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Cows on Campus? You Bet!

May 12, 2014 by ang5294

For my last passion post ever, I thought that I should fulfill my civic duty and discuss part of the wonderful diversity that takes place at our beloved Pennsylvania State University. As you may or may not know, Penn State (originally called the Farmers’ High School) was founded in 1855 as Pennsylvania’s land grant institution. On of main missions of the land grant universities was to provide higher education to students who planned on pursuing a career as a farmer or another agricultural industry profession. This mission continues to be reflected through our university, as our College of Agricultural Sciences is one of the best in the nation.

One of the largest components of the College of Ag is the Animal Science Department and, within that, the Dairy Science program. Did you know that Penn State University actually has cows on campus? Right across the road from Beaver Stadium, you can find the Penn State Dairy Complex, which houses the university’s herd of Holstein cattle. The facility contains a milking herd of about 220 cattle in addition to calves, heifers, and dry cows. The milk produced by these cows is used to make the dairy products at the beloved Berkey Creamery and the rest is sold to Land O’Lakes cooperative. Some of the cattle at the facility are used in university research studies. The Penn State dairy herd also serves as an interactive learning tool for many of the Animal Science (AN SC) courses offered at University Park. In addition, many students work at the dairy barns to care for the cattle, and some students even live in special dorms at the dairy complex.

You can find out more about the dairy complex by following this link: http://animalscience.psu.edu/facilities/dairy-barns

In addition to the dairy complex, dairy cattle also play an important role at the university through the Penn State Dairy Science Club (DSCI). This club is open to any University Park student with an interest in dairy cattle. The club is involved in many different activities, including the Nittany Lion Fall Classic (a Holstein sale that is a major fundraiser for the club), the Holiday Cheesebox Sale (another big fundraiser), domestic and international spring trips, and Dairy Expo (a dairy showmanship contest/learning opportunity open to all University Park students). We also crown the Penn State Dairy Princess every year, who works to promote the dairy industry to the University Park and State College communities. Additionally, Penn State has two Collegiate Dairy Judging Teams that compete nationally at competitions at the World Dairy Expo (Madison, Wisconsin), the All-American Dairy Show (Harrisburg, PA), the Eastern States Exposition (West Springfield, Massachusetts), and the North American International Livestock Exposition (Louisville, Kentucky).

The Pennsylvania State University provides students with many different learning opportunities. The following is a list of dairy-related courses that the university offers.

AN SC 100 (GN): Introduction to Animal Industries (3)

AN SC 201: Animal Science (4)

AN SC 225: Introduction to Dairy Judging (1)

AN SC 310: Dairy Cattle Production & Management (3)

AN SC 322/322H: Principles of Animal Breeding (3)

AN SC 350: Dairy Problem Solving (2)

AN SC 410: Advanced Dairy Herd Management (4)

AN SC 422: Dairy Cattle Evaluation & Selection (3)

AN SC 426: Advanced Judging & Selection [Dairy Judging Team] (2)

AN SC 427: Milk Secretion (3)

AN SC 432: Techniques in Cattle Reproduction (1)

AN SC 450: Dairy Farm Management Systems (3)

AN SC 451: Dairy Systems Analysis (1-2)

You can find more detailed descriptions of these courses in the Undergraduate Bulletin: http://bulletins.psu.edu/undergrad/courses/A/AN%20SC/.

Category Passion | Tags: AN SC,barns,cow,dairy,DSCI,passion,PSU,rcl1314,rclrudewalker | No Comments
Mastitis & Antibiotics Part 3

May 12, 2014 by ang5294

In this post, I will finish the previously started discussion on mastitis and antibiotic use in dairy cattle.

As I mentioned last time, milk from a cow with mastitis may enter the bulk tank to be used for human consumption BEFORE the cow has been treated with antibiotics. You don’t have to worry about any somatic cell clumps getting into your glass of milk, however, because the milk is filtered extremely well before entering the bulk tank. It is filtered and tested repeatedly at the processing plant as well. If the milk does not meet the required quality standards, it is disposed of so that it cannot enter the food supply.

