Positive effects of once a day milking outweigh milk reduction
Large numbers of dairy farmers are milking once a day after cows calve this spring in an effort to curb milk production, reduce costs and manage labour at a very busy time of the year.
With national milk quota full to over flowing farmers are doing what they can to reduce milk if they have already filled their quota.
In the short term, milk solids production per cow will drop between 25 and 30% while cows are once a day milking. International research has shown short term once a day milking for six to eight weeks post calving will reduce annual yields if and when cows are switched back to twice a day milking on 1 April. The annual reduction will be in the order of 10 to 15% per cow.
The positive effects of once a day milking however still outweigh the milk solids reduction for many farmers, as they see great benefits from reduced body condition score loss, better fertility, and a reduction in workload.
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Aidan Brennan will give update and further analysis from more Irish once a day experience next Thursday in the Irish Farmers Journal
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Title: Positive effects of once a day milking outweigh milk reduction
Large numbers of dairy farmers are milking once a day after cows calve this spring in an effort to curb milk production, reduce costs and manage labour at a very busy time of the year.
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With national milk quota full to over flowing farmers are doing what they can to reduce milk if they have already filled their quota.
In the short term, milk solids production per cow will drop between 25 and 30% while cows are once a day milking. International research has shown short term once a day milking for six to eight weeks post calving will reduce annual yields if and when cows are switched back to twice a day milking on 1 April. The annual reduction will be in the order of 10 to 15% per cow.
The positive effects of once a day milking however still outweigh the milk solids reduction for many farmers, as they see great benefits from reduced body condition score loss, better fertility, and a reduction in workload.
Aidan Brennan will give update and further analysis from more Irish once a day experience next Thursday in the Irish Farmers Journal
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