Are diary cows usually fed corn or is it just beef cattle that are fed this?

Question

Thx jacks that tells alot. I was just wondering how much that accounts for diary and beef prices..sorry i didnt put that in my question. Ive tryed this question before and couldnt seem to get an imformed opinion on both, so I thought to try to find at least half of the question then the other.

Answer 1

And I thank you all also for this question and the answers received. Having studied plant and soil and spent a little time at the university dairy and cattle research facility, I came across some great ideas being studied in production and management. I wish I had stayed longer as I found some research in a special feed management technique that gave dramatic milk fat increases for no extra "feed" outside of a little slight of hand. Seems the dairy industry revolves around the cost (supply and demand as you put it) that the consumer will pay for that milk fat product, as well as what they are willing to pay for meat. For all that I took that research and turned it "bass ackwards" into a totally organic organic approach and got a better product and more actual savings but I find the whole industry a bit depressing. If I didn't have children growing up who had such a picky way of eating with a high demand for milk and meat I would be more inclined to walk from the whole thing but as I think I can actually produce dairy without a loss of food/ acre compared to a produce crop, it has some value I guess.

Answer 2

yes dairy cows are feed corn

Answer 3

Dairy cows are actually fed a lot more corn and other grains than beef cattle.  Dairy cows are fed by the amount of milk that they produce, the high milkers are fed more corn than the low producers.  A beef cow may never be fed any corn.  She is maintained on grass and hay or sometimes corn silage during the winter.  Usually they receive some protein supplement.  Beef calves are usually put into feed lots where they are fattened out for slaughter on a high corn diets.  Diary calves are either raised on milk or milk replacer and killed for veal or they will be fattened out with beef calves.  In both dairy and beef herds some of the heifer calves will be saved to go into the cow herd while others will be fattened with the steers.

Answer 4

Prices are a matter of supply and demand.

There are eight grades of beef - prime, choice, select, standard, commercial, utility, and cutter and canner - but in fact, almost all beef ends up as prime, choice, or C&C.

A male dairy calf is normally deaconed, or else raised for veal, depending on the costs of feed and the price of veal. The girls are normally romanced by AI, and milked heavily until their production drops, at which time they're sold as cutters and canners grade.

In beef breeds, the boys are turned into un-boys, and they and the girls are fed rapidly and marketed at a young age, when their meat qualifies as choice, or possibly prime.

The difference in price of cattle on the hoof is largely the difference in their value when butchered. The buyer doesn't really care whether you had to pay 85c for corn, or $3.85; he just knows he wants 210 head of cattle today, mostly choice, and he bids as little as possible to get what he needs. If he can get some real bargains, he might buy 300 or 400 head and only send 210 to the abbatoir immediately. If the prices are too high to make any money, he might go home empty-handed, and lay off his butchers.

Answer 5

Dairy cows can be fed grain and hay and also corn silage. Which is chopped corn.Stalks and all. It is usually kept in a silo until winter so the cows have something that will help them produce milk.