A dairy farm is a farm that produces milk or milk products such as cheese, butter, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, cottage cheese, evaporated milk, yogurt, and ice cream. Dairy cows are bred to produce milk through a cycle of yearly pregnancy and calving. To trigger milk production, the Cows are typically artificially inseminated annually, and once a calf is born, the cow's body begins producing milk to nourish it. After the calf is born, the cow is milked, which is essential to maintain milk flow, as an absence of milking can cause a cow's milk production to stop naturally. The cow will continue to be milked for about 10 months, then will be given a two-month rest period before the cycle of conception and birth is repeated to continue milk production. This starts when the cow's four-chambered stomach digests food, and nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and water are absorbed into the bloodstream. A special artery pumps this nutrient-rich blood to the udder, which contains tiny milk-making cells. The cells in the udder use the nutrients from the blood to produce milk, which is stored in the udder and released through the teats for collection.
Most dairy cows are transported to slaughterhouses usually between five and six years old, which is significantly younger than their natural lifespan of around 20 years. When they are no longer productive enough to provide milk, a journey that can be harsh and may involve extended periods without food or water, they are typically sent to a slaughterhouse for processing into beef for production or into products like ground beef, hamburgers, and hamburger patties, because their meat is usually tough and lean, making it lower quality. The humane killing of the livestock tends to be done with captive-bolt equipment, which is a two-stage process. First, the animal must be effectively stunned, rendering it immediately insensible to pain by using three primary methods: a captive bolt gun that delivers a blow to the head, electrical stunning, which passes a current through the brain, or gas stunning (usually carbon dioxide). These methods aim to cause immediate unconsciousness, preventing the animal from experiencing pain during the process. Second, the major blood vessels in the neck or thorax are cut, or pithing is performed, which is the technique of rapidly destroying an animal's brain and brainstem by inserting a metal rod or tool through the skull, often after a preliminary stunning. It is used to ensure death, primarily in emergencies, disease control, or for animals not intended for human consumption, as it can prevent the spread of certain diseases and minimize risks associated with meat.
However, a small number of healthy dairy cows may be sold to families for personal milk production. It may be sold for other purposes, such as individual use, used as "nurse cows" to raise orphaned calves, or taken in by rescue organizations or kept as pets when their milk production decreases.
Male calves are also often sent to slaughter to become veal since their meat tends to be lean and tender.