For the last four seasons, Fairfax Bridge Farm has consistently achieved excellent Somatic Cell Count (SCC) results on a seasonal basis. With average annual results of 84,000 (2013-'14), 75,000 (2014-'15), 57,000 (2015-'16) and 83,000 to date this season, milking practices, hygiene and management are clearly at satisfactory standards.

Cows on Fairfax Bridge Farm are dried off in batches, based on body condition score (BCS) and calving date. Cows are dried off weekly, with poorer-BCS cows being identified and dried off first.

With a focus on keeping antibiotic use to a minimum, and reducing costs, cows which have not exceeded SCC of 150,000 at any of the four milk recordings are just teat-sealed. Based on last season’s figures, this accounted for 66% of the entire herd.

Any cows that have had a milk recording result which has exceeded 150,000 during the lactation will be treated with a short-acting antibiotic, while all cows that have had cases of mastitis throughout the season will receive a long-acting antibiotic with teat seal.

Mastitis

To date, we have had 42 individual cases of mastitis, with only one repeat case. Although this figure may sound high, it still only represents 5.8% of the herd.

Cows are not pre-stripped or washed, unless dirty. The platform is regularly hosed down, and milkers always wearing gloves, with teat spray applied post-milking.

Although the results are highly impressive considering the scale of the operation, it is worth bearing in mind that these cows are not wintered in sheds. The dry winters and free-draining soils allow the cow a clean, dry lie.

Milk recording is one item which has not been cut from the budget during last year’s low milk price. With the savings achieved from strategic use of treatments in drying off cows, and along with being able to make informed culling decisions, this expense on the farm is an absolute must as far as management is concerned.

Breeding

Currently, with eight days of breeding complete, 250 of the 722 eligible cows have been submitted to date. With the cows currently on 3kg of barley per day in the parlour, production has recovered to 2.18kg MS per cow per day (26.2 litres/cow, 3.8% protein, 4.53% fat).

Interestingly, and in line with a lot of New Zealand suppliers, our milk output is 10% below last season’s production to date, with a move in calving date of five days back only accounting for some of this loss. The mixed weather conditions which have favoured grass growth in Canterbury this year appear to have made an impact on the production of the herd.

To put this spring in perspective, it has been considered very mixed by Canterbury standards. Our farm has recorded an average of 46mm/month of rain over the last four months.

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