Abstract
Deliberate Exercise of Pregnant Holstein Heifers Improves Milk Composition During Lactation
Highlights
Enormous improvements have been made in the pounds of milk produced by dairy cattle through artificial selection programs as well as through improvements in nutrition
Researchers at Cornell University found that the carbon footprint of the modern dairy cow is only about 37% of the dairy cow from 1944 when compared per kg of milk
Growth rates of heifers did not differ between the exercised or exercise-control groups, indicating that overall body mass was not changed by consistent exercise (Figure 1)
Summary
Enormous improvements have been made in the pounds of milk produced by dairy cattle through artificial selection programs as well as through improvements in nutrition. An average dairy cow in the 1950s produced approximately 5,300 pounds of milk per year, while in 2019 the average cow produces approximately 23,000 pounds per year, an increase of 334% in just 70 years. Production efficiency has accounted for many of these improvements, with far more milk produced from fewer nutrients and reduced animal waste per unit of milk. Modern dairy cattle and modern production practices have allowed dairy producers to meet a greater market demand with fewer cows. Researchers at Cornell University found that the carbon footprint of the modern dairy cow is only about 37% of the dairy cow from 1944 when compared per kg of milk. Improvements in efficiency of milk production have allowed for greater sustainability of dairy products as a source of human food
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