You also have no need to worry about antibiotics being present in the milk you drink. Dairy farmers ONLY treat their cattle with antibiotics when they are SICK and the cow needs the antibiotics to fight the illness and recover. When a cow is treated with an antibiotic, she is clearly identified so that her milk does not accidentally enter the bulk tank. Cows that are treated with antibiotics are always milked last to ensure that the antibiotics in the milk do not contaminate the milking equipment. When treated cows are milked, the milk is directed away from the bulk tank and dumped. The cow’s milk cannot enter the bulk tank again until after the required withdrawal period. A withdrawal period is the amount of time specified on a drug label that states how long a farmer must wait after a cow receives her most recent antibiotic treatment before the antibiotic is naturally cleared from the cow’s system and her milk can safely re-enter the food supply. There are also withdrawal periods that specify how long it takes for the antibiotic to clear itself from muscle tissue and it is safe for the animal to be slaughtered for meat.

In addition to complying with withdrawal periods, farmers can also ensure that it is safe for a cow’s milk to re-enter the food supply by performing on-farm antibiotic tests. Milk is also tested for antibiotics on the farm by the milk truck before it is loaded onto the milk truck and at the milk processing plant. With all of these tests to ensure milk quality and purity, milk is the most tested food by the Food and Drug Administration and is the safest food that you can consume.

Both subclinical and clinical mastitis can typically be treated by the farmer without the presence of a veterinarian; coliform mastitis, however, is much more serious and sometimes may require veterinary assistance. In clinical mastitis, the milk maintains its white color even though it contains clumps of leukocytes; in coliform mastitis, the milk will often appear clear or extremely watered down (and it may or may not contain clumps). The affected cow will often go off feed and will likely suffer from a decrease in body weight, a decrease in milk production, and weakness. In addition to intramammary antibiotics, cattle are typically given an IV of a hypertonic saline solution and possibly dextrose (sugar) or calcium. Subclinical and clinical mastitis cases should be treated as soon as possible to prevent them from developing into coliform, and coliform cases should be taken very seriously, as they could result in the death of the animal.

Category Passion | Tags: antibiotics,cow,dairy,mastitis,passion,rcl1314,rclrudewalker,sick | No Comments
Mastitis & Antibiotics Part 2

May 12, 2014 by ang5294

In my last post, I mentioned that a California Mastitis Test (CMT) can be used as an on-farm test to diagnose subclinical mastitis in dairy cattle. Here is how the test works:

1) Milk from each quarter of the cow’s udder is squirted into the CMT paddle. The paddle has four separate circle-shaped compartments–one for each quarter.

Milk from each quarter is squirted into the CMT paddle.

2) The paddle is tilted sideways, allowing some of the milk from each compartment drain off of the paddle. This is done to ensure that there is approximately the same amount of milk in each compartment. The milk being drained moves off of the paddle through the grooves between the compartments. Cross-compartment contamination does not occur unless this process is done incorrectly.

3) A dye solution (typically purple dye) is added to each compartment. The person performing the test should add the dye liberally, but he/she should try to put about the same amount of dye in each compartment.

4) Move the paddle in a swirling motion to mix the milk with the dye. Look at the consistency of the milk in the paddle. If there is a film on top of the milk or light-colored flecks in the milk or if the milk has a thicker consistency or darker color with the dye, then the cow probably has subclinical mastitis.

This is a CMT paddle after the dye mixture has been added to the milk and swirled.

Clinical mastitis is a more serious form of mastitis than subclinical mastitis, and it is more easily detected. In clinical mastitis, the clumps of leukocytes (somatic cells) are clearly visible in the milk. These clumps can range in size from tiny flecks to large, stringy globules that can prevent proper milk flow.

This picture shows the clumps of leukocytes left behind from milk after it was passed through a strainer.

When detected, both subclinical and clinical mastitis are typically treated by intramammary antibiotics. This means that if a cow has mastitis in her front left quarter, for example, the antibiotic will be administered through the teat canal into that quarter. The antibiotic will only be administered into the affected quarter(s). These antibiotics are typically administered on a daily basis for at least two days or until the mastitis disappears.

Spectramast LC is an antibiotic commonly used to treat mastitis in dairy cattle. We use this as a mastitis treatment on my farm.

