ANSC 1011 Chapter : Dairy Production And Management
Dairy Production and Management 11/9/2012 3:22:00 AM
Fixed cost: same year round
Maximize productivity
Dairy Management Practices:
• Very important to success of the dairy operation
Areas of Research:
• Reproduction
o Progeny testing, AI, ET- use of superior sires
o Estrus/ovulation synchronization
• Herd health
o Disease control, vaccines, dry cow management, mastitis
prevention and control
• Nutrition
o Efficiency, protein quality, total mixed rations (TMR), forage
quality, by products
• Automated equipment
o Milking, heat watch, feeding
▪ 1894: 6 cows/hour before machines invented
▪ today: hundreds!
Essential practices for Dairy operations:
• Calf management
• Heifer management
• Transition cow management
• Lactating cow management
o Udder health
o Production
o Milking management
• Reproduction
• Nutrition
• Record keeping
• Hoof trimming
• Herd health
Major Area’s of importance
• RECORDS!
• Genetics
• Nutrition
• Reproduction
• Herd health
o Mastitis: important disease in dairy cattle
• Cow comfort
• Biosecurity
Types of herd records that should be kept on the dairy:
• Individual cow and herd performance
• Individual identification and parentage records
• Individual reproductive and health records
Dairy records: Areas of Focus
• Production
• Reproduction
• Udder health
• Culling (get rid of)
• Replacement
Performance Testing Programs
• Individual cow and Herd performance records kept:
o Through testing program
o On farm independent of the official testing program
o Combination of both
• **maintaining performance records through DHIA is one of the
primary reasons for improvement in dairy cattle genetics and
management in the U.S.
Genetics: (looking for qualities when mating)
• Improved herd health program
• Increased longevity
• Improved reproductive traits
o Calving ease
o Female fertility
• Increased milk production
• Improved milk quality
• Overall animal performance
Reproduction:
• Heifers: target breeding age 13 to 15 months
o First calf at 23-25 months
• Lactating Cows
o Rebred in timely manner for max profit
• Management practices
o Artificial insemination
o Heat detection
o Synchronization protocols
o Methods of pregnancy diagnosis
• Pregnancy testing: feel fetus (biopryn) can detect if pregnant after
28 days of breeding.
Feeding Dairy Cattle
• Stage of production: calf, heifer, lactating cow, dry cow
• Forages, roughages (hay, silage, pasture) (100lbs)
• Concentrates (corn, SBM, DDG, WCS)
• Balancing the diets can be complicated
o Body weight of cow
o Stage of lactation
o Pounds of milk
o Pounds of milk fat
• Total mixed rations vs. Pasture based feeding
o Depends on farm and facilities
• Pasture based feeding: cows graze grass and feed concentrates in
milk parlor or feed trough. Hay offered separately in hay feeder or
feed bunk.
• Total mixed ration
o All ingredients (forages, concentrates) mixed together and
offered to cows in feed trough or feed bunk.
Cow Comfort: can make difference in milk production and herd health.
• Free stalls
o Sand, straw, sawdust or shavings, composted manure
• Heat stress
o Sand bedding reduces heat
o Fans, sprinklers, cooling ponds, bedding
Document Summary
Dairy management practices: very important to success of the dairy operation. Essential practices for dairy operations: calf management, heifer management, transition cow management, lactating cow management, udder health, production, milking management, reproduction, nutrition, record keeping, hoof trimming, herd health. Major area"s of importance: records, genetics, nutrition, reproduction, herd health, mastitis: important disease in dairy cattle, cow comfort, biosecurity. Types of herd records that should be kept on the dairy: individual cow and herd performance, individual identification and parentage records, individual reproductive and health records. Dairy records: areas of focus: production, reproduction, udder health, culling (get rid of, replacement. Genetics: (looking for qualities when mating: improved herd health program, increased longevity, improved reproductive traits, calving ease, female fertility, increased milk production, improved milk quality, overall animal performance. Hay offered separately in hay feeder or feed bunk: total mixed ration, all ingredients (forages, concentrates) mixed together and offered to cows in feed trough or feed bunk.
