By Emma Peterson
2014-2015 Monroe Dairy Queen
When many picture dairy farming in Wisconsin, they often think of the beautiful dairy cows that they might see at the Green County Fair. These dairy cows are a huge part of the dairy industry in Wisconsin, with over 1,271,000 of them scattered around the state, but there is another side to all of the fame and glory of the dairy cow: the bull calf.
The chances of a dairy cow having a bull calf are about 50%. There are some instances where certain breeding methods could lower the chance of bull calves and favor heifer calving, but in the end the odds generally even out. When a heifer is born, it is destined to become a healthy milk-producing dairy cow, with the hopes of many healthy calves to be birthed throughout its lifetime. The bull calf, on the other hand, does not necessarily have its destiny planned out yet.
In some cases, the bull calf may only stay on the farm for a few days. The farmer may not have the space to house the calf for its lifetime and may sell it at a local livestock market. Once to the market, they may be sold to local beef farmers who will raise them as a steer for meat production. In other cases, when space and feed sources allow, the dairy farmers may raise the bull calves into full-grown steers to be sold at the livestock markets.
It is the sales of these bull calves or full-grown steers that have been famous to save farmers when times are tough. When a drought hits or milk prices hit a record low, the weekly bull calf check can be a gift from above. Or in the fall, when the harvest did not go as well as expected, the sale of last year's now fully grown steers can be just enough to make ends meet.
Living on a dairy farm, my family raises a majority of the bull calves that are born from our dairy cows until they are full-grown dairy steers ready for market. It can be a lot of extra work, but it is another contributing source of income besides milk production from the cows. Every year I also train and take a dairy steer to the Green County Fair to show and sell at the meat and animal auction. Last year my steer "Allen" was a triple cross consisting of Holstein, Norwegian Red and Brown Swiss dairy breeds. He weighed 1,560 pounds and had an attitude to go with it. Training steers for the fair is a lot of work, but a good way to learn how to work with large animals.
Living in Wisconsin, we are fortunate to have a $26.5 billion dairy industry. The income of the dairy steer is also a major supporter of this large dairy industry's booming economy. It is important to know the wide variety of commodities that can come from a simple dairy cow, ranging from the assortment of dairy products to the meat from their offspring. The wonderful dairy cow ensures that Wisconsinites will never go hungry.
2014-2015 Monroe Dairy Queen
When many picture dairy farming in Wisconsin, they often think of the beautiful dairy cows that they might see at the Green County Fair. These dairy cows are a huge part of the dairy industry in Wisconsin, with over 1,271,000 of them scattered around the state, but there is another side to all of the fame and glory of the dairy cow: the bull calf.
The chances of a dairy cow having a bull calf are about 50%. There are some instances where certain breeding methods could lower the chance of bull calves and favor heifer calving, but in the end the odds generally even out. When a heifer is born, it is destined to become a healthy milk-producing dairy cow, with the hopes of many healthy calves to be birthed throughout its lifetime. The bull calf, on the other hand, does not necessarily have its destiny planned out yet.
In some cases, the bull calf may only stay on the farm for a few days. The farmer may not have the space to house the calf for its lifetime and may sell it at a local livestock market. Once to the market, they may be sold to local beef farmers who will raise them as a steer for meat production. In other cases, when space and feed sources allow, the dairy farmers may raise the bull calves into full-grown steers to be sold at the livestock markets.
It is the sales of these bull calves or full-grown steers that have been famous to save farmers when times are tough. When a drought hits or milk prices hit a record low, the weekly bull calf check can be a gift from above. Or in the fall, when the harvest did not go as well as expected, the sale of last year's now fully grown steers can be just enough to make ends meet.
Living on a dairy farm, my family raises a majority of the bull calves that are born from our dairy cows until they are full-grown dairy steers ready for market. It can be a lot of extra work, but it is another contributing source of income besides milk production from the cows. Every year I also train and take a dairy steer to the Green County Fair to show and sell at the meat and animal auction. Last year my steer "Allen" was a triple cross consisting of Holstein, Norwegian Red and Brown Swiss dairy breeds. He weighed 1,560 pounds and had an attitude to go with it. Training steers for the fair is a lot of work, but a good way to learn how to work with large animals.
Living in Wisconsin, we are fortunate to have a $26.5 billion dairy industry. The income of the dairy steer is also a major supporter of this large dairy industry's booming economy. It is important to know the wide variety of commodities that can come from a simple dairy cow, ranging from the assortment of dairy products to the meat from their offspring. The wonderful dairy cow ensures that Wisconsinites will never go hungry.