Before I explain coliform mastitis, let me first provide some information on milk quality and the standard procedures that accompany antibiotic use in dairy cattle. First of all, before a cow is milked, milk is stripped from each of her quarters to check for abnormalities, including mastitis. If a cow does show signs of mastitis, she will be milked normally and then treated with an antibiotic. The farmer will make a record of this treatment and identify the cow (with a paint stick mark, removable leg band, etc.) so that it is visibly clear that the cow has been treated with antibiotics.

I will continue this discussion in my next post.

Category Passion | Tags: antibiotics,cow,dairy,mastitis,milk,passion,rcl1314,rclrudewalker,sick,testing | No Comments
Mastitis & Antibiotics Part 1

May 8, 2014 by ang5294

Dairy farmers strive to promote the health of their cattle, but what happens when a cow gets sick? If you are a parent with a sick child, you may try to take care of the illness with over-the-counter medications, rest, and chicken noodle soup. If it’s something more serious, you might take your child to the doctor to figure out what the problem is and get treatment for it. In the dairy industry, cows are cared for in almost the same way.

Just as it is expensive, time-consuming, and a little bit ridiculous to take your child to the doctor for having a cold, it is more reasonable in the dairy industry for farmers to treat their own cattle than it is to have a veterinarian drive out to the farm.

The most common and costly ailment that dairy cattle face is mastitis–an infection of the mammary system (udder). Mastitis is obviously a huge issue because, in addition to harming the health of the cow, it causes a decrease in milk production and milk quality. A variety of different pathogens can lead to mastitis in cattle. Mastitis is often contracted from environmental sources (non-contagious); more serious forms are mastitis are contagious and can be contracted from direct contact with other cattle or indirect contact (for example, milking equipment or the hands of the person milking the cows).

There are many different degrees in which mastitis can affect a cow, and most of them can be treated by the farmer without consulting a veterinarian. Mastitis is commonly categorized as subclinical, clinical, or coliform.

Subclinical mastitis is least serious type of mastitis. There are no visible signs of mastitis in the milk in this form (let me go on a quick side rant to explain what this means). Milk is composed of a variety of different components, and body cells (somatic cells) from the cows can always be found in small levels in milk. Even though the presence of these cells in milk is completely natural, high levels of somatic cells are undesirable, as they reduce milk quality. A common cause of a high somatic cell count (SCC) in dairy cows is mastitis. When a cow becomes infected with mastitis, an immune response is triggered, causing white blood cells (leukocytes) to accumulate in the udder to fight the infection-causing agents. These leukocytes are somatic cells so this would logically increase a cow’s SCC. These leukocytes tend to stick to each other, forming clumps of cells. In subclinical mastitis, these cells are typically too tiny to be seen by the naked eye. However, the cow may show other symptoms of mastitis (swollen udder quarter, hot quarter, kicking or other discomfort during milking, going “off feed” [not eating], etc.). Additionally, milk test results should indicate a high SCC, and a California Mastitis Test (CMT) can sometimes detect this form of mastitis.

In my next post, I will continue the discussion of mastitis and antibiotic use in dairy cattle, starting out by explaining how the previously mentioned CMT works.

Category Passion | Tags: antibiotics,cow,dairy,mastitis,milk,passion,rcl1314,rclrudewalker,sick,testing | No Comments
Ruminology–Don’t Bite off More than You can Chew

March 30, 2014 by ang5294

Now that my dairy judging mini-series has come to an end, it’s time for me to talk write about other dairy industry issues. One topic that you may or may not be familiar with is ruminology, or the study of the ruminant digestive system. If you already know something about ruminants, then most of this should be review, but if not, I hope that you learn something new!

Let’s start with the basics. Humans are considered to be monogastric when it comes to digestion, meaning that we are simple-stomached animals. Our stomach only has one compartment (“mono”) and contains hydrochloric acid (HCl) that breaks down our food. Some other animals, like dogs, cats, and pigs, also possess monogastric digestive systems, while other species have more complex digestive systems. Traditionally, these complex digestive systems are called ruminant digestive systems, which have four stomach compartments and allow the animal to digest plant material that cannot be digested by monogastrics.

