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Know How / Dairy / Assessing performance

Dairying is a demanding business and it’s important to know the technical and economic key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess whether you are realising a good enough margin for the labour units, land, and working capital used by the business.

We look at a range of criteria suggested by advisers and working for progressive farmers to evaluate herd fertility, health, milk production and profit.

Key parameters are explored, from pregnancy rate to milk solids yield and cost per litre, providing relevant insights no matter what system you run.

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DAIRY

4 ways a high-output dairy farm cut vet costs to 0.72p/litre

A data-driven approach to herd health has seen a high-output dairy cut its vet and medicine cost in the past six years by nearly 0.5p/litre to 0.72p/litre. Phil Halhead, of…

DAIRY

How one Ayrshire dairy is cutting its carbon footprint

Improvements in milk quality and yield have helped cut the carbon footprint of a Scottish indoor dairy unit by 42% in a year. Farm output at Low Ballees, a new…

DAIRY

How Staffs dairy gets high robot visits with low cake costs

A Staffordshire robot dairy averages 3.7 robot milkings from 4.7 visits a day and has cut manufactured feed use to an average of 1.9kg a cow. Matt Weaver, of Aston…

DAIRY

Selecting cows for milk solids improves Sussex dairy's yield

The year-round calving herd at Huddlestone Farm, Steyning, produces a milk yield average of 37 litres a cow a day at 4.22% butterfat and 3.42% protein. In contrast, in 2017…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why low stocking rates are working for two Irish dairies

Achieving the optimum stocking rate means finding a balance between feeding cows for peak production and effective utilisation – without putting too much pressure on grass supplies or resorting to…

DAIRY

Video: How a dairy farmer cut concentrate costs by £30,000

Close monitoring of daily production and producing more milk from forage have enabled a Suffolk farmer to reduce concentrate use by almost one-third. In 2019, Jonny Crickmore was comparing the…

Practical advice

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DAIRY

Benefits of weighing dairy heifers to improve efficiency

Despite the availability of weighing equipment on the market, plus a growing number of feed companies and vet practices hiring scales or offering a weighing service, many dairy farmers still…

DAIRY

4 ways to optimise milking robots' efficiency

Optimising the efficiency of each robot box is vital to deliver a good return on investment. This is achieved by maximising outputs while minimising input costs. In practice, inputs for…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Why milk from forage may not be the best KPI for dairy herds

Milk from forage is a rudimentary figure that should only be used to measure individual progress when herd size is static. This is according to independent nutritionist Mark Price of…

DAIRY

How to improve milking efficiency and cow welfare

Improving milking efficiency makes sense for practical management benefits, financial incentives and animal health and welfare. Greater efficiency will allow smaller herds to spend less time milking, while larger herds…

DAIRY

7 ways to make the most of milk recording data

Milk recording can act as an important early warning system, flagging up issues that without intervention could affect herd profitability. Specialist dairy vet Andrew Bradley says farms which invest in…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

6 ways to improve dairy margins to beat high inputs

The current pace of change in the dairy sector is extremely fast, with milk price increases struggling to keep up with rising fertiliser, feed and energy costs. As such, it…

Insights

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DAIRY

Wearable device for cattle aims to improve dairy health

A new device, which is claimed to be the first integrated health microchip and activity monitor for livestock, could enable early detection of pre-clinical conditions and disease prediction in real…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Why health gains cut ruminant methane emissions by 10%

Three classic livestock benchmarking targets can help sheep and cattle farms raise technical performance and meet obligatory methane goals to battle climate change. Livestock policy leaders are urging farmers to…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How remote sensing tech can help fine-tune grass management

A farm-level study in Wales has shown remote sensors can provide valuable information on how grass responds to inputs. Furthermore, they can do this in greater detail and more rapidly…

DAIRY

Dairy fertility research reveals potential for further gains

The use of novel traits could be a way to accelerate genetic gain, according to the findings of a research project from New Zealand. In New Zealand, the Breeding Worth…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

5 new livestock gadgets for farming in 2020

From innovation to slightly improved design, engineers and inventors are constantly striving to produce the next big gadget in livestock farming.  Farmers Weekly has looked at the top products that…

LIVESTOCK

6 key factors influencing dairy herd profitability

The importance of maintaining a long-lived herd by keeping cows healthy and reducing deaths are key to profitability during periods of milk price volatility. Referencing benchmarking data from 65 US…

DAIRY

How top dairy herds cut operating costs in 2016

The best-performing dairy business that made a profit in the low payout year of 2016 managed to reduce their operating expenses by 4p/litre on average, with feed costs being hammered…

DAIRY

How to increase grazed grass without incurring extra costs

As we approach turnout and grazing opportunities for more profit, it is essential we all understand why there is so much value and profit in planning and using grazed grass. News…

LIVESTOCK

Areas to focus on to improve dairy efficiency

Focusing on efficiency measures rather than cost-cutting should be the objective to establish what is eating away at your profits. The last thing dairy farmers will want to be told…

LIVESTOCK

The costs to consider before increasing milk output

Dairy farmers considering pushing for output just because the milk price is starting to rise are being warned to beware of the additional costs involved.  According to independent dairy consultant…

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