Dairy farms are farms where cows are raised to make milk and milk products like cheese, ice cream, butter and whipping cream. We went to a local dairy farm to see what it was like—up close. It wasn’t what we expected. The farm that we visited had registered Holstein cows, known for high amounts of milk production. Our visit was during a very cold day in January, when farmers sit inside and relax. Right?
Wrong! When we got there, Mr. Makarevich told us that their typical day begins at 4 a.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m. During the whole tour, it was obvious that there was a lot of work involved during all times of the year. Even though it was winter, their day included: Read the rest of this entry »
Dairy Cows
Traditional small dairies, located primarily in the Northeast and Midwest, are going out of business. They are being replaced by intensive ‘dry lot’ dairies, which are typically located in the Southwest U.S.
Regardless of where they live, however, all dairy cows must give birth in order to begin producing milk. Today, dairy cows are forced to have a calf every year. Like human beings, cows have a nine-month gestation period, and so giving birth every twelve months is physically demanding. The cows are also artificially re-impregnated while they are still lactating from their previous birthing, so their bodies are still producing milk during seven months of their nine-month pregnancy. With genetic manipulation and intensive production technologies, it is common for modern dairy cows to produce 100 pounds of milk a day — ten times more than they would produce naturally. As a result, the cows’ bodies are under constant stress, and they are at risk for numerous health problems. Read the rest of this entry »
Dairy Cows
Montcalm County, Michigan is home to almost 140 dairy farms. Dairy herds range in size from as small as 10 cows to as many as 1800 cows. This large variation in size is a function of an extraordinarily diverse group of dairy producers throughout the county.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated that Montcalm County dairy farms produced 205 million pounds of milk in 1999, up from 145 million in 1998. Montcalm County ranks 6th in the state in total milk produced. Read the rest of this entry »
There are two kinds of cattle: the kind that are raised to become beef dinners and the ones that are raised for milk, butter, cheese, and ice cream. We will describe beef cows in our Cattle section. Dairy cows are treated differently than beef cows.
Some breeds of dairy cattle are: Holsteins and Friesians [most milk], Brown Swiss [high lands], Jersey [rich and creamy milk], Normandy , and the Dairy Shorthorn. Read the rest of this entry »
If you have ever driven through the center of Florida, you’ve probably seen cows grazing or resting under shade trees. These cows were almost certainly being raised for beef. Although the horrible final destination for dairy cows is the same as with beef cattle—the slaughterhouse—dairy cows in Florida spend much of their lives on concrete, confined in overcrowded and disease-ridden farms. Read the rest of this entry »
Cattle Industry History
The following excerpts on the history of the cattle industry were pulled from the book ” Building the Beef Industry” written by Charles E. Ball. The book was commissioned to commemerate the Centennial Anniversary of the national association. Read the rest of this entry »
Cattle Farming – A Basic Guide
by cattlefarmer on August 30, 2009
Cattle farming is potentially appealing to people who have the necessary land and resources to make it pay. Whether you’re planning on setting up an operation for organic cattle farming, dairy cattle farming or beef cattle farming, the industry of cattle farming is becoming progressively fashionable and lucrative. Cattle can be raised on land which has few other uses, such as areas of land which are unsuitable for any other crop except grass. There are a number of elements to look at and these include calving, inoculation and breeding. Read the rest of this entry »