Dairy Cows

Cow’s milk is the predominant source of dairy worldwide, owing to several factors. For starters, it tends to be more flavorful to most people compared to the milk of other animals. Additionally, cows consistently yield high quantities of milk daily compared to other milkable animals like goats (1-2 gallons), sheep (0.5-1 gallons), and camels (1.5 gallons). Most cow breeds are docile and do not resist being handled while being milked.

About 270 million cows are raised for dairy globally, with the United States raising around 9.4 million. The dairy landscape in the U.S. is dominated by six prominent breeds: Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey, Ayrshire, Guernsey, and Dairy Shorthorn. While there are several large dairy farms in the United States, like Rockview Family Farms, Riverview, and Faria Brothers, the largest is the Almarai farms in Saudi Arabia. As of the 2020s, it has 195,000 cows that produce 1.5 billion liters of milk annually.

The Evolution of Dairy Cattle Breeds

In the past, cattle were often raised both for their meat and milk simultaneously. Nowadays, specific breeds are selectively bred to produce milk for consumption. These dairy cattle have enlarged udders to maximize milk yield, as opposed to beef cattle, which prioritize muscularity over producing milk. However after their milk production declines, usually after a period of 5-6 years, dairy cattle are often processed into meat. They are generally made into ground beef due to their meat generally being of lower quality.

List of Dairy Cattle

Two pivotal factors need to be considered when rearing cattle for milk production. First, the daily milk yield helps assess the viability of raising cattle for dairy. Second, the duration of lactation indicates the number of days a cow can produce milk within a single cycle.

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