Let’s take a tour of the ruminant stomach. The largest compartment of the ruminant stomach is the rumen. The rumen (pH of 6) is also called the “fermentation vat” because it contains millions of microbes (bacteria, fungi, and protozoa) that help to digest the contents of the rumen. The rumen also contains thousands of finger-like projections called papillae that help to increase the rumen’s surface area. A picture of rumen papillae is shown below:

Because the forages (plants) that ruminants consume are difficult to digest, cattle must regurgitate, rechew, and reswallow their food in order to maximize the nutritional uptake from feeds. This process is called “cud chewing” or ruminating. Cows can often be seen chewing their cud when they are calm or relaxed; a cow will ruminate for approximately eight hours per day. The ball of partially-digested food regurgitated during rumination is called a bolus (or cud).

As you might suspect, all of this microbial digestion in the rumen results in a lot of gas build-up inside the cow. Cows will become bloated if this gas is not released. The most common mode for gas release is belching (also called eructation). If that term made you smirk, just wait until you read the next one. The technical term for chewing is mastication. So now the next time you want to harass your friend, just make some comment about him/her masticating (it’s sure to get some sort of reaction)!

This cow is masticating or chewing her cud.

But back to business, the stomach compartment closest to the heart is called the reticulum. The reticulum is called the “honeycomb,” well, because it looks like a honeycomb. When cattle ruminate, the bolus passes through the reticulum before traveling back up through the esophagus. The reticulum is also very important in collecting foreign materials that cows may accidentally swallow. However, if a cow swallows something metal (like a nail), it could puncture the reticulum wall and potentially damage the heart and/or lungs, which could be fatal to a cow. This condition is called hardware disease. A magnet can be placed into a cow’s stomach to help prevent this condition.

Reticulum or “Honeycomb”

These are the type of magnets that could be given to a cow to prevent hardware disease.

The omasum is the stomach compartment responsible for water absorption. It is often called “many piles,” “many plies,” or “the Bible” because it contains numerous folds that give it more surface area.

Omasum

Finally, the abomasum (pH of 2),which is the largest stomach compartment in a newborn calf (about the size of a basketball), is often referred to as the “true stomach” because it contains hydrochloric acid and functions much like a monogastric stomach.

Abomasum

As usual, I could rant more about this topic, but I’ve already went over my word limit. I hope you learned something new. If you have any questions for me, ask them in the comment section and I will answer them for you!

Category Passion | Tags: cow,dairy,digestion,passion,rcl1314,rclrudewalker,ruminant,ruminology | 3 Comments
“In placing this class of Holstein 5 Year Olds, 1-2-3-4…”: Judging Contests and the Art of Oral Reasons

March 6, 2014 by ang5294

I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that nobody reading this post (besides me) has participated in or witnessed a dairy judging contest, so now it’s time to explain what you’ve been missing out on!

Whether you’re judging dairy cattle or some other form of animal, the really unique part of a judging contest is that the animals are not the ones competing. Shows are competitions in which animals compete against each other and a judge determines which animals are the best. Judging contests are competitions in which people compete against each other by judging animals (kind of like how a judge would in a show); the best judges are those whose placings of the animals match up the closest to the placings of an “official judge” and those who can effectively defend their placings through oral reasons. So basically, people get judged on how well they can judge, cool, huh?

Before we get into an in-depth explanation of oral reasons, let’s first go over the logistics of the contest. Contestants will judge multiple “classes” of cattle. Each “class” consists of four animals numbered 1 through 4. These animals will be of the same breed and age so that they can accurately be compared against each other. Contestants are given 15 minutes to look at the animals in each class and place them from best to worst. For example, if I liked 1 better than 2, 2 better than 3, 3 better than 4, and thought 4 was the worst cow in the class, then my placing would be 1-2-3-4. Contestants typically have to judge 6 to 10 classes of cattle depending on the contest.

