The hidden costs of manure management

Most farmers could tell you roughly how much time they spend milking, feeding or managing their herd. But manure management is different.

• The work is often spread across the entire day.
• A few minutes here.
• Twenty minutes there.
• An extra cleaning round before visitors arrive.
• A quick task after milking.

Because it is fragmented, many farms underestimate how much time it actually involves.

Few dairy farms are built exactly as planned from day one. Instead, they evolve over time through expansion, renovation and new opportunities, resulting in additions such as:

• A new young stock area.
• An extra row of cubicles.
• A wider feed alley.
• A renovated milking section.

Does this sound familiar? Many dairy farms were never designed as a complete plan from day one. They are the result of years of decisions, opportunities and growth.

Over time, many farms evolve into what could be called a "Tetris farm": different building phases, extensions and layouts fitted together to support growth. The challenge is that not every manure system adapts as easily as the barn around it.

When a cow starts limping, most farmers notice the obvious signs. The challenge is that the impact often starts before those signs become visible. She walks more carefully, spends more time lying down and may visit the feed fence less often. But what often goes unnoticed is what happens before visible lameness appears.

The foundations of a good dairy cow are not laid at the moment she first enters the milking robot. This happens often much earlier. During a calf’s first weeks of life, the groundwork is laid for how she will develop, how efficiently she will utilise feed later on, and how resiliently she will cope with the challenges of life as a dairy cow. Those who understand and support this journey from calf to cow are building a future-proof herd. At Lely, we therefore do not look at stand-alone solutions, but at the cow’s entire lifespan – from calf to adult milk production in the barn. With solutions such as the Lely Calm calf feeder and the Lely Vector automatic feeding system, we support dairy farmers at every stage. The data and insights generated by these solutions are brought together in Lely Horizon. This creates one connected narrative, one clear overview and one partner to build on. 

Udder health plays a crucial role in milk production, cow welfare and the daily satisfaction of dairy farmers. A healthy udder supports consistent milk yield, high milk quality and reduces the risk of mastitis. One of the most common and costly challenges in dairy farming worldwide.

In almost every case, mastitis develops when bacteria manage to enter the udder through the teat opening. The cow is not defenseless, however. The teat skin, teat canal and teat sphincter together form a highly effective natural defence system. Understanding how these mechanisms work and how farm management and milking practices can support them, is key to improving udder health on dairy farms. 

Healthy cows are the foundation of a well-run dairy farm. When it comes to udder health, early detection of problems is crucial. One of the most important indicators of udder health is the somatic cell count (SCC), also known as cell count. SCC is a parameter that is often used for (sub)clinical mastitis diagnosis and therefore this parameter is used to improve udder health. Changes in SCC often signal udder inflammation, even before visible symptoms appear. With the Lely Milk Quality Control Cell Count (MQC-C), Lely offers dairy farmers a practical tool to insert somatic cell count automatically and identify abnormalities in milk at an early stage.