There are about 60,000 dairy farms in the United States, and these farms produce 21 billion gallons of milk each year. The dairy cows that live on these farms are an integral part of one of our nation's most prominent industries. Here are a few facts about these important cows.
In each of these farms in the US, an average of 130 dairy cows are existing and these produce about 7 gallons of milk each every day, and these dairy farms are family owned, of which most of the dairy farms in the US are typically about. A few dairy farms have thousands of cows, and some are only with about a dozen cows. California and Wisconsin are the states where most of these cows can be found. The typical dairy cow weighs about 1,400 pounds and these cows are typically milked twice a day.
Several different breeds of dairy cows are there and in the US, the Holstein breed is the most frequent one, and has to be noted that these were first bred in Holland. There are also other breeds including the Ayrshire, a breed originally coming from Scotland. There is also another type of dairy cow, the Brown Swiss breed, a type of cow coming from Switzerland, as the name suggests, and one of the oldest dairy cow breeds. There are also a few other types like the Guernsey breed and also Jersey breed, and these are dairy cows originating from England.
Contrary to popular belief a cow does not have four stomachs, rather the cow has one stomach with four compartments and each compartment has a specific function in the processing of food. A dairy cow eats about 100 pounds of food each day. This food generally is a combination of grain, hay, silage and sources of protein. Silage consists of corn and preserved grass.
Feeding and care of the dairy cows are daily concerns of the dairy farmer including daily harvesting of milk, and these are among the many concerns he has. Cows produce a lot of waste each day and part of his job is removing this waste and storing this in the waste pits or lagoons, although each cow also produces many gallons of milk every day.
Agricultural wastes such as these can be used as crop fertilizer, but there are also some common problems related to animal waste. Some of these include waste solidification at the bottom of the lagoons or waste pits causing heavy layers of sludge and another is crusting at the top layer. There is also another problem like pit foaming. There are natural products like Agra Sphere and Activator which use natural occurring bacteria to eat away at sludge and crust and these products also reduce foaming. These are manure treatments not containing chemicals but only bacterial microbes that act as digester of manure. These are also products that improve the nutrient value of the animal waste, and ultimately converting this to better fertilizers.
In each of these farms in the US, an average of 130 dairy cows are existing and these produce about 7 gallons of milk each every day, and these dairy farms are family owned, of which most of the dairy farms in the US are typically about. A few dairy farms have thousands of cows, and some are only with about a dozen cows. California and Wisconsin are the states where most of these cows can be found. The typical dairy cow weighs about 1,400 pounds and these cows are typically milked twice a day.
Several different breeds of dairy cows are there and in the US, the Holstein breed is the most frequent one, and has to be noted that these were first bred in Holland. There are also other breeds including the Ayrshire, a breed originally coming from Scotland. There is also another type of dairy cow, the Brown Swiss breed, a type of cow coming from Switzerland, as the name suggests, and one of the oldest dairy cow breeds. There are also a few other types like the Guernsey breed and also Jersey breed, and these are dairy cows originating from England.
Contrary to popular belief a cow does not have four stomachs, rather the cow has one stomach with four compartments and each compartment has a specific function in the processing of food. A dairy cow eats about 100 pounds of food each day. This food generally is a combination of grain, hay, silage and sources of protein. Silage consists of corn and preserved grass.
Feeding and care of the dairy cows are daily concerns of the dairy farmer including daily harvesting of milk, and these are among the many concerns he has. Cows produce a lot of waste each day and part of his job is removing this waste and storing this in the waste pits or lagoons, although each cow also produces many gallons of milk every day.
Agricultural wastes such as these can be used as crop fertilizer, but there are also some common problems related to animal waste. Some of these include waste solidification at the bottom of the lagoons or waste pits causing heavy layers of sludge and another is crusting at the top layer. There is also another problem like pit foaming. There are natural products like Agra Sphere and Activator which use natural occurring bacteria to eat away at sludge and crust and these products also reduce foaming. These are manure treatments not containing chemicals but only bacterial microbes that act as digester of manure. These are also products that improve the nutrient value of the animal waste, and ultimately converting this to better fertilizers.
About the Author:
Lianne Derocco likes blogging about agricultural matters. For further details about agricultural waste treatment solutions, please go to the BioverseAG.com site today or click here.