Dairy Farming in the Midwest and USA in 2067

摘要

Fifty years from now, 81 % of the world'spopulation will live in Africa and Asia and world dairy trade will depend on their demand for imported dairy products. Dairy production in North America will shift to areas with sufficient rainfall and adequategrowing seasons, primarily migrating from the west and southwest to Great Lakes regions and into the Canadian prairies. Milk yield per cow will exceed 50,000 lb/year and the USA will have 4 to 5 million milk cows. Commercial cows will comprise genes from multiple breeds or from gene editing. New genetics will move into herds primarily through embryos that may carry proprietary genes. Dairy enterprises will share laterally-integrated business structures that include separate units for pre-weaned calves,replacement heifers, early-dry cows, transition cows, milk cows, dairy beef, and feed centers. Feed production will have a greater focus on agro-ecological systems and perennial crops, including perennial maize, sorghums, and energy-grasses that will replace annual row crops. Robotics, automation, and sensors will replace a majority of manual labor and will enhance reliability, consistency, and compliance with regulations. Major shifts in herd management will be driven through management of epigeneticsand associated environmental regulation of gene expression, and management of microbiomes of cattle, soils, crops, and farmsteads. Knowledge systems willevaluate herds as independent superorganisms to understand why herds that have similar genetics and environments differ in performance.