Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x5gtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-08T12:55:54.999Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Productive, economic and risk assessment of grazing dairy systems with supplemented cows milked once a day

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2017

B. Lazzarini ,
N. Lopez-Villalobos ,
N. Lyons ,
L. Hendrikse  and
J. Baudracco
B. Lazzarini*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Esperanza 3080, Argentina
N. Lopez-Villalobos
Affiliation:
Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary, Massey University, Palmerston North 5301, New Zealand
N. Lyons
Affiliation:
NSW Department of Primary Industries, Intensive Livestock Industries, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Menangle, NSW 2568, Australia
L. Hendrikse
Affiliation:
Masterton 5887, New Zealand
J. Baudracco
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Esperanza 3080, Argentina
*
†E-mail: belen_lazzarini@yahoo.com.ar
Get access

Abstract

Milking cows once a day (OAD) is a herd management practice that may help to reduce working effort and labour demand in dairy farms. However, a decrease in milk yield per cow occurs in OAD systems compared with twice a day (TAD) systems and this may affect profitability of dairy systems. The objective of this study was to assess productive and economic impact and risk of reducing milking frequency from TAD to OAD for grazing dairy systems, using a whole-farm model. Five scenarios were evaluated by deterministic and stochastic simulations: one scenario under TAD milking (TADAR) and four scenarios under OAD milking. The OAD scenarios assumed that milk yield per cow decreased by 30% (OAD30), 24% (OAD24), 19% (OAD19) and 10% (OAD10), compared with TADAR scenario, based on experimental and commercial farms data. Stocking rate (SR) was increased in all OAD scenarios compared to TADAR and two levels of reduction in labour cost were tested, namely 15% and 30%. Milk and concentrate feeds prices, and pasture and crop yields, were allowed to behave stochastically to account for market and climate variations, respectively, to perform risk analyses. Scenario OAD10 showed similar milk yield per ha compared with TADAR, as the increased SR compensated for the reduction in milk yield per cow. For scenarios OAD30, OAD24 and OAD19 the greater number of cows per ha partially compensated for the reduction of milk yield per cow and milk yield per ha decreased 21%, 15% and 10%, respectively, compared with TADAR. Farm operating profit per ha per year also decreased in all OAD scenarios compared with TADAR, and were US$684, US$161, US$ 303, US$424 and US$598 for TADAR, OAD30, OAD24, OAD19, OAD10, respectively, when labour cost was reduced 15% in OAD scenarios. When labour cost was reduced 30% in OAD scenarios, only OAD10 showed higher profit (US$706) than TADAR. Stochastic simulations showed that exposure to risk would be higher in OAD scenarios compared with TADAR. Results showed that OAD milking systems might be an attractive alternative for farmers who can either afford a reduction in profit to gain better and more flexible working conditions or can minimise milk yield loss and greatly reduce labour cost.

