Irish Dairy Farms Research Articles

Climate Change Mitigation in the Dairy Sector: Uncovering Heterogeneity Through Eco‐Efficiency Clubs

ABSTRACTCombining climate change goals with economic targets is crucial for the dairy sector, which is a significant contributor to agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. In this paper, we assess economic and climate change implications of dairy production with panel data of Irish dairy farms from 2013 to 2021. We calculate transient, persistent, and overall eco‐efficiency with respect to GHG emissions by way of stochastic frontier analysis. The innovative component of our analysis is the application of club convergence analysis to explore heterogeneity in transient eco‐efficiency development over time. This offers a nuanced understanding of farm‐level responses to climate challenges. We then explore correlations between convergence clubs and GHG mitigation technology usage. Despite high overall eco‐efficiency, our results uncover significant variability across farms, with some showing improvement and others decline in eco‐efficiency over time. We also find that changes in milk yield and specialization are positively related to better eco‐efficiency development, while GHG mitigation technologies do not play an important role. These insights suggest that the average high eco‐efficiency masks considerable underlying heterogeneity, presenting opportunities for tailored policy interventions. Our study contributes to the literature by highlighting the complex dynamics of eco‐efficiency in the dairy sector and underscoring the need for policy frameworks that account for farm‐level diversity.

An agent-based modeling approach for simulating solar PV adoption: A case study of Irish dairy farms

The agricultural sector faces increasing pressure to enhance energy efficiency in light of escalating electricity costs. This study aims to simulate the adoption of photovoltaic (PV) systems in Ireland’s dairy sector using an agent-based modeling (ABM) approach to facilitate PV uptake among dairy farmers. The model incorporates factors such as grid energy costs, annual electricity consumption, annual solar generation, PV cost, and maintenance expenses to predict PV adoption likelihood. Findings reveal that by 2022, about 2.41% of Irish dairy farmers had adopted PV systems, a figure only 0.41 pp higher than the actual observed rate, validating the ABM’s accuracy. Additionally, the research forecasts future adoption rates of PV systems among dairy farmers, demonstrating the efficacy of ABM in understanding and predicting renewable energy uptake in the dairy sector. These insights can inform policy suggestions to promote renewable energy adoption, ultimately enhancing energy efficiency and sustainability in dairy sector.

Herd-Level Risk Factors Associated with Mycoplasma bovis Serostatus in Youngstock on Irish Dairy Farms.

Mycoplasma bovis is a globally significant pathogen of cattle associated with a wide range of clinical syndromes, including respiratory disease, mastitis, arthritis, otitis, and reproductive failure. Since its detection in Ireland in 1994, M. bovis has become a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in Irish cattle. This study aimed to investigate herd-level risk factors associated with M. bovis seropositivity in replacement dairy heifers, using data from 105 Irish dairy herds. Ten heifers per herd were sampled on three occasions: spring 2018, spring 2019, and autumn 2019. Seropositivity was evaluated using two thresholds: ≥1 positive heifer (Model ≥ 1POS) and ≥3 positive heifers (Model ≥ 3POS). M. bovis seropositivity varied over time, with at least one positive heifer in 50.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 40.5-60.3) of herds in spring 2018, 35.2% (95% CI: 26.2-45.1) in spring 2019, and 45.7% (95% CI: 36.0-55.7) in autumn 2019. Herds with three or more positive heifers increased from 31.4% (95%CI: 22.7-41.2) in spring 2018 to 42.9% (95% CI: 33.2-52.9) by autumn 2019. Risk factors for M. bovis seropositivity included the purchase of cattle, which significantly raised the odds of seropositivity across multiple visit periods (Model ≥ 1POS: Odds ratio (OR) 3.84, p = 0.02; Model ≥ 3POS: OR 3.69, p = 0.02). Managing more than three land parcels, housing heifer calves separately from bull calves, and sharing airspace between calves and older animals also increased seropositivity risks. Conversely, more colostrum feeds reduced the risk of seropositivity (Model ≥ 1POS: OR 0.81, p = 0.05), while colostrum quality assessment and feeding waste milk showed a trend toward increased risk. These findings suggest the importance of robust biosecurity measures, including limiting cattle purchases, improving calf management, and enhancing colostrum feeding practices, to control the spread of M. bovis. This study provides valuable insights into the epidemiology of M. bovis in Irish dairy herds, emphasising the need for targeted biosecurity and surveillance to safeguard herd productivity.

