FLEXIBLE MILKING FREQUENCY - Is there a better way of milking?
COVID-19 has intensified the ongoing labour crisis within the dairy industry. A hot topic at present is how to find practical solutions to the twice-a-day milking routine that can still maintain production and profit, while at the same time improve the attractiveness of the workplace.
Some of our clients transitioned to flexible milking routine part-way through last season and intend to follow a similar regime again this season. So, we thought we would share some insight into these changed milking practices to help you decide if it’s worth giving it a go this season.
What is flexible milking?
Flexible milking is a term used to describe milking intervals that sit between the more traditional twice-a-day (TAD) and once-a-day (OAD) milking. It allows for more flexibility in the timing and number of milkings per week.
The most common is milking three times in two days (3-in-2) which has more recently been tweaked to 10 milkings over 7 days (10-in-7). Since many farmers adopt flexible milking strategies to improve their work-life balance, the original 3-in-2 milking every 16 hours was not favoured since it included an unsociable night milking every second day. The 10-in-7 alternative was a welcome bonus for staff since it includes OAD milkings on weekends and a sleep-in every 2nd day.
Typical 10-in-7 milking schedule
TAD milkings occur 3 days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri).
OAD milkings occur 4 days per week (Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun).
Timing of milking can also be variable with farmers using intervals of 12-18-18 hours, 10-19-19 hours, 8-20-20 hours. Every week is the same.
What is the current uptake on changes to milking routines?
Statistics from the 2020-2021 season indicate;
Only 37% of national herds milked TAD for the full season.
8% of herds milked OAD for the full season.
1/3 (33%) of herds used a combination of TAD and OAD at some stage during lactation.
10% of herds used a combination of TAD, 3-in-2, OAD during the season.
14% of herds nationally used 3-in-2 milkings, including 26% of South Island herds.
Why switch to a flexible milking routine?
The following table by Dairy NZ outlines the benefits of switching to a 10-in-7 milking routine. Essentially, the benefits fall under two main categories.
People and workplace
Milking accounts for approximately 50% of the time spent on farm, so a 28% reduction in milking frequency each week allows for more flexibility in work hours, resulting in less fatigue and improved staff wellbeing. Ultimately these changes contribute towards staff retention and creating a workplace to attract new staff.
2. Animals
Milking animals less frequently results in less energy expenditure primarily through reducing walking distance, less time standing on concrete and more time grazing. This translates into improved body condition, fertility and lameness. Farmers indicate cows overall appeared happier. More time spent grazing and more time lying for rumination are positive animal welfare indicators.
Dairy NZ research project investigates 3-in-2 milking
In 2019, a Dairy NZ led research project “Flexible Milking for Healthier People and Cows” launched, specifically looking at the benefits of 3-in-2 milking frequency. The project is being run over 3 years at Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm where 4 farmlets have been established and 4 milking frequency scenarios will be compared under Canterbury conditions.
TAD for full season (baseline for comparison).
3-in-2 for the full season.
3-in-2 from December 1st.
3-in-2 from March 1st.
What are the likely trade-offs when switching to a flexible milking routine?
Milk yield
After the first year of the trial, cows on the full season 3-in-2 produced 5% less milk solids than the full TAD herd. One less milking under 10-in-7 may lead to a slightly higher production loss, although variations in milk yield will depend on stage of lactation, as it would be expected to be more pronounced in animals during early/peak lactation than for animals towards the end of lactation.
The initial findings suggest that for every day on a 3-in-2 milking, daily milk solids only drop by 0.09kg/ cow. While milk volume may slightly decrease, the milk component percentages increase to partially offset this. Extending milking intervals was shown to have no effect on fat production. But as protein production follows milk yield, the cows on the full 3-in-2 season produced 8% less protein. Since farmers are paid for fat + protein, changes in milk composition by decreasing the ratio of protein to fat may increase the value of milk per unit depending on the milk processor.
It is also worth noting that milk accumulation in the udder is linear up to 16-18 hours, so a change to 10-in-7 will have little effect on overall milk volume, assuming other factors such as feeding remain constant.
Somatic cell count
It is commonly thought that longer milking intervals (like OAD) are associated with increases in SCC from increased pressure in the udder, but no effects on SCC were recorded for 3-in-2 milkings. Increases in SCC are more likely to be seen from the shorter milking intervals due to lower volumes of milk to dilute somatic cells. Therefore, adjusting tanker collection times to every second day can help as the pickup will contain all three milkings.
Mastitis
The incidence of mastitis did not increase significantly possibly due to teats being less exposed to the milking process. Although, it is possible that if a herd is experiencing problems with mastitis, the transition to a 3-in-2 milking may see an increase in mastitis as undetected early stage infections will have more time to establish. Regardless, early identification and prompt treatment is essential under any milking regime.
All RVC first line treatment options for mastitis have once-a-day label claims, so any clinical mastitis cases can still be treated once daily under flexible milking routines.
Body condition
The full 3-in-2 herd recorded an improved body condition of 0.25 units compared to the full TAD herd with increases in body condition becoming more evident towards the end of the season. The theory behind this is the energy saved through reduced milking frequency goes towards increases in body condition.
It must be stressed though, 10-in-7 milkings should not be used as a tool to reduce feed intakes. If the goal is to improve body condition in lighter conditioned animals, these will respond better on OAD milking as a change to 3-in-2 may still result in a range of BCS across the herd.
Ultimately, improved body condition at the end of lactation/dry-off will result in lower feed requirements over winter and improved ability to reach pre-calving BCS targets next season.
Lameness
Significant reductions in lameness were noted in the 3-in-2 herd possibly as a result of reduced walking distance.
“These results imply it is possible to extend the interval between milkings without significantly impacting on milk production and animal health.”
When should I consider switching to 10-in-7?
This will be largely farm dependent, based on what outcomes you are wanting to achieve and what your team can handle during the season. Farms that have moved to flexible milking times have based the timing on:
Most farmers start with a transition from TAD to 10-in-7 during the second half of the season. Some commence at Christmas time to help with staff rostering and to accommodate holidays, others have started in the last 2-3 months of lactation.
Sudden staffing changes due to illness/injury, loss of workers or the need to cater for flexibility in rostering.
Feed &/or weather changes which impacts on ability to maintain cow body condition.
A gradual move from TAD to 10-in-7 and then to OAD can reduce dramatic lifts in SCC which can happen shortly after starting extended milking intervals.
Some farmers considered using a production trigger, eg. when milk production drops to 1.6-1.8kgMS but reported this was not useful since you never know when you are likely to hit the target, making future planning and rostering more difficult.
According to Dairy NZ, farms that have tried flexible milking times have returned to using it earlier the next season after seeing the benefits on both staff and animals, with little to no impact on production. Broader impacts on profitability will largely depend on reductions in cost structure and how the extra time not spent milking will be utilised.
These are exciting results and could be a game-changer.
Key Points
- 10-in-7 milking (10 milkings over 7 days) is a practical alternative to 3-in-2 (3 milkings in 2 days). OAD milking occurs on weekends and every week is the same.
- 10-in-7 milking has little impact on milk production and can be adopted at any stage during the season.
- Cows settle into the new routine quickly. Overall animal health improves, reduces lameness and improves body condition.
- Staff wellbeing improves through flexible rostering, reduced work hours and creating a better workplace to retain and attract new staff.
- 3-in-2 is gaining in popularity with 26% of South Island herds using it at some stage during lactation.