Better Farming - December 2016

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Better Farming December 2016 Story Idea? Email 31
years after he started, Pryor recalled
that he wanted to spend more time
with his young family. So OAD was
introduced, and the young farmer
found he had hours of extra time
every day. The time was indeed spent
with the family but also on crucial
management reviews, which nearly
always paid dividends.
But there was more good news.
The change to OAD improved cow
body condition, health and fertility,
Pryor reported. For instance, when he
used the former TAD routine, an
average 12 per cent of his cows were
still empty 12 weeks after their first
insemination post-calving. He told
the Grassland conference that, after
changing to the new milking regime,
this figure had leveled out at six per
cent of his cows still empty 11 weeks
after their first insemination
post-calving. Pryor block calves his
herd and nowadays manages to calve
50 per cent within 14 days in spring
– and 85 per cent within six weeks.
This level of performance is achieved
without any heifer synchronization!
Another bonus box ticked by this
farmer is the attraction of OAD
milking for young staff members. He
says the afternoons are now free for
milkers. For youngsters who regularly
train at the gym to take part in sports,
this lifestyle attraction is valuable;
they had to forget about it in the past.
Result: Pryor’s milkers and cow
managers stay longer in their jobs.
Administration and herd manage-
ment are therefore more consistent
and efficient, he finds.
While improved breeding perfor-
mances and cow health are useful
advantages, the crucial point lies with
the financial aspects – in other words,
with the bottom line. Before Nathan
Pryor changed to OAD milking, his
herd averaged a modest 4,200 litres.
He told the conference that the first
year of single milking saw output per
cow plummet to 2,900 litres (-31 per
cent) and solids per cow decreased to
247 kilograms (-27 per cent).
Three years later, he reported that
his yield had increased to 3,550 litres,
and solids produced per cow were
only 10 per cent lower than the
number of solids produced when
milking occurred twice per day.
But Pryor points out that in a
management system like his where
grazing provides most feed for the
cows, the production of milk solids
per acre is the critical criterion. Cows
have more time to make the most of
the grass available when they are
being milked just once daily, he says.
In the Republic of Ireland, County
Wexford, Michael Wall also operates
a grass-based milk production
system. He turned to his national
farm advisory board – known as
Teagasc – for advice after a family
tragedy left him milking 90 spring-
calvers almost always on his own.
“Consider reducing your daily
ONCEADAYMILKING
Bavarian TV
Unser Land
photo
Meyer milks 60 Simmental cows in Bavaria. Changing over to
once-a-day milking reduced his herd’s milk output. But he was able
to cut feed costs and enjoy a lot more leisure time each day.