Once-a-day milking could help dairy farms stay profitable

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-02-13 13:51

New Zealand

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

Most dairy cows in New Zealand are milked twice a day, so what are the advantages for the 10% of herds that are milked just once a day?  NZ researchers have provided an updated review of the trade-offs. Once-a-day milking reduces how much milk a cow produces, but it does improve cow fertility and quality of life for farm staff. For example, some farmers say the switch to once-a-day milking made it easier for them to attract labour and reduce labour costs given just how labour-intensive twice-daily milking is. The researchers say the benefits of once-daily milking on the lifestyle and health of farmers needs to be considered when evaluating the economics of once-a-day dairy farms.