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.
This story is from the March 20,2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
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This story is from the March 20,2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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