Sometimes contestants are asked to present oral reasons on a class, which basically means that they have to explain to a judge why they placed the class the way that they did (why they liked 1 better than 2, for example). This is where all those fancy terms used in the previous posts come into play. During the 15 minute judging period, contestants will write down notes for their reasons that they will use later for reference. After all of the classes have been placed, contestants will go to a different location to present their reasons. Contestants will be given at least 15 minutes to prepare for each set of reasons; during this time, contestants can use their notes to organize their thoughts and memorize what they want to say into a clear and concise 2-minute set of oral reasons, which is then presented to a judge (or judges) completely from memory (without notes). This can be an especially daunting task when you have to give multiple sets of reasons! Fortunately, you are guaranteed at least 15 minutes of prep time between each set. After you have given a set of reasons, the judges may ask you questions about the class to see how much you actually remembered about the cows, rather than just your notes.

Learning how to give a great set of oral reasons is an art-form that takes lots of time and practice to master (or come close to mastering). The important things to remember is that it is YOUR OPINION, so as long as you back it up with accurate facts and use COMPARATIVE terms (as opposed to descriptive terms), you’ll be well on your way to success!

I think that this pretty much wraps up my dairy judging unit! If you’re interested in learning more about dairy judging, consider taking AN SC 225 (Introduction to Dairy Judging) in the spring or AN SC 426 Section 2 (Advanced Judging) in the fall! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Category Passion | Tags: agriculture,contest,cow,dairy,judging,passion,rcl1314,rclrudewalker,reasons | 3 Comments
“Wow, She Has Such A Nice Frame!” (Not The Picture Kind)

March 6, 2014 by ang5294

It’s finally time to cover the last category on the PDCA Scorecard–Frame! Although Frame is worth the least amount of points (15 points to be exact), it is still a very important factor to evaluate in a dairy cow.

The most important category under Frame is the rump. To discuss this concept, let’s look at an image that was included in the previous blog post:

When looking at a cow’s rump, it is important to look at the hook bones and pin bones and the relationship between the two. The ideal cow will be nearly level from hooks to pins with the pins slightly lower than the hooks. If the pins are higher than the hooks, this could create major calving difficulties, as the calf would have to go up through the birth canal and then down instead of just going straight down. If the slope of the rump is too great, then the thurl placement (discussed in the previous blog) could be offset, which could present walking difficulties for the cow. This is why a nearly level, slightly downward-sloped rump is preferred in a cow.

In addition to looking at the rump from the side, it is important to look at the rump from the rear. A cow should have plenty of width between her hooks and especially between her pins to allow for easier calvings. I have personally faced many instances when cows had difficulties calving because their pins were not wide enough for the calf to pass through without some major pulling. It is much easier on both the farmer assisting with the calving and the cow if a cow is wide in her rump.

An ideal cow should also have a wide and deep front end (or chest area). Having more space in the front end means that the cow is stronger and has more room for her heart and her lungs, therefore making her a much healthier, productive cow.

The spine (or back) of a cow is called her “topline.” An ideal cow will be straight and strong over her topline. This strength will help to hold the cow together, as her back is her central support. This is important characteristic for a cow to have in order to last in the herd until old age.

Finally, stature is an important trait to look for in an ideal cow. Cows should be tall at the point of withers (top of the shoulder, which is where height is measured on a cow and many other farm animals) and long from nose to tail. A cow that has greater dimensions is simply more cow in every respect, as she has more room for her internal organs, a calf, feed, her udder, etc.

So now, I bet you’re an expert at judging dairy cows (or at least you have a general idea of what to look for)! To give you guys a break from all of the technicalities, my next post will focus more on the format of a judging contest, rather than the judging process itself.

Category Passion | Tags: agriculture,cow,dairy,frame,judging,passion,rcl1314,rclrudewalker | 2 Comments
She Can Have Pretty Legs without High Heels!

February 19, 2014 by ang5294

Guys like girls with nice legs, right? Well, dairy farmers like cows with nice legs, too! On the PDCA Dairy Cow Unified Scorecard, Rear Feet & Legs are worth 20 points, and there are many different factors that breeders look at to determine if a cow has “nice” legs.

The most important characteristic for nice legs is movement. On the farm, cows need to be able to move quickly and easily from the barn to the pasture to the milking parlor to the water tub to the feeder, etc. This may seem a bit obvious, but cows that have no movement restrictions will be able to last a lot longer in the herd and be more productive than animals that limp or have issues laying down and getting back up. In formal dairy judging terms, an ideal cow will move fluidly and gracefully.

