl?
A
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.
16
Q
How might a dairy farmer change professions?
A
Someone often comes along looking to buy the land near the city and buys it off ranches for a very very nice price.
17
Q
Why is most major dairy production located near major population centers?
A
Short shelf life of milk. Consumers want fresh products.
18
Q
Who does Wisconsin produce for? New York? California?
A
- Wisconsin- Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis
- New York- Northeast, Penn.
- California- West Coast, Idaho
19
Q
Why is there no major producer for the south or south east?
A
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.
20
Q
What are the five leading countries in milk production?
A
US, Russian, India, France, China.
21
Q
Break down the numbers for the top five countries just to get a trend idea.
A
- U.S. 187 billion lbs
- Russian Fed. 97 billion lbs
- India 66 billion lbs
- France 62 billion lbs
- China 4 billion lbs
22
Q
What are the top five milk consumption countries?
A
Ireland, sweden, poland, netherlands, US.
23
Q
Break down the numbers for the top five countries just to get a trend idea.
A
Yearly Per Capita Consumption of Milk
* Ireland 421 lbs
* Sweden 362 lbs
* Poland 341 lbs
* Netherlands 267 lbs
* U.S. 211 lbs
24
Q
Generally, how many pounds do we consider a gallon?
A
7lbs.
25
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!
26
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.
27
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.
28
How long do we generally make dairy cattle lactate for?
305 days
29
What is a prerequisite for lactation?
Pregnancy.
30
What three stages of dairy cattle Managment is the same as beef cattle management?
Puberty, Gestation, Rebreeding. Review these things.
31
What three stages of diary cattle management is different than in beef cattle?
Breeding (its mostly AI)
Lactation
Weaning
32
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.
33
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.
34
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.
35
When breeding, What is more common in dairy cattle?
Artificial insemination!
36
How many dairy cattle in the US are bred artificially?
about 85%
37
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!!
38
What does it mean that milk has high heritability?
It is very easy to make genetic improvements in milk production through selective breeding!
39
WHat does AI make possible?
Makes it possible to breed your cows with the very best bull without even owning it.
40
Why is AI so much easier in cattle compared to other animals?
You can freeze bull sperm!
41
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.
42
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.
43
How do we detect estrus is dairy cattle?
Cows wear dye patches. In heat, they mount each other and the dye goes off.
44
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.
45
What is it called when lactation is terminated?
Drying off cows.
46
What is a dry cow?
Mature, nonlactating cows.
47
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.
48
When is post lactation?
Post-peak production. 3:1
49
When making genetic improvements in dairy cattle, what are we aiming for?
The biggest goal in genetic improvement is to slow down the decent from the peak production.
We don't really care about having a higher volume at peak production, but in maintaing that peak for a longer period of time.
The goal is to flatten out the curve!!
50
Describe the curve of a genetically superior cow?
She starts out the same, and the peak produces about the same, but the curve down is much much less step.
She will maintain higher post-peak production.
51
What is very unique about dairy cows in terms of herd management?
They are typically managed in groups so that there are always some cows in their peak lactation.
52
How is dairy cattle groups different than beef cattle?
In beef cattle, we want to sync up the seasons! Everything at once.
In dairy cattle, we want it staggered so that there is always milk.
53
What is the point of the group seperation in dairy cattle?
The point is for another group to reach peak production around when the other group has gone low.
54
Describe what the groups might look like in a 3 group management system?
First group would calve in January and start to decline from peak around march.
Second group would calve in April and start to decline from peak around June.
Third group would calve in July and the cycle would repeat.
55
How often are dairy cattle generally milked?
Most daries will milk at least twice and sometimes three times per day.
56
True or false: In terms of animal management, dairy cattle is easy because you just milk.
False! Lactation requires a very high level of management.
57
How do we keep track of who is milked when?
Individualized computer records for each cow.
58
Why would we milk three times a day during peak production?
The nurel relfex arc!
"Nursing" more encourages the cows body to produce more milk.
59
How does milking change dinning needs?
Need a lot of energy to lactate so much.
They are observed and given supplemental grain, if needed, during milking.
60
How is supplemental grain given to dairy cows?
Usually offered in a free-stall.
61
What is concentrate?
A mixture of silage and corn, cottenseed hulls, or other high energy feeds.
62
What do cows need besides concentrate?
ROughage! or fiber.
63
How is a dairy cows roughage need met?
By allowing them to graze pasture or by feeding hay.
64
Why are dairy cattle so difficult to feed?
From a nutritional standpoint, dairy cows can be the hardest to feed.
They are ruminants, so they need roughage, but lactation needs a lot of protein.
65
If cows do not have adequate fiber, what happens? (2)
Several metabolic problems can occur.
The percentage of milk fat is decreased which makes milk of lower quality for resale.
66
If cows do not have adequate concentrate, but eat too much roughage, then what?
They will lose body score! Not enough energy when lactating.
67
If a cow eats too much concentrate and not enough roughage, what happens?
They will start to develop metabolic disease.
68
What does lactation have a heavy requirement on?
Equipment.
69
How are most modern cows milked?
Mechanically with systems that involve oscillations betwen positive and negative pressure.
70
What is a common misconception in milking?
People think the milk is sucked out.
It is actually expressed through the changes in pressure.
Then a vaccum sucks the milk away.
71
what MUST you do with milking systems?
MUST be check and adjusted on a regular basis!! The pressure is really important.
72
What must you do will milking equipment and milk processing and storage?
Must be inspected and maintained.
73
What do we often call the milking aparatus?
The claw.
74
Describe the milking tool a bit. Generally.
It has four teatcups that go around the teats. These tubes feed into a main part and then a long tube feeds the milk out.
75
How are the prssure chnages produced in milking equipment?
