Perform an Annual Herd Management Analysis to Help Improve Milking Performance
Do you perform a yearly farm review? It can be a New Year’s initiative, a spring-cleaning chore, or a year-end evaluation – select a time that works for your farm and keep it consistent year-to-year. A regular farm review process can help spur the implementation of changes and help to track progress with other management adjustments over time.
Five DairyPlan Reports to Review Annually
Analyzing data from DairyPlan can help you identify management areas where things are going well, and help you peel back the layers on areas that could use some improvement. The DPHerdStat program in DairyPlan provides a monthly overview of data for your farm. To access DPHerdStat reports, open your DPMenue and select the M (red circle) in the upper right hand corner and select the NA-Menu. Once you are using the NA-Menu, then go to Herd Info (blue box) on the tool bar.
1) Total milking and dry cows by month
Under “Herd Info” select “Development of the number of animals”. Here you can see the breakdown of cows by lactation and the total number of milking and dry animals monthly. This summary of data can provide some valuable insights on cow numbers and herd longevity in the context of a yearly snapshot.
2) Production by lactation
Also under “Herd Info” you can select “Milk summary by lactation” to view a graph of production by lactation over time. For lactation 1, 2, and 3+, you can see days in milk, average daily milk, number of milking cows, peak milk, and peak days in milk.
On any DPHerdStat report like the ones shown above you can select the design button (red circle) on the tool bar and change the report to show columns of data for each month, quarter, or year. You can also change the date period you’d like to analyze using the options on the left hand side of the screen. Make your adjustments and choose ok.
3) Dry cows and fresh cows by month
Under “Herd Info” you can select the “Expected dry offs and calvings” DPHerdStat report. This report is typically setup to look at only future estimates to help the producer project the number of animals in the dry and fresh pens each month. This report can also be setup to show the number of vet actions that happened per month looking back at the last year, which can be a great overall herd management evaluation tool.
To see historical data for the last year, select the design button on the tool bar (shown in the red circle above). Then make the selections shown below to show only real data (no future projections), columns for each month, and showing the last completed calendar year. This will result in a graph like the one shown above for “Expected dry-offs and calvings”.
4) Lactation Persistency Report
The lactation persistency report can show you how cows are performing over time. For example, the report below is for lactation 1 animals, and then it breaks down the data by different days in milk ranges to see how lactation 1 animals are doing as they progress through lactation. The goal here is to be between 92-96% of the section prior. If you are over 100%, then the herd was missing out on peaking during the first 100 days as shown here. If the value is below 92%, then the cows are dropping off more than expected as they progress thru lactation. Keep in mind that in smaller herds with only a few animals in each section, individual animals have a larger impact on the section totals, so be sure to look at the percentage of animals in each section.
5) Left herd reports
Left herd reports can be useful to see trends on the farm about why cows are being culled. Left herd reasons are not universally similar. Be sure to compare this list with the left herd reasons that you are using on farm. The bottom portion of this report shows individual cows each listed with additional data.
To learn more about all of these reports available to you, or for assistance in setting them up on your farm, do not hesitate to reach out to your local GEA dealer or GEA Herd Management Specialist.
SCHEDULE YOUR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE
The inspections and parts listed at each interval have been selected and organized to spread out any necessary downtime more evenly, during each service, while also ensuring that the wear parts are replaced on-time.
A maintenance schedule provides the following benefits:
• Reduces total cost of ownership by preventing equipment failures and minimizing unexpected downtime and emergency service
• Increases efficiency and performance through optimization of the AMS system for continued, high quality milkings
• Provides organization and convenience in knowing exactly when the system will be down for maintenance
• Helps to maintain qualifications to receive reimbursement for services or parts covered under your warranty should your AMS system have any problems
Work with your local authorized GEA AMS dealer to be sure scheduled maintenance is a priority and a routine part of your farm’s protocols.