When analyzing the structure of the legs themselves, farmers look at both the side and rear views. The major joint in the rear leg is called the hock, and it bends in the opposite direction of the knee (found on the front legs). The angle of the hock with the rest of the leg when viewed from the side is referred to as “set to the hock.” A cow should have a medium set to the hock, so that she is able to adequately flex the joint with a good amount of support. The following pictures show how the set to the hock can vary greatly among cows:

The cow on the left (Holstein) has an ideal, intermediate set to her hock. The middle cow (Guernsey) has too much set to her hock or is “sickled” in her hock. The right cow (Jersey) does not have enough set to her hock or is “posty” in her hock (it looks straight like a post).

An ideal cow should also track straight (tracking is a fancy word for walking) or be straighter in the leg when viewed from the rear. Cows that track straight are less prone to injury and have fewer movement difficulties. Cattle that do not have straight legs are commonly said to “hock in” and “toe out” because their hocks point inward (and sometimes almost touch) and their hooves point outward.

This image shows beef cattle instead of dairy cattle, but it clearly illustrates this concept. The cow on the left is straight in the leg when viewed from the rear, while the right cow clearly hocks in and toes out.

The way that a cow’s legs are structured is often dependent on the cow’s thurl placement. The thurl is the point on the rump between the hooks and the pins where the leg attached to the rump. The thurl should be centrally located between the hooks and pins. If the thurl is located too far back, it could negatively affect the set to the hock.

We’ll talked about the legs quite a bit, but now let’s look at the feet side of the equation. The part of foot right above the hoof is called the pastern. The pasterns are the shock absorbers for the cow, as this is where all of the pressure from the cow’s weight goes when she is walking or standing. Because of this, it is important for cows to have strong, steep pasterns and be short in the toe and deep in the heel.

Next week, we’ll finish covering the PDCA Scorecard with the final category–Frame! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Category Passion | Tags: cow,dairy,feet,judging,legs,passion,rcl1314,rclrudewalker | 3 Comments
Dairy Strength–Girlie but Tough

February 6, 2014 by ang5294

Last week, I discussed the udder, which is the category given the most emphasis on the PDCA Dairy Cow Unified Scorecard. Next, I’ll talk about dairy strength, which is the second most important category (worth 25 points).

Although dairy strength is very important, it is often difficult to define. This is true especially for individuals who have been judging cows prior to 2009 when dairy strength was actually two different categories: dairy character and body capacity. Because dairy character and body capacity are, in a way, related and it is very important for a cow to have an appropriate balance between these two categories, they were combined into dairy strength. To better explain dairy strength, I will discuss each of its two components individually and then connect the dots.

Dairy character basically refers to a cow’s ability to perform effectively as a dairy animal and produce a lot of milk, in reference to body structure and body condition. A lot of this deals with the efficient use of energy in the body. If a cow is efficient with her energy, then a great deal of it will go into producing milk and the cow will appear to be very skinny. People not very familiar with cows sometimes think that if you can see the bones very clearly on a cow, that means she is “anorexic” and that the farmers need to feed her more. Although there are extreme cases when dairy cows can become underconditioned (this mostly happens when they are sick), being able to see a dairy cow’s bones is perfectly healthy for the cow and normal. On the reverse side, a cow that does not efficiently use her energy can easily get overconditioned (fat). Cows that are severely overconditioned are not only economically undesirable, but also highly susceptible to health problems. The only times when a cow should be slightly overconditioned are during pregnancy and early lactation, time periods when fat reserves can provide extra energy that is beneficial to the cow. In short, a cow should never be too skinny or too fat. Words that can be used to describe a cow with appropriate body condition include feminine, sharp, angular, chiseled, and clean cut. The following photographs show the difference between the degrees of body condition:

This cow is underconditioned due to illness.

This is my cow Flair, and she has an acceptable amount of body condition.

This cow is overconditioned, which may cause her to suffer from health problems.

