| Cows that are milked once-a-day (OAD) produce less milk than when milked twice-a-day (TAD). However, these cows also require less feed because of their lower milk production. Hence stocking rates can be increased. New Zealand evidence shows that the benefits from OAD milking can include per cow savings in animal health, labour and electricity costs, plus improved pregnancy rates. A linear programming model was used to evaluate the whole farm impact of these changes. This showed that OAD milking is likely to reduce profitability. This was based on recent New Zealand research showing an average per cow production decrease of 29% for Friesian cows and 20% for Jersey cows. However, given that some cows can perform under OAD at a similar level to TAD, it is... |
