Investigation into the value of milk recording on Irish dairy

farmsBryan Kingston

R00082270

To find the reasons why dairy herds don’t milk record.

To find the reasons why dairy herds milk record.

To compare farmers who currently milk record to those who don't.

Objective to increase milk recording numbers

Research Question

16,839 herds with a calving in the last 12 months

10,000 herds not milk recording in 2014

Milk Recording Statistics

Milk Recording is the systematic measurement of individual cow performance:

Fat and protein% Milk yield SCC Lactose

What is milk recording?

Recorder service-through a Milk recording Organisation

Electronic DIY meters- electronic meters record milk

New technologies-Robotic Parlour

How milk recording works?

Cost of milk recording schemes

Establish productive cows

Analyse herd performance and make better decisions

Improves the genetic Merit of the herd

To Increase the value of stock sales

Measure effectiveness of dry-cow

Benefits of Milk Recording to Farmer

Excellent tool for Disease/prevention

Detects high SCC cows-Subclinical mastitis

Help to control and eradicate disease

Provides individual cow information

Benefits of milk Recording

Used to make genetic evaluation 305 day prediction

More herds recording= More data being generated

Good quality dairy products

Milk recording plays part indirectly to the meat

Milk buyers, researchers, breeding companies, veterinary surgeons, nutritionists

Milk recording is the best report

Importance of Milk Recording to the dairy industry

Optimir and Robustmilk

New information on cows

Fertility, Nutrition, Health, Environment

More added value

Milk Recording developmets

To send out surveys to non-milk recording herds and to milk recording herds

10 questions on survey monkey

Risk Assessment & no budget

Research Methodology

Why farmers choose to milk record to detect mastitis, to increase farm profit, to cull low performers, for higher EBI accuracy, genetic evaluations

Do not choose to milk record? the cost, hassle factor and because many of them don’t see benefits that can be gained from milk recording.

Results

To increase participation in milk recording?

the cost must be reduced and the hassle reduced, farmers don’t see benefits

Milk recording scheme needs to be modified

Conclusion