What You Should Know About Dairy Farming: Introduction
I've been pitching a post like this one to editors for months. The responses I've had back have ranged from "it's not newsworthy" (a pitch about calf-at-foot and free range dairies) to "we've written enough on the topic" (a publication where, when I answered a dairy related question in the comments, readers actually asked for more information in an actual article). Those pitches were for shorter, more focussed articles, but they would have included basic information about dairy farming. The more I read and the more I see, the more it becomes obvious that the general public want to know more about how their food is produced- and how animals are managed. It's very easy for those of us who exist within this milky echo chamber to be surprised when people comment on pictures of calves to say that they are cows missing their babies, or to roll around with laughter when a survey shows that children think chocolate milkshake is produced by brown cows, but the truth is that we can't expect anyone to understand our industry if they haven't been exposed to it. How many of you could recognise a coffee crop if you saw one? Or know how cotton is harvested? And those are two commodities that it's likely you are exposed to every day, that also exist in the wider agricultural industry.
Anyone who is militantly vegan won't want to read this. I'm not going to be able to convince anyone with that mindset that any part of what we do is ethical, nor are they likely to believe what I have written. But for people who consume dairy products and are curious, or who don't but accept that others do, and that the producers should treat their animals and the environment with utmost dignity and respect, then I hope that this proposed series of posts will be interesting. If there is any topic that you want covered then please let me know!
I don't want these to be too long so each one will have a different topic and stick to it...
For those of you who are involved in dairy farming then please get involved through either collaborating on interviews/case studies, or adding your experiences in the comments.
My contact details are in the "about" section labelled with my name.
Milking and Milk
In order to lactate cows give birth. A model lactation lasts around 305 days (this is the figure used for comparing yields between farms), with milk production decreasing as it progresses. Cows gestate for an average of about 283 days, but will vary between breeds, the age of the cow (younger cows tend to have a shorter gestation length) and the bull used. Ideally cows calve every 365 days- as this is the most financially resilient for the business, and also best for management- but the UK average is something like 420 days. Cows are not milked for a period before they calve, this is known as the "dry period". Milk yield naturally decreases in late lactation but this can be amplified by reducing supplementary feed.
Colostrum is produced once the calf is born. Calves have to receive colostrum for passive transfer of antibodies, so it is very important that they drink it. A typical cow will produce far too much colostrum for her calf, so any excess will be either thrown away or frozen for other calves. Bottle feeding calves colostrum ensures that they get enough for their immune systems to work properly. Colostrum varies in quality and farmers can test it before deciding whether it should be fed to the calf or the calf would be better off with high quality colostrum frozen from another cow, or artificial colostrum. The cow's milk can be sold for human consumption once the colostrum period has passed.
Calves will drink milk until they are weaned. The age of weaning varies according to the farm (on organic farms it will be 12 weeks minimum) but is usually around 10-12 weeks and will be dictated by either the size of the calf or her concentrate consumption.
Farms have two choices when it comes to feeding their calves-whole milk or powder milk. Cows produce far more milk than their own calves would drink, so even if milk is taken for the calves there is plenty left to be sold. The value of whole milk changes according to the milk price (when milk price is high powdered milk can actually be cheaper). Advantages include not having to mix it (which can make it more hygienic to prepare) and a high fat content. Disadvantages are that it can change in quality according to things like the cow's diet and environment, and there is a risk of disease transfer between the milking herd and the young stock (for this reason some farms will feed whole milk but will pasteurise it first). Powdered milk always has the same quality (as long as it is correctly and consistently prepared) so the calf rearer knows exactly what the calves are drinking. Organic milk powder is very expensive so organic farmers will usually feed whole milk. Some farmers will turn whole milk into yoghurt or kefir for the calves, which has probiotic benefits.
Milk sold off the farm is tested by the buyer every collection, and will be thrown away if it contains any antibiotic traces. Farmers are also financially penalised for poor hygiene or poor quality milk. All antibiotics given to farm animals have a withdrawal period during which milk must be thrown away (this withdrawal period is doubled for organic milk). Cows will be identified with tapes or paint so that the milker knows to dump the milk, and some parlour systems will sound alarms and refuse to milk cows that are listed on the computer system as being under treatment. Vets also review antibiotic use annually as part of the farm's Herd Health Plan, which is a requirement for farm assurance.
Most cows in the UK are milked twice a day, but it is also possible to run Once a Day herds or to milk three times a day. In robotic systems where a cow can walk in to the robot and be milked as many times as she likes this figure can be far higher. Milkings are spaced as evenly apart as possible and the aim would be to milk at the same time each day. Cows like routine and learn the milking times- they will walk to the field gate or stand by the shed door in anticipation of being milked.
Milking parlours come in a range of sizes and shapes from traditional abreast parlours to herringbones (row of cows on either side of a pit where the milker stands and attaches clusters), rotaries (the parlour is circular and turns), and robots. Clusters pump the milk from the cow's teats to the bulk tank where it is cooled and stored until it is collected by a tanker on behalf of the purchasing company/taken to another part of the farm for processing if they sell their own milk. Most farms will feed their cows concentrate feed in the parlour, the quantity will depend on the yield of the cow and how much other feed they receive in the day (grass, silage (conserved grass), a blend of forage crops and minerals- these will vary according to the system and the time of the year). Every cow is handled during milking and the person milking will notice any signs of ill health and act accordingly. They will also have a hygiene routine to protect the cow and the milk produced. Cows have a hierarchy and the same cows will usually come in to the parlour at the same time and stand in the same part of the line. If cows are stressed they won't let down their milk, so it is important to have a calm atmosphere and to be gentle with the cows- many farms also have the radio on as both the cows and the operators enjoy the music (some farmers will insist that their cows have a preferred station or DJ)!
I don't want these posts to be too technical but if you want anything expanded then ask below...
Next few posts will cover farm systems, milk sales, and breeding policies (including dairy bull calves)