Dairy Farming: A Comprehensive Guide to Modern Techniques, Benefits, & Challenges

Did you know dairy farming is one of the largest agricultural aspects in the world? 

Did you know that Canada has established approximately 12000 dairy farms since 1966?  In the United States, the number of dairy farms is 40,000. In the world, dairy farmers tend to almost 270 million dairy cows for milk production. 

Now Here, you can have an idea of how popular dairy farming is. If you want to more about its benefits, features, challenges, and technology or equipment, stay hooked to the article.

What is Dairy Farming?

It is the process of breeding and raising dairy animals for the production of milk and other dairy products. 

The dairy farmers usually raise cows, water buffaloes, and sometimes goats for deriving milk and other products. However, raising goats is mostly popular in India, China, Egypt, and other Asian countries. But in European countries like North America, the breeding of cows is more prevalent. 

With the growing population, the demand for milk and other dairy items is also increasing day by day. World Wildlife Fund and other animal welfare organizations are working endlessly with dairy farmers and dairy industries. The aim is to increase the production of milk and other dairy products while maintaining animal welfare and protecting natural resources. 

Now, let’s discuss the popular types of dairy farms.

Types of Dairy Farms

Depending on the farming resources and the market demands, different dairy farmers opt for different scales of dairy farming. 

Conventional Dairy Farms:

These farms generally breed and raise dairy animals for milk production. But, the farmers pay more attention to their overall welfare and health. This way, they ensure that their dairy animals deliver the highest quantity and quality of milk. 

The conventional dairy farming process includes cow sheds and houses for calves. They also include calving boxes, bull sheds, and even isolation boxes for the comfort of the animals. However, the farmers often use artificial hormones for more milk production and chemicals for preserving the milk during transportation. 

Organic Dairy Farms:

Organic dairy farms raise dairy animals organically. The farmers prioritize their health. That is why, they do not use any type of artificial hormones for increased production. They offer organic feed to the animals. They also let them graze on open pastures with grasses or fodder crops that are organically grown. The feed for the animals in organic dairy farming is also grown without any chemical fertilizer or pesticides.

Since the animals are not injected with any growth hormone, they grow naturally. Also, they do not feed on slaughter by-products like manure or urea. The farmers take a holistic approach to preventing health diseases. Each organic farm is audited and inspected every year to ensure the quality of the milk and other dairy items. 

Small Vs. Large Scale Dairy Farms

Depending on the local and national market demands for dairy items, Dairy farmers practice farming on two scales. Let’s know about these two scales of dairy farming in detail.

Small Scale Dairy Farms

Small-scale farms produce comparatively less amount of milk. They often rely on a single milking parlor for milk production. However, the farmers can earn more if they take part in other value-added activities. They can produce cheese or earn profit by selling calves. 

These farms depend on manual labor and traditional milking methods that are often highly time-consuming. The farmers can take the help of advanced technologies like robotic milkers for increased production. This way, they can reduce the need for more human labor. 

However, these farms face some challenges. They lack enough access to good quality feed and modern breeding technologies. 

Large Scale Dairy Farms

Large-scale farms produce milk and other dairy items on a large scale. These farms usually have a greater scope to earn profit. The production costs of large-scale dairy farming are comparatively lower. 

Also, the large production of milk often earns the farmers a good amount of marginal profit. These farms include loafing barns, and multiple milking parlors and tend to raise 15000 to 20000 cows at a time. 

Large-scale farms have a higher sustainability rate. It means the practice will be sustained in the future. They offer better opportunities for the farmers to earn more. 

The Dairy Farming Process

The daily farming process involves different stages. The farmers ensure that the animals are well taken care of. They are getting proper nutrition and good quality of feed. Also, They take active steps in preventing their diseases. 

Also, this farming process relies heavily on the right milking process. The milking methods and the frequency of deriving milk from the animals are crucial aspects of the farming industry. Also, some farmers rely on advanced milking equipment for better production. 

Animal Care

Proper housing is essential for dairy farming. They should have access to proper pastures for grazing and roaming around. Also, straw bedding is important so that they can have proper rest and comfort. 

To reduce their mental stress level, farmers allow them to feed on a natural diet. It is good for their digestive health. Comfortable atmosphere to survive and organic breeding methods have drastically reduced issues like lameness, infertility, and mastitis. 

Also, calves under one month are not forcefully separated from their mothers due to soil association organic standards. Farmers can not sell calves that are under 12 weeks without tier mothers. It helps to create a strong mental bond between the calves and the mothers. It is particularly good for both their physical and mental health.  

Breeds of Dairy Cows:

Dairy cows are categorized into five major types of breeds. Ayrshire, Guernsey, Brown Swiss, Jersey, and Holstein-Friesian are the five major types of cow breeds. The minor breeds include Dutch Belted, Red Dane, and Devon. Milking Shorthorn and Red Polled are the breeds that are raised for milk as well as meat consumption. 

