Dairy cattle

Dairy cattle are cattle breeds selected and raised primarily to produce milk. Their breeding, feeding, and management prioritize lactation and milk quality.

Lactation: The production and secretion of milk by mammary glands after birth. It is the biological process dairy herds are managed to sustain.
Dairy farming: Agriculture focused on raising animals to produce milk and dairy products. It is the farming system organized around keeping dairy cattle.
Beef cattle: Cattle bred and raised primarily for meat production. Their selection emphasizes growth and carcass traits rather than milk output.
Dairy cow welfare: The physical health and behavioral well-being of cows kept for milk production. Housing, handling, and production demands shape the lives of dairy cattle.
Dairy cow: A female bovine kept primarily for milk production. It is the individual animal at the center of dairy production.
Dairy industry: The economic sector that produces, processes, and distributes milk and dairy products. Dairy cattle supply the raw milk on which the sector depends.
Dual-purpose cattle: Cattle bred for both milk production and meat production. They balance production goals that specialized dairy breeds prioritize differently.
Bovine mastitis: Inflammation of a cow’s mammary gland, commonly caused by infection. It is a widespread disease that harms animal health and reduces milk quality.
Dairy cattle breeds: Cattle breeds selected for milk yield, milk composition, or dairy suitability. Breed traits shape how much milk animals produce and what it contains.
Milk yield: The quantity of milk produced by an animal or herd over a defined period. It is a central measure of dairy cattle productivity.

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