They Milk Once A Day And Feed Only Grass

They Milk Once A Day And Feed Only Grass 30-5-8 At a time when many dairies have started milking three times a day or more to maximize production, Ron and Barbara Crain have gone to once-a-day milking. They believe it pays off in higher quality milk for their yogurt-making business. To improve the health of their herd and the quality of their products, they've also dropped all grain from the herd diet. Their cows get only grass. "We switched to once a day because it suited our yogurt production business," says Ron Crain. "We needed more time to do the production and marketing of our yogurt cheese and other products we were making on the farm." The big fear of mastitis outbreaks and other problems didn't occur. The cows don't mind, and the producers benefit, too. The results matched those of dairymen in New Zealand, where an estimated 300 to 400 herds are OAD. "Cow condition, health and reproductive performance all improve dramatically along with staff morale, while cost savings offset lost production to protect the bottom line," says Peter Gatley, general manager, Livestock Improvement in New Zealand. "Over half the farmers we surveyed are adamant they have not reduced their farm profit at all, and 28 percent believe it has actually improved." Interest is high enough that Gatley's company is selecting for breeding stock that do well with once-a-day milking. While the Crains won't say it has improved their farm profit, they do say it has improved their milk quality. While production dropped by about a third, milk solids, which dairy farmers are paid a premium for, have jumped. Butterfat went from 3.6 percent to 4 percent, and protein also jumped half a percent or more. "For what we are doing, it is a plus," says Ron. "You concentrate solids, and they are what we need for our yogurt." At the same time, they eliminated grain from the dairy ration. Ron thinks that may have helped herd health when going to once-a-day milking. Barbara says it has certainly helped with herd temperament, and Ron says it makes healthier milk. "Researchers have shown that a balance of key fatty acids omega 6 and omega 3 is best, and feeding cows grass produces more balanced fatty acids in the milk," explains Ron. Ron says grass feeding and once-daily milking have other benefits as well. "I can go weeks without starting my tractor up, saving money on fuel," he says. "And as it got hotter this year, we just moved our milking time to earlier in the day. That suits the cows, who graze best at night when it's cool." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ron and Barbara Crain, Wagon Creek Creamery, Rt. 1, Box 124, Helena, Okla. 73741 (ph 580 496-2447; roncrain@wagoncreekcreamery.com; www.wagoncreekcreamery.com) or Livestock Improvement, Private Bag 3016, Hamilton, New Zealand (ph 07-856-0700; fax 07-858-2741; minda@lic.co.nz).

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