Water supply in dairy farm

Water is an essential element for all life and is important for domestic use, industrial purposes, crop production and livestock farming. Dairy farms rely on good quality water to ensure maximum milk production and herd health. Therefore, providing dairy cattle an adequate supply of water is important. However, water consumption may be decreased if poor quality water is offered.

Estimating the property water requirement involves determining how much water is used on-farm. Typical water uses include: stock, the dairy, evaporative losses, household use, and a contingency supply that may also be needed for fire-fighting purposes.

Ensuring dairy cattle have an adequate supply of drinking water is an important nutrition consideration for dairy farmers. A cow’s body is between 60% and 80% water, while milk is 87% water. Water storage is one way to accumulate water slowly in off-peak periods to be ready for high demands. The system itself provides some built-in storage.

Total dissolved solids, total soluble salts and salinity are physiochemical properties of water used to assess water quality. These terms are used synonymously and measure the amount of sodium chloride, bicarbonate, sulphate, calcium, magnesium, silica, iron, nitrate, strontium, potassium, carbonate, phosphorus, boron and fluoride in water.

Few studies have linked water pH with any livestock health or performance issues. It was suggested that water pH should fall between 5.1 and 9.0 for dairy herds. They suggested that acidic water with a pH less than 5.1 may increase problems related to chronic or mild acidosis while water with a pH over 9.0 may result in problems related to chronic or mild alkalosis.
Water supply in dairy farm

Dairy cattle farming

Demand for dairy products is increasing worldwide. Dairy farmers are in the business of producing food for human consumption so they must be confident in the safety and quality of the milk they produce. Good dairy farming practice underpins the production of milk that satisfies the highest expectations of the food industry and consumers.

Milk is the most significant cattle production among other ones, which is produced within milk glands and it is used as a primary food for young individuals providing them with the necessary proteins, fat, immunoglobulin, minerals, vitamins, etc.

One of the chief advantages of dairy farming is that the dairy cow fits admirably in diversified and Intensive farming where the farmer strives to produce the greatest possible income from a small acreage and yet retain the fertility of his farm.

A number of factors influence herd milk yields, and farmers may choose anything from a low-input–low-output system to a high-input–high-output system.

*Low-input–low-output herds are almost invariably based on spring-calving grazing systems: they rely on a low purchased-feed rate and try to produce the bulk of their milk from grazed grass.

*High-input–high-output systems are based on housed cows that are fed high levels of concentrate. They require careful ration formulation and tight fertility management.

The recent scientific achievements have significantly influenced on managing the cattle, increasing their production rate and also it has enabled changing the breed structure with the aim to fulfill the needs of the modern society by their products.

Good dairy farming practice ensures that the milk is produced by healthy animals in a manner that is sustainable and responsible from the animal welfare, social, economic and environmental perspectives. So, implementing good dairy farming practice is good risk management for the short- and long-term future of the dairy farming enterprise.
Dairy cattle farming

Holstein Friesian cattle

The Holstein-Friesian breed of dairy cattle originated in the Holstein and Friesian provinces of the Netherlands. Holstein-Friesian cattle exhibit individually-characteristic black and white coat patterns visually akin to those arising from Turing’s reaction-diffusion systems.

These cattle efficient in producing either milk or beef and is known for high productivity under temperate climates. Holstein-Friesian cattle are the most common and widespread cattle breed in the world, constituting around 70 million animals in 150 countries

The Holstein-Friesian (HF) is the dominant dairy cow breed on Northern Ireland dairy farms, a reflection of the high efficiency of the breed for milk production.

Although the butterfat content of its milk is not as high as that of the traditional and numerically dominant Jersey breed, its milk output is higher.

As a beef animal, the Holstein-Friesian grows faster than traditional beef breeds (Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn), and its carcass has a lower fat content at “killable weights”.
Holstein Friesian cattle