Use of Dairy Herd Improvement Testing Programs by Dairy Farmers1,2

Abstract

A questionnaire designed to characterize how farmers use their dairy records was sent to 1178 Ohio dairy farmers who had been on test from 1976 through December 1983. Results from 660 (56%) usable returns were compared with herd performance measures and management information from the monthly herd reports. Monthly progress reports were the most important reason for dairy farmers’ participation in a testing program. Records were particularly important for use in sales and advertising to owners of purebred cattle and for those with higher herd averages. Farmers who used records for feeding decisions had higher herd averages, services per conception, and percent days in milk and lower age of cow at last calving and days at first service. Farmers who used records as a guide to culling had lower average age at last calving, days at first service, and calving interval and higher services per cow and culling percentage. Herds in which somatic cell count information was used had lower ages at first and last calving, higher services per conception, and higher percentage of cows with low somatic cell counts. In general, farmers making greater use of the information had higher production per cow and above average herd performance measures.