Marlborough Demo Highlights Role of AGVs in Sustainable Winegrowing
The air was unseasonably crisp in the upper Wairau Valley in mid-December as two autonomous ground vehicles moved methodically through the vines, spraying each row in turn.
“Talking about cow comfort involves listening to and understanding numerous opinions on the issue. You will find cow comfort an emotive subject for some; everybody holds an opinion on it whether in farming or not.”
But what is real cow comfort? DeLaval asks. How can it be judged? And how can it contribute to profitable dairy farming?
“Over the years, researchers and milk producers have put more attention into creating a comfortable environment for dairy cows and their replacements. Observation and experience show that cows managed in a comfortable environment produce more milk and generally live healthier, longer lives.
“Cows can’t explain what makes them comfortable. But we can observe and measure cow activity, behaviour and environment – then correlate our observations with what appear to be comfortable cows.
“It is our responsibility – when looking at housing cows, whether just for the winter or a longer period – to ensure the environment we create for the cows is as comfortable as possible. We need to bring all the beneficial paddock conditions into the barn and leave the non-beneficial ones out in the paddock.”
Mastitis, sore feet, rubbed necks and rubbed or swollen hocks can indicate cow comfort problems, DeLaval says.
Cows should have plenty of quality feed and water, fresh air, a soft and clean resting surface plus sound footing. Cows should be able to behave naturally and stand or lie down easily. That’s cow comfort.
“The most comfortable milking system in the world cannot be efficient if your cows are not comfortable. To help you judge cow comfort on your farm, use a cow comfort approach to guide you in a structured way through your farm.”
Use three main criteria to judge cow comfort, the company suggests. These should include:
Animal signs: see, listen and feel the cow and judge whether she is healthy or not.
Body condition score (BCS): score your cows according to a standardised score method on body fat in relation to lactation stage.
Locomotion score: score the lameness of your cows according to a standardised scoring method. This will help to identify potential problems before a cow becomes obviously lame.
Checking these three areas gives valuable data on herd health and helps a farmer decide which areas of a dairy operation need to be adjusted or improved on, says DeLaval.
