Comments on: "When the Cows Come Home,"

"When the Cows Come Home,"

infini — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 12:00:40 -0800

In 1900, the average dairy cow in America produced 424 gallons of milk each year. By 2000, that figure had more than quadrupled, to 2,116 gallons. We explore the incredible science that transformed the American cow into a milk machine—but we also uncover the disturbing history of prejudice and animal cruelty that accompanied it. Along the way, we'll introduce you to the insane logic of the Lifetime Cheese Merit algorithm and the surreal bull trials of the 1920s. This is the untold story behind that most wholesome and quotidian of beverages: milk. Prepare to be horrified and amazed in equal measure.

By: delfin

delfin — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 12:14:37 -0800

Luckily, the cows of middle America have their greatest ally.

By: poe

poe — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 12:22:00 -0800

David Mitchell has some things to say about milk not being all that bad for you. The best comic cow is the man eating cow, imho.

By: compartment

compartment — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 12:35:01 -0800

TLDR: In 1900 the average cow was five feet tall; today it is twenty feet tall.

By: Fizz

Fizz — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 12:57:06 -0800

"....and this is Bat-Cow."

By: werkzeuger

werkzeuger — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 12:57:46 -0800

By: wintermind

wintermind — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:04:55 -0800

Ah, crap, I think I'm quoted in the Atlantic article they refer to. So, um, does that mean I can't comment on this? Oh, they talk about lifetime net merit, too? Yeah, okay. Maybe y'all should just MeMail me with questions.

By: You Can't Tip a Buick

You Can't Tip a Buick — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:06:28 -0800

One of the funniest things is sitting around a small-town cafe in Wisconsin listening to dairy farmers complain about low milk prices and then in the same breath speculate about how they could improve milk production per cow. I believe Moo-arx identifies this as the problem of the falling rate of profit under cowpitalism.

By: overeducated_alligator

overeducated_alligator — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:12:38 -0800

Lifetime Cheese Merit algorithm Lifetime Cheese Merit algorithm Lifetime Cheese Merit algorithm Lifetime Cheese Merit algorithm

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:15:09 -0800

"The two surviving cows were covered with tarps and rubbed by firefighters to warm them, Baker said. Firefighters cleared the scene after roughly three hours." ...

By: infini

infini — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:19:10 -0800

*begs wintermind to share thoughts here with us all*

By: wintermind

wintermind — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:30:41 -0800

infini, maybe I can say this: I'm not sure if the podcasters requested input from USDA on this episode and were turned down, but nobody from my lab appears in this episode. That's a shame because a lot of things get conflated in the story that really aren't the same. And it is my opinion that the material about the USDA Meat Animal Research Center is a complete derail from the topic of animal breeding. I also note that the narrators argue for more research from the perspective of smallholders and non-traditional producers, but they ignore the new Lifetime Grazing Merit index that was introduced in December which focuses specifically on pasture-based dairy production. We've been selecting for improved dairy cow welfare for a very long time, and that's not clearly described in the story (for example, in Lifetime Net Merit milk volume has a very low weight).

By: wintermind

wintermind — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:33:29 -0800

And Freddy will not soon be forgotten -- the example ID for the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding's chromosomal breeding value query is that of none other than Badger Bluff Fanny Freddy.

By: wintermind

wintermind — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:34:54 -0800

And, finally, Lifetime Cheese Merit algorithm...

By: tommasz

tommasz — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:43:41 -0800

And, finally, Lifetime Cheese Merit algorithm... Does this mean it can't be used as band name?

By: infini

infini — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:53:47 -0800

I also note that the narrators argue for more research from the perspective of smallholders and non-traditional producers I've noticed this becoming increasingly popular a suggestion over the past year or so, especially for the African continent.

By: infini

infini — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:54:40 -0800

Hands off, tommasz, that's my next sockpuppet.

By: wintermind

wintermind — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:56:52 -0800

tommasz and infini, it's in the public domain. Feel free to fight it out on Meta. ;-)

By: resurrexit

resurrexit — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:15:51 -0800

*begs wintermind to share thoughts here with us all* Paging ~~physicsmatt~~ animalstuffwintermind.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:17:29 -0800

aside: I keep reading wintermind as wintermute and thinking it's somehow odd that an AI would get into agronomy instead of, you know, skynetting up the joint.

By: wintermind

wintermind — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:26:03 -0800

ROU_Xenophobe, the name is based on a mis-remembering of wintermute, so the intent is there even if the execution is not.

