Research into variable milking schedules has found farmers were able to make savings by reducing the number of milkings and create better working environments for staff without causing a big drop in production. Anne Lee reports.
Lincoln University Dairy farm’s (LUDF) switch to a 10-in-seven milking regime already looks to be meeting with the cows’ approval if animal health and a boost to cow condition are anything to go by.
The farm instigated the milking schedule this season with the aim of increasing wellbeing for people and improving animal health outcomes without denting profit. Instead of milking cows twice each day, every day of the week the new schedule is a blend of a three milkings in two days regime during weekdays and once-a-day milking on the weekends.
It means cows are milked twice-a-day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and once-a-day on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Along with the new milking schedule, this season it’s establishing pure plantain pastures in some paddocks across the farm to see how the pure stands can be integrated into the grazing management plan and what effect it has on the farm’s environmental impact, production and profit.
The 10-in-seven milking schedule was implemented based on DairyNZ research into variable milking schedules that found farmers were able to make savings by reducing the number of milkings and create better working environments for staff without causing a big drop in production.
A farmlet study, carried out by DairyNZ scientist Paul Bird looking at a three-in-two milking regime, found a 5% reduction in milksolids (MS) production when variable milking is introduced with most of the 5% reduction coming from a drop in protein (8% less protein) with a 3% drop in fat.
LUDF’s Farmax modelling, using an anticipated 5% drop in milk production, is also assuming a number of savings due to fewer milkings, improved animal health and lower staff costs.
That’s resulted in a predicted drop in farm profit of just $17/ha.
The risk to profit is in not making the modelled savings which included:
- Motorbike repairs and maintenance and petrol costs decrease by 25%.
- Electricity consumption drops by 13% due to 25% fewer milkings. The full 25% isn’t captured because some of the milkings are longer due to longer milking intervals and cows taking longer to milk out greater milk volumes.
- A 25% cut in cleaning costs for plant and farm dairy.
- Winter feed costs drop by $1.80/cow/ week because a 0.23 body condition score (BCS) lift is assumed by the end of the season based on farmlet study findings.
- A $4.80/cow drop in animal health spending because of reduced lameness based on DairyNZ research.
- A $19,500 drop in human resource costs including housing due to 0.33 full time equivalent drop in workload.
So how is it going?
LUDF farm consultant Jeremy Savage from Macfarlane Rural Business says it was a tough start to the season for the LUDF team as it was for many farmers with a wet, cooler spring.
Heifers came home two weeks early compounding the problem.
The 556-cow farm has also been run with just two permanent staff with students employed as relief and casual staff. Jeremy says the cows settled into the milking routine quickly after the colostrum period. Colostrum cows were milked once-a-day at 1pm over the colostrum period as has been the practice over past years.
At the start of calving the change to the new milking routine did cause some difficulties with workflow as everyone got used to the different milking times.
Timing of calf feeding created a challenge to ensure warm colostrum was available when needed.
“We had to invest in a milk warmer and changed calf feeding to 10am every day,” Jeremy says.
In the first two weeks of calving everyone struggled to get into a good routine on the day cows were milked once-a-day at 8.30am but by week three, work flow had settled into a good pattern, he says.
“It was tough on people in those first couple of weeks – much harder for people to get used to the different system than it was for the cows.”
The larger 21-hour milking gap on some days during the week created challenges with heifers at the start of the season as full udders saw cups slipping off on a regular basis while milking.
That resolved and full udders are now helping bring cows to the yard.
The team is now using a Batt latch on the paddock gate to let cows out for morning milking and cows are making their own way to the farm dairy.
“There certainly aren’t any problems with cow flow. Cows are very keen to get on the platform and be milked.
“Staff are half way through milking before they have to even think about hitting the button for the backing gate.”
Good cow flow is already showing up in healthier hooves.
“Lameness has all but disappeared and we’re not seeing the white line issues we’ve seen in the past from cow pressures on the yard.
“We’ve also put rubber down in the underpass because we were getting some issues there so that will be helping as well,” Jeremy says.
Cell count hasn’t been an issue as a result of longer milking intervals but Jeremy says the team worked to resolve a staphylococcus problem in the herd in previous years through an identification and culling policy.
Cow condition is already improving thanks to fewer trips to and from the dairy.
“Body condition is at 4.6 and when we look at our historical data it’s been at 4.2 – 4.3 at this time of the year (early-mid October).
“Paul’s data had suggested a 0.3 gain over the season and we’re already there so we’re pretty excited about what that could mean for this season’s mating.”
The farm has struggled with reproductive performance in the past with a 17% empty rate last season from a 10.5 week mating period.
This season the artificial breeding (AB) technician will carry out the AB at 11am each morning straight after milking on the once-a-day milking days.
On the days cows are milked twice-a-day cows will go out to the paddock after the first milking with cows to be mated in their own area and brought back in for mating at 11am.
The new regime hasn’t caused any issues with managing pastures with the team hitting residuals daily.
Milk production has been affected as expected although there has likely been a season effect too given the cooler, wetter conditions.
Cows remained around 1.8kg MS/cow /day for longer than typical but once growth rates improved and silage was removed from the diet daily production lifted.
Cows were averaging 2.03kg MS/cow/day by October 13.
