Physical and economic comparison of pasture-based automatic and conventional milking systems
| Autor: | J.I. Gargiulo, D.A. Armstrong, Sergio C. Garcia, N.A. Lyons, K. Kempton |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Pasture
Milking 03 medical and health sciences Agricultural science Genetics Animals Hectare Productivity 030304 developmental biology 0303 health sciences geography geography.geographical_feature_category Earnings Operating margin 0402 animal and dairy science Automatic milking 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences 040201 dairy & animal science Dairying Milk Costs and Cost Analysis Environmental science Animal Science and Zoology Profitability index Cattle Female Food Science |
| Zdroj: | Journal of dairy science. 103(9) |
| ISSN: | 1525-3198 |
| Popis: | Automatic milking systems (AMS) have the potential to increase dairy farm productivity and profitability; however, adoption rates, particularly in pasture-based systems, have been lower than expected. The objectives of this study were to compare the physical and economic performance of pasture-based AMS with conventional milking systems (CMS) and to identify gaps for improving AMS productivity and profitability. We used data from 14 AMS and 100 CMS located in the main Australian dairy regions and collected over 3 yr (2015–2016, 2016–2017, 2017–2018). Farms within similar regions and herd sizes were compared. Results showed that all the main physical performance indicators evaluated such as milk production per cow, milk production per hectare, pasture grazed per hectare, or milk solids per full-time equivalent were similar between systems. The AMS farms had higher overhead costs such as depreciation and repairs and maintenance; however, no differences in total labor costs were observed between systems. Profitability, measured as earnings before interest and tax, operating profit margin, and return on total assets, was not significantly different between AMS and CMS. Opportunities for improving pasture utilization, labor efficiency, and robot utilization in AMS farms were identified. Improving efficiency in these areas could improve productivity and profitability of these systems, and therefore increase the interest of this technology. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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