DAIRY HERD ADMINISTRATIONMANAGEMENT

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FOREWORD

Copyright © VEEPRO HOLLAND. Publication from this manual is permitted only after approval of VEEPRO HOLLANDand on condition of statement of the source. Photos: Veeteelt

Publisher / Editor : VEEPRO HOLLAND Information centre for Dutch cattle / P.O.Box 454 /6800 AL ARNHEM / HOLLAND / Tlx: 45541 NRS NL / Phone: * * 31 26 3861133 / Fax: * * 31 26 3861452

Design & Realization : D vision

Dairy Herd Administration Management isthe twelfth in a series of managementmanuals published by Veepro Holland.Through these manuals Veepro Hollandaims at providing you with useful manage-ment information. Dairy cattle worldwidehave to be managed well to be able toutilize their genetic potential to full extent.

No single booklet can cover every subjectas diverse and complex as dairying.Nor will probably everyone associated withdairying agree on all points covered in onepublication. But we of Veepro Hollandbelieve that the combination of thismanual and other publications on thesubject may broaden your knowledgeabout the importance of dairy herdadministration and will subsequentlycontribute to herd health and productivity.Veepro Holland wishes to continue being

committed to providing you with theinformation and services you need to makeprofitable decisions for your dairy business.

Veepro Holland is indebted to those whocontributed to this manual, particularlyir. Wim Hanekamp, acting Head of theCattle Breeding Department of the AppliedResearch Station for Animal Husbandry (PR)at Lelystad, for his constructive criticism.

We would like to thank the IPC Livestock/Dairy Training Centre ‘Friesland’ at Oenkerkfor their valuable assistance in thepreparation of this manual.

Many thanks also to those organizationsand publishers who permitted us to usevarious data and illustrations.

VEEPRO HOLLAND

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INTRODUCTION

Today’s dairy farmer has several reasonsfor keeping good financial records and aproper herd administration. He must haveaccess to necessary information to measurehis own progress in terms of net worthincrease and annual operating profit.These records should help to maintainmanagement control over his business.Dairy farmers are continuously required tomake decisions relating to, for example,milk production, feeding, growth, reproduc-tion, animal health and culling of low-profitcows, all of which require accuratecollection of the data of individual ani-mals. Probably the one single deficiency ofmanagement which costs dairy managersmost in income is the lack of goodrecords.

Besides this, creditors will often examineyour management skills and repaymentability in addition to your collateral. Cashflow projections are frequently requestedby banks, as well as profit and lossstatements. Actually, the more informationabout all aspects of dairying is known tothe management, the better the opportuni-ties are for a valuable managementsupport.

Today, properly computerized herdmanagement software programmes areavailable on the market to assist inmaking dairy farm management decisionsthrough monitoring herd performance andproblem analyzing. The objectives of allthese programmes are to maintain optimalherd health and to increase the produc-tion efficiency of livestock, thus maximizingincome while minimizing income fluctua-tions and, above all, reducing costs.Without these records it is rather difficult tocull out effectively low-profit cows affectingthe overall economic herd stability. Themost important area of day-to-daymanagement in dairy farming concernscontrol of the factors deciding the eco-nomic relationship or margins between milksales and milk production costs. Besidesthis, a recording system should provideup-to-date information which can easilybe understood and interpreted.

Your record-keeping system should betailored to your own circumstances bykeeping it simple as long as it provides

Milk production records are the backbone of ahighly profitable dairy herd

Computerized management systems can be of greathelp to the overall herd management

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the necessary information. For example, therecords on milk production performanceand feed costs will help you to betteranalyze your margins. Therefore, completeand accurate records are the backbone ofa highly profitable dairy farm business.

It is not the purpose of this manual todescribe a complete dairy farm record-keeping system, but attention will befocussed mainly on dairy herd administra-tion for decision-making purposes.

Accurate identification

Individual cow identification is playing animportant role in day-to-day herd manage-ment decisions. Proper identificationbecomes more difficult as herd sizesincrease. The overall objective of properidentification is to ensure that each animalcan be followed from the time it is born towhen it is sold or slaughtered. In this way,herd managers can monitor daily, visuallyor electronically, all parameters aboutindividual cows. It is essential that calvesare identified as soon as possible afterbirth and that the registration numbers arekept as a unique life-time number for allcattle improvement purposes, such asherdbook registration, type classification,milk-recording, artificial insemination andgeneral health.

In smaller herds, herdsmen are able toidentify animals more easily, but in largerherds an accurate identification system isan absolute must, following a methodfacilitating quick on-the-spot identificationwith a minimum of time and effort at alltimes.

