In the United States, about 21 billion gallons of milk each year is produced, and these are coming from about 60,000 dairy farms in the country. These are integral parts of one of the nation's most important industries however, the dairy cows in these farms. These are important cows and the following are some specific information about them.
Most of the dairy farms in the United States are family-owned and typically each farm has on average about 130 dairy cows producing as much as 7 gallons of milk per cow per day. Some small dairies only have about a dozen cows and there are a few dairy farms with thousands of cows. You will find most of our nation's cows either in California or Wisconsin. Each of these cows is milked twice each day, and your typical dairy cow weighs about 1,400 pounds.
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.
Cows only have one stomach but with four compartments, of which each compartment have specific functions in the food processing, and this is contrary to popular belief that cows have four stomachs. About 100 pounds each day is typically consumed by each dairy cow. Silage, hay, grains and a few other sources of proteins are typically these combinations of the food consumed. Corn and preserved grains are those contained in silage.
Typically, a dairy farmer has many concerns including feeding and caring of the dairy cows each day, and this also includes harvesting of milk daily. Each of the cows produce several gallons of milk each day but in addition to this, the cows also produce a lot of waste each day and part of the farmer's job is removing of these wastes and storing these in the lagoons or waste pits.
While this agricultural waste can be used as a fertilizer for crops, there are many common problems associated with waste. These problems include the solidifying of waste at the bottom of a lagoon or pit, causing a heavy sludge layer or the crusting of the top layer. Pit foaming is another common problem. Natural products such as Agra Sphere and Activator use naturally occurring bacteria to eat away at sludge and crust and also to reduce foaming. These manure treatments contain no chemicals only bacterial microbes which act as a manure digester. These products also improve the nutrient value of the waste, making it a better fertilizer.
Most of the dairy farms in the United States are family-owned and typically each farm has on average about 130 dairy cows producing as much as 7 gallons of milk per cow per day. Some small dairies only have about a dozen cows and there are a few dairy farms with thousands of cows. You will find most of our nation's cows either in California or Wisconsin. Each of these cows is milked twice each day, and your typical dairy cow weighs about 1,400 pounds.
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.
Cows only have one stomach but with four compartments, of which each compartment have specific functions in the food processing, and this is contrary to popular belief that cows have four stomachs. About 100 pounds each day is typically consumed by each dairy cow. Silage, hay, grains and a few other sources of proteins are typically these combinations of the food consumed. Corn and preserved grains are those contained in silage.
Typically, a dairy farmer has many concerns including feeding and caring of the dairy cows each day, and this also includes harvesting of milk daily. Each of the cows produce several gallons of milk each day but in addition to this, the cows also produce a lot of waste each day and part of the farmer's job is removing of these wastes and storing these in the lagoons or waste pits.
While this agricultural waste can be used as a fertilizer for crops, there are many common problems associated with waste. These problems include the solidifying of waste at the bottom of a lagoon or pit, causing a heavy sludge layer or the crusting of the top layer. Pit foaming is another common problem. Natural products such as Agra Sphere and Activator use naturally occurring bacteria to eat away at sludge and crust and also to reduce foaming. These manure treatments contain no chemicals only bacterial microbes which act as a manure digester. These products also improve the nutrient value of the waste, making it a better fertilizer.
About the Author:
Lianne Derocco loves blogging about agricultural issues. For further details about agricultural waste treatment solutions, please check out the BioverseAG.com site now or click here.
