Vocowbulary
for a more complete, illustrated list of dairy terms, visit the Dairy Dictionary!
Bovine - a term for large hoofed animals such as cows.
Bull - male cattle; a "boy cow"
Butterfat - the natural, fatty portion of milk; most dairy cows' milk is between 3-4% butterfat.
Calf - a young
heifer or bull
Cattle - a word to describe cows, bulls,
steers, heifers, and calves
Cow - the mature female of cattle; a heifer
becomes a cow once she has her first calf.
Dam - the
mother of a calf
Dry Cow - a cow who is not producing milk,
usually because she will soon be giving birth to a calf. (watch
video)
Dry Period (dried off) - the time while a
cow does not produce milk. Usually cows are dried off two
months before they have a calf so they can relax and gain
strength.
Forage - Cow feed such as pasture grasses,
corn silage, and hay.
Freshen - when a cow gives birth to a calf
Graze - When cattle eat the grass growing in their pasture.
Hay - Dried feed such as bermudagrass, oats, or alfalfa. It is baled into round or rectangular blocks.
Heifer - young cow who has not yet given birth to a calf
Herd - A group of cows on a dairy farm.
Holstein - A black and white breed of dairy cattle known for having the highest milk production. 90% of all dairy cows in the USA are Holstein.
Lactation Period - the time during which a cow produces milk.
Milking Parlor - the barn on a dairy farm where cows are milked (watch video).
Pasture - Land on which cows rest and graze.
Silage - Fermented, high-moisture feed for dairy cows that’s made from corn and grass crops.
Sire - the father of a calf
Teat - The part of a cow’s udder that the milk comes out of. Dairy cows commonly have four teats.
TMR (total mixed ration) - A "complete" feed for
cows that includes forages, grain, minerals, and other possible ingredients
(watch video)
Udder - a sac hanging from the underside of
the cow's belly between and in front of the hind legs which
holds the cow's milk