Methods of cow identification

The aim is to draw up a cow identificationsystem meeting the following criteria:

• provision of permanent identity;• legibility at a distance;• ease of application;• reliability and difficult to alter or lose;• safety, and causing a minimum of

discomfort.

The selection of the method of identificationis the dairy manager’s responsibility and

depends on the dairying system he isusing. Firstly, the identification methodsalready in use, and subsequently, themore sophisticated systems are described.

SketchingAnimals of broken colour breeds can besketched by hand or photographed. Insome countries herdbook societies are stillenforcing this method of identification forthe registration of animals.

Ear-tattooingFigures and letters are tattooed at theinside of the ears of solid colour breedswith a specially designed ear tattoo plier.Afterwards a black tattoo paste is thor-oughly rubbed into the tattoo perforations,leaving a clear long-lasting indentation.This method of identification is still opera-tive in some breed associations. A disad-vantage is that animals have to bestrained for reading of the exact number.

Ear-notchingThis is a simple method of identification,provided that a fixed standard forrecognition is used. Never put more than 2

Individual identification is playing an important rolein day-to-day management decisions

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notches in the upper edge of the ear andnever more than 3 notches in the loweredge. This must be done with a speciallydesigned ear-notch plier. A disadvantageis that the ‘numbers’ are difficult to readfrom a distance.

Ear tagsEar tags are widely used. A double-tagging system, consisting of a large easy-to-read plastic tag within each ear, isrecommended for extra identificationsecurity should one of the tags get lost.The ear tags should be applied at birthfor quick and easy recognition. Please donot risk mix-ups by delaying identificationof calves. It is recommended to use yellowear tags with black markings. Most qualityear tags are made of polyurethane fordurability and tear strength. The tagmaterial should be properly resistant toultraviolet radiation, otherwise the tagsmay become brittle and break.

The tags may be pre-printed with numbersor be marked with a tag-marking pen. Itis recommended to have also the informa-tion about date of birth and name of sireon larger tags. The tags should beinserted at the right location between the

ear muscle tissue. This system also allowsreading both from the front and frombehind.

Ankle bands and neck chainsFor ease of identification in milkingparlours, numbered ankle bands may beused as well. They are made ofpolyethylene material and are fittedabove the ankle of one of the cow’s rearlegs. A drawback is that ankle bands getrather dirty in the long run.

Neck chains are less advisable for dairyherds, because of the risk of an animalchoking or getting hung up on a fence orany other obstacle.

Freeze-brandingAlthough freeze-marking can be done atmost ages, it is difficult to freeze-brandanimals from birth to about 6 months old.Young calves lack muscle firmness andthe body areas are not large enough toaccommodate the desired number ofdigits. Therefore, it is recommended tofreeze-brand young animals after 6 monthsof age. After this age, there is the advan-tage of establishing permanent identifica-tion before the animals are moved toother housing or grazing facilities. It is notuncommon for herdsmen to be unable toidentify their animals between 6 monthsand calving, because the means ofidentification have become illegible, gotlost, or are non-existent anymore. Freeze-branding will eliminate these problems.

With this method, a very cold iron (liquidnitrogen or dry ice with alcohol) destroysdark hair-producing pigment cells. Whitehair will grow within 3 months afterapplication. A freeze-brand causingpermanent hair removal may be used onanimals with light-coloured hair coats, butthe results are below expectations andthis method is therefore advised against.

Herdsmen or milkers using the above-mentioned systems of cow identificationhave still to push-button manually thenumbers for parlour automation. Therefore,these systems are less optimal for automa-tion purposes in the milk parlour.

Now the more sophisticated systems are

Accurate identification and registration ofcattle, a must in modern times!

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described whereby numbers can be readwith a portable tag reader and/orautomatically when cows are entering themilking parlour.

Electronically readable eartagsNew developments have come up withnumerical pre-printed (visually andelectronically readable) eartags withprogrammable magnetic resonancetechnology. This type of identification isbased on a very well-known technology asis used for security tagging in numerousdepartment stores worldwide.

With a portable electronic tag reader theidentification numbers can be read.Furthermore, this system can be incorpo-rated in computer-programmed concen-trate feeders and milking parlours withintegrated automation systems.

Neckbelts with respondersSince the beginning of the eighties neckbelts with responders have been in use forelectronic identification of individual cows.The neck belts were introduced mainly toenable the provision of a programmedamount of feed concentrates to individualcows over a 24-hour period.

