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1. Longitudinal measures of labour time-use on pasture-based dairy farms, incorporating the impact of specific facilities and technologies

Author

Conor Hogan, Bernadette O'Brien, Jim Kinsella, and Marion Beecher

Subjects
Facility, Labour efficiency, Livestock farming systems, Social sustainability, Technology, Animal culture, SF1-1100
Abstract

The seasonal workload on pasture-based dairy farms, combined with increased herd sizes, have led to an increased focus on farm labour time-use and techniques that can reduce farm labour demand. The objective of this study was to measure labour time-use over time on a sample of pasture-based dairy farms and examine the impact that specific facilities and technologies could have on labour demand in real farm situations. Fifty-seven farms completed two labour time-use studies in spring 2019 and 2021 (1st February to 30th April). Farm labour input was recorded on one day each week during the study period. Results showed that farm labour input increased by 3% (1 364 to 1 403 h) between spring 2019 and 2021 and farm labour efficiency improved by 7% (10.7 to 10.0 h/cow), while herd size increased by 10% (145 to 160 cows). Case study farms that made substantial changes to the milking and calf care facilities and practices (between 2019 and 2021) were selected to examine the impact of these changes on labour demand and efficiency. The four case study farms that implemented new milking parlours or added additional milking units improved their milking efficiency by 15% (2.89 to 2.45 h/cow per farm) and reduced milking labour input by 15% (402 to 342 h per farm). Seventeen farms made substantial calf care changes such as constructing a new calf shed, installing an automatic calf feeder, selling male calves and contract rearing heifer calves preweaning. These farms had on average 26 more cows per farm in 2021 than in 2019 (increasing from 137 to 163 cows), but calf care labour input declined by 5% (240 to 228 h per farm) and calf care labour efficiency improved by 16% (1.83 to 1.53 h/cow per farm). Of these farms, the largest improvement was observed on the eight farms that installed automatic calf feeders, where calf care labour efficiency improved by 23% (1.76 to 1.36 h/cow). Results of this study contribute to our understanding of labour use on pasture-based dairy farms and how it can change over time. The real-time on-farm case studies can reassure farmers of the positive benefits that the facilities and technologies outlined in this study can have on labour efficiency.

Published
2023
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2. The impact of work organisation on the work life of people on pasture-based dairy farms

Author

Conor Hogan, Jim Kinsella, Marion Beecher, and Bernadette O'Brien

Subjects
Farm workload, Labour, Livestock farming systems, Social sustainability, Sustainable agriculture, Animal culture, SF1-1100
Abstract

The seasonal workload combined with increased dairy herd sizes and a declining workforce have created social sustainability challenges for pasture-based dairy farms. Effective work organisation can build productive capacity that may have a positive impact on this scenario. Our objective was to develop a framework to characterise and examine the effect of work organisation on the working situations of the people involved in a sample of 55 pasture-based dairy farms in Ireland. We conceptualised that effective work organisation on a dairy farm could be considered as a system that is efficient from a labour input perspective, resulting in a profitable farming system with outcomes of good operator well-being, health and safety, and quality of life. A literature review established efficiency & productivity, flexibility and standardisation as our three characteristics of work organisation. Using data from an existing labour time-use study completed from the 1st February to 30th June 2019, we aimed to test the veracity of these work organisation characteristics in the Irish pasture-based dairy system. Two proxy indicators were selected to represent each of the three work organisation characteristics, and each of the 55 farms were categorised into quartiles based on their ranking for these six indicators (1 = most effective quartile to 4 = least effective quartile). The most and least effective quartiles of farms for work organisation showed similar levels of farm labour input and labour efficiency. Farmers in the most effective work organisation quartile were working 51.2 h/week from February to June compared with 70.0 h/week for farmers in the least effective quartile, which was attributed to later start times, earlier finish times, and more time at non-farm activity. Farms achieving effective work organisation had a labour-efficient system with relatively low farmer working hours. Extension of the work organisation concept to other farms could improve their labour situation and aid in alleviating some of the key quality of life challenges faced by dairy farmers.

Published
2023
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3. Evaluation and application potential of an accelerometer-based collar device for measuring grazing behavior of dairy cows

Author

Lorenzo Leso, M. Schick, Bernadette O'Brien, A. Geoghegan, Laurence Shalloo, Emer Kennedy, C. Umstatter, and J. Werner

Subjects
Farms, 040301 veterinary sciences, Accelerometer, Pasture, SF1-1100, Collar, 0403 veterinary science, Animal science, RumiWatch, sensor technology, Accelerometry, Livestock Farming Systems, Grazing, validation, sensor technology, RumiWatch, MooMonitor+, pasture management, medicine, Animals, Monitoring, Physiologic, Mathematics, Rank correlation, validation, pasture management, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, 0402 animal and dairy science, Feeding Behavior, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, 040201 dairy & animal science, Animal culture, MooMonitor+, Concordance correlation coefficient, Rumination, Cattle, Female, Animal Science and Zoology, Research questions, medicine.symptom, Research Article
Abstract

