Once-a-day milking brings advantages

Milking only once each day is growing as more farmers think about their personal goals and their staff’s needs.

About 30 farmers from the lower North Island went to a oncea-day (OAD) discussion group at Horowhenua farmer Kerry Walker’s Te Horo farm and most of them knew each other.

Walker’s son Ryan said milking was done early in the morning, and that left the rest of the day for other things.

‘‘Since we have been on OAD the farm is looking tenfold better.

‘‘We have had two seasons on OAD and we would not go back to milking twice each day.’’

Dairynz’s consulting officer in Hawke’s Bay, Gray Beagley, said there had been an increase in OAD discussion groups.

‘‘I have had lots of phone calls about OAD. People often get stuck on the treadmill [of twice a day milking].

‘‘They have a couple of years of bad returns, and build up during the next few years.

‘‘Just step back and think and look at people and animal health and what works for you,’’ he said.

‘‘People say cows need to be [Toyota] Corollas not Ferraris. They need to milk steadily.’’

Generally it was the cow, not the breed, which made an animal suitable for OAD, farmers say.

But jerseys or kiwi-cross cows were more likely to cope than friesians.

‘‘In two weeks there has been a big change in the weather.

‘‘We have had sunshine, and had a shower the other night which I was pleased about. If it stays fine, we’ll be irrigating soon,’’ said Dale Pratt who farmed OAD near Featherston in Wairarapa.

Manawatu¯ farmer Christine Finnigan, who has milked OAD for the past nine years, said while most cows produced less on OAD, production wasn’t everything.

‘‘On the whole, we don’t get as many problems as TAD, lameness for example.’’

Attending the discussion group were visiting Gore farmers Shane and Eileen Walker.

They said some Southland farmers with big herds had staff who were starting milking at 3am and were suffering from burnout.

They were in the initial stages of a great season and were topping pastures.

After coping with a wet winter, and wet spring some of the region’s farmers despaired of a productive season.

‘‘Describe what pasture looks like for us - we haven’t seen it for a while,’’ a Manawatu¯ farmer said.

Kerry Walker said he was getting older, and OAD milking had sparked an interest in the farm again.

‘‘It is easier, but different too. If you don’t put the effort in you won’t get the results.’’

Beagley said the retention of staff was often not recognised as the bonus of OAD milking.

‘‘I think it is under-rated on OAD. Keeping staff means less training and getting new staff used to the job and people.’’

Ashurst farmer Ed Jackson said he took several years to change from TAD to OAD milking, and as a result he did not lose any production.

‘‘ I took several years to transition. I get concerned when people talk about how much production they have lost by going to OAD.’’