Dairy farming
- For a company established in Hong Kong, see Dairy Farm International Holdings Limited.
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or more properly, an [animal husbandry] enterprise, raising female cattle for long-term production of milk, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy for processing and eventual retail sale. Most dairy farms sell the male calves borne by their cows, usually for veal production, rather than raising non-milk-producing stock. Many dairy farms also grow their own feed, typically including corn, alfalfa, and hay. This is fed directly to the cows, or stored as silage for use during the winter season. Additional dietary supplements are added to the feed to increase quality milk production.
Use of hormones and antibiotics
In the US in many farms, cows are given growth hormones (known as "BST" or "rBGH") to increase milk production. It is also common to include antibiotics in the animals' feed, to reduce disease and the transmission of infection arising from the use of Posilac (rBGH) as well as the close quarters in which dairy cattle are typically housed [1] (http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Labeling_Issues%2C_Revolving_Doors%2C_rBGH%2C_Bribery_and_Monsanto). Both of these practices are controversial and prohibited under organic farming codes of conduct. In Europe, use of BST is strictly forbidden as well as application of antibiotics for preventive measures.
Dairy competition
Most milk-consuming countries have a local dairy farming industry, and most producing countries maintain significant subsidies and trade barriers to protect domestic producers from foreign competition. In large countries, dairy farming tends to be geographically clustered in regions with abundant natural water supplies (milk is mostly water) and relatively inexpensive land (even under the most generous subsidy regimes, dairy farms have poor return on capital). These too promote regional competition and laws to protect the regional production of milk.
Dairy farming in the world
In the United States, dairy farming is an important industry in Vermont, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, but the largest state in dairy production is California. In Europe, Denmark, northern France,southern Ireland, Switzerland, and especially the Netherlands, are particularly known as centers of dairy production. The worlds largest exporter of dairy products is New Zealand which farms in a more efficient but with low animal welfare compared to Europe and the U.S.A. but is stifled by the trade barriers and tariffs imposed by these locations.
Control of the dairy herd
Modern dairy farmers use milking machines and sophisticated plumbing systems to harvest and store the milk from the cows, which are milked twice or thrice daily. During the warm months, the cows may be allowed to graze in their pastures both day and night, and are brought into the barn only to be milked. During the winter months, especially in northern climates, the cows may spend the majority of their time inside the barn, which is warmed by their collective body heat. Even in winter, the heat produced by the cattle requires the barns to be ventilated for cooling purposes.
The milking operation
Two skilled dairy farmers, each with four milking machines, can milk about 100 cows within a couple of hours. Starting at one end of the barn, the two men will attach their electrically controlled suction-operated machines to the piping, and after washing the udders of the cows, attach the four-cup machines to the cows' teats. The machines are held in place automatically by suction, which, through a heartbeat-like pulsing action, draws the milk out of the cows, into the pipes, and eventually into a refrigerated bulk tank. The milk will pass through a strainer before entering the tank. In New Zealand, bore water plate heat exchangers are often used to pre-cool milk prior to entering the bulk tank. At pre-arranged times, a milk truck may arrive and pump the milk from the tank for transport to a dairy where it will be homogenized and pasteurized.
The milking of cows was traditionally a labor-intensive operation. Farms usually had personnel to milk only a few dozen cows, and keeping a dozen milk cows for the sale of milk was profitable. Now most dairies must have more than one hundred cows in milk at a time with other cows and heifers waiting to be "freshened" to join the milking herd.
Dairy farmers, the hired men, and their families sometimes drink the unrefined milk produced on the farm. However it is often healthier to drink milk that has been prepared for consumer use. Milk contains bacteria and other organisms that eventually cause spoilage. Milk that is produced under conditions not sufficiently sanitary is refused by dairies for public consumption. This sub-standard milk is usually sold at a lower price to cheese factories.
External links
Got (Genetically Engineered) Milk? The Monsanto rBGH/BST Milk Wars Handbook (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005S8QJ/qid=1102938140/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-2363382-8947061?v=glance&s=books) e-book
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