The commercially available collar device MooMonitor+ was evaluated with regards to accuracy and application potential for measuring grazing behavior. These automated measurements are crucial as cows feed intake behavior at pasture is an important parameter of animal performance, health and welfare as well as being an indicator of feed availability. Compared to laborious and time-consuming visual observation, the continuous and automated measurement of grazing behavior may support and improve the grazing management of dairy cows on pasture. Therefore, there were two experiments as well as a literature analysis conducted to evaluate the MooMonitor+ under grazing conditions. The first experiment compared the automated measurement of the sensor against visual observation. In a second experiment, the MooMonitor+ was compared to a noseband sensor (RumiWatch), which also allows continuous measurement of grazing behavior. The first experiment on n = 12 cows revealed that the automated sensor MooMonitor+ and visual observation were highly correlated as indicated by the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rs) = 0.94 and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) = 0.97 for grazing time. An rs-value of 0.97 and CCC = 0.98 was observed for rumination time. In a second experiment with n = 12 cows over 24-h periods, a high correlation between the MooMonitor+ and the RumiWatch was observed for grazing time as indicated by an rs-value of 0.91 and a CCC-value of 0.97. Similarly, a high correlation was observed for rumination time with an rs-value of 0.96 and a CCC-value of 0.99. While a higher level of agreement between the MooMonitor+ and both visual observation and RumiWatch was observed for rumination time compared to grazing time, the overall results showed a high level of accuracy of the collar device in measuring grazing and rumination times. Therefore, the collar device can be applied to monitor cow behavior at pasture on farms. With regards to the application potential of the collar device, it may not only be used on commercial farms but can also be applied to research questions when a data resolution of 15 min is sufficient. Thus, at farm level, the farmer can get an accurate and continuous measurement of grazing behavior of each individual cow and may then use those data for decision-making to optimize the animal management.

Published
2019

4. The effect of concentrate supplementation on milk production and cow traffic in early and late lactation in a pasture-based automatic milking system

Author

Roy D. Sleator, Bernadette O'Brien, C. Foley, and J. Shortall

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, Ice calving, Biology, SF1-1100, Milking, 03 medical and health sciences, Animal science, automatic milking, Pregnancy, Lactation, medicine, Animals, grazing, Animal Husbandry, Pasture based, Morning, 0402 animal and dairy science, food and beverages, Automatic milking, cow traffic, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, concentrate supplementation, Milk production, Animal Feed, 040201 dairy & animal science, Diet, Animal culture, Dairying, Parity, Milk, 030104 developmental biology, medicine.anatomical_structure, pasture based, Dietary Supplements, Herd, Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena, Cattle, Female, Animal Science and Zoology, Seasons
Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to establish the effect of low-concentrate (LC) and high-concentrate (HC) supplementation in the early and late periods of lactation on milk production and cow traffic in a pasture-based automatic milking (AM) system. In total, 40 cows (10 primiparous and 30 multiparous) were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. The experimental periods for the early and late lactation trials extended from 23 February to 12 April 2015 and 31 August to 18 October 2015, respectively (49 days in each trial period). The early lactation supplement levels were 2.3 and 4.4 kg/cow per day for LC and HC, respectively, whereas the late lactation supplement levels were 0.5 and 2.7 kg/cow per day for LC and HC, respectively. Variables measured included milking frequency, milking interval, milking outcome and milking characteristics, milk yield/visit and per day, wait time/visit and per day, return time/visit and the distribution of gate passes. As the herd was seasonal (spring) calving, the experimental periods could not run concurrently and as a result no statistical comparison between the periods was conducted. There was no significant effect of treatment in the early lactation period on any of the milk production, milking characteristics or cow traffic variables. However, treatment did significantly affect the distribution of gate passes, with the HC cows recording significantly more gate passes in the hours preceding the gate time change such as hours 7 (P

Published
2018

5. Effect of milking frequency and nutritional level on aspects of the health and welfare of dairy cows

Author

Bernadette Earley, Laura A. Boyle, David Gleeson, and Bernadette O'Brien

Subjects
Veterinary medicine, Animal health, business.industry, teats, milking interval, food and beverages, Ice calving, SF1-1100, animal welfare, Animal culture, Blood lymphocyte, Milking, fluids and secretions, medicine.anatomical_structure, Animal science, Monocyte count, Lactation, medicine, dairy cows, Animal Science and Zoology, Udder, business, milking rate, Post partum
Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of milking frequency and nutritional level on some aspects of animal health. Holstein-Friesian cows (n = 60) were assigned post calving to a factorial arrangement of treatments; twice a day (TAD) milking on a high or low nutritional level; once a day (OAD) milking on a high or low nutritional level. Milking characteristics were recorded daily. Blood samples to evaluate changes in the composition of the blood cells, milk leakage, udder tension and locomotory ability were measured on four occasions. Teat-ends were classified for hyperkeratosis (HK) monthly post partum. TAD had longer daily milking times (P 0.05). High nutritional level cows had higher average flow-rates (P 0.05). However, HK values were positively correlated with daily milking time for OAD cows for 6 months of lactation (P

Published
2007
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