Introduction History of Dairy Farming
Commercial dairy farms evolved at the end of the Industrial Revolution. Growth was spurred by the demand for cheese and butter in urban areas. Early dairy farms were small in terms of cow numbers and utilized family labor for milking, feeding, and feed harvesting. Mechanization, led by the development of the milking machine, was the first type of innovation that led to increased farm size. Improvements in transportation, rural electrification, which enabled on farm cooling of milk, and pasteurization increased the demand for milk and dairy products prior to 1950. The sciences of genetics, nutrition, engineering, medicine, and physiology allowed cows to be managed in groups and expanded the geographic distribution of dairy farming. Computers and information technology enhanced the ability of dairy farm managers to make informed decisions on cow health and productivity, feeding practices, and herd replacements. Automation shows promise as the next wave of innovation for improving the care and welfare of cows as illustrated by the use of robots replacing human labor for milk harvesting. Science and technology have made dramatic improvements in the production capacity of the cow. Going forward, innovation at the dairy farm will continue to improve the efficiency of milk production in an environmentally friendly manner and by expanding the geographic distribution of dairy farms into Asia and Africa.