Caring for Dairy Cattle

Supplying supplemental grain or hay - Supplemental nourishment is often necessary during the winter months and droughts when pastures can’t provide enough food for the herd. Dairy farmers rely on experts in nutrition for advice on feeding their cows.

Monitoring - Cows are monitored twice daily as they enter the milking barns.

Walking pastures and checking barns - To ensure the health of animals, the availability of food and water as well at the quality of shelter living conditions must be monitored regularly.

Providing comfortable bedding - A comfortable sleeping environment is provided in the form of sand, wood chips, recycled shredded rubber or mattresses.

Mending fences - Building and maintaining the fences around the fields is key to keeping cattle safe and secure.

Hoof trimming - Professionals routinely trim dairy cattle’s hooves to keep the cows comfortable and their hooves healthy.

Supplying medical care - If an animal is injured or sick, the producer will isolate it from the herd to provide one-on-one care and will call in a veterinarian or university animal scientists for advice.

If a cow is being treated with antibiotics, she is taken out of the milking herd and not put back until her milk tests free of antibiotics.

Dairies have regular veterinarian check-ups across the entire farm, occurring monthly, bi-monthly, or in some cases even weekly, to keep an eye on the wellness of the herd.

Providing birthing assistance – Producers dutifully monitor pregnant cows, at times staying up through the night to ensure a safe delivery.

Monitoring environmental conditions – Producers are constantly tracking air, water and ground quality to comply with EPA regulations and ensure the safety of their animals.

Throughout the years, dairy farmers and processors have worked closely with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state regulatory officials to establish safety regulations and practices such as the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system. As a result, American milk and dairy products are among the safest and most highly regulated foods in the world.

Milk is routinely sampled and tested by state regulatory authorities according to procedures outlined in the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance.

Every tank load of milk entering dairy processing plants is strictly tested for animal antibiotic residues. The U.S. dairy industry conducts more than 3.5 million tests each year to ensure that antibiotics are kept out of the milk supply. Any tanker that tests positive is disposed of immediately, never reaching the public.