Getting through summer

 It’s time to plan strategies to adopt in managing your way through summer and into autumn.

Typically from January onward, pasture growth rates will begin to drop below animal demand.

So what will your strategy be to tackle summer considering the forecast $4.70 payout?  

Milking frequency

Once-a-day (OAD) milking could be a useful tool for your farm.  

OAD milking for one, or all, of your herds can be effective in reducing:

• feed demand
• time required on farm
• some variable costs associated with milkings (such as electricity, detergents and labour costs).

 Farms that normally run two herds, of older and younger age-splits, suit this; it can mean a progressive plan may be adopted by putting the young herd on OAD in December or January, followed by a decision on whether the older cows go onto OAD.

Another option is three-milkings-in-two days, sometimes called 16 hour milkings.

It is not vital that cows are milked exactly every 16 hours; make it work for you and your staff.

A common rotation that works is 5am, 7pm and then 11am the next day.

The benefit of this method is cows holding milk production slightly higher, and you will also reduce the heat-stress demands on the cows through summer by avoiding stock movements through the hottest part of the day.

It can also aid in pushing the round length out as cows only get a new break after each milking.

So a 20 day round becomes a 27 day round by default.  

Feeding Levels

It is important when moving to OAD or three-in-two-milkings that feed levels are not reduced; this is especially so within the first two weeks of making the change.

Cow intakes will naturally not reduce for about the first four to six weeks on OAD, and then they will reduce slightly, by about 10%.

So it is crucial to move onto OAD at least 14 days prior to any feed shortage.

Often the trigger point to go OAD is when cows produce about 1.4 to 1.5 kgs MS/c/day.

Usually cows will end up dropping about 0.1 to 0.2 kgs MS/cow/day after about seven days on OAD.

If it is at all possible, feeding levels should be lifted to reduce, or nullify, any drop in milk production for the first 10-14 days of going OAD.

In January summer crops are frequently ready to be started, so the OAD herd benefits from starting the crop at the same time.

One way to stimulate cows to hold their intakes high is to keep doing 12-hour feed breaks, instead of allocating 24 hours as one feed.

This can encourage cows to get up and eat if moved to a close-by paddock (minimise walking where possible till late afternoon), or winding up the break fence.

Benefits

Research shows that cows switched from TAD to OAD in mid-January gain 0.2 to 0.4 BCS units by dry-off.

This is one of the main benefits of OAD: cows will hold, and can gain, BCS through summer and autumn, which allows for more days-in-milk; OAD also avoids being forced to dry the 2-year-olds off early due to low BCS.

The above strategy will provide options in bridging-through a short dry spell in the (Waikato) summer, and will in-turn produce wider options when farmers seek to capture the benefits of the normal ‘autumn flush’.

Costs

The only cost in reducing milking frequency is a decline in milk production per cow per day.

One piece of research shows that ‘a typical drop’ for a cow producing at 1.2 MS/c/day on TAD, is about 0.1 kg to 0.15 kgs MS/c/day.

Calculate the costs to your farm to complete that afternoon milking, and decide what the margin is.

Consider what electricity and labour saving can be made on your farm.

Somatic Cell Count

SCC will often double for the first 48 hours as cows adjust to OAD.

After seven days it will settle back down to frequently be about 25-50% higher than before.

Putting only one herd on OAD at a time will help manage this transition without grading.

Three milkings in two days will also mitigate SCC issues.

The younger cows naturally have a lower SCC, so the total bulk milk SCC may not lift very much at all with the older cows still on TAD.

If considering using OAD this season, it is important you work to get mastitis and SCC levels down now (to allow greater options as summer unfolds).

Cows milked on OAD need to be monitored closely to ensure they are all milked out properly and to pick up on any early signs of mastitis.

So begin to think whether OAD could benefit your farm this summer.

Unlike last year, reaching for the PKE lever may not be the first choice. 

• Darren Sutton is LIC FarmWise consultant, Waikato.