Using Milking Parlour Software to Feed Cows - CAFRE IT Event in Armagh

“The most important issue in feed efficency is the targeting of concentrate to those cows that need it most.” This was the message, at a CAFRE farm walk on the farm of Colin Hughes, near Keady, highlighting the use of milking parlour software to feed and manage cows this winter.

The Hughes’s herd is milked through a parlour that uses milk meters to record yields and this information is stored and processed so that cows can be fed to yield. Ciaran Hamill Senior IT Technologist then demonstrated the various components of such a computer controlled cow management system.

Michael Garvey told the farmers present how “Milk yield” and “Days in Milk” information are used to form “cow groups” for TMR feeding. Cows with high energy requirements are thus grouped and fed together. Cows that produce more than 30 kilos of milk per day are identified at milking and fed automatically by the system at a rate of 0.4 kilos of concentrate per litre.

Currently there is one other milking group (M+15 kilos). Later in the season another milking group will be established (M+25 kilos) and cows relegated between the groups based on “Milk yield”. Fortnightly Colin prints off a report and the information is used to change cows between groups. Individual cows will receive parlour top up according to their yields.

Martin Mulholland outlined the blueprint for feeding the “Future Herd” at Greenmount Campus with similar TMR groups and automated parlour feeding.

In an effort to ensure that concentrates are targeted at those cows that need them most, the attending farmers took the opportunity to request further training on: -

The most important issue in feed efficency is the targeting of concentrate to those cows that need it most

The farmers took the opportunity to request further training

For information on training opportunities in your area contact your local Dairying Development Adviser.