An examination of the use of standard operating procedures on family operated farms

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) can improve farm work organization by ensuring processes are standardized among the different people completing the same task. In this study, we examined the use of SOPs on family operated farms and determined the influence of the number of people working on farm on SOP use. A survey of 315 Irish dairy farms was completed examining the human resource and workload management practices; this study used a subset of questions from that survey. Of the 315 farms surveyed, average herd size was 125 cows and there was 1 other person working with the farmer (range 0 to 5 people). Categorizing farms based on the number of people working on farm, 35% of the farms were owner-operators, 37% had 1 other worker and 28% had 2 or more workers. Overall, 31.3% (n = 98) of all farms surveyed had written SOPs while 68.7% (n = 217) had no written SOPs. Interest in ready-made SOPs among farmers was high (77%). Farms without SOPs found it significantly more difficult to write down work processes and lacked time to create SOPs compared with farms with SOPs. Standard operating procedures most frequently existed for milking (89%), management of fresh cows (35%) and reproduction (29%). Respondents indicated that consistency in work completion was the greatest benefit of having SOPs (39.8%; n = 39), followed by increase in efficiency (17.3%; n = 17) and health and safety (12.2; n = 12). Forty 3 percent of farms with more 3 or more people had significantly more written SOPs present compared with 25% of owner-operator farms and 27% farms with 2 people. This research provides a greater understanding of the use of SOPs on family operated dairy farms, highlighting that the presence of SOPs increases as the number of workers on farm increases.

Quantification of antimicrobial use on Irish dairy farms: A comparison of three recording methods

Antimicrobial use (AMU) data are essential for monitoring usage over time, facilitating reduction strategies to combat the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to both human and animal health. The objective of this study was to measure and describe AMU over a 12-mo period in Irish dairy herds and compare 3 different recording methods to a reference method. A sample of 33 Irish dairy herds were randomly selected from 6 private veterinary practices across Ireland. The herds were followed for a 12-mo period and their AMU was monitored using 3 recording methods: 1. Veterinary prescription data (VET), 2. The inventory of medicine bins on the farms (BIN), and 3. Farmer treatment records from herd recording software (APP). Each recording method was compared with a previously developed reference method for AMU. The reference method used was based on pre- and poststudy medicine stock on the farms combined with veterinary prescription data. Antimicrobial use was analyzed using both mass- and dosed-based metrics, including mass (mg) of antimicrobial active ingredient per population correction unit (mg/PCU), defined daily doses for animals (DDDVET) and defined course doses for animals (DCDVET). Median AMU was 16.24, 10.47, 8.87 and 15.55 mg/PCU by mass, and 2.43, 1.55, 1.19 and 2.26 DDDVET by dose for VET, BIN, APP, and reference method data, respectively. Reliability of the agreement between each pair of methods was quantified using the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). When compared with the reference method, VET data had excellent reliability [95% confidence interval (CI) of CCC: 0.992-0.998]. The BIN data had good to excellent reliability [95% CI of CCC: 0.776-0.936]. The APP data had poor reliability when compared with the reference method [95% CI of CCC: -0.167-0.156]. Our results highlight that a small number of herds were contributing most to overall use and farmers showed varying levels of consistency in recording AMU. Veterinary data were the most reliable approach for assessing AMU when compared with a reference method of AMU. This is an important finding for the future monitoring of AMU at a national level.

The contribution of innovation to farm-level productivity

Innovation is a key driver of productivity growth. This paper proposes a novel methodology in order to explore the impact of farm-level innovations on farm productivity and its components (i.e. technology, efficiency and scale) using representative data from Irish dairy farms. We measure innovation by an index based on employed production practices, continuous innovation activity and knowledge weighted by expert opinions. The results suggest that more innovative Irish dairy farmers are more productive. Specifically, all farmers improve their production technology and efficiency through their use of innovations, but farmers at specific levels of innovativeness may experience a decrease in productivity due to the small scale at which they operate. This indicates that innovation has a non-linear effect on productivity. We discuss the policy implications for reducing the unequal gains of innovation across farmers.