The teatcups have a hard outter metal shell, and a ruber tubing inside. There is space between the two layers that is tightend and loosened.
76
Why MUST you constantly check the milking equipment?
If the pressure is wrong, overmilking can occur.
77
Describe overmilking.
Physical trauma to the teat and mammary gland caused by prolonged exposure to improper pressure chnages.
The milking equipment continues to milk and starts pulling on empty if programed wrong.
78
How can overmilking occur?
Incorrectly programed equipment.
The pressure of the vaccum is not adjusted correctly. Generally too much.
79
What can overmilking cause?
Damage to the cow!
When pulling on empty, capillaries can burst.
80
What is normally done before and after milking?
Cows are sanitized and the udders are dipped before and after milking.
81
How are computerized systems useful?
If a cow has some kind of issue, her radio collar will register and the computer will put an alert over the milking system.
82
What is an absolute no-no in milk?
Antibiotics! There is zero tolerance for antibiotics in milk.
83
How do they test for antibiotics?
A sample of milk is taken from the bulk storage tank in each farm and tested for antibodics.
84
What happens if milk comes back positive for antibiotics?
The milk isnt available to be purchased. It is unloaded from the tanker truck.
85
How did they used to do with antibiotics in milk?
A milk tanker truck would collect from multiple farms. If any one of them came back positive, the whole truck would get dumped and the farm it came from would have to pay off all the other farms.
This was a very good incentive not to!
86
True or False: Because we drink the milk, cows can not be given antibiotics.
False! Antibiotics are an approved way to treat cows with normally occuring problems.
However, the antibiotic can not still be present in the milk!
87
What might antibiotics be used for in cows?
Mastitis, retained placentas, foot and leg sores, ect...
88
How can we give any cows antibiotics and keep the milk from having it?
All antibiotics are approved by the FDA. They have specific withdrawl times! Eventually, the antibiotic will be worked out of the system and the milk will be pure.
89
How do we keep antibiotics out of milk?
If a cow must take antibiotics, she is marked in some way. She must be milked to keep up production, but the cow will be put into a "dump group" The milk will not be used. It will be drained until she is antibiotic free.
90
What is BST?
Bovine somatotropin
Growth hormone naturally produced by all mammals.
91
Why do we care about BST in dairy cattle?
BST is essential for milk production!
92
How is BST used in the dairy industry?
BST is approved by the FDA!
It is a growth hormone. It is a protein so when it is consumed orally it is broken down like any other protein and used for growth and body functions.
Some compaines manufacture BST for dairy producers to use to enhance milk production of their cows.
93
What is the problem with BST?
Some dairy cooperatives do not want their producers to use BST.
FDA says its safe, humans will not be getting any of it in their system, but many are still skittish.
94
What is a dairy cooperative?
Businesses that buy milk from producers.
95
How successful was BST? Why?
BST was not as successful or as innovative as producers thought.
Genetic improvements are generally better to invest in than growth hormone.
96
Why might genetic improvements be better than growth hormone.
Genetic improvements are a permanent genetic increase! Rather than an enviromental one that needs to be given repeatedly.
97
Have dairy industry changed genetically?
Dairy industry has made the best use of genetic selection for improved productivity than any other commodity expect the poultry industry.
98
Why might the dairy industry have such improvements?
Partially due to the fact that milk production has a high heritability!
99
What is the estimated heritability of milk production?
We think about .7.
70% of the phenotypic variation in milk production may be genetic!! This is very very high.
100
What is another reason why dairy industry has managed to make so many genetic improvents?
Centralized dairy records program center!
101
Who keeps and organizes dairy data?
The DHIA!
Dairy Herd Improvement Association.
102
What does the DHIA do?
Collect a ton of data on production, feeding, management, fiance, and share the information so that farms can help each other improve.
103
How is the dairy industry different in its record keeping compared to other industries?
Other industries, like the swine industry, will refuse to share "industry secrets" will each other.
104
How is NC state in terms of dairy records?
NC State processes more records from all over the US than anyone else.
We are viewed as leaders in developing technology.
105
Decribe the weaning process in dairy cattle.
Extremely different from the beef cattle industry.
Generally, calves are weaned at birth, and the calves are hand fed colostrum. Or within 24 to 48 hours.
106
What do we do with diary calves after they are born?
Put in calf hutches until they are about 7 weeks of age.
107
Why might we keep calves in the calf hutches until they are 7 weeks old?
This is when they start to develop their own immune systems!
108
What are calves fed?
1-2 gallons of milk per day. And a calf concentrate free choice.
109
What is an important managment aspect in housing calves?
Biosecurity! Calves must be seperate from other calves and cows.
110
Why must colostrum be given? For how long?
Colostrum first 24-48 hours of life. Passive immunity.
111
How do we create biosecurity?
They can not touch other calves, but they can see them and call to them. This reduces disease spread but allows for socialization.
112
Why do we feel the need to seperate the calves in dairy cattle compared to other animals??
They dont get to nurse, its liely that they get less colostrum than other species. Thats why we seperate.
113
True or false: We keep baby cows inside to better protect them.
False! They are generally kept outside because mother nature cleans and sterilizes much better than we can.
The ultraviolet rays kill bacteria.
114
Why might we cover the outside calf hutches with a tarp?
Shade, but also creates a tunnel ventilation system! The air flow is much better cover, believe it of not.
115
There are really two phases of weaning. Explain.
The physical when taken away from mom.
The nutritional when we stop giving them milk.
116
When should dairy calves be weaned?
By the end of their 7 weeks in the hutches!
117
Around 9 weeks, what happens to dairy calves?
They are regrouped and placed on pasture.
118
How are these developing calves fed?
They are fed in a similar fashion to adult, lactating cows.
This means access to pasture/hay all the time and fed a concentrate silage mixture twice a day.
119
