The history of dairy production goes a long way back to our prehistoric ancestors. But to discuss this subject, we need to set the record straight first: Humans are not generally designed to digest milk. Why? Our body doesn’t produce lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose—the milk sugar, naturally. In reality, many adult humans living on earth today can’t digest milk. So how come we go from a species drinking the milk of their species to drinking that of others? This is where it all gets interesting.
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The Precursor
Most Europeans do have the gene that makes them capable of eating milk. This genetic modification first manifested about 7,500 years ago. That group of humans can drink milk without getting in trouble, and the habit impacts their overall health. Tolerance to milk and dairy production develops side by side up to this day when you can find at least 264 million dairy cows in farms all across the globe.
Still, that doesn’t eliminate the fact that almost 100% of people with Native American, African, and Asian ancestry live with lactose intolerance once they reach adulthood. In the black communities, the number amounts to 70%. This leads to one question: Why do dairy farms exist at all?
What Is Dairy Production?
In the simplest term, dairy production is a process in which the reproductive systems of the cows are being utilized and manipulated to produce milk. If you question why cows are the popular animals to be milked, why not cats or dogs, for example, the answer is simple. Cows are way bigger, so they make the most milk, and they are also easier to domesticate.
In dairy production, it’s good to keep in mind that cows don’t produce milk naturally. It’s the same with all mammals, really; they need to be pregnant to do so. The milk is intended for their offspring.
Artificial insemination is developed to make the cows pregnant repeatedly to make way for constant production. The offspring is taken away from the mother to stop them from drinking the milk. The female newborn is separated in another area, being prepared to undergo treatments and procedures to prep them for their cycle of production.
Countries with the Most Dairy Cows for Dairy Production
India has the most dairy cows for dairy production, with at least 60 million cows. The European Union comes second, followed by Brazil and the United States. India may have the most cows, but it’s the European Union that produces the most milk—twice as much, at that. The second would be the US, with almost 100 million metric tons every year.
Types of Herd Management in Dairy Production
Herd management is important in dairy production. New technology and regulations are constantly changing and applied continuously to ensure good conduct and proper production. Two main management strategies can be implemented to manage the entire animals:
- Extensive systems work around the premise of low input-low output.
- Intensive systems work the other way around, focusing on high input-high output.
Intensive management is being implemented for the lactating cows. This group is typically being divided further based on their nutritional needs.
The One Important Aspect of Dairy Production
The feed is given to the cows does indeed play a role in determining the quality of the produced milk. However, the feed holds an overall important function in maintaining the animals’ health in general.
Being supplied with nutritious feed all the time, the cattle can be kept comfortable and healthy so much so that they can produce the best products for the farmer to make a living on. Silage is one such preferred feed to be given to the cattle. It is essentially fermented plant parts that are high in nutrients that are easy for the cattle to both digest and absorb.
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We also handle worldwide shipping, so you don’t have to worry about us being too far away from where your business is located. Ask us anything about our products and our knowledgeable representatives will be more than willing to provide you with the information you need at the moment.