Development of an animal health testing tool to reduce antimicrobial use on farms: perceptions, implications, and needs of Irish dairy farmers and farm veterinarians

BackgroundThe threat of antimicrobial resistance is triggering the need for behavioural change towards antimicrobial use on Irish farms. Newly introduced veterinary medicine regulations are mandating the restricted and more prudent use of antimicrobials in the animal health sector. The need to reduce antimicrobials has placed a greater emphasis on the importance of animal health testing, however, issues with current testing practices are affecting diagnosis and subsequent drug usage. There is potential for digital technologies to address these issues and reduce antimicrobial use on farms, however, for these tools to be successful, they would need to be developed in collaboration with future end users.ResultsUsing qualitative approaches (focus groups), this study engages with dairy farmers and farm veterinary practitioners to detail current challenges with animal health diagnosis and to explore the initial development of a rapid, on-farm animal health testing tool to address these challenges. Issues with timing and testing, the role of knowledge and experience, and veterinarian availability all affect the ability of farmers and veterinarians to diagnose animal health issues on farm. These issues are having negative implications including the increased and unnecessary use of antimicrobials. An on-farm testing tool would help mitigate these effects by allowing veterinarians to achieve rapid diagnosis, facilitating the timely and targeted treatment of animal illnesses, helping to reduce overall antimicrobial use on farms. However, engagement with end users has highlighted that if a tool like this is not developed correctly, it could have unintended negative consequences such as misdiagnosis, increased antimicrobial use, challenges to farmer-veterinarian relationships, and data misuse. This study outlines initial end user needs and requirements for a testing tool but suggests that in order to successfully design and develop this tool, co-design approaches such as Design Thinking should be applied; to mitigate future negative impacts, and to ensure a testing tool like this is designed specifically to address Irish dairy farmers and farm veterinarians’ values and needs, ensuring responsible and successful uptake and use.ConclusionsDigital tools can be effective in reducing antimicrobial use on farms, however, to be successful, these tools should be designed in a user centred way.

Human resource management practices on Irish dairy farms: an exploratory study

Context Managing people outside the farm family unit is a new issue for many Irish dairy farmers. In the context of rapid growth, the demand for employees has increased, creating the need for Irish dairy farmers to have human resource management (HRM) skills. Aims This paper explores the extent and type of HRM practices adopted by Irish dairy farmers and the factors that influence their adoption. Methods A questionnaire was developed, piloted, and issued to farmers on the basis of herd size and location. Data from 203 dairy farmers who employ people were analysed to examine the adoption of different HRM practices and the influence of farm characteristics, farmer demographics and farmer attitudes on their adoption. HRM practices included compliance with employment legislation, health and safety, different approaches to recruitment, workforce management and retention. The questionnaire included one or more variables for each of these HRM practices. Where more than one variable was included, an aggregate variable was developed for that practice. Key results Whereas, overall, there was a low level of adoption of best HRM practices, farm characteristics such as herd size and number of employees had a significant influence on farmers’ adoption of compliance with employment legislation, health and safety, recruitment, workforce management and retention practices. Demographic factors such as age, level of education, and average hours worked influenced farmers compliance with employment law legislation, workforce management practices and retention practices. Conclusions The study highlighted an overall low compliance with employment legislation and low adoption of best practices in managing staff among dairy farmers in Ireland. Implications This study highlighted that improvement is needed in all areas of HRM on Irish dairy farms. The findings of this study would be useful to farm advisors who support dairy farmers in improving their management of their businesses. Overall, this study has contributed to a greater understanding of the challenges in managing people in agriculture and how certain factors influences the adoption of HRM practices on dairy farms.

The factors contributing to better workplaces for farmers on pasture-based dairy farms

Herd size expansion, combined with the reduced availability of people to work on farms, has led to an increased focus on techniques that can improve dairy farm social sustainability. Effective work organization is one such entity, which could influence farm social sustainability; focusing on having a productive, flexible and standardized farm workload. The objective of this study was to examine the factors that contribute to better workplaces for the farmer using a survey of representative pasture-based dairy farms in Ireland. Potential contributing factors to better workplaces for farmers were identified, namely; farm and farmer characteristics, working day structure, farmer attitudes, farm facilities, labor efficient practices and human resource management practices. A survey was completed by 313 Irish dairy farmers between 20 November and 3 January 2019 to capture relevant information. One proxy indicator was selected to represent each of productivity, flexibility and standardization within the workplace, and each of the 313 farms were categorized into quartiles based on their ranking for these 3 indicators (1 = most effective quartile to 4 = least effective quartile). The average farmer that completed the survey was 51 years old, milked 125 cows, reported to work 69.6 h/ week, take 10.3 d of holidays/ year and had a finish time of 19:52 in spring. The quartile of farms with the most effective farmer workplace reported reduced hours worked per week (58.6 v 82.6 h per week), more holiday days (16.6 v 5.1 d) and weekends off (8.3 v 2.4) per year, and earlier finish times (18:41 v 21:14 in spring) compared with the least effective quartile. Similarly, the most effective farms reported better facilities, and greater implementation of labor efficient and human resource management practices compared with the least effective farms. The most effective quartile for farmer workplace effectiveness were more positive about the industry's potential to offer an effective work-life balance, would be more likely to encourage young people to pursue careers in dairy, and had more positive attitudes toward attracting and retaining workers compared with the least effective quartile. The study highlighted the range of factors contributing to more effective workplaces for farmers, indicating scope for improvement on many farms, and challenges across all farms when compared with other industries in the case of some indicators (e.g., time-off). The results can support the continued extension of concepts regarding work organization to assist farms in alleviating social sustainability challenges; highlighting the differentiating factors between the most and least effective farmer workplaces.

