🐄 Cow

The cow is the female of domestic cattle and the planet's main dairy animal: according to FAO, cows provide about 81 % of the world's milk. Compared with other dairy animals, the cow has a large udder that is convenient for milking, can store a lot of milk and gives the highest yields. In 2024 there were about 1.58 billion head of cattle in the world (FAOSTAT).

A cow produces milk after calving. An ideal lactation lasts 305 days, followed by a dry period of up to 60 days before the next calving; cows are milked at least twice a day, and milk let-down is triggered by the hormone oxytocin. High-yielding cows give up to 60 kg of milk a day. The most common dairy breed is the Holstein-Friesian: it is kept in more than 150 countries and makes up about 35 % of the world's dairy cows.

Yields depend heavily on conditions. In Mongolia and Nigeria a cow gives on average up to 500 kg of milk a year, in Iran, Peru and Viet Nam more than 2,000 kg. In the tropics the zebu, with its hump and dewlap, predominates — breeds such as Sahiwal, Gir and Red Sindhi: they give less milk but withstand heat, disease and poor feed. That is why bulls of dairy breeds are crossed with local cows to combine hardiness with yield.

The largest producers of cow's milk are India, the United States and China, while the largest dairy herds are in India, Pakistan, Brazil and China. In developed countries the numbers of cows and farms are falling but the yield per cow is rising; in developing countries both herd size and production are growing. Almost everything is made from cow's milk: from butter and kefir to hard cheeses.