Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fundamentals
State Contest
Conducted at LSU AgCenter Dairy Farm
on Campus
All classes will be Holsteins
3 Classes of lactating cows
3 Classes of heifers
Placing on all 6 classes
Oral reasons on the 3 classes of cows at
the 4-H Mini-farm building
RESOURCES
www.holsteinfoundation.org
CEV videos and DVDs
Other Agents
Live animal training sessions
Dairy Cattle
Terms
bull - Mature male dairy animal
cow - Mature female dairy; shows
evidence of having produced one or more
calves
heifer - female dairy animal that has not
borne a calf
calf - male or female dairy animal under
one year of age
springer cow or heifer showing signs of
pregnancy
breed characteristics - physical traits that
differentiate one breed from another
Dairy Cattle
Terms
dairy herd improvement records (DHI)
production records kept on producing dairy
cattle
mammary system - parts of the cow directly
responsible for producing and storing milk
disposition - manner in which an animal acts;
quiet, docile, vicious
pedigree - register of lines of ancestry
Dairy Cattle
Terms
Holstein
Origin: Netherlands
Second oldest of the
pure dairy breeds
Color: Black and white or
red and white with
markings clearly defined.
Head: Clean cut
proportionate to body;
forehead broad and
moderately dished
Size: 1500 lb
Holstein
-Largest of all U.S. Dairy Breeds
-Account for 93% of all dairy
breeds in the U.S.
-Highest Milk
Producer
-Lowest breed for
milk components
Jersey
Origin: Isle of Jersey
Color: usually a shade of
fawn with or without white
markings. Muzzle is black
encircled by a light colored
ring. Tongue and switch can
be black, white or both.
Head: clean cut
proportionate to stature
showing refinement; Face
slightly double dished
Size: 900 1,000 lb
Guernsey
Origin: Isle of Guernsey
Color: Shade of fawn
with white markings
clearly defined; a clear
(buff) muzzle is
preferred over a smoky
or black muzzle
Head: clean cut,
forehead broad and
slightly dished
Size: 1100 1150 lb
Ayrshire
Origin: Scotland
Color: Light to deep cherry
red, mahogany, brown or
a combination of any of
these colors with white or
white alone
Head: Clean cut,
proportionate to body;
forehead broad and
moderately dished
Size: 1200 lb
Brown Swiss
Origin: Switzerland
Color: Solid brown varying
from very light to dark;
muzzle is black encircled
by a mealy colored ring
Head: Clean cut,
proportionate to body;
forehead broad and
slightly dished
Size: 1400 lb
Milking Shorthorn
Origin: England
Color: Either red, red
and white or roan
Head: Clean cut
proportionate to body;
forehead broad and
moderately dished
Size: 1250 1350 lb
Dairy Breeds
Milk Production Facts
Breed
Holstein
Ayrshire3.95
Jersey
Brown Swiss
Guernsey
Percent Butterfat
3.66
Pounds Butterfat
703
569
4.75
4.03
4.57
Pounds
Milk Prod
19,185
14,398
618
606
611
13,020
15,062
13,363
Dairy Breeds
Parts of a Dairy Cow
Dairy Breeds
Parts of a Dairy Cow Quiz
Lets Practice!
Look at each cow and think about the
parts of the Unified Scorecard.
Then write down several things that
you like or dislike about that cow.
Finally, write down how you would
place the pair of cows