Dairy Production
Dairy production is an important part of American agriculture. Milk and other dairy products remain a staple in the diets of most Americans. In 2000, there were about 90,000 dairy farms in the United States. During the 1980s and 1990s, dairy production markedly shifted from the Midwest and Great Lakes regions to the West.Modern dairy production is diverse with systems ranging from cows housed indoors year-round to cows maintained on pasture nearly year-round. Expansion to larger herd sizes has allowed producers to increase the efficiency of production and capitalize on economies of scale, but it has resulted in environmental challenges with larger numbers of cattle and more manure concentrated in smaller areas.
This module will look at dairy production as it has evolved in the U.S., the array of dairy products available, dairy production systems, milking systems, and typical manure handling systems in use today.
- Background of Dairy Production in the U.S.
- Dairy Products
- Dairy Production Systems
- Lifecycle Production Phases
- Feeding and Feed Storage
- Milking Parlors
- Diseases
- Common Manure Handling Systems
- Potential Environmental Impacts
- Study Questions
- Glossary
- References
All photos are from M. Schutz, Purdue University unless otherwise noted. - Printer Friendly Version
Does not include Glossary and References
Additional Information
Livestock and Poultry Environmental
Stewardship (LPES) Curriculum (joint EPA/USDA project)
A national curriculum and supporting educational tools for livestock
and poultry industry advisors to help producers achieve environmentally
sustainable production systems.
Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operations (CAFO) Fact Sheets
(joint EPA/USDA project)
A collection of 24 publications that address questions that educators
and producers are most likely to have about the CAFO regulations and
how they will affect livestock and poultry production facilities.