Survey of farm, parlour and milking management, parlour technologies, SCC control strategies and farmer demographics on Irish dairy farms

BackgroundThis cross-sectional study describes a survey designed to fill knowledge gaps regarding farm management practices, parlour management practices and implemented technologies, milking management practices, somatic cell count (SCC) control strategies, farmer demographics and attitudes around SCC management on a sample of Irish dairy farms.ResultsWe categorized 376 complete responses by herd size quartile and calving pattern. The average respondent herd was 131 cows with most (82.2%) operating a seasonal calving system. The median monthly bulk tank somatic cell count for seasonal calving systems was 137,000 cells/ml (range 20,000 – 1,269,000 cells/ml), 170,000 cells/ml for split-calving systems (range 46,000 – 644,000 cells/ml) and 186,000 cells/ml for ‘other’ herds (range 20,000 – 664,000 cells/ml). The most common parlour types were swing-over herringbones (59.1%) and herringbones with recording jars (22.2%). The average number of units across herringbone parlours was 15, 49 in rotary parlours and two boxes on automatic milking system (AMS) farms. The most common parlour technologies were in-parlour feeding systems (84.5%), automatic washers on the bulk tank (72.8%), automatic cluster removers (57.9%), and entrance or exit gates controlled from the parlour pit (52.2%). Veterinary professionals, farming colleagues and processor milk quality advisors were the most commonly utilised sources of advice for SCC management (by 76.9%, 50.0% and 39.2% of respondents respectively).ConclusionsIn this study, we successfully utilised a national survey to quantify farm management practices, parlour management practices and technology adoption levels, milking management practices, SCC control strategies and farmer demographics on 376 dairy farms in the Republic of Ireland. Rotary and AMS parlours had the most parlour technologies of any parlour type. Technology add-ons were generally less prevalent on farms with smaller herds. Despite finding areas for improvement with regard to frequency of liner changes, glove-wearing practices and engagement with bacteriology of milk samples, we also found evidence of high levels of documentation of mastitis treatments and high use of post-milking teat disinfection. We discovered that Irish dairy farmers are relatively content in their careers but face pressures regarding changes to the legislation around prudent antimicrobial use in their herds.

Farm Investment and Adoption of Fixed Milk Price Contracts on Irish Dairy Farms

After the milk quota removal in 2015, the Irish dairy industry has expanded dramatically. Various economic, social and environmental considerations are part of farmer’s choice to invest and to expand. This study evaluates selected factors contributing to recent dairy farmer’s investment decisions and examines the relationship between the adoption of Fixed Milk Price Contracts as a risk management tool and farm investments. This research applies the two-stage residual inclusion approach to address this research question using Teagasc NFS data from 2016 to 2021. This approach is applied to control for potential endogeneity including risk aversion. The results point to the economic relevance of the FMC adoption towards farm investment decisions although the magnitude of the association is limited. Subsidies play an important role in the investment decision although they are a small proportion in the overall specialised dairy farm income and provide a relatively stable source of income in Ireland. We finally conclude that, there is scope to improve the design of these FMCs in terms of protecting farmers from drastic margin volatility and to increase the adoption rate

A multi-methods, multi-actor exploration of the benefits and barriers to milk recording on Irish farms using the COM-B model

