Unit 12: Dairy
Chapters 27, 28, & 5
Objectives
 Understanding of various breeds of dairy cattle
 Genetic progress and selection
 Knowledge of nutritional concerns
 Understanding of operations, facilities, and waste
management
 Disease pressures
Unit 10: Dairy
Breed
Milk
Fat
Protein
Aryshire
15814
3.89
3.16
Brown Swiss
17732
4.06
3.36
Guernsey
14675
4.53
3.37
Holstein
21614
3.66
3.05
Jersey
15540
4.61
3.59
Milking Shorthorn
16454
3.62
3.11
Red & White
20011
3.7
3.02
Norwegian red
13059
NA
NA
Montebeliarde
NA
NA
NA
Dairy Type
 Used to evaluate dairy cattle
 Stature, angularity, long/lean neck, etc.
 Good dairy type often leads to good milk production
 But, not always
 Dairy Cow Unified Scorecard & Linear Classification
Scoring System
 Evaluates cows on basis of type
 Aids in selection of superior individuals
Dairy Type
 Cows/bulls are rated in each of the following categories
 General appearance
 Dairy character
 Body capacity
 Mammary system
 Final score is added up
 Excellent (EX): 90-100
 Very Good (VG): 85-89
 Good Plus (G+): 80-84
 Good (G): 75-79
 Fair (F): 65-74
 Poor (P): 50-64
Dairy Type
 Classification score can be used in calculating the Predicted
Transmitting Ability for Type (PTAT)
 Aids in the selection process
 Can be a sales tool
Improving Milk Production
 Milk production has changed greatly through time


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
1940 23.7m cows avg. 4622lbs./c/yr
2005 ~9.m cows avg. 19500lbs./c/yr
Has increased 320 lbs/c/yr in the last decade alone
Due to:
 Genetics
 Feeding
 Management
Figure 27.2
Changes in milk production in the United States, 1940–2005. Source: Adapted from USDA data.
Selection of Dairy Cows
 Avg. productive life is short (3-4 yrs.)
 Many culled due to:
 Reproductive failure
 Low milk yield
 Udder breakdown
 Poor feet/legs
 Mastitis
 Heifers should be chosen from families that are superior in
these categories
Selection of Dairy Cows
 Records are essential
 National Cooperative Dairy Herd Improvement Program
 Industry-wide production-testing and record-keeping program
 Aka DHI
 Facilitates the creation of a national production database
Selection of Dairy Cows
 Options for DHI
 Supervised test-technician weighs and samples milk for all cows in a 24
hr. period
 Partially supervised-samples are taken alternately a.m. or p.m. by a
technician and another person
 Owner sampler-production data recorded by someone other than a
technician
 Supervised electronic test-data collected electronically and certified by a
technician
 DHI records are standardized to lactation length, 2x milking,
and mature age
 305 ME
 Increases accuracy of comparison
Figure 27.3 An individual cow record used in the DHIR program. Source: Iroquois Holsteins.
Breeding Dairy Cattle
 Extremely important
 May be the most challenging aspect of managing dairy
operations
 Visual detection of estrus




Restlessness
Enlarged vulva
Drop in milk production (temporary)
Permit other cows to mount
 Majority of cattle are bred AI
 High quality semen $25-150/unit
 Lower quality semen $5-20/unit
Breeding Dairy Cattle
 Natural service has mostly been unpopular for 3 reasons:
 Genetic superiority of AI bulls
 Availability of superior semen through AI
 Safety
 Heritabilities for traits are widely varied, but highly accurate
 Low her. (5-10%)
 Ketosis, mastitis, cystic ovaries, milk fever
 Medium her. (25-30%)
 Yearly milk, protein, solids-not-fat, fat yield
 Highly her. (>30%)
 % fat, % prot., solids-not-fat
Breeding Dairy Cattle
 Inherited abnormalities
 Short bones, rectal-vaginal constriction, dumps, fused teats,
flexed pasterns (feet turn back), hairlessness, syndactylism (one
toe)
 Very rare
 Often result in death
 Genetic advancement has been so rapid because of the high
use of AI
 Superior sires may have >100,000 daughters
 Data on each sire tends to be quite accurate
Breeding Dairy Cattle
 Crossbreeding is not common due to no improvement in
milk production
 Has been some crossbreeding to improve components
 Ex. No crossbreeding program can equal the Holstein in milk
production
 Sire genetic evaluations are based on data of sire’s daughter
compared w/ contemporary herdmates
 PTA
 Measured based on superiority/inferiority of his daughters
Sire Selection
 Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP)
 Method used to calculate PTA
 Can compare bulls between herds, bulls within herds, and bulls with
offspring in many herds
 PTA’s calculated for:





Milk
Protein
Fat
Type
Dollars returned
 Net Merit
 Can give an economic value to an individual
Sire Selection
 TPI (Type Production Index)
 Can give one value combining PTA’s of milk, type, udder
composite, and fat
 Helpful in predicting offspring
 Good sales tool
Dairy farm demographics
 Avg. size 100 milking cows, 30 dry cows, 100 heifers
 Farm 200-300 ac. Raising most of own forage
 Market milk through cooperative
 Sell ~2.2m lbs. milk annually
 Worth ~$230,000
 Avg. capital investment ~$500,000
Nutrition of Lactating Cows
 Average 305d lactation production 16,870
 Many herds avg. >25,000/c/yr
 Top producing cows >40,000 lbs/c/yr
 Some may avg. >150 lbs./d
 >5 lbs. milk fat
 >4.5 lbs. protein
Nutrition of Lactating Cows
 World Record Lactation?
 Lucy LaFoster Dairy Cleveland, NC
 365d
 75,275lbs.
 Great need for energy and total lbs. of feed
 Ex. Cow producing 40lbs. Milk, 1400 lbs. BW needs 1.25x
more energy for lactation than maintenance
Nutrition of Lactating Cows
 Dairy cow lactation curves
 Early stages of lactation
 DMI and energy intake lag behind milk prod.
 BW is lost
 Negative energy balance
 Mid lactation
 DMI finally catches up to milk prod. needs
 BW begins to climb
 Reproductive performance is much better
Nutrition of Lactating Cows
 Late Lactation
 DMI stays adequate for daily milk prod.
 Cows gain BW
 Should be preg.
 Body Condition Scoring
 1-5 scale
 Much like the beef scale
 Critical gauge for cow health and nutritional needs
Nutrition of Lactating Cows
 Elements of a successful dairy nutrition program
 Water
 High quality feedstuffs
 Adequate length of fiber
 Optimal level of grain supplement
 Monitor cud chewing
 Sufficient bunk space
 Consistent, high DMI
Nutrition of Lactating Cows
 Feed available 24 hrs./d
 Especially after milking
 No free-choice ration components
 This can vary
 Concentrate on cow comfort
 Minimize variation in feedstuffs
 Manage health problems
Nutrition of Lactating Cows
 Ideal day in the life of a cow
 50% lying down
 21% eating
 13% milking
 4% drinking
 6% each social and lockups?
 What should rations be based on?
 High-quality forages are cheapest, most effective source of
nutrients
Nutrition of Lactating Cows
 TMR
 Total mixed ration
 All feed components are mixed into one presentation
 Rations should closely reflect stage of lactation
 Number of rations on a farm
 Depends on size
 Must match the number of effective rations to what is most
economical and efficient
Nutrition of Lactating Cows
 Lets look at a 500 cow dairy
 What types of rations would we need?
 What types of rations would match cow needs?
 Ration components
 Forages must be tested regularly
 Supplements should be formulated to match production goals
based on forage quality
 Energy
 Protein
 Min/vit
 Feed cost typically is ~50% of farm expenses
Figure 28.1 Nutrient and milk yield relationships during lactation and gestation. Courtesy of Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc. Adapted from
Nutritional Needs of Dairy Cows (Growthlines). Fall 1989.
Adjusting for Heat Stress
 May decrease milk prod. 8-10lbs./c/d
 Stress begins at 77F
 Symptoms of heat stress
 Temp >102.5
 Excessive panting
 What else do they lose?
 Decreased DMI
 As much as 15%
 Decreased pregnancy rate
 Can be 20%
Nutrition of Dry Cows
 Feeding and management heavily influences production in
next lactation
 Drying a cow off
 Stop milking
 Treat for mastitis
 Dry period is 45-60d
 Much research is being focused on this area
Nutrition of Dry Cows
 Must be separated from milking herd
 Nutritional differences
 Not milking
 Cow comfort
 Close-up dry cows
 Last 14-21d of dry period
 Separate if possible
 Closely monitor feed intake
 Can greatly reduce health problems at calving
Nutrition of Replacement Heifers
 Most can do well on high forage and 2-3 lbs. grain
 Heifers should be large enough to breed at 15 mos.
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800 lbs.
Weight is more critical than age
Heavier heifers will milk more first lactation
Why?
 Recent studies on accelerated heifer growth
 Reaching breeding wt. at 12-13 mos.
 What is the economic gain?
Calving Operations
 Must be clean and well-bedded
 Assistance necessary if cow has not calved after 4-6 hrs. of
labor
 Dip navel in iodine
 Colostrum feeding
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Antibodies for disease resistance
Should be fed within the first hour
2nd feeding within ~6 hrs.
Gut closure
 Nursing is not permitted usually
 Remove asap
Calving Operations
 First 4-8 wks.
 Milk replacer
 Why not whole milk?
 Water
 Dry feed
 Separate from other calves
 Wean as soon as they are eating ~3 lbs./d for 3 d
Milking and Housing Facilities
 Free stalls
 Tie/Stanchion stalls
 Loose housing
 Pasture
 Which is the most efficient?
 Which is the most comfortable?
 Which is the most popular?
 Milking Center/parlor
 Manure must be done at least daily, usually 2-3x
 Unless on bedded pack
Figure 28.3 A water flush free-stall barn with individual lock-in stanchions. These facilities provide for inside feeding of a totally mixed ration.
Courtesy of Colorado State University.
Figure 28.6 Modern milking machines have dramatically reduced the labor intensity of dairy farming. However, close supervision of the
milking process is required to ensure that the udder and teats are clean prior to milking, that the suction cups are applied correctly, and that
the milking machine is removed from the cow as soon as milking is complete. Courtesy Managing Milk Quality, copyright 1998. ITA
LaPocaitiere, www.hoards.com.
Waste Management
 Many local, state, and federal regulations
 Must now have a nutrient management plan
 Certified Livestock Manager
 SC study
 >75% of dairies overfeeding P
 New NRC has decreased the recommended P feeding rate
 Nutrient Management Plan
 Site information
 Name, contact info., emergency info.
 Production data
 No. animals, amount of waste
Waste Management
 Permit information
 Manure application records
 Date, amount, no. acres, method, applicator, wind speed/direction,
temp, soil conditions, sky conditions
 Test results
 Soil tests
 Nutrient tests
 Dead stock disposal plan
Milking Operations
 Concrete platform raised ~30”
 Speeds milking, reduces labor, easier to operate
 Milking procedure
 Clean
 Forestrip
 Attach unit within 1 min.
Milking Operations
 Dip in iodine solution
 Manual removal of unit, or by automatic takeoff
 Automatic takeoffs are stimulated due to milk flow rate
 Prolonged exposure to vacuum will damage the teat end
 Equipment must be sanitary
 High milk quality
 Prevent disease problems
 Regular milking schedule
 2X
 3X
 4X
 combinations
Controlling Diseases
 Similar diseases in dairy and beef cattle
 More stringent specifications for milk though
 Bang’s Disease (Brucellosis)
 Reduces fertility
 Transmitted sexually, so risk is not high anymore
Controlling Diseases
 Mastitis
 Inflammation of the mammary gland
 Costs the dairy industry >$1.5b/yr.
 ~$200/cow/yr.
 Can be hard to detect early
 Somatic Cell Count
 CMT
 Clinical mastitis is easily detected
 White chunks
 Watery/bloody milk
Controlling Diseases
 Under can be swollen, red, and hard
 Cow may be febrile
 Two types of mastitis
 Contagious
 Can be passed from cow to cow
 Organisms must live in milk
 Prevention by clean milking systems, clean hands, gloves, proper
milking procedure
 Not easily eradicated
 Environmental
 Organisms are picked up from the environment
 Caused by unsanitary conditions
 Readily responds to treatment
Controlling Diseases
 Cows w/ mastitis have a high cull rate
10 more days to first service, .5 more services/conception, 25 more
days open
 Various treatment options
 Milk must be withheld according to label