Body capacity is just what it sounds like–how much space a cow has inside her body. To be an effective dairy cow, a cow needs plenty of space for her internal organs (heart, lungs, etc.), a calf, and lots of feed. Because of this, a cow that wide from her muzzle back through her chest, barrel, and rump is desirable. A cow should also display depth in her chest as well as her fore and rear rib. Another important quality that is cow should have is spring of rib. A cow with a lot of spring to her rib will look rounded in her ribs when viewed from the rear because her ribs arc out instead of laying flat. A cow should also have lots of openness of rib, meaning that there is plenty of space between the ribs (this trait falls under dairy character more so than body capacity). Typically, a cow is considered to be open in the rib is you can fit the width of three fingers between them. A cow with all of these traits is typically considered to have strength and power, but a cow needs to have the right balance between brute strength and ruggedness and femininity in order to function most effectively.

Again, I’m sorry that I went over my word limit. Next week, expect to learn about rear feet and legs!

Category Passion | Tags: body capacity,cow,dairy,dairy character,dairy strength,judging,passion,rcl1314,rclrudewalker | 3 Comments
I “Udderly” Love Judging Cows <3

January 29, 2014 by ang5294

Welcome back to my blog! I hope that you’re all prepared to learn more about the dairy industry!

This semester, I’m taking AN SC 225, which is a one credit class entitled “Introduction to Dairy Judging.” I’ve been judging cows since I was 10 years old and I absolutely love it, so I am really psyched about this class. Because I would like to share my enthusiasm with all of you, my next several posts are going to focus on, you guessed it, dairy judging.

The purpose of dairy judging is for breeders to be able to compare cows and determine their superior traits and their traits that need to be improved upon. All cows are judged based off of the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association (PDCA) Dairy Cow Unified Scorecard.

The following is a link to scorecard: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usjersey.com%2FReference%2FPDCA_Dairy_Cow_Unified_Scorecard_2009update.pdf&ei=ubbpUvmPL4qrsQSexoCwDg&usg=AFQjCNEAEJPCMWqNlwGwgWiEjFK5aSmcPA&sig2=EL2WlueFz_Fxzk_Sbj7q8g&bvm=bv.60444564,d.cWc

The major breakdowns of the scorecard are:

Udder–40 points

Dairy Strength–25 points

Rear Feet & Legs–20 points

Frame–15 points

In order to understand these breakdowns, it’s important to know the parts of a dairy cow.

At this point, you may be wondering, why were the previously mentioned categories picked to be on the scorecard? Well, each of these categories contains many sub-categories which encompass different parts of the cow. If these parts are structured a certain way, then they result in a healthier, more productive cow.

I’ll first start by describing the characteristics that make a desirable udder in a dairy cow.

Obviously, the udder is the organ that produces milk, so it is worth the most points. An udder that can hold more milk is more desirable. Hence, the ideal cow will have a high and wide rear udder attachment and a strong and smooth-blending fore udder attachment. Even though breeders want cows with capacious udders, they should also be youthful, meaning that the udder does not hand too low. Typically, the udder floor should be held above the hocks (the joints on the cow’s rear legs). An udder that is too deep can easily get stepped on or injured and is more difficult to milk. With each calf a cow has, the udder will get deeper, so it’s good for the udder to have room to grow. A cow should also have a strong, clearly defined udder cleft. The udder cleft is the ligament that divides the rear udder in half. It is a major support system for the udder, so a cow with a strong udder cleft will typically be healthier and last longer in the herd. The ideal udder should also possess a lot of bloom, meaning that it looks like it’s full of milk, and veining. Cows need a lot of blood to pass through their udders to produce milk, so the more veins visible on the udder, the more blood flowing through the udder and the more milk produced. Another important trait that should be analyzed on a cow’s udder is her teats. A cow should have medium-sized, uniform teats that hang square to the ground. Teats that are too fat, too skinny, too long, or too short will not fit into the inflations on the milking equipment correctly. In addition, teats that are too big can easily be injured. Breeders also want cows to have teats that hang perpendicular to the ground because it is difficult to milk teats that are too close together or too far apart; in some cases, the milker will not even stay on the cow.

I hope that you all learned a lot from my dairy judging rant. Next week, expect to learn about other traits seen on the PDCA scorecard and why they are desirable in a dairy cow!

Category Passion | Tags: agriculture,AN SC 225,cow,dairy,judging,passion,PDCA,rcl1314,rclrudewalker,scorecard,traits,udder | 3 Comments

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