Milk recording is a critical tool in dairy farming, providing individual cow information. When used effectively, this data contributes to on-farm productivity, herd health management decisions and supports prudent veterinary prescribing of antimicrobials. Although an industry and government priority, uptake has been relatively slow in Ireland. This multi-methods, three-part study aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the benefits to farm performance, and factors driving uptake of milk recording on Irish dairy farms. It involved an economic analysis of N=516 farms from 2008–2019, a workshop with N=26 stakeholders and an online survey of N=197 non-milk-recording farmers. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using econometric models and thematic analysis respectively. Results were synthesised using the COM-B model to gain a deeper understanding of what drives the target behaviour. The study revealed that agricultural education, farm location, farm specialisation in dairy and membership of a farmer discussion group were the main factors influencing uptake of milk recording. Milk recording was associated with a €39.04/cow increase in gross margin, a 177.58 litres/cow increase in milk yield and a reduction of 13,450 cells/ml in bulk milk tank somatic cell count readings. Infrastructural constraints, cost, lack of benefits and workload were the most reported perceived barriers to milk recording by farmers. The Behaviour Change Wheel illustrates how to utilise findings and systematically develop future interventions to increase milk recording uptake. This study highlights the importance of a multi-methods approach to agricultural technology adoption and the need for evidence-based methodology when developing behaviour change interventions.

Recording antimicrobial use on Irish dairy farms: Barriers and facilitators to using technology and sharing data

Antimicrobial use (AMU) data are essential to monitor the impact of AMU reduction strategies in animal health. The use of technology and herd recording software to record AMU will be vital to scale the collation of these data in the future. The aim of this study was to determine the barriers and facilitators to Irish dairy farmers recording their AMU using a herd recording software and sharing AMU data. Thirty-three Irish dairy farmers involved in a study on AMU monitoring were asked to record their AMU using a herd recording software over a 12-mo period. At the end of the 12-mo period, 10 of these farmers were selected to take part in semi-structured interviews exploring their opinions on recording AMU, the use of herd recording software, and sharing AMU data. Interviews were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Several barriers and facilitators to farmers recording their AMU using a herd recording software and sharing AMU data were identified. Barriers included the age and generation of the farmer, farm infrastructure, a lack of training and education, a lack of knowledge around the benefits of digital data, a lack of incentive to digitalise records, and a fear of repercussions. Facilitators identified by the farmers included the benefits of having instantly available data for making herd management decisions, reduced paperwork, increased organization for inspections, and a potential positive impact on the image of the dairy industry. To increase the uptake of new technology to record AMU at farm-level, farmers will need support in terms of education and training around the software available to them and reassurance around the perceived risks of repercussions with sharing data in a digital format.

The role of hired labour on technical efficiency in an expanding dairy sector: The case of Ireland

AbstractThe 2015 EU milk quota abolition initiated considerable expansion in the dairy sector. This expansion has increased the demand for additional labour in some EU countries, most significantly in Ireland. This paper explores the role of hired labour on Irish dairy farms' technical efficiency (TE). We use a detailed farm‐level panel data set of a representative sample from 2000 to 2018. To estimate transient, persistent, and overall TE over time, we apply a 4‐component stochastic frontier model. Our findings show significant variation in TE scores over the period. We also control for endogeneity to obtain marginal effects of hired labour on TE. The results reveal that hired labour has a significant yet small, positive effect on farms' TE. Our findings suggest that the effect of hired labour on TE is larger for small and medium‐sized farms. This effect is larger when herd size increases.

Data Driven Identification of Injury Risk Factors During Expansion on Irish Dairy Farms

ABSTRACT Objectives This paper sought to determine risk factors of occupational injury in the Irish dairy farming sector and to estimate the roles of both dairying expansion and the discipline of agricultural extension in influencing reducing injury occurrence. Methods Data for this study was obtained via the Irish National Farm Survey (NFS). In total, 260 farm (83.6% of NFS dairy farm sample) workplace injury survey questionnaires were completed by NFS recorders by interviewing principal farm operators for year 2017. Injury survey data was analysed for 48 variables in conjunction with NFS core farm socio-economic, physical and financial data. Additionally, core data from 2010 for 78.5% of farms surveyed in 2017 was included in the study. Data were analysed using a three-step statistical testing process which met all Binary Logistic Regression assumptions. Results The study found that dairy farms had a higher farm workplace occupational injury level compared to a previous study. The study data indicates occurrence of elevated injury levels on farms which expanded and which were intensively managed from a milk production perspective. Farm expansion was associated with increased labor units used and increased investment per hectare. The study also found that use of extension services and farm discussion group participation were not associated with injury occurrence. Conclusions This study demonstrates how a retrospective farm workplace occupational injury survey of Irish dairy farms, analysed in combination with farm business data can be used to identify injury risk factors, including those associated with production expansion. Irish dairy farms have a heightened farm workplace occupation injury level while dairy production expansion increased injury levels. Extension engagement did not influence on injury levels. Approaches to improve farm safety on dairy farms are outlined.