Nowadays they are also used for cowidentification and integration with compu-terized management systems in milking

parlours. In the milking parlour the cowsare automatically identified by means ofa portal antenna (walk-through identifica-tion). Afterwards the cow numbers arecoupled to a milking point in order ofentry.

PedometersThe pedometers are used mainly formonitoring the activity level of cowscoming in oestrus. The pedometer, which isattached to a cow’s leg, utilizes a micro-processor with a built-in movement sensorto monitor and record the cow’s typical24-hour activity. It interprets this informationto help the herd manager determine whenthis activity occurred, thus facilitatingoptimal insemination timing and alsomonitoring the health of individual cows.Be sure that there are no obstacles wherethe ankle bands may get stuck andeventually lost, e.g. with mushroomwashers in the holding area before cowsare entering the milking parlour.

Neck belts with responders can be used forelectronic identification of individual cows

The pedometer can be a tool for thedetection of cows in heat

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A new development is the pedometers’being used also for cow identification. Themonitoring of information takes place bymeans of a concealed antenna mountedin the floor of the milking parlour. With thissystem the placing of animals within theparlour can be accurately determined.

Monitoring information

All the identification systems describedabove can assist herdsmen in successfullyrunning his dairy unit. Especially throughthe electronic devices, information can nowbe read from display panels in the milking

DAIRY HERD RECORDING

In view of the growing need for informa-tion it is essential to have access to morereliable data for decision-making. There-fore, the herd manager should keeprecords regarding animal performance,such as milk production, breeding andanimal health of all his animals from birthuntil they are disposed off. Only if theserecords are kept properly, they can assistin making the right decision at the righttime.

Milk production records are a must fortoday’s dairyman to make optimal dairyfarm management decisions. It is a knownfact that herds in milk recordingoutproduce herds that are not recorded.Complete milk production records providethe basis required for developing andmaintaining a high-producing herd.Milk production records also providedairymen with information about itemseffecting breeding efficiency, such aswhen to dry-off, calving date, calvinginterval, when to breed, number ofinseminations per pregnancy, and so on.

parlour or from a monitor in the farmoffice. The display panels can be fittedwith warning lights to alert the herd man-ager and/or milker in case of problemsassociated with milk production deviation,milk conductivity, hourly parlour milk pro-duction, milk temperature, daily rest feed,body weight changes, and so on.

Measuring is knowing

What is my breeding history?

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We shall first discuss the manual systemsand thereafter the computer managementsystems.

Good manual systems for proper recordkeeping are:

• the individual cow record chart;• the cow calendar;• the herd-fertility and health-monitor chart.

Individual cow record chart

For each heifer or cow within the herd anindividual record chart should be kept onfile. These records are kept in a filing trayor folder for ease of portability and fielduse. They should be kept in numerical cowidentification order for ease of checking.These charts provide the dairy managerwith a written history of the animal’sgrowth, health and vaccinations, breedingand sire information used, calvings, andmilk production records.

Colour-coded file signals may be attachedto the top of the chart to facilitaterecognition of the animal’s status. Thesesignals can identify the reproductive statusof cows as well as other information. Atthe same time milk production data arerecorded to follow up milk productionaccumulation.

Cow calendar

A cow calendar keeps track at all timesof all cows in the herd according tobreeding and calving status. It visualizes acomplete picture of your dairy herd. Eachcow in the herd is monitored throughidentification of her breeding status by afour- or six coloured magnet codingsystem, using self-adhesive, removablestickers. All cows are identified by writingidentification numbers on these stickers.Each numbered magnet is placed on theboard in a position and a colour relevantto the latest event in her life.The cow calendar is a useful tool inhighlighting actions and for planningdecisions. It is not a substitute for theindividual cow record charts, but must beregarded as a supplementary item. Onecow calendar can handle herd sizes upto 250 cows.

Herd fertility and health monitor chart

This concerns a multiple cow recordsystem whereby all cows are monitoredchronologically from the date of calving.All data relating to the cow’s reproductivestatus and general health should berecorded, i.e. calving date, ease ofcalving, date of heat, insemination date,name of sire, fertility disorders andoccurrence of mastitis, as well as theirtreatment, date to dry off, and expectedcalving date. They also indicate whencows can be expected to be in heat,which cows need special attention andwhich should be inseminated.

Efficient herd management requires adaily check of these records by effectivelyextracting the maximum value from them.In addition, a milk-recording book and aninsemination book can be kept to registerthe daily milk production of each cow

Data on herd fertility are essential for efficientherd management

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and its breeding data, which can betransferred later to the individual cowcharts. The herd administration should bekept safely in a dairy office and be easilyaccessible to persons involved in herdmanagement.

