Future of milk production: Digital barn modernization in full swing!

Future of milk production: Digital barn modernization in full swing!

The modernization of “GDR stables” to improve herd management is a pioneering project that is being pushed forward by Friedrich Buschsieweke. With a clear focus on digital technologies, the investment includes, among other things, a new milking parlor and an innovative herd management program. This program helps streamline operations and eliminate the hassle of paperwork by efficiently capturing and storing animal data, allowing direct access. The Elite Magazine reports that by using an activity sensor to detect heat, important data is sent to the DairyComp system, which automatically reports cows in heat for selection in the milking carousel.

The innovative technology also has practical applications in the stable office. An animal list for insemination purposes is automatically printed out. In addition, intensive data evaluation takes place, which helps farmers to implement strategies to improve milk production. An adaptable system that takes group changes into lactation into account has shown that cows can lose 2-3 liters of milk after a change. To minimize this, cows were optimized and assigned to a new group only once per lactation.

Optimization of animal husbandry

Another crucial point in modern dairy farming is the establishment of special groups, such as a high-performance group and a group of animals that are about to go dry. A permanent group was also established to keep the heifers stress-free. The feeding of the dry cows has also been adjusted: these animals are fed with acidic salts over a period of 17 days, while the heifers need longer. These strategies are based on research that shows a connection between entry performance and calving weight of first-lactating cows.

In addition, the focus is on raising young cattle so that no heifers weighing less than 640 kg calve. Jan von Witzleben reports in one DLG leaflet that young cattle are inseminated when they weigh 390 kg and the average first calving age is 23.1 months. In the future, a new stable for calves is planned in order to set the course for successful herd management in this area as well.

Digital technologies in use

To support animal health, digital technologies are used to measure rumination activity. These measurements are crucial because changes in rumination behavior
point out possible health problems. Technologies such as acceleration sensors, motion sensors to record eating time and alarm messages in the event of deviating values ​​are becoming increasingly important. Deviations in rumination time of more than 45 minutes per day require immediate control of the animals. These digital tools provide a valuable database for animal welfare and feeding optimization.

Another aspect is temperature monitoring, which is done through ear measurements or bolus temperature measurements. An elevated core body temperature above 39.5 °C can indicate illness, which is particularly relevant after calving. Automatic temperature measurement makes daily monitoring much easier.

The real-time location of individual animals using “cow sat navs” saves time and makes it possible to detect behavioral deviations at an early stage. This is particularly beneficial for farms with large herds and external workers.

Combining and evaluating the collected data into a specific index for early detection of disease risks relies on the linkage of factors such as milk decline, weight loss and changes in rumination activity. From this valuable information, new instructions can be derived to improve the welfare of the animals and increase productivity.