Tuberculosis can be transmitted from cattle, mainly via milk products that are unpasteurised. The disease has been eradicated from many countries by testing for the disease and culling suspected animals. David J. Wolfson (4 June 2013). "Beyond the Law: Agribusiness and the Systemic Abuse of Animals Raised for Food or Food Production, 2 ANIMAL L. 123–154 (1996)". National Agricultural Law Center. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018 . Retrieved 13 March 2020. New Zealand Dairy Industry". MarketNewZealand.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2008 . Retrieved 26 September 2008. Gaughan, J. B.; Mader, T. L.; Holt, S. M.; Sullivan, M. L.; Hahn, G. L. (21 May 2009). "Assessing the heat tolerance of 17 beef cattle genotypes". International Journal of Biometeorology. 54 (6): 617–627. doi: 10.1007/s00484-009-0233-4. PMID 19458966. S2CID 10134761.

Hermon-Taylor, John (14 July 2009). "Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, Crohn's disease and the Doomsday scenario". Gut Pathogens. BioMed Central. 1 (15): 15. doi: 10.1186/1757-4749-1-15. PMC 2718892. PMID 19602288. a b c "Cooperatives in the Dairy Industry". Cooperative Information, Report 1, Section 16 (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2010. Life on a dairy farm revolves around the milking parlor. Each lactating cow will visit the parlor at least twice a day to be milked. An incredible amount of engineering has gone into designing milking parlors and milking machines. Efficiency is crucial; every second saved while milking a single cow adds up to hours over the whole herd.Milking machines are held in place automatically by a vacuum system that draws the ambient air pressure down from 15 to 21 pounds per square inch (100 to 140kPa) of vacuum. The vacuum is also used to lift milk vertically through small diameter hoses, into the receiving can. A milk lift pump draws the milk from the receiving can through large diameter stainless steel piping, through the plate cooler, then into a refrigerated bulk tank. Dairy Facts the Industry Doesn't Want You to Know". Archived from the original on 20 February 2018 . Retrieved 19 February 2018. Swasigood, H. E. (1985). "Characteristics of Edible Fluids of Animal Origin: Milk". In Food Chemistry; 2nd edition. Revised and Expanded. O. R. Fennema, Ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. pp.791–827. The higher the energy levels (fat and protein), the less starter feed (feed which is given to young animals) the animal will consume. Weaning can take place when a calf is consuming at least two pounds of starter feed a day and has been on starter for at least three weeks. [39] Wolfson, D. J. (1996). "Beyond the law: Agribusiness and the systemic abuse of animals raised for food or food production". Animal Law. 2: 123.

Innovation in milking focused on mechanizing the milking parlor (known in Australia and New Zealand as the 'cowshed') to maximize the number of cows per operator which streamlined the milking process to permit cows to be milked as if on an assembly line, and to reduce physical stresses on the farmer by putting the cows on a platform slightly above the person milking the cows to eliminate having to constantly bend over. Many older and smaller farms still have tie-stall or stanchion barns, but worldwide a majority of commercial farms have parlors. Waste disposal and wastewater management [ edit ] Manure spreader going to the field from a dairy farm, Elba, New York Milk and milk product statistics - Statistics Explained". ec.europa.eu . Retrieved 3 December 2015. In the last century or so larger farms specialising in dairy alone have emerged. Large scale dairy farming is only viable where either a large amount of milk is required for production of more durable dairy products such as cheese, butter, etc. or there is a substantial market of people with money to buy milk, but no cows of their own. In the 1800s von Thünen argued that there was about a 100-mile radius surrounding a city where such fresh milk supply was economically viable. To increase the energy density of their diet, cattle are commonly fed cereal grains. In many areas of the world, dairy rations also commonly include byproducts from other agricultural sectors. For example, in California cattle are commonly fed almond hulls and cotton seed. [15] Feeding of byproducts can reduce the environmental impact of other agricultural sectors by keeping these materials out of landfills. [15]a b Vishwanath, R. (2003). Artificial insemination: the state of the art. Theriogenology, 59, 571–584. D'Ambrosio, Dan (5 August 2011). "Judge IKs Dean Foods' settlement with farmers". Burlington, Vermont: Burlington Free Press. pp.5A. [ permanent dead link]

As processing plants grow fewer and larger, they tend to acquire bigger, more automated and more efficient equipment. While this technological tendency keeps manufacturing costs lower, the need for long-distance transportation often increases the environmental impact. [10] Wash the parlour between rows, and don’t wash while cows are in the parlour unless all the units are attached to cows. Use running water and disinfectant solution to remove infected milk from gloves, liners and other equipment. A good milking routine As herd numbers increased so did the problems of animal health. In New Zealand two approaches to this problem have been used. The first was improved veterinary medicines (and the government regulation of the medicines) that the farmer could use. The other was the creation of veterinary clubs where groups of farmers would employ a veterinarian (vet) full-time and share those services throughout the year. It was in the vet's interest to keep the animals healthy and reduce the number of calls from farmers, rather than to ensure that the farmer needed to call for service and pay regularly. Automatic milking or 'robotic milking' sheds can be seen in Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., Canada, and many European countries. Current automatic milking sheds use the voluntary milking (VM) method. These allow the cows to voluntarily present themselves for milking at any time of the day or night, although repeat visits may be limited by the farmer through computer software. A robot arm is used to clean teats and apply milking equipment, while automated gates direct cow traffic, eliminating the need for the farmer to be present during the process. The entire process is computer controlled. [21] Supplementary accessories in sheds [ edit ]West, J.W. (2003). "Effects of Heat-Stress on Production in Dairy Cattle". Journal of Dairy Science. 86 (6): 2131–2144. doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(03)73803-X. PMID 12836950.