Irish farmers’ engagement with dairy calf welfare: An exploratory analysis

Abstract Dairycalf welfare is receiving increasing public attention. To ensure optimal practices, farmers need to engage and be mindful of unethical behavior. However, avoiding information on animal welfare is common and often driven by willful ignorance. We conduct an exploratory analysis on survey data from 546 Irish dairy farmers. We investigate farmers’ choice to view a picture of transported dairy calves and find that over 20 per cent of farmers prefer to remain in a state of ignorance. Higher self-reported calf mortality and education increase the odds of viewing the picture while being a female decreases them. Farmers’ reasons for avoiding include the lack of new information in the picture, anticipated negative feelings, and biased information expectations. Additional explorations suggest that the farmers’ decision is not a survey artifact, but the results are not robust and further research is needed to confirm. Possible suggestions to improve calf welfare are to foster farmers’ trust, package information as new evidence on best calf-rearing practices, and better understand perceptions of animal welfare.

Sensitivity and specificity of mobility scoring for the detection of foot lesions in pasture-based Irish dairy cows

Lameness is an important production disease in dairy cows worldwide and has detrimental effects on cows' welfare, production, and reproductive performance, thus affecting the sustainability of dairy farming. Timely and effective detection of lameness allows for effective treatment, minimizing progression of disease, and maximizing the prognosis of recovery. Mobility scoring (MSc) is a 4 point (0-3) visual lameness scoring system that is the industry standard in several countries. However, few studies have examined the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of MSc to detect foot lesions. The aim of this observational study was to determine the Se and Sp of MSc to detect foot lesions in dairy cattle in a pasture-based system. Five hundred ninety-five primi- and multiparous cows were randomly selected from 12 commercial Irish dairy farms and recruited for the study. Recruited cows were mobility scored and passed through a foot-paring crate where all 4 feet were lifted for examination. The team recorded the anatomical location and severity of any foot lesions present based on appearance only. Then, based on the type and severity of the lesions present, cows were classified according to 3 case definitions case definition 1: Any lesion present; case definition 2: Moderate lesions present (excluding minor lesions expected to have a low probability of affecting gait); and case definition 3: Severe lesions present (only including lesions most likely to result in a detectable gait abnormality). Sensitivity and Sp of MSc was calculated based on a threshold of MSc ≥2, defined as impaired (MSc = 2) or severely impaired (MSc = 3) mobility for each of the 3 case definitions, at the overall level and disaggregated by parity. The overall cow-level lesion prevalence based on the case definition 1 was 0.54 with significant between-herd variation. The overall Se and Sp of MSc for the detection of foot lesions were 0.18 and 0.96, 0.35 and 0.94, 0.43 and 0.94 for the case definitions 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Our findings showed poor Se, but high Sp of MSc for the detection of cows with foot lesions in a pasture-based system.

Farmers’ knowledge of Johne’s disease and opinions of the Irish Johne’s Control Programme: results of an online survey answered mostly by young farmers

A voluntary control programme for Johne’s disease, the Irish Johne’s Control Programme (IJCP) has been implemented in Ireland since 2017. The objective of this observational study was to assess Irish beef and dairy farmers’ Johne’s disease knowledge, implemented management practices and IJCP opinions. A questionnaire open to dairy and beef farmers was distributed via social media and email. In total 126 responses were used for this study; these responses came from mostly young farmers (18–25 years old) and represent a small proportion of the total number of dairy and beef farmers in Ireland whose average age is 55.Most respondents claimed to know what Johne’s disease was (73%; 92/126) and associated the disease to loss of body condition (68%; 78/114) and diarrhoea (59%; 67/114). Twenty-eight respondents (mostly dairy farmers; 22/28) reported positive cases in their premises. And 38% reported to implement management practices to prevent Johne’s disease transmission within or into their herd (i.e. management of milk for calf consumption and isolation of Johne’s test-positive or newly purchased stock; 47/124).Eighteen percent (22/125) of respondents were, at the time of questionnaire or previously, members of the IJCP. The main benefits reported by some of the participating farmers were identification of positive cases (29%; 4/14), and management of milk for calf consumption (21%; 3/14). While the main disadvantage was inaccurate testing methods (50%; 10/20). The main reasons reported for the lack of participation in the IJCP were not being aware of the programme (52%; 53/102) and not having a Johne’s disease problem on the farm (48%; 49/102).In conclusion, this study suggests that while young farmers are aware of Johne’s disease, their participation in the IJCP is limited and could benefit from further promotion. Studies representing the wider farming community in Ireland are warranted to gather non-biased input and contribute to Johne’s disease control in Ireland.

