Production Cycle. The primary function of a dairy is the production of milk, which requires a herd of mature dairy cows that are lactating. In order to produce milk, the cows must be bred and give birth. The gestation period is nine months, and dairy cows are bred again four months after calving. Thus, a mature dairy cow produces a calf every 12 to 14 months. Therefore, a dairy operation will have several types of animal groups present, including calves, heifers, mature cows (lactating and dry cows), veal calves, and bulls. The production cycle in the dairy industry begins with the birth of calves which causes the onset of lactation (milk production). A period of between 10 and 12 months of milk production is followed normally by a two-month dry period. The dry period allows for physiological preparation for the next calving. At the time milking normally is stopped, a cow normally will be in the seventh month of a nine month pregnancy. A high frequency of calf production is necessary to maintain a cost-effective level of milk production. The rate of milk production peaks shortly after calving and then slowly declines with time.
Production Cycle. The production cycle for hogs has three phases: farrowing, nursing, and finishing. Some farms specialize in a single phase of the growth cycle, while other farms may handle two or all three phases. The first phase begins with breeding and gestation over a 114 day period followed by farrowing (giving birth). After farrowing, the newly born pigs or piglets normally are nursed for a period of three to four weeks until they reach a weight of 10 to 15 pounds. Sows can be bred again within a week after a litter is weaned. Sows normally produce five to six litters of 8 to 10 piglets per litter before they are sold for xxxxxxxxx. After weaning, pigs are relocated to a nursery where swine typically are fed a corn- soybean meal based diet that may include small grains such as wheat and barley and other ingredients. Nursery operations receive weaned pigs and grow them to a weight of 40 to 60 pounds. The third phase of swine production is the growing-finishing phase where the gilts (young females) and young castrated boars (males) not retained for breeding are fed until they reach a market weight, typically between 240 and 280 pounds. Growing-finishing usually takes between 15 and 18 weeks, and hogs normally are slaughtered at about 26 weeks of age. Swine operations can be of several types. According to the 2007 USDA Census of Agriculture, the most common operation is the growing-finishing operation, followed by the xxxxxx-to-finish operation that encompasses all three phases of swine production. Another common production mode is the combination of the farrowing and nursing phases, which provide feeder pigs for stand-alone grow-finish operations. Although not as common, some newer farms may operate only the farrowing phase or only the nursery phase.
Production Cycle. The Subcontractor's products and services shall support an Integrated Card Production System that is a stable, heavy-duty, reliable product, capable of continuous uninterrupted production 24 hours per day, seven days per week, except for normal maintenance.
Production Cycle. 7-10 days for newly-made molds, 10-15 for materials and 15-20 for silver white.