The major breed types for dairy farming originated in Scotland, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, and Great Britain. They produce high-quality milk that is also used for manufacturing other dairy products.

Nutrition And Feed

Pasture is often considered the natural and most organic feed for dairy cows. It provides them with enough nutrition. They also feed on grasses. In New Zealand and other countries, dairy cows often graze on grasslands.

During some seasons, when the pastures are not adequate for them, farmers offer the cows grains, hay, and silage. Farmers grow fodder crops like corn, timothy, oats, wheat, etc. for feeding the dairy cows. Also, they feed on cereal grains, hulls, and cotton seeds in countries like California. 

Health And Veterinary Care

Animals for dairy farming are often in need of disease prevention. They are prone to severe diseases and bacterial infections. Farmers remove these dairy animals when they get infected or suffer from disease. A report shows one in five dairy animals is removed and about one-third of dairy animals are lost due to this. 

Keeping the herd clean is very important. Farmers need to isolate and take proper care of the injured and sick animals. The herd should be free from any hazards that might injure the animals. 

Diseases like mastitis, and foot and mouth disease need proper care and veterinary assistance. Also, farmers often take precautionary measures to fight these diseases. They are given proper feed to avoid malnutrition and infertility. 

Milking Process

A proper milking system is crucial for dairy farming to ensure timely production. Also, a lot of safety measures are taken during milking and it is done at regular intervals to avoid risks. 

Manual Vs. Milking Machines

Milking can be done in two ways. Most large-scale dairy farms have milking machines to reduce human labor. 

Manual milking is a traditional process of deriving milk from animals. The manual milking is done with a technique known as stripping. Farmers put pressure on the teats with the thumb and pointing finger. This way, they squeeze out the milk and collect it into a container.

These days, milking in dairy farming is done by milking machines. The most popular machine is the cluster milker. It has four metal cups lined with rubber and silicone. These cups are attached to the four teats of a dairy cow and the milk collection & pulsating vacuum system. The vacuum pulls air from the outer cup and the liner and it draws the milk out. Farmers turn the vacuum off to refill the teats. When the cow is fully milked, the machine drops off 

The Frequency of Milking: Its Impact on Dairy Farming & Production

After a cow gives birth to a calf, it starts to lactate. The process will continue as long as the cow is regularly milked. After that, the production will gradually decline. 

 A cow’s milk production will increase for the next 20 days after parturition. The colostrum or the first milk is usually given to the calf for its high fat and protein content. For the next 30 to 60 days, the milk production is at its peak. Farmers usually continue to milk a cow two months away from the parturition. 

The practice of intensive dairy farming has increased significantly over the past 50 years. The milk production by each cow has also doubled in the last 40 years. In countries like the UK and the USA, a cow almost produces 22 liters of milk. Some cow breeds can produce up to 60 liters a day.   

Dairy Farm Equipment

Hand milking has been a traditional milking process popular for ages. But farmers these days rely on milking equipment for better production. With the advancements in technology and increasing demand for milk and other dairy products, farmers use different types of milking machines. Let’s learn about the types of milking machines and the latest storage systems. 

Milking Machines:

There are different types of milking machines used by the farmers depending upon the frequency, speed, and convenience of milking.

A vacuum bucket is a milker device that fits on the top of a regular milk pail. It sits on the floor under the dairy cow. After each cow is milked, the bucket is dumped into a tank. It was prevalent in the early 20th century. 

In the late 20th century, the milk pipeline was introduced to the dairy farming industries. It involves a permanent pipe for milk return and the vacuum pipe encircles the milking parlor placed above the cows. The milk return pipe pulls up the milk through the vacuum and flows to the milkhouse vacuum breaker followed by storing it in a tank.

Milking parlors are revolutionary innovations for milking with less human labor and more production. Herringbone and parallel parlors milk one row of cows at a time. In rotary parlors, cows are loaded on a parlor that rotates. Each milker is responsible for different tasks like pre-dipping the teats on the udder for bacteria prevention. Another milker milks the cow. 

Automatic milker take-off is a system for milking cows and once the milk flow stops, the milker should be removed. However, it comes with the danger of over-milking. 

Robotic milking systems were prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s in dairy farming. In this system, cows can choose their milking time. Each time a cow enters the system, she is fed and her collar gets scanned to keep track of the milk production. 

Refrigeration System

In early times, the milk derived from hand milking was placed into a cool water bath to remove heat and keep it cool. However, with technological advancements, different electronics were discovered for the purpose of storing milk.

The ice banks were introduced first to the dairy farming industries. It is a vessel with a double wall and an evaporator coil. There is water between the walls at the bottom and sides. The small refrigeration compressor removes heat from the coils. When three inches of ice gets built up, the cooling system turns off. It is good for small-scale farms where the milk production is limited.

Refrigerator was introduced in the mid-1950s. The system includes an in-built evaporator into the inner wall of the storage tanks.  The evaporator cools down the milk.

