Breeds of Dairy Cattle Chapter 39

Objectives Describe the characteristics of the dairy enterprise Identify the major breeds of dairy cattle Describe the breeds of dairy cattle, giving their origin and breed characteristics

Characteristics of the Dairy Enterprise Dairy Cows must be milked regularly Two times per day, 7 days a week Some herds milked three times per day Modern dairyman uses mechanical equipment to milk, feed, care for herd Most dairy farmers raise crops required to feed the dairy herd

Characteristics of the Dairy Enterprise (cont.) Dairy barn, milking parlor must be clean Dairy farmer should keep good records to run an efficient operation Successful dairy farmers must be patient, willing to work long hours Return on investment typically 6 to 9 percent

Trends in Dairy Production The number of dairies has declined The herd sizes are increasing Total production of milk has increased, due to increase in milk production per cow Better feeding, breeding, and management of dairy herds have lead to increases

Trends in Dairy Production (cont.) Grade A milk Must meet minimum standard for fluid consumption More expensive About 98 percent of milk produced qualifies for fluid consumption

Trends in Dairy Production (cont.) Grade B milk Held to a lower standard than Grade A milk Can be mixed with Grade A milk to produce manufactured dairy products Percentage of Grade B milk has dropped due to producers switching to other types of farming Upgrading to Grade A milk production is costly

Trends in Dairy Production (cont.) Dairy cows found in every state Leading states California Wisconsin New York Idaho Pennsylvania Texas

Trends in Dairy Production (cont.) Milk production has shifted from primarily Midwestern states to western and southwestern states since 1960s Northeast has shown a smaller decline Changes due to population shifts, favorable climates, economies of scale, higher milk production per cow

Government Influence in Dairying Government at national, state, and local levels influences dairy enterprise Examples include Dairy Herd Improvement Program Milk marketing orders Support prices Import quotas Taxes, zoning ordinances

The Purebred Dairy Cattle Association The PDCA was organized in 1940 The PDCA works to improve the dairy industry Areas of leadership include Developing uniform testing rules for national production testing programs Developing a unified score card for dairy cattle Developing uniform rules for artificial insemination of purebred dairy cattle

The Purebred Dairy Cattle Association (cont.) The PDCA recognizes six dairy breeds Ayrshire Brown Swiss Guernsey Holstein Jersey Milking Shorthorn

Breed Selection Dairy cows selected on ability to produce large quantities of milk for long time Some general guidelines for the selection of a breed include Selecting a breed that is common in the area Personal preference Market requirements for the product

Characteristics of the Breeds of Dairy Cattle Ayrshire

Characteristics of the Breeds of Dairy Cattle Brown Swiss

Characteristics of the Breeds of Dairy Cattle Guernsey

Characteristics of the Breeds of Dairy Cattle Holstein-Friesian

Characteristics of the Breeds of Dairy Cattle Jersey

Characteristics of the Breeds of Dairy Cattle The Milking Shorthorn

Characteristics of the Breeds of Dairy Cattle Red and White