Lameness

Probably the biggest issue on most dairy farms at the moment is slow and lame cows. After two months of wet and damp weather, hooves are soft and cows are getting lame easily as they pick up injuries from sharp stones and obstacles on roadways and around yards. The issues are compounded by the fact that most roadways on Irish farms are substandard. Cows are also walking longer distances at this time of year to graze faraway paddocks. While there is nothing we can do about the weather, farmers can reduce lameness by reducing the risk of injury on a roadway by providing a smooth and dry surface. Remove sharp bends which slow down cow flow. Try to find out why cows stop on a roadway – is the surface worse in this area or are they about to go on to a slope or a very wet area? Cows will be reluctant to walk where the surface is uneven, slippery, or waterlogged. You often find that wherever cows stop they do more dunging when they start walking again and this makes the problem worse. At the cow end, increased foot-bathing two or three times a week will help to keep hooves hard. Identifying and treating lame cows early will make a big difference. In most cases, the problem is caused by stone ingress and bruising. Long-term, breeding cows with a black hoof will help to reduce lameness.

Milking times

I was on a farm in Waterford during the week that was milking the cows three times every two days. The farmer in question had been doing this since July and while milk yield dropped a bit at the time, the herd has held production up well since. The reason for cutting back milking was to do with reducing the amount of walking the herd has to do. The cows are milked at 5am and 5pm one day and at 11am the following day and then back to 5am and 5pm the day after. Other farmers are going back to once-a-day milking, again to reduce walking distances and time spent milking. When changing milking frequency, the big thing to watch for is cell count. Use milk recording to identify and treat or cull high SCC cows if you have an SCC problem before changing milking frequency.

Energy use

I note the scheme to grant-aid the retrofitting of variable speed vacuum drives to milking machines has been oversubscribed. The payback by installing the new pumps on larger parlours is between four and seven years depending on number of units and whether you have single- or three-phase electricity. With a good bit more cash around this autumn, farmers should consider investing in similar things that will reduce energy use and costs in the future. How many bulk tanks were under pressure in May because the compressors are too small or the electrical supply is insufficient? Is the plate cooler big enough and have you enough water going through it? What about lighting? Many farmers are installing more energy efficient LED lighting in new buildings. Water heating costs vary significantly between farms. The majority of hot water should be heated at night rate electricity, but to do this a night rate meter must be installed.