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

Beef cattle commercial production

Cattle farming involves rearing and management of two types of animals one group for food requirements like milk and another for labor purposes like ploughing, irrigation, etc.

Beef farming systems are remarkably diverse, ranging from suckler herds where home-bred calves are reared to sell as finished beef, to herds where cattle are purchased at any age from a week old, to be sold at any age from a few weeks to slaughter weight.

There are three main types of commercial beef cattle production systems:
* Cow-Calf Phase (Feeder Calf Production): the cow calf segment which produces weaned feeder calves for further grazing and/or feeding. Establishing a breeding herd takes time. It also requires more land.
* Backgrounding Phase: the backgrounding or stocker phase of production in which body weight is added to recently weaned calves, resulting in feedlot ready yearlings. A backgrounding or stocker operation typically pastures or feeds purchased weaned calves until they reach 750 to 800 pounds. Then they are sold to a feedlot for finishing.
* Finishing/Feedlot Phase: the finishing phase of production in which cattle are fattened for slaughter.

Factors that should be considered in choosing a suitable system include:
• The capacity of the land to support growth of grass, forage and cereals for cattle feed.
• Land area available.
• Winter housing available.
• Labor.
• Availability of cheap straw bedding.
• Other enterprises such as sheep-rearing and arable cropping.

The period of transition from the ranch to the feedlot is one of the most challenging times in a beef animal’s life from a welfare perspective. This is related to the multiple stressors that newly received calves and yearlings are exposed to prior to coming to the feedlot such as weaning (separation), castration and dehorning, branding, vaccination, handling, transport, potential mixing at an auction market, exposure to a new diet and a novel environment including pens, waterers, and feed bunks.

Feeds for cattle
Generally, cattle are fed a mixture of these feedstuffs in amount according to body size, physiological stage and purpose of feeding. Feedstuffs are categorized as concentrates or roughages. Concentrates are feedstuffs high in digestible nutrients, like grains and protein supplements. Roughages are feedstuffs that usually have a lower nutrient density and more fiber. Examples of roughages include hay, pasture, and silage. As a general rule, beef cattle consume up to 3 percent of bodyweight of good-quality feed (on a dry matter basis) per day.
Beef cattle commercial production