Dairy Terminology

1. Dairy Terminology By John Wallace Aged 410

2. Calf Newly born cow

3. Colostrum The first milk secreted after calving. Higher in�total solids than normal milk. Helps create a healthy immune system.

4. Babcock Test Traditional method of measuring the butterfat content of milk, which may be used for calibrating modern electronic testing devices.

5. California Mastitis Test An inflammation of the mammary gland usually caused by bacteria A mastitis screening test useful�for determining the somatic cell content in milk. A reagent is required to react with nuclear material of cells present in milk to form a gel.

6. CWT Cwt. Hundredweight or 100 pounds of milk�

7. Days in Milk The number of days during the present�lactation that the cow has been milking, beginning with the last date of calving to the current test date

8. Dry cow + Dry date Any cow that has calved once and is not producing milk First calendar day the cow is not milked

9. Freemartin Female born twin to a bull calf (about 9 out of 10�of these will not conceive). A sterile heifer born twin with a bull.

10. Freshen Commonly used to designate the act of calving�(parturition); to give birth to a calf and concurrently initiate lactation.

11. Fresh A cow that has recently given birth to a calf.

12. Heifer A bovine female less than three years of age who has not�borne a calf. Young cows with their first calves are sometimes called first-calf heifers

13. Lactate To secrete or produce milk

14. Nurse cow A dairy cow used to supply milk for nursing calves,�commonly other than her own

15. Oxytocin A naturally secreted hormone that is important in milk�letdown and the contraction of smooth uterine muscles during parturition.

16. References www.holstein.ca www.animal-lib.org.au news.nationalgeographic.com rwqp.rutgers.edu www.obriencounty.com www.nctc.net www.ddgs.umn.edu