The effects of seasonality, management, infrastructure, and automation on the milking efficiency of herringbone and rotary milking parlors in Ireland

The objective of this study was to document the milking efficiency of a sample of Irish dairy farms and to understand the effects of (1) seasonality, (2) management practices, (3) parlor infrastructure and (4) parlor automations on milking efficiency metrics. A novel methodology based on empirical data from video-cameras, infrastructure surveys and milk yield data allowed for the accurate computation of milking efficiency metrics and quantification of the effects of seasonality, number of operators and parlor automations on milking efficiency across 2 parlor types. The data for this study were collected over 2 periods: period 1 (28/07/2020 - 23/10/2020, peak-late production) and period 2 (12/04/2021 - 19/05/2021, early-peak production) from a sample of 16 herringbone and 10 rotary commercial Irish dairy farms. Milking efficiency was evaluated on each farm using 3 KPIs; 1) cows milked per hour (cows/h), 2) cows milked per operator per hour (cows/op/h) and 3) liters of milk harvested per hour (L/h). Milking efficiency KPIs were calculated using 'total process time', defined as the time between the first cow entering the holding yard and the end of the cleaning process. Average herd size for herringbone and rotary farms was 180 and 425 cows, respectively. Average system size for herringbone and rotary farms was 20 and 50 clusters, respectively. For herringbone farms, the average milking efficiency was 94 cows/h, 73 cows/op/h and 1,012 L/h, whereas rotary farms achieved an average milking efficiency of 170 cows/h, 132 cows/op/h and 1,534 L/h. Parlor size was strongly correlated with milking efficiency (cows/h) for herringbone parlors (0.91) but was only moderately correlated for rotary parlors (0.50). Hence, we documented the effect of parlor size on milking efficiency is relative to parlor type. Cluster utilization values on herringbone farms were 5 cows/cluster/h, 4 cows/cluster/op/h and 51 L/cluster/h which were 67%, 33%, and 65% greater than rotary farms, respectively. We found for both herringbone and rotary farms hourly cow throughput (cows/h, cows/op/h) were greatest during period 1 and that the volume of milk harvested per hour (L/h) was greatest for period 2. Thus, we documented an inverse seasonal relationship between hourly rates of cows milked and milk harvested. We observed that for herringbone farms, milking efficiency (cows/h, L/h) had a strong positive correlation (0.75, 0.74) with the levels of automation use. However, the minimal variation in automations used among rotary farms made it difficult to evaluate their impact on milking efficiency. Similarly, we found that the impact of automations on milking efficiency was dependent on parlor type. On average, a second operator at milking for both herringbone and rotary farms increased values for cows/h (+19% - H, + 34% - R) and L/h (+21% - H, +12% - R) but lowered values for cows/op/h (-35% - H, -12% - R). The holistic methodology applied in this study allowed us to add novel data to the literature by quantifying the effects of seasonality, the number of operators present at milking and parlor automation use on milking efficiency across 2 parlor types.

Irish dairy farmers’ assessment of their training needs

ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the uptake of education and training by Irish dairy farmers and how they perceive their training needs to be evolving as their farm business grows and they become employers. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey was conducted with 315 dairy farmers, who were randomly selected based on herd size and location to be representative of dairy farmers in Ireland. Findings The results demonstrate the number of people working on the farm influence farmers’ educational and training requirements. The results of this study show the need for specific human resource management advice and training for dairy farm employers. Practical implications This study provides an understanding about the type of education or advice farmers need when transitioning into larger-scale businesses, which require more hired labour. Theoretical implications This paper demonstrates that dairy farmers’ experiences of education and training is dependent on where individuals are within their transitional experience, highlighting the importance of change management research in terms of life-long learning. Originality/value Uniquely this study provides an understanding of how dairy farmers’ education and training needs are evolving as their businesses develop.