The steps to achieving a successful OAD milking system

Once-a-day dairy advisor Brian Hilliard joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge to outline the steps needed to achieving a successful OAD milking system. Brian explains that there are approximately 200 dairy farms operating full time OAD milking with reasons for OAD milking including farm layout (long walks, steep climbs, farm fragmentation), an off-farm job, work-life balance and milking on multiple units. Brian outlines the process of converting to OAD milking as a long term project: from identifying cows that are suitable for OAD to high EBI cows with good fat and protein constituents, teat placement and udder ligaments. He also discusses short term OAD milking during the spring time as essential for dairy farmers who are achieving high calving rates during the month of February as a tool that will free up time to focus on tasks such as calf rearing, care of cows calving and grassland management. Hidden benefits of OAD milking in early lactation include better BCS and return to cyclicity in early lactation. For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/