Milk production of summer calving dairy cows from grass alone compared to low rate concentrate feeding during the grazing period

Extract

A majority of cows calve during the autumn months, resulting in a deficit in milk supplies to creameries during late summer and a surplus in winter. To improve the efficient and economical working of creameries the Milk Marketing Board has revised its strategy of manipulating the seasonal milk price to encourage the movement of 200,000 calvings within three years to the summer months (late May to July). From 1989, the first year of the new strategy, there has been a 21-30% increase in the price of milk delivered during July to October; providing a considerable incentive to produce more milk during this period with potentially higher financial returns from summer compared to autumn calving herds.