02 October 2025 LUDF adopts tactical variable milking to boost profitability

In an article published in Dairy News, Partnership & Demonstration Lead for the South Island Dairying Demonstration Centre — Antoinette Archer —  outlines how the Lincoln University Demonstration Dairy Farm (LUDF) is tweaking the system this season in search of further boosting farm performance and profitability.

Archer says the farm is adopting a “tactical milking” system that considers individual cow needs and can flex to seasonal and management triggers.

LUDF’s involvement in monitoring programmes, comparing data from wearables and productivity, has aided researchers in providing farmers with more informed guidelines at an individual cow level.

The farm will initially milk transition cows (post calving) once-a-day (OAD), monitoring rumination as a predictor of post-calving recovery.

When transition cows meet rumination criteria they will shift to twice-a-day (TAD) milking to support peak milk production.

Archer said that Increasing milking frequency early in the season drives milk production and pasture demand at a time where pasture growth is at its maximum.

“The goal is to ensure we harvest as much pasture as possible, which sets the farm up for an increased feed conversion efficiency, which will improve the farms outcomes for efficient and profitable milk production.”

Read the full story on the Diary News website.