dairy productivity - DAIRYPUNDIT

Increasing Dairy Cow Production: Cow Comfort

Cow comfort has a number of definitions that range from the zone of thermo neutrality or cows comfort zone to the physical comfort. A cow is considered to be comfortable when she has the ability to do what she wants when she wants without straining. As such the overall definition of cow comfort would be the overall well being of the dairy cow that takes into account it’s physiological as well as its psychological needs. So, What Is Cow Comfort? Defining Cow Comfort Cow comfort to many people simply means the cows comfort zone (climatic environment). This is a state …

Dairy Cows Feeding Management

Dairy farming is very diverse and there is a lot that goes into it. Today, dairy farmers are not only paid based on their milk quantity but also based on the quality. In the Upper Midwest, farmers are paid based on the cheese yield (protein and fat yields) while in the Southeast farmers are paid based on the butterfat content. This being the case, it’s important to understand what affects milk quality and how to maintain the highest milk quality. While there may be many factors affecting the quality, we shall zero in on dairy cow feeding management in this …

Increasing Dairy Profitability: Milk preservation

Milk production fluctuates with different seasons. Every year, farmers complain of milk influx, especially between May and July. At such times, milk prices drop to rock bottom. It is at such times that farmers incur huge losses. These losses end up eating into previous months profits. Much as you may stagger breeding times, large scale milk production will always tend to be a challenge. Milk is a major ingredient in most recipes. It adds flavor and loads of nutrients. But how do you preserve your milk to guarantee its presence in your recipes? Well, milk preservation dates back decades ago …

Milk production has increased tremendously over the past decades. Between 1950 and 1975, dairy milk production in the U.S averaged at 120 billion pounds. Since then, dairy cow milk production has increased by over 75 %. The production levels in 2013 were a record high of 201.2 billion pounds. This is immense growth especially at a time when milk cow numbers remained relatively constant. A dairy cow’s profitability is measured but its milk production. A cow will only be economically viable if the dairy cow milk production breaks even. Increasing dairy cows’ milk production may sound like age-old metaphors that …