The use of once daily milking of dairy cows to achieve economic and social sustainability on New Zealand dairy farms

摘要

Once daily (OAD) milking has been suggested as a means of reducing farm labour input and stress compared with twice daily ( TAD) milking in New Zealand pasture‐based systems.Before 2000 adoption was low because of concerns around reduced milk yield and total income.Davis et al.(1999) suggested that some of the losses on a per ha basis could be recovered if high stocking rates were used in OAD systems.Clark et al.( 2006 ) showed that OAD systems using either Jerseys or Holstein‐Friesian cows could partially compensate when stocked at a 17% higher stocking rate than TAD systems,and that Jerseys seemed to adapt better than Holstein‐Friesians.Since 2000,the cost and difficulty of accessing labour and the desire by farmers,their employees and their families for a better lifestyle,together with encouraging research results,have all contributed to many farmers using OAD milking either for a full lactation or a part‐lactation.This paper summarises recent results related to economic and social costs and savings of OAD milking.