Modern Storage Equipment

PHE or Plate Heat Exchanger is a modern cooling equipment. The device includes multiple stainless steel plates with small gaps between them. When the milk passes between the plates, the temperature gets reduced. The device can cool down milk faster. 

Sustainable Dairy Farming Practices

It can significantly impact the environment. The manure produced by the animals, and the excessive water and land usage for livestock rearing can result in a lack of natural resources in the future. Also, livestock produces a significant amount of greenhouse gases like methane and carbon that cause air pollution. 

Researchers and industrialists are trying to come up with sustainable farming practices. The popular methods include:

Rotational Grazing: 

It lessens the risks associated with the overuse of resources. The dairy cows graze on pastures or grasslands. After a few months, they are taken to another piece of land so that the previous pasture gets the opportunity to replenish. This way, the biological balance is maintained.

Feed Management: 

This is crucial for managing the nutritional systems of the dairy animals. The popular systems include a confinement system with Total Mixed Rations. It is a balanced ration with mixed feed like green fodder and cereals full of vitamins, minerals, and proteins.  

Confinement systems that focus on a separate serving of concentrates and forages. Also, the pasture-based systems are the organic sources of nutrition for dairy animals. 

Renewable Energy Use

To prevent greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuels are now being replaced by biogas conversion. Also, photovoltaic systems are introduced to convert the solar energy into electricity. 

Dairy farm owners are now highly focused on opting for organic methods of farming. Now, it is time to learn more about organic farming and its advantages and drawbacks.

Organic Dairy Farming: Pros and Cons of Organic Farming

It is the practice of raising animals completely on organic feed. The organic feed includes pastures, grasslands, and crops grown without the use of chemical fertilizers. The farmers do not inject hormones or antibiotics. The dairy products produced by this technique are completely organic.

The Pros of Organic Farming

It offers better conditions for the animals to live. They can grow and roam around outside their herds. They also get involved in outdoor activities. 

• They are fed healthy grains like corn, wheat, and oats and these are great for their health.
• Organic farms develop antibiotic-resistant bacteria making the animals immune to certain diseases. 
• The pasture-based feed system helps in sequestering carbon particles in the soil making it more fertile. 
• Organically produced milk has higher market demand and gets better selling prices. 
• It improves the rural standards of living eradicating issues like unemployment. 

The Cons of Organic Dairy Farming

• The investment in this farming technique can be comparatively higher. 
• International trading can be difficult due to poor sanitary and traceability issues.
• The farmers may not get high profits in the local or domestic markets. 

Organic or eco-friendly dairy practices have some advantages and drawbacks. The lack of demand for organic products might cause challenges for the farmers to sell them. However, these products ensure the purest quality and zero negative health impacts. 

Benefits of Dairy Farming

This farming sector has a lot to offer. Let’s learn about the importance of this farming practice one by one.

Economic Impact: 

It can provide the farmers with a regular source of income. They can earn money by selling milk and manure. They can also invest in dairy animals to get high ROI. It creates a lot of employment opportunities in the rural areas. Dairy farmers can also sell calves to earn some extra bucks.

Nutritional Benefits: 

Dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese are high in nutritional value. These are rich sources of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, fat, and minerals. When consumed, these can be crucial parts of a healthy diet. 

Local Farming Support: 

Dairy products are in high demand. This farming technique can support the other farming industries in the locality. The manure produced by the animals can serve as good quality organic fertilizer in crop farming.

Challenges in Dairy Farming

Dairy farmers often face a few challenges when it comes to farming inputs, selling, weather changes, and animal diseases. Let’s learn about them in detail.  

Labor and Costs

The initial investment is quite high in this farming practice. The farmers need to invest in land and animals. They also need to have access to water resources.

Health Concerns 

Dairy animals often suffer from serious diseases. It causes a lot of physical and mental suffering for them. The use of antibiotics and hormonal injections causes severe stress to them. Poor health conditions can decrease their milk production. Also, calves are often forcefully separated from their mothers within a few hours of their birth.

Market Volatility

This farming practice is often affected by market price fluctuations. Also, the local market might not be in equal demand all the time for dairy products.  

Climate Change

Sometimes, severe climate conditions can affect the feed production and the health of dairy animals. Overgrazing might lead to the loss of ecologically important land areas causing an imbalance in biodiversity. The emission of greenhouse gases by animals and water pollution are also some serious concerns. 

The Future of Dairy Farming

The farming practice is a vital agricultural aspect. That is why, the farm owners and industrialists are looking for sustainable alternatives like regenerative agricultural practices for increased dairy production and reduced environmental impacts. 

More advanced farming technology is invented like robotic milking systems to reduce human labor involvement. Also, farmers nowadays often deal with more value-added products like yogurt, butter, ice cream, and cheese to earn more. 

To support the future of this farming practice, the government offers significant subvention and loans for the farmers. They can easily get credits at low interest rates. It aids in the establishment of better infrastructure and increased production & earnings.

Frequently Asked Questions: