The UK Dairy Industry Flashcards
why less farms but increased production?
more intensive, not as productive to keep open lots of small farms so fewer farms with more cows and higher yields
profit =
production X price - costs (fixed & variable)
strategically important drivers for increased efficiency?
breeding management
milk quality - specified by milk buyers
welfare
biosecurity and healthcare
nutrition and feeding management
stockmanship
calf rearing
heifer rearing
what determines how much farmers get paid?
volume
solids (e.g. fat, protein)
Quality (somatic cell counts (health of udders - lymphocyte count))
bacteria counts (hygiene and udder health))
Types of dairy animals?
Calves (heifers and bull calves)
Replacement heifers
Bull(s) dairy and/or beef
Cows (dry and lactating)
Types of calving systems?
Block calving (Spring, Autumn dual) vs. All year round
AYR
all year round
Types of systems - housing?
extensive grass based systems (usually block calving - spring or autumn)
Intensive housed systems
Combination systems e.g. out during spring/summer, housed during winter
Disadvantage to Herringbone parlour?
the parlour at chichester - some cows finish earlier and can’t get out until the one in front is finished, therefore not as time efficient as the cows who finish earlier cannot be replaced
Rotary disadvantage?
if something breaks, everything stops, no milking can take place
Robotic milking
60 cows per machine
Free access
‘Milk yourself’
Free cow traffic (tasty feed) or forced cow traffic (have to pass through machine to access feed)
cluster at chichester?
automatic cluster flush system
cleans itself after milking
Describe the liner action on the teat ?
Atmospheric air sucked out of pulsation chamber. Liner starts to open.
Milkout phase, no pressure difference between inside and outside of liner. Liner fully open.
Atmospheric air let into pulsation chamber. Liner starts to collapse.
Massage phase: pressure on outside of liner greater than that inside. Liner collapses
Carbon footprint from dairy farms?
methane
nitrogen oxide
nitrogen (fertiliser)
phosphorus (fertiliser)
Damage to ecosystems?
when fertilisers gets into water source