Computerized herd management systems

The success of computer informationdepends mainly on the daily input ofinformation by the dairy manager and hisstaff. Complete records are essential toachieve optimal values. Which computer-ized recording system is best depends on,among others, herd size, the system ofmanagement, and the dairy manager’sneed of information. Some importantquestions to be answered before choosinga computerized management system are:

• is the system user-friendly?• how much time does the system re-

quire?• can the system handle the size of your

whole dairy herd?• does the system monitor all cows

throughout lactation?• does the system provide action lists for

day-to-day management support?

• can the system provide continuous andup-to-date features of herd perform-ance?

• does the system provide predictionsabout future herd composition and milkyields?

• the systems do provide opportunities forupdating accounting information?

• does the system have opportunities forcash-flow budgeting?

• how high are software investmentscompared to others systems availableon the market?

It is important to take these questions intoconsideration prior to selecting a compu-terized system, because a system can besuccessful only if the dairy farmer enjoysworking with it. Nowadays, dairy farmmanagers can also make use of compe-tent dairy farm management consultants

The success of computer information dependsmainly on the daily input of information

Optimal monitoring of feeding costs willcertainly pay off

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by subscribing to their services for makingmanagement recommendations.

Ration optimization software is availablefor fine-tuning ration formulation for thevarious groups of animals within the herd.Feeding costs should be controlled moreprecisely and animals should be fedaccording to their individual requirementsfor optimal growth and production.

Today, many computer analysis pro-grammes are available for making very in-depth analyses. Besides this, quality dairyfarm software packages are linked to themilking parlours to monitor all aspects ofmodern dairying. At present, more andmore emphasis is being put on designingstate-of-the-art milking parlours for moreefficient farm management and costreduction. These modern parlours permitthe monitoring of many parameters, suchas body condition changes during lacta-tion (weighing), milk production withaccumulated milk yield, and milk conduc-tivity and temperature. Furthermore themilk production levels of different cowgroups, group averages, average parlourmilk production per hour, and so on, canbe monitored.

In a good computer management pro-gramme the following basic informationshould be available.

General herd data and reports• Total overview of groups of young stock

and groups of cows in herd at anytime;

• Herd prediction data, such as calvingpatterns and future herd composition;

• Overview of animals sold and pur-chased;

• Milk production recording and lactationdata with prediction for 305-day milkproduction;

• Lactation curves;• Group and herd milk production

averages;• Monitoring herd health and action lists

to identify cows requiring attention;• Calving patterns and registration of

births;• Availability of graphs for the various

parameters.

Milk meters can nowadays be linked with softwarepackages for the provision of management data

The most important information for herd manage-ment is obtained in the milking parlour

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Breeding data• Up-to-date semen inventory and used

stock;• Sire information with pedigrees and most

recent indices;• Sire and technician performance;• Action lists for heats and proposed

insemination data;• Fertility data and reproduction analysis

with conception and efficiency rate;• Review of intervals between heat and

first insemination, and of calving toconception, calving intervals.

Ration calculation• Tables with nutrient composition of

feeds, obtained either from laboratoryanalyses or from entered nutritionalvalues;

• Prices per kg of roughages and feeds;• Tables for daily maintenance and milk

production for various groups of animals;• Ration composition optimization;• Average concentrate consumption and

overview per group;• Calculation of margins between milk

sales and feed costs per kg milk pro-duced.

Within interface programmes the computersoftware can be linked as well to feedingcomputers and milk meters (processcomputer) for further automation.

Comparing herd performance

Proper comparison of your dairy herd’sperformance with previous months andyears, as well as with other dairies of asimilar type, can be extremely valuable.Not only should income and expensesoutlays be compared, but also detailedexpenditures for feed, labour, mainte-nance, and so on, can considerably assistin evaluating the performance of yourdairy farm.

Data of cows in heat should be recorded at alltimes

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SUMMARY

Accurate identification of cows is essentialfor successful running of a dairy herd.Today more and more herd managers areparticipating in computerized managementsupport programmes, to help them makebetter management decisions and decideon the best places where to cut downexpenses.

