Dairy farming

Introduction Body condition was first described my Murray in 1919, it was described as the ratio of fat to non-fatty matters within the body of a living animal. Body condition scoring is an important management tool within the dairy industry, due to having cows which are too thin and cows which are too fat can lead to many problems and it will contribute to a loss of production. Both cows which are too thin and fat will have a reduced milk yield and poor fertility. The body condition score of…

lbs. of beef and about 600 lbs. of dairy per year. What most of them don’t know is that they are putting many unnatural chemicals into their bodies every time they eat beef, or any kind of meat for that matter, or when they consume any dairy product. It’s safe to assume that most of the meat and dairy you buy at the supermarket has high amounts of antibiotics, various pharmaceuticals, and came from cows being fed a high grain diet. The steroid hormones used in dairy cows and cows being used for…

Milk fever is a common disease that occurs in dairy cattle, usually close to parturition. Milk fever causes the animal to not have the strength to stand and if not treated as soon as the disease is noticed, it will result in unconsciousness and death. Although milk fever is commonly known, many people don’t understand the different forms, causes, and stages of the disease. They might not fully understand how to take preventative action or how to treat an animal with milk fever either. There are…

On October 26, 2016, I milked the cows in the early shift at Foremost dairy. This was an excellent experience to see how cows are milked in person. While milking I have observed that the milking process is a constant routine and need to follow the proper steps in order to prevent mastitis. The milking process requires several important steps. The purpose of these steps is to minimize the risk of the cow coming in contact with mastitis organisms during and after milking, produce optimal milk let…

The Great Depression was a hard and trying time that resulted in many great discoveries and accomplishments and the beef industry was no exception. Prior to the Depression, beef farmer Ed Lasater began to introduce Brahman lines to his Hereford herd, in hopes of increasing heat and disease, stressing milk production. After he died, his son Tom Lasater began to combine the Brahman and Hereford cattle with some Shorthorn bulls. Lasater then began to combine the Brahman-Hereford and the…

are linked to several cancers.” (Saveourbones.com.) Chemicals, as in drugs are also found in milk, either by being injected into the cows themselves or by being added into the milk, “every year U.S. inspectors find illegal levels of antibiotics in dairy cows. And that when the U.S. Food and Drug…

yield(Yamane, 2003; Rollin et al., 2015) A. Breed Risk of mastitis varies from breed to breed. High yielding cows are generally considered to be more susceptible to intramammary infection e.g. Holstein Frisian (HF), Jersey or HF and Jersey cross bred dairy cows are more susceptible to mastitis than Desi (Zebu) breeds of cows (Sharma, 2003). It might be due to more resistance to disease and they are low milk producer than cross bred cows. Increased risk of clinical mastitis in Friesian…

Beef Genetics Have you ever had a cow or bull that you just did not want to deal with? I’m talking about an animal that has that aggressive nature that tears down your fences, hard to handle, and just full of problematic tendencies. What if I told you there was a way that you could eliminate this trait from your herd, as well as making better genetic decisions that would increase the amount of net profit you, as a cattle producer could earn. That is what I would like to talk to you about today.…

Introduction Lameness is among the most prevelant and cosly of clinical disease etc. Understanding the problem Cattle Foot & lameness In order to enable humans to stand and walk about freely men protect their feet by wearing shoes. Similar the horny shoe of the cow empowers the animal to carry its own body-weight and to move from one place to another. The shoe, therefore, must be intact and have a good bearing (or supporting) surface. They should not be worn out or have a missing heel.…

Age of puberty attainment in beef cattle is an important aspect for producers. This is because age at puberty is a key factor for a heifer’s lifetime reproductive performance. Beef cattle management programs aim for heifers to conceive by two years of age, but this can be a challenge when producing Bos indicus cattle. Puberty attainment in Bos indicus cattle is considerably lengthier than Bos taurus cattle, with the age at first calving typically being 40 months or more (Nogueira, 2003).…