Research trials indicate that lactating cows provided with 16 to 18 hours of light per day produce 5 to 16% more milk than cows exposed to 13.5 hours or less of light per day (Peters, 1994). Proper lighting in a milking centre and in the housing area will improve worker efficiency, safety, and comfort, enhancing a high quality working environment.

These two articles from John P. Chastain and Richard Nicolai provide the dairy producer with information to design or evaluate the lighting in their facility.

Dairy lighting system for free stall barns and milking centers>>

Dairy lighting system for tie stall barns>>

Shortening the dry period to less than 60 days has been promoted recently. Unfortunately, beyond the effects on milk yield, little is known about the consequences of short dry periods. Shortening the dry period may affect grouping strategies or facility requirements, diet formulation, incidence of metabolic disorders and diseases, and/or impact reproductive efficiency. All of these factors should be taken into account when considering whether or not to shorten the dry period.

In this article by Ric R. Grummer and Robin R. Rastani some of these issues are examined.

Strategies for shortening the dry period>>
 

Despite an appropriate choice of antimicrobial, treatment of mastitis may be unsuccessful. This article by Kiro R Petrovski is an attempt to identify a number of key factors. It illustrates current knowledge and the author's view on these factors linked to mastitis-causing organisms and the mammary gland.

Bovine mastitis treatment failure>>
 

The most frequently identified cause of a surge in scours (diarrhea) is an increase in bacterial exposure. But the cause can also be abrupt changes in feeding routines. In this article Sam Leadley stresses the importance of achieving high levels of compliance with sanitation protocols, and being consistent when feeding calves. Read more about Surges in scours cases>>

A calf lying down on inadequate bedding in her pen or hutch during cold weather will lose body heat, and calves in negative energy balance (losing more energy than they consume) are good candidates for illness or even death. This article presents two ways to test the adequacy of wintertime bedding, along with management tips.  Cold weather bedding>>

Franken farm - the Netherlands

When Pieter Franken invested in a new barn in 2005 he chose a rotary because of the consistent milking routine and the high cow throughput.
"Labour efficiency will be very important when I expand my farm from 100 to 200 cows, as I plan to do in the future." To help with this, Pieter purchased many options with the TURN-STYLES® HBR rotary that would increase labour efficiency. Calf feeders, a crowd gate, spraycare box, activity meters and a sort gate were among the options.
"I also think one needs a heat detection system for a herd with more than 100 dairy cows. You can earn a lot of money with a good fertility rate”, says Pieter.

Read more and see images from the construction of the barn>>

Our sponsor, DeLaval, is involved in a number of large farm projects for which their customers need to employ both farm managers and project managers.

• Description:
  The role of a project manager is to manage several farms during the construction and implementation period.
• The role of a farm manager is to run one farm during the construction and implementation period and to share his/her modern knowhow about milk production with the local staff.

If you are interested and want to know more, click here>>