Thursday, 27 June 2019 09:03

From two to 19m

Written by 

Here's an interesting take on the composition of US dairy cows.

There are over nine million dairy cows in the US, and the vast majority of them are Holsteins, large bovines with distinctive black-and-white (sometimes red-and-white) markings. 

The amount of milk they produce is astonishing. So is their lineage. Media reports says when researchers at the Pennsylvania State University looked closely at the male lines a few years ago, they discovered more than 99% of them can be traced back to one of two bulls, both born in the 1960s. 

That means among all the male Holsteins in the country, there are just two Y chromosomes.

More like this

Meat demand soars

There is massive demand for New Zealand beef and lamb in the United States as that country struggles to cope with COVID-19.

Featured

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

FTA and Uber Drivers

OPINION: Expect the Indian free trade deal to feature strongly in the election campaign.

Ice Cream Deal

OPINION: One of the world's largest ice cream makers, Nestlé, is going cold on the viability of making the dessert.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter