RESEARCH WRAP LUDF VARIABLE MILKING RESEARCH
Cows approve milking blend 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.
L
incoln 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 oncea-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.
Milking times and milking intervals
MON
TUE
AM
9.5 hours between 84
AM
AM
PM
18 hours
THU
WED
AM
PM
21 hours
9 hours
18 hours
21 hours
Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | November 2021