The general guidelines for proper herdadministration management are:

1. having a reliable cow identificationsystem that suits you most;

2. recording daily all data relating to theherd’s state of affairs;

3. monitoring daily general herd data,milk production performance, andbreeding data;

4. never overlooking ration compositionfor optimal milk production;

5. selecting computer hardware forrunning the required software;

6. choosing a computer software pro-gramme providing you with therequired information;

7. retrieving daily attention lists forappropriate management actions tobe taken;

8. evaluating and comparing your dairybusiness results with optimal herdparameters;

9. assuring that you have sufficient back-stopping services from your softwaresupplier in case of problems;

10. never overlooking the economicaspects of your dairy business.

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FURTHER REFERENCES

• Milking Machine Management, Volume 1• Milking Machine Management, Volume 2• Proper Milking Management• Udder Health Management• Forage Management• Fresh Cow Management

Earlier publications:

• Reproduction Management• Young Stock Management• Foot Care Management• Feeding Management, Volume 1• Feeding Management, Volume 2

• Lecture notes IPC-Livestock/Dairy Training Centre ‘Friesland’;• DairyChamp, Computerized Recording System for Dairy Herds;• Dairy COMP 305, On-Farm Dairy Management Software;• Daisy, The Dairy Information System;• Uniform-DairyTrak, Dairy Herd Management System.

- Dairy Husbandry• machine- and handmilking, milking machines, milk hygiene• feeding, ration calculation, feedplans, quality of feedstuffs• fertility management, heat detection• breeding, use of A.I., culling, body conformation• housing, tying/cubicle systems, hygiene• health, mastitis control, hoofcare• calfrearing• farm economics• farm administration

- Forage production• pasture management• fodder crops• silage making• farm machinery

- Milk processing• manufacture of cheese, butter, yoghurt, ice-cream, etc.• milk collection and payment systems• marketing• management of a dairy unit

- Sheep husbandry- Dairy goat husbandry- Intensive beef production- Horse keeping and animal traction- Teaching methodology

Visits to farmers' organisations, A.I.-stations, Health and Extension service etc. areintegrated in the courses to provide a good picture of the dairy sector in the Netherlands.

AD HOC COURSES

Our major activity is the organisation of ad hoc courses on request. These trainingprogrammes are tailor-made and completely designed according to the requirements of

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Dairy Training Centre Friesland (DTC-Friesland) is part of IPC Livestock. It is establishedby various Dutch farmers’ organisations and controlled by the Ministry of Agriculture,Nature Management and Fisheries. The Centre conducts a variety of internationaltraining programmes and courses. We also provide consultancy and managementservices.

All courses have a strong practice-oriented character based on the training concept oflearning by doing. The practical training is very intensive; one instructor deals withgroups of six students and for subjects like milking even with three students only.DTC-Friesland offers training in the following subjects:

Dairy Training Centre Friesland

Identification just after birth stimulates the accuracyof herd administration

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the client. The courses deal with one or more of the earlier mentioned subjects. Durationof the courses varies from 1 week to several months. The courses are con-ducted inEnglish. For some special subjects training can be provided in French, Spanishor German. If facilities are available locally, our staff is prepared to conduct coursesabroad as well.

SIX-WEEKS COURSE: MODERN DAIRY FARM MANAGEMENT

This course is especially designed for persons in charge of a large-scale dairy enterprise,and includes all aspects involved in managing a dairy herd. The course offers a goodopportunity to refresh one’s knowledge and learn about recent developments in dairyfarm management.

SIX-WEEKS COURSE: MILK PROCESSING

The course is designed for (assistant) managers of small to medium-sized dairy plantsand future staff of new dairy enterprises; i.e. on-farm milk processing. Both six-weekscourses are conducted annually in September. However, for groups of at least six personsit can be organised at any time during the year.

TelephoneTelefax

: +31 582561562: +31 582561628

TRAINING FACILITIES AND STAFF

The centre has three farms, eachwith a different managementsystem. One farm is especiallyequipped for international courses.The total stock at the three farmsincludes 240 dairy cows, 50fattening-bulls, 45 dairy goats, 85sheep and 12 Friesian horses.Additionally, the centre maintainsclose relations with twenty neigh-bouring farms which are used forpractical training.Our staff consists of fifty dedicatedand well-qualified trainers.All have up-to-date knowledge ofmodern dairy farm management,and over 70 man-years experienceis present in various dairy develop-ment projects throughout theworld.

IPC-Livestock / DTC-FrieslandP.O. Box 859062 ZJ OenkerkThe Netherlands

ACCOMMODATION

A modern hostel provides full board and lodging in single or double bedrooms.An international kitchen and many recreational facilities are present.Social excursions are organised during the weekends to enable the students to getacquainted with the Dutch culture.

For more detailed information on our activities, please contact:

Farm administration as part of the training course