Costs and Returns
 Large farms not necessarily better
 Economics of scale don’t always work out
 Performance should be compared against industry
benchmarks
 4.5 turns/hr in the milking parlor
 Labor cost/cwt milk
 DIM
 Heat detection rate
 SCC
 Etc.
Milk Production
 Dairy cows produce >80% of world’s milk supply
 Goats, buffalo, sheep, yaks, camel
 U.S. by far the leading producer
 One cow at an avg. of 18,200 lbs. can provide enough milk
for 40 people for a year
 If you include the amount of milk used for other products
Milk Composition
 88% water
 8.6% Solids-not-fat
 Protein, lactose, minerals
 3-4% milk fat
 Milk not legally salable until the 11th milking
 Also need to test for antibiotics
Milk Composition
 Milk is very dense in nutrients, while not being extremely
high in calories
 Milk fat
 Taste component of milk
 Cheese yield
 Carbohydrates
 Lactose (~4.8%)
 >1/2 of SNF
Milk Composition
 Proteins
 ~3.3% protein
 38% of SNF
 Casein and Whey are the two main milk proteins
 Vitamins
 A, B, C, and D are available in milk
 Minerals
 Good sources of Ca, P, and Zn
Milk Products in the U.S.
 Fluid milk




>92% of milk sold is Grade A milk
Homogenized to prevent separation of milk fat
<4% milk fat
Pasteurization kills disease-causing pathogens
 Cream
 >18% milk fat
 Coffee creamer, whipping cream
Milk Products in the U.S.
 Butter
 >80% milk fat
 Is one of the oldest forms of preserving milk
 Cheese
 >400 different kinds of cheese
 Soft, semisoft, hard, very hard
 Based on moisture content
 Cottage cheese (80%) to Romano (32%)
 Made by coagulation and curdling
Milk Products in the U.S.
 100 lbs. milk will produce 8-16 lbs. of cheese
 Ice Cream
 Many different forms
 Ice cream, custard, French ice cream, Ice milk, frozen yogurt,
sherbet
 Custards have egg yolks >1.4% by wt. added
 Ice milk-less fat, more sugar (soft serves)
 Yogurt-less fat, less sugar, more acid
 Sherbet-low in milk fat and solids, higher sugar
Milk Products in the U.S.
 Eggnog
 Contains egg yolks, egg whites
 >6% milk fat, 8.25% SNF
Figure 5.5
The modern dairy tree showing the many products and by-products of milk. Source: J. Dairy Sci. 64:1005.
Figure 5.11
Percent changes in dairy product consumption 1975-2005. Source: USDA.