The impact of declining dairy fertility on calving patterns and farm systems: A case study from northern Victoria, Australia

Ee Cheng Ooi, Mark A. Stevenson, David S. Beggs, Peter D. Mansell, Jennie E. Pryce, Alistair Murray and Michael F. Pyman

Agricultural Systems, 2021, vol. 193, issue C

Abstract: Fertility is crucial for pasture-based seasonal calving dairy herds, where cows are expected to calve in a single cohort at a time when peak milk production coincides with maximum pasture availability. However, dairy fertility has declined globally, and many Australian herds now use a split calving system, where non-pregnant cows are given additional opportunities to conceive by having two mating periods per year. Other factors prompting a move to split calving may include financial incentives for producing out-of-season milk, increasing levels of concentrate feeding, and pressure due to extreme seasonal conditions – all of which are particularly apparent in the northern Victorian irrigation region.

Keywords: Split calving; Pasture-based; Dairy fertility; System change; Adaptation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agisys:v:193:y:2021:i:c:s0308521x21001815

DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103228

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