Teagasc - Research - Livestock - Dairying
Dairying | Beef | Sheep | Pigs
Dairy Production
Competitiveness and incorporating quality are the main focus of the dairy production research programme at Moorepark Dairy Production Research Centre and associated research farms. A total of 23 projects are included in the portfolio of projects.
Breeding/Fertility
Research continues on dairy cattle breeding. The research is being carried out in collaboration with Dairy Research Corporation, Livestock Improvement Corporation and Massey University in New Zealand. Another project run jointly with the Teagasc Research Centre at Athenry addressed issues in relation to reproduction prompted by the identification of herd fertility problems in previous research work. New work was also undertaken on evaluating the effect of alternative production systems with minimal fixed cost input. This research is important to meet the requirement for rapid growth in dairying at farm level in the post-quota era.
In the area of milk quality, research continues to focus on enhancing the value of milk as a raw material and as a finished product. Particular emphasis is placed on reducing the somatic cell count (SCC) levels in milk and also on the processability characteristics of milk with varying levels of SCC. Work continues on systems of milk production for varying soil types and locations around the country. A revised winter milk system project, aimed at producing a blueprint for winter milk production, has been undertaken.
High Merit Cows
The results from 'Curtins Farm' support previous results, which show that very high index Holstein-Friesian cows have the capacity to produce a high level of milk from a grass-based system of production. On a low concentrate feed input (< 400 kg /cow), high merit cows produced ~7,300 litres of milk per cow. High merit cows fed higher levels of concentrates (1,560 kg) produced 8,200 Litres of milk per cow. A total of 92 % of all cows on experiment were in calf in contrast to previous studies. There was no difference between medium and high merit cows in relation to fertility performance. A good response to concentrate feeding was recorded for both the high and medium merit cows.
Breed Comparisons
Some dual-purpose breeds of cows have more favourable protein-to-fat ratios than Friesian dairy cows. They also offer the opportunity to increase non-milk sales (cull cow value and beef characteristics). An evaluation of two French breeds, Montbeliarde and Normande were compared with Holstein Friesian cows. The highest milk production was achieved with Holstein Friesians while the lowest was with the Normande breed. The highest milk composition was achieved with the Normande breed while the lowest was achieved with an improved strain of Holstein Friesians. The Holstein-Friesian cattle had the poorest reproductive performance while the Montbeliarde had the best.
A research programme evaluating different strains of Friesian cattle (Ireland/New Zealand) is ongoing. This research is carried out in collaboration with the DRC, LIC, and Massey University, in New Zealand. New Zealand-type dairy cows are being compared with European/North American-type dairy cows, and with dairy cows originating from an Irish breeding programme. The early phase of this research is focusing on the evaluation of these animals during the rearing period. Growth rates, skeletal development and physiological changes were monitored. The data shows no difference in growth rate between different strains of dairy heifers.
Cow Fertility
An on-farm breeding study focuses on breeding in relation to fertility performance. The overall objective is to develop a better breeding index for dairy cows. Detailed measurements on 7,500 cows on 76 farms are being collated for analysis. This research is carried out in collaboration with Lelysted and Wageningen University in Holland. The results show that the average pregnancy rate to 1st service across all the farms was 47.6%. The calving to service interval was 72 days, the calving to conception interval was 89 days and the infertile rate was 14%.
Grazing Techniques
- Considerable progress has been made in the development of methodologies for measuring grass cover on commercial dairy farms. The 'visual' assessment of pasture mass and the plate meter were found to be the most accurate and appropriate methods for farm pasture estimation.
- Grassland management has a significant effect on herd performance. This was found on a 3-year study of 14 commercial dairy farms. The overall grass intake significantly increased which resulted in significant improvements in milk yield and milk composition. Applying grassland technology reduced the variable costs from 9.5c/litre (1996) to 7.5c/litre (1998).
- Grazing late in the autumn reduced the dry matter (DM) yield in the following spring. Extending grazing beyond the 15th October reduced the DM yield by 12 kg DM for each day delay in grazing.
- New grass varieties for milk production potential at Moorepark produced 20t DM /Ha in recent studies. A late heading variety gave an additional 152 litres of milk per cow compared to an early heading variety.
Regional Milk Production
- Ballyhaise Agricultural College dairy herd is part of the programme on regional milk production. A number of focal farms, in association with Teagasc, Mayo, and Sligo in the catchment area of North Connaught Farmers Co-op are used as monitor farms.
- A blueprint for dairying on very wet land has been developed. This incorporates the research results and experience gained at the Kilmaley Research Farm in County Clare. A milk output of 6,000 litres of milk /cow is a realistic target. Production costs are higher than on a dry land situation (2.5 - 2.8c/litre) mainly as a result of higher concentrate feed levels and higher silage requirements.
Nutrition
The period of transition between late pregnancy and early lactation presents an enormous challenge to the high yielding dairy cow. The objective of studies carried out is to assess the benefits, if any, of improving dietary energy density and dry matter and energy intake in the dry period and in early lactation on milk production, health and cow fertility.
- Increasing the energy density of the diet in the pre-calving period had a significant effect on milk yield constituents post-calving. The higher level of concentrate supplementation post-calving significantly increased milk yield, constituent yields and milk composition.
- No significant effects on fertility indices were observed but numbers of animals per treatment were limiting. The results indicate that when cows are in moderate body condition score four weeks pre-calving increasing the energy density of the diet can improve early lactation performance.
Milking Systems
- A comparison of the Moorepark system of milking (3kg cluster weight, wide-bore liners and simultaneous pulsation) with that normally used on European farms (1.6kg cluster weight, narrow-bore liners and alternate pulsation) resulted in 3.7% more milk production with the Moorepark system over a full lactation study.
- A survey of facilities on small to medium type dairy farms indicates that a high percentage of farms have labour intensive milking facilities. Labour requirements are high on most farms with an average working day of 12.7 hours for an average herd size of 23 cows.
Milk Quality
Husbandry practices and calving patterns have changed considerably in Ireland over recent years, which could influence significantly the composition of Irish milk. To address this issue a database of constituents of Irish manufacturing and retail milk supplies was established. This included composition and cheese making characteristics, nitrogen fractions, vitamin concentrations, macro minerals and trace elements. This is of benefit to the dairy industry in that it provides a detailed knowledge of the manufacturing milk which they receive, assists in identifying possible causes of variation in product quality throughout the year and provides information on trends in the retail milk supply.
- Milk compositional studies have indicated that the manufacturing period for spring milk in late autumn/winter may be extended by good herd management practices. In addition, the production of autumn milk in combination with this allows a further extension of the manufacturing period. Alternatively, autumn milk may be used exclusively for short shelf life products.
- A number of significant innovative developments have been made in the prevention of bovine mastitis using non-antibiotic formulations. A range of in vivo studies in dairy cows demonstrated that a teat seal and the bacteriocin, lacticin 3147 can inhibit the dominant mastitis pathogens encountered and therefore may significantly reduce the use of intramammary antibiotics in the future. This is a food grade preparation of Lacticin 3147 and teat seal, thereby alleviating potential toxicity concerns in the food chain.
For further information on these and other work at Moorepark, please contact Dr Pat Dillon
E-mail: pat.dillon@teagasc.ie
Telephone: +353 25 42222
Fax: +353 25 42340
