Dairy cow #5678 looks into the camera from the milking stall. Most cows at the center are named, but some are only assigned a number.
A group of cattle cluster against the fence of a pen at the north end of the property. These cows are mostly younger and enjoy fresh air and room to move around.
Pattie, dairy cow #5631, sticks her head over the railing of the milking stall. The cows are filed into the chute, milked, and filed out when they’re finished.
Randy Bontrager (left) and Nick Kemler, a recent MSU graduate, check cow udders for mastitis, the inflammation of the mammary glands. After each milking, herders check the cows for the condition and use an iodine solution to clean the udders.
A metal cabinet at the end of the milking parlor holds both farm equipment and worker’s personal items. The parlor offers little room for workers to place rest or set something down, so this station is often crowded.
A herder tugs on a cow’s udder, looking for signs of mastitis. The inflammatory disease leads to reduced yield and poor milk quality and is the most common disease that causes economic loss - so dairy farmers thoroughly check each cow.
MSU researcher Lynn Worden (left) and Randy Bontrager pose in the parlor with a rack of milk samples. The dairy farm doubles as a research center, and Lynn and other researchers take frequent samples to analyze how supplements like fatty acids affect the milk product.
Peyton Fisher, a senior at MSU studying zoology, pours a bottle of milk into a sample tube. Researchers work alongside herders, taking notes and collecting samples.
A real-time milk analysis device measures the composition of milk produced during each milking. The device can detect conditions like mastitis in advance.
Dairy cow #5358 stands idle in her stall in the parlor as herders prepare to start milking. When milking is completed, herders open the gate with a press of a button, and the cows file out. Herders often have to coax the cows out of their stalls, and each herder has their own style - methods range from light smacks on a cow’s side and calling “let’s go ladies!” to shouting “come on, assholes!”
A cow stands in her stall in the parlor while a milk cluster draws milk from her udders. Each cow produces around 12 gallons of milk per day.
A dairy cow’s knee is marred by a bedsore. These sores are the result of irritation caused by laying in a barn or a tie stall - farm employees said the sores are infrequent.
A pair of milking clusters hangs on the wall at the Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center. These clusters consist of four cups that attach to the udders of a cow and draw milk, and the device automatically detaches when enough milk has been drawn. The milk exported for human consumption from the farm is never touched by human hands.
An inquisitive cow stands at the top of the stairs to the walkway between milking stalls. Cows are curious and personable and have unique personalities. One herder, while trying to corral a line of stubborn cows out of the milking parlor was asked if she thought the cows were happy. “Right now, this one’s being stupid,” she said.
A sign taped to an electrical box in the milking parlor instructs workers on the proper preparation of the milk tank. Each cow produces about 12 gallons of milk a day.
A cow reaches its wet nose towards the camera. Cows are curious creatures and will often investigate (and sometimes lick) a new person or an outstretched hand.
A bright red message spray painted on a sliding door instructs workers to keep the door shut. Above the note, signs warns of a “pinch point,” and one features an illustration of a cow pinching a person against the wall. The animals, while extremely docile, tend to cluster together.
Dairy farm herder Carolyn Dominguez uses a dairy herd management software to log data on the MSU cows. Most work at the farm is hands-on, but it’s also important to keep records of the animals.
A computer screen describes the fate of a dairy cow in simple, mechanical language. Most MSU cows are eventually sold to beef farms.
Dairy farm employee Carolyn Dominguez points out bottles of Vitamin B supplements in a glass cabinet in an office at the back of the farm. The supplement can be used to increase milk production and cow health.
Dominguez feeds a tube down the throat of a cow with pneumonia. A solution containing electrolytes - like Gatorade for cows - will be pumped down the cow’s throat. The docile animal hardly reacted to the invasive procedure, but relieved itself almost immediately after the tube was withdrawn.
Dominguez presses her finger against cow number 5310’s side after a shot of medicine produced a small amount of blood. Dominguez put a “kick bar” on the cow before administering the shot to prevent it from kicking her.
A tag attached to an MSU dairy cow’s ear displays her name - Sweet. Some cows are given names, while others are known only by a four-digit number.
A sign in a feed storehouse on the farm points to massive piles of cotton seed and alfalfa hay, two ingredients in cow feed. The feed is mixed and spread out in the barn outside.
Herder Ken Vincent operates a skid loader to distribute sawdust across the floor of an outdoor barn. Cows retire to this barn between milking where they rest and eat.
A cow uses its big tongue to scoop a pile of feed into its mouth. Cows can eat around 2% of their body weight a day, close to 30 pounds for the average cow.
A group of cows cluster against the fence as the sun sinks behind the tree line. Cows are resilient, and are comfortable in cold temperatures.
