Effect of bi-modal milk letdown on milk production
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20197225Keywords:
dairy industry, milk cows, milking parlor, parlor efficiencyAbstract
The dairy industry is relying more on hired labor to milk cows and many dairy operations are increasing pressure on employees to maintain high levels of milking parlor throughput. This management emphasis negatively impacts milking protocols that are aligned with milk quality. Parlor efficiency is often defined in terms of cows milked per hour. However, we need to consider milking efficiency to include milk quality, milk flow, and employee performance (Moore-Foster et al., 2019; Erskine et al., 2019). The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of poor pre-milking preparation (as evidenced by bi-modal milk letdown) on subsequent milk production.
Erskine, RJ, B Norby, LM Neuder, et al. 2019. Decreased milk yield is associated with delayed milk ejection. J. Dairy Sci. (in press)
Moore-Foster R, B Norby, RL Schewe, et al. 2019. Herd-level variables associated with delayed milk ejection in Michigan dairy herds. J. Dairy Sci. 102:696-705.