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:34:26 -0800

"The undercover video, titled "Slice of Cruelty" and taken at a dairy farm in Lake Arthur, N.M., shows workers punching, kicking and whipping cows and shocking their geni..." "Michigan strengthened their existing felony animal cruelty laws this year. They have felony penalties for cruelty, neglect, fighting, abandonment..." Sorry, my hamburgers were getting cold. Above, a brief concerning animal cruelty and law.

By: straw

straw — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:45:43 -0800

Obligatory speculation about the possibility of Cows With Guns.

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:58:37 -0800

Harlan Ritchie's Beef Review. "Dual-purpose (milk and meat) Shorthorn bulls were first used to improve native Longhorn cattle on the range. Hereford bulls took over in the late 1870's; Angus came later. Shorthorn, Hereford and Angus breed associations were formed during 1881–1883; Polled Hereford in 1900."

By: infini

infini — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 15:05:05 -0800

shows workers punching, kicking and whipping cows This just wouldn't happen in much of the developing world, afaik, at least not that I have come across in which pride in owning a cow. I could, of course, be wrong, since my focus isn't on animal husbandry per se but more an interest in livestock as part of a financial portfolio, maturing over time, their stored value and cash flow potential.

By: yoink

yoink — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 15:27:32 -0800

Ah, crap, I think I'm quoted in the Atlantic article they refer to. So, um, does that mean I can't comment on this? There's no restriction on commenting on stuff that's in the FPP, no matter how closely you're involved with it; you just can't make an FPP that refers to your own stuff. So you're free to say whatever you want about the topic in hand.

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 16:28:00 -0800

"The County's case against the scrub bull is laid out: that he is a thief for consuming "valuable provender" while providing no value in return, that he is an "unworthy father," and that his very existence is "detrimental to the progress and prosperity of the public at large." - from article Yikes, is this the moral argument for eugenic breeding, falling out of favor "after World War Two" That's really some Bovine buyer bluffing beanplated bull pucky. That phamplet.

By: Brian B.

Brian B. — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 16:40:51 -0800

Ah, crap, I think I'm quoted in the Atlantic article they refer to. So, um, does that mean I can't comment on this? Please comment at length, if you wish.

By: CheeseDigestsAll

CheeseDigestsAll — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 17:02:10 -0800

Related.

By: wintermind

wintermind — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 18:11:32 -0800

Previously...

By: wintermind

wintermind — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 18:24:30 -0800

There are actually four related indices computed by USDA-CDCB: lifetime net merit, cheese merit, fluid merit, and grazing merit. Net merit is intended for use by the average commercial dairy producer in the US. Cheese merit is intended for use by producers who sell their milk for cheese manufacture, and it is common in such markets for farmers to receive bonuses for high solids, low volume milk. Fluid merit is designed principally for farmers in the southeastern US (e.g., Florida) where their milk is bottled rather than used for producing other products (such as ice cream), and bonuses are often paid for volume over solids. Finally, grazing merit is a new tool for use by pasture-based producers, with particular emphasis placed on fertility and modest mature body size to accommodate seasonal calving systems and lower levels of concentrate (grain) feeding. It's also important to note that there are many other selection indices used to rank dairy bulls and cows, including Holstein Association's Total Performance Index , Genex's Ideal Commercial Cow Index, and the American Jersey Cattle Association's Jersey Performance Index (not an exhaustive list). I'm pleased that Lifetime Net Merit is popular, and I think it's a very good tool, but there are others.

By: BlueHorse

BlueHorse — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 18:30:45 -0800

TLDR: In 1900 the average cow was five feet tall; today it is twenty feet tall. Ha! You laugh, but take a look at these. I'm warning not you not to climb over the fence.

By: wintermind

wintermind — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 18:33:51 -0800

One final note for the evening - we're in the middle of a transition that is moving the national dairy cattle genetic improvement program from USDA to a private industry entity, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding. Some of my colleagues prepared an excellent report on the history of the USDA program, which began in 1908: The USDA Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory: A century old and just getting started [PDF]. About a year ago the Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory was merged with the Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory to create the Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory. We have an extensive collection of scientific publications, technical presentations, and research reports on our website. All materials are in the public domain.

By: BlueHorse

BlueHorse — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 18:34:28 -0800

It's a mooot point anyway. Cows are now obsolete. Try a cold glass of Muufri