Persuasions the art of once a day milking

With the shock of a low payout a couple of years ago dairy farmers focused on reducing their costs and concentrated on profit, ahead of production.

Some farmers converted to Once a Day milking taking a small cut in production, but with lower costs and better fertility, found they were better off on the bottom line. This award winning farmer has followed the trend and profits are improving.

According to this article the OAD following is growing as managers adapt their systems to minimise the production loss.

It is interesting more and more farmers are using OAD to reduce pressure on cows when feed stress puts pressure on BCS.

The Southland dairy demonstration farm has used OAD during the period fo feed stress due to the spring snow falls. Dry cows cost big money and OAD has seen much improved fertility rates.
 

Lazy, cranks, not real farmers - once-a-day milkers have heard it all. But Mr Vollebregt, a former Wairarapa Sharemilker of the Year and NZ  Young Farmer of the Year, has the credentials and the milk production performance to crush such insults. His last season milking his 580 cows twice a day returned the highly creditable production figures of 1295 kilograms of milksolids a hectare. Last year, his third season of milking once a day, the same number of cows gave 1250kg a hectare. "My costs have dropped and I'm making more money. I'm happy and my staff are happy," he says.

He is a top performer in a discussion group of about 20 farmers who have decided to milk their cows just once a day. Dr Holmes, retired professor of dairy production at Massey University, and DairyNZ consultant Leo Hendrikse are the group's conveners reports The Dom Post. These farmers are at the forefront of a challenge to mainstream dairying that Dr Holmes rates as momentous as the advent of the herringbone milking shed or the abandonment of teat washing and stimulation in the 1960s and 70s. "It's growing; there could be as many as 600 across the country."

Fonterra is wary of the move, possibly fearing its influence could put a brake on the drive to increase production. But Dr Holmes says that need not happen. Farmers like Mr Vollebregt show that once-a-day milking does not permanently reduce milk output and it can open up new dairying country where some paddocks are a long walk from the cowshed.

The biggest disincentive is an initial dip in production, as some cows see the absence of a milking session as a signal to dry off. For Mr Vollebregt, this lasted two years as he weeded these cows out of his herd and Dr Holmes says farmers carrying high debt would have to be wary. However, research to identify the genetics of cows that comfortably make the transition would resolve this. DairyNZ and Livestock Improvement have projects in mind.

Mr Vollebregt, who with wife Rebecca farms on irrigated land near Martinborough, decided to make the move after he and herd manager Cory Wildman visited Canterbury to see the irrigated once-a-day 3000-cow farm run by brothers Doug and Dave Turner on Rakaia Island. He was also experiencing problems with cow fertility, with as many as 19 per cent failing to get pregnant, meaning considerable extra cost in buying in pregnant cows. That has now changed. Because they are under less stress, the cows' fertility has improved so much that he has more heifers than he needs and is selling 45 to 50 a year. Costs have also dropped, with the biggest gains being made from needing two fewer fulltime staff. And everyone's happier.

Cow numbers were increased to 630 in the first year to take account of an expected fall in feed demand because of an anticipated lower milk yield. But numbers have now returned to 580 as yields have lifted. With the extra feed and under less stress than they had been when milked twice a day, the cows come out of winter in good condition.

Dr Holmes says a twice-a-day herd has to put on about one condition point over winter to reach an ideal calving condition score of 5 by spring, which means feeding each cow 200kg extra of dry matter. Mr Vollebregt's cows finish their lactation and begin the winter at 4.7, so they need only 50kg to 60kg of extra feed over winter. With udders staying full for longer, some increase in mastitis has been experienced but it is not a serious problem. Udder condition is now key in deciding which cows to keep and which to sell. Strong ligaments to hold the udders on to the body are needed. Most important under once-a-day milking is the feeding. This is where the combination of art and skill comes in.

Dr Holmes says once-a-day is not for everyone and certainly not for bad twice-a-day farmers. "The skills needed are similar for both systems. The people probably best suited are those on a low-cost grazing system and those whose cows have long distances to walk to the milking shed and who have a low level of mastitis."