Many people believe that cows produce milk simply because they are cows, and the dairy industry relies on this misconception as it paints a picture of happy moms and calves.

Cows and milk have become so deeply intertwined in our minds that many of us think that all cows need to be milked at least once daily to be healthy and happy. But the truth is that some cows do not even produce milk!

Cows are the animals most commonly used for dairy production. Over nine million cows are kept on U.S. dairy farms alone each year, and globally, cows are used for over 80 percent of milk production. Here’s how they make milk.

In the dairy industry, cows are impregnated yearly, most often by artificial insemination. They then experience a nine-month pregnancy, the same amount of time typical in humans. 

Without being pregnant or giving birth, a cow does not make milk. 

Like other mammals, cows lactate (produce milk through their mammary glands, known as udders) as their bodies make this milk to nurse their young. However, because these cows are being used to produce milk intended for human consumption, their calves are not allowed to drink their mothers’ milk and are separated just days or moments after birth, so they do not consume the milk that will be sold instead.

It is true that if a cow overproduces milk or is not able or allowed to nurse, she may experience pain or discomfort. So, if a cow is lactating, she must be given the chance to release milk–which occurs naturally by allowing her to nurse her calf. If a calf is with her and nursing, she does not need a human (or, as is the case on commercial dairy farms today, a machine) to milk her. But since calves are taken from their mothers in the dairy industry, the mother needs to be milked unnaturally; on many farms today, this is done using machines to keep labor cows low.

Today’s commercially raised cows often endure suffering exacerbated by their breeding for unnaturally high levels of milk production–which maximizes profit at the expense of animal welfare. The rate of milk production per U.S. dairy cow per year has risen by 10.4 percent since 2013–reaching an average of over 24,000 pounds in 2022 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is more than 10 times what they’d produce for their calf.

This unnatural production takes a heavy toll on the bodies of cows, who may develop painful mastitis (or inflammation in the mammary glands of their breasts) caused by an infection, which can also occur in the breasts of lactating humans.

Farm Sanctuary does not breed cows or use them for milk production, as should be the case at any sanctuary dedicated to the rescue, care of, and advocacy for farm animals. 

Because our cows are not impregnated and do not give birth to calves unless they are pregnant when rescued, they do not produce milk. Again, a mammal produces milk after giving birth to their young. No baby, no milk.

If a cow is pregnant during her rescue or gives birth at our sanctuary, we allow her to nurse her calf–as all mother cows should be free to do. Thankfully, sometimes, we can rescue a mom and calf simultaneously—like Liz and her son Cashew, saved from a dairy farm.

If, sadly, a lactating cow does not have her calf with her, she may choose to take in a calf at the sanctuary without a mom. 

For example, Jackie cow was grieving the loss of her own calf when she met Dixon, who turned to Jackie as a chosen mom for comfort.

In the dairy industry, cows are valued only for what they can produce. Male calves born on dairy farms are seen as useless because they cannot become pregnant or produce milk, so these newborn cattle are either killed or sold to be raised for veal or beef. Female calves, like their moms, most likely go on to be used in the cycle of dairy production.

At the end of that cruel cycle, most cows are slaughtered for cheap beef products, such as ground meat.

At Farm Sanctuary, every animal is valued for who they are. Cows are not milk machines; they are living, feeling animals who produce milk only when they have had a calf — a calf with whom they may form lifelong bonds if given the chance to do so.

Follow us on social media and visit us in person to see more of our rescued animals and learn about their daily lives.