| FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS:
What is the total amount of dairy products produced
in the
United States each year?
Each year, the U.S. produces over 1 billion pounds of butter,
more than 7 billion pounds of cheese, over 1 billion pounds of
nonfat dry milk, 1.5 billion pounds of yogurt, and about 1 billion
gallons
of ice cream.
What role does dairy production play in a rural economy?
Besides the direct economic contribution of farms and dairy-related
companies, the dairy industry also uses machinery, trucks, fuel,
financial services and other goods and services from local companies,
generating additional "non-dairy" jobs and income in
rural economies.
How are dairy farmers being good stewards of
the land?
Most dairy farmers live and work on their farms, so it’s
important to them to protect the land, water and air for their
families, surrounding communities and future generations. Environmental
practices on all dairy farms are tightly regulated by both federal
and state agencies. While requirements vary from state to state,
most dairy farmers consistently meet or exceed these regulations.
Dairy farmers employ a wide range of environmentally sound practices,
ranging from basic manure management programs to high-tech systems
that convert cow manure to electricity. Animal manures are
a valuable fertilizer and soil conditioner, if applied under proper
conditions at crop nutrient requirements. Dairy farmers
are required to have a nutrient management plan that includes
scientific analysis of the soil to ensure the proper amount of
manure is spread.
What happens to the manure produced by cows?
It is applied to cropland as fertilizer. One of the more popular
recent methods of dairy manure handling has been earthen liquid
storage basins for 6-12 month manure accumulations. In addition
to the convenience of only having to spread manure once or twice
a year, the nutrients are better utilized. Manure can be spread
in the spring on corn silage land or in the fall on small grains
at times when it can be incorporated into the soil either by direct
injection or disking.
Do dairy farmers take good care of their animals?
Absolutely. The well-being of a dairy cow is the farmers’
primary concern because it’s the right thing to do, and
proper animal care leads to the production of high quality milk.
Nutritious diets, healthy living conditions and good medical care
are all essential for a healthy herd, and these are among the
many animal welfare practices routinely used by dairy farmers.
Animal scientists and dairy farmers continually explore different
ways to improve the comfort of dairy cows.
Are antibiotics given to dairy cows?
Only when it’s necessary for farmers to treat sick cows,
just as humans sometimes need medication when they are sick. If
a cow is being treated with antibiotics, she is taken out of the
milking herd and not put back into the herd until her milk tests
free of antibiotics.
Every tank load of milk entering dairy processing plants is strictly
tested for animal drug 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.
What about hormones?
Some cows are given supplements of Bovine somatotropin (bST).
This is a hormone that is naturally produced by cows; it directs
how energy and nutrients are used for growth and milk production.
rbST is a synthesized copy of this naturally occurring hormone.
The FDA has determined that there is no difference between milk
from cows treated with rbST and those not given rbST.
How many gallons are in a hundredweight of milk?
Milk is often accounted for on a per hundredweight (cwt.) basis.
A hundredweight is equal to 100 pounds, or 11.63 gallons.
Where can I go for more information?
Information regarding on-farm production, including dairy production,
pricing and trade, can be found on the National Milk Producers
Federation Web site at www.nmpf.org.
To find out more about our nation’s dairy producers also
visit www.dairyfarmingtoday.com
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