Estimate the annual milk production of your dairy herd.
Disclaimer - Department of Agriculture and Rural Development does not accept liability for any loss incurred from decisions made on the basis of the results of this program. Results are intended as a guide to the production profile of your herd only.
Calvings
Enter the calvings for the last quota year into the appropriate cells. Heifers and cows should be included. Remember to include those animals which were purchased already calved and exclude those which were culled or died in early lactation. Predicted calvings for the incoming year should also be entered – again cows and heifers should be added together.
Actual per day
Enter your milk production of your herd for the months that have elapsed from the start of the quota year – either the average daily production for the month or the total production for the month. Click on the calculate button. You can now compare the actual and predicted yields per day for the months to date.
Lactation curve
A standard lactation curve has been entered for a predominantly holstein, winter calving herd. If you feel that it does not match your herd, you can overwrite the average lactation curve. Clicking the buttons +1/2 or –1/2 litre per day increases or decreases the average yield across the average lactation. The lactation yield per cow can then be compared to your average milk production per cow per year. The lactation curve can be adjusted until the actual milk produced in the months to date match as closely as possible the predicted milk production. An estimate of milk production for the coming months can then be seen.
Points to note
- Remember that milk deliveries in the month do not always match milk production. For example a 31 day month can have either 15 or 16 collections in the month on every-other-day collection.
- Butterfat adjustment has not been taken into account in the milk production figures.
- Milk to calves has to be taken into account. If a lot of milk is fed to calves, milk production will be much higher than milk deliveries.
- If milk production is lower than the predicted deliveries in certain months, it may be an indication of herd under feeding in the month.
If you have any feedback on the program – especially on the accuracy of the predictions for your herd, please e-mail
alan.hopps@dardni.gov.uk
