A Holstein cow holds the world record for milk production. In one year, a cow named Gigi produced nearly 75,000 pounds (34000 kg) of milk. This amount, which is roughly 8,700 gallons (33,000 litres), is about triple the American average for milk production. For the typical 305-day lactation, she would produce on average 28.5 gallons (108 litres) a day!
For some, Gigi represents the pinnacle of the American dairy breeding efforts. Besides producing a nearly inconceivable amount of milk, the cow is massive. She weighs nearly a ton and is tall, 5 feet 2 inches high at her shoulders. While Gigi’s owner, a dairy farmer from Wisconsin, is proud of the record, others are concerned at the idea that bigger equals better when it comes to cow size and milk yields.
According to Harvest Public Media, livestock scientist Temple Grandin is reported as saying, "If you go for the big, gigantic Holsteins, you only get two years of milking . . . That's not very sustainable."
Researchers have found that large Holsteins have higher health care costs than smaller ones. In particular, compared to smaller cows, the large cows have significantly more incidence of displaced abomasum, lameness, pneumonia and udder problems (although differences with mastitis was not statistically significant).
Sources: Costs for health care of Holstein cows selected for large versus small body size. J. C. Becker , B. J. Heins and L. B. Hansen. Journal of Dairy Science. 95: 5384–5392. 2012
America's dairy cows are milk-producing machines, but is there a ceiling? Luke Runyon. Harvest Public Media. Feb. 4, 2016
- Janet Wallace