Keywords

once a day milkingprofitabilitydairy systemriskCow
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 12 , Issue 5 , May 2018 , pp. 1077 - 1083
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderle, R and Dalley, D 2007. Can you make money milking once a day (OAD)? Proceedings of the Once-A-Day Milking Conference, 16 to 17 April 2007, Hamilton, New Zealand, pp. 34–38.Google Scholar
Armstrong, DP and Ho, C 2009. Economic impact of switching to once-a-day milking on a dairy farm in northern Victoria. AFBM Journal 6, 55–62.Google Scholar
Basset-Mens, C, Ledgard, S and Boyes, M 2009. Eco-efficiency of intensification scenarios for milk production in New Zealand. Ecological Economics 68, 1615–1625.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baudracco, J, Lopez-Villalobos, N, Holmes, CW, Comeron, EA, MacDonald, KA and Barry, TN 2013. E-Dairy: a dynamic and stochastic whole-farm model that predicts biophysical and economic performance of grazing dairy systems. Animal 7, 870–878.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baudracco, J, Lopez-Villalobos, N, Romero, LA, Scandolo, D, Maciel, M, Comeron, EA, Holmes, CW and Barry, TN 2011. Effects of stocking rate on pasture production, milk production and reproduction of supplemented crossbreed Holstein–Jersey dairy cows grazing lucerne pasture. Animal Feed Science and Technology 168, 131–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bewsell, D, Clark, DA and Dalley, DE 2008. Understanding motivations to adopt once-a-day milking amongst New Zealand dairy farmers. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 14, 69–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Billikopf, G and González, G 2012. Turnover rates are decreasing in California dairies. California Agriculture 66, 153–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryant, J, Lopez-Villalobos, N, Holmes, CW and Pryce, J 2005. Simulation modelling of dairy cattle performance based on knowledge of genotype, environment and genotype by environment interactions: current status. Agricultural Systems 86, 121–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, DA, Phyn, CVC, Tong, MJ, Collis, SJ and Dalley, DE 2006. A systems comparison of once versus twice daily milking of pastured dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 89, 1854–1862.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooper, C 2000. Once-a-day milking: possible and profitable? Proceedings of South Island Dairy Event (SIDE): Healthy, Wealthy and Wise, 5 to 7 July 2000, Invercargill, New Zealand, pp. 152–163.Google Scholar
DairyNZ 2009. Dairy operating profit. Retrieved on 1 October 2016 from https://www.dairynz.co.nz/media/5411820/9-3_Dairy_Operating_Profit_Oct_2016.pdf Google Scholar
DairyNZ 2016. Full season once-a-day milking. Retieved on 9 September 2016 from https://www.dairynz.co.nz/animal/herd-management/once-a-day-milking/full-season-once-a-day-oad-milking/ Google Scholar
Guimaraes, FB and Woodford, K 2005. Searching for productivity gains through ‘once-a-day’ milking on New Zealand’s pastoral. Proceedings of the International Farm Management Association, 15th Congress: Developing EntrepreNeurship Abilities to Feed the World in a Sustainable Way, 14 to 19 August 2005, Campinas, SP, Brazil, pp. 145–150.Google Scholar
Holmes, CW 2011. OAD milking with OAD cows: the future for NZ’s low-cost grazing systems. Proceedings of the South Island Dairy Event (SIDE): Healthy, Wealthy and Wise, 5 to 7 July 2000, Invercargill, New Zealand, pp. 1–15.Google Scholar
Holmes, CW, Wilson, GF, Mackenzie, DDS and Purchas, J 1992. The effects of milking once daily throughout lactation on the performance of dairy cows grazing on pasture. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 52, pp. 13–16.Google Scholar
LIC 2017. New Zealand dairy statistics 2015–2016. Retrieved on 1 August 2017 from http://www.lic.co.nz/user/file/DAIRY%20STATISTICS%202015-16-WEB.pdf Google Scholar
MacDonald, KA, Penno, JW, Lancaster, JAS and Roche, JR 2008. Effect of stocking rate on pasture production, milk production, and reproduction of dairy cows in pasture-based systems. Journal of Dairy Science 91, 2151–2163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O’Brien, B, Gleeson, D, Boyle, L and Mee, J 2007. Reduced milking frequency creates opportunity for automatic milking systems. Proceedings of the International symposium on advances in milking, 11 April 2007, Radisson, Cork, Irlanda, pp. 106–114.Google Scholar
Patton, J, Kenny, DA, Mee, JF, O’Mara, FP, Wathes, DC, Cook, M and Murphy, JJ 2006. Effect of milking frequency and diet on milk production, energy balance, and reproduction in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 89, 1478–1487.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Poulter, C and Sayers, J 2015. Retention of skilled migrants in the New Zealand dairy industry. New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations 40, 1–23.Google Scholar
Rémond, B, Pomiès, D, Dupont, D and Chilliard, Y 2004. Once-a-day milking of multiparous Holstein cows throughout the entire lactation: milk yield and composition, and nutritional status. Animal Research 53, 201–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stelwagen, K, Phyn, CVC, Davis, SR, Guinard-Flament, J, Pomiès, D, Roche, JR and Kay, JK 2013. Invited review: reduced milking frequency: milk production and management implications. Journal of Dairy Science 96, 3401–3413.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tipples, R, Verwoerd, N, Bewsell, D, Dalley, D and Turner, D 2007. Social impacts of OAD Milking. Proceedings of the Once-A-Day Milking Conference, 16 to 17 April 2007, Hamilton, New Zealand, pp. 23–27.Google Scholar