What are the causes of poor milk production in cattle?
It is primarily due to either genetics or nutritional factors. Low feed quality or poor feed is quite often the primary reason that a cow is not producing adequate milk. But genetics also plays a big role. A cow with poor milking ability will produce less milk than a cow with good milking ability.
Stress is also a concern. If a cow is stressed from heat, cold, pain from an injury or illness/disease, discomfort or fear, she will produce less milk than a cow that is comfortable, relaxed and experiences no pain of any kind.
Farmers want their cattle to produce high quality milk yield and also good meat quality so what are three other characteristics that farmers want their cattle to have?
Unfortunately with cattle you cannot have your cake and eat it too. In other words, you can't select for high quality milk or high milk yield without compromising meat quality. You have to select for either milk or meat if you want animals that are efficient milk producers or efficient meat producers, respectively. A prime example is the difference in characteristics between Holstein and Charolais cattle. Holsteins produce the highest quality and quantity of milk…
Who is the poor-mans-cow?
It's not a matter of "who," but more a matter of "what." What would be the so-called "poor-man's cow" would probably be a breed of bovine that is considered to be dual- or trio-purpose: a breed that is capable of producing meat, milk and can also be used for draft purposes. Red Polls, Ancient White Park cattle and Devon cattle are such breeds that fit the bill.
Name a trait that is selected for in dairy cattle that is not selected for in beef cattle and explain why this difference exists?
Sad to say, the main difference is the obvious distinction in what they're bred for. A dairy cow has been specially bred to produce large volumes of milk, while a beef cow has been specially bred to accumulate large volumes of muscle (which becomes the meat people will eat). Dairy cattle do not have to have genes that would cause them to accumulate much meat on their bones, since their primary purpose is producing milk…
What kind of food must be used to increase milk quantity?
The type of feed that can be used to feed cattle is normally not for increasing the quantity of milk, but rather quality. However, good-quality feed high in calcium, phosphorus, energy, protein and other essential nutrients may be able to help increase milk quantity in dairy cattle. Certainly good to excellent-quality feed will increase milk production than poor-quality feed, but feed for dairy cows can only get so high before you reach a certain point…