The basics of dairy farming: Part 1

Modern dairies tend to be large-scale and highly automated. Yet the essence of managing cows and maximising production has not changed.

Over the past 30 years, the number of dairy farms in South Africa has decreased, while the average number of cows in dairy herds has more than doubled. Milking parlours, too, have increased in size, making it easier to milk large numbers of cows daily. Today, four to five workers can milk 300 cows per hour in a rotary parlour with 50 milking clusters.

At the same time, specialised dairy computer software can collect large amounts of data, such as the milk yield at each milking event and the live weight of cows, and this can be used to improve the management of dairy cows.

Despite all these developments, dairy farmers have to be aware of the basics of how cows function and how they are managed.

COMPONENTS OF THE HERD

Dairy cows are the production units of a dairy herd. Because milk is the main source of income for a dairy farm, a herd should consist of mostly lactating cows. Cows have only two production cycles: the lactating phase and the dry phase. At least 82% of the cows in the herd should be in milk at all times.