California remains the No. 1 dairy state with 1.7 million cows producing 3.6 million pounds of milk.
Milking and calving For the first few months after calving, a cow is at her prime, reaching peak milk production after about 100 days. She’s then ready to breed again. Milk slows as she’s further along in her gestation. About two months before calving, she’s no longer milked so she can focus on growing her calf. Cows ideally calve once a year, Desrochers says. This keeps the milk flowing, with new calves to repopulate the herd as older cows retire.
From milk to beef The highest-yielding cows are typically 4 years old, or at their second or third lactation. “We have some cows that are in their sixth or seventh lactation,” Desrochers says. After about her fourth lactation, the average U.S. Holstein is ready to become beef, usually hamburger. With the national beef herd at an all-time low, dairies have more incentive to sell their bull calves and older cows as meat.
Not just making hay Desrochers describes the dairy ration as “a cow casserole” of sorts. In addition to grains such as rolled corn and forages such as alfalfa hay and corn silage—made from chopping up the entire corn plant and fermenting it—dairies use agricultural byproducts available in their region. Specific to California are almond hulls. Tollcrest also feeds brewer’s grain—left over from beer making—from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico and pulverized oyster shells as a calcium source.
Recycling their waste New to Tollcrest this year is a
machine that separates the cows’ manure solids from the liquid. The liquid is used to irrigate fields that grow the cows’ feed. The dry solids are used for cow bedding. “When they get up and leave to go get milked, it’s like we’re room service at a hotel making their beds for them,” Desrochers says.
Ching Lee clee@californiabountiful.com
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