A comparison of once- versus twice-daily milking on performance of late lactation dairy cows

Labour constitutes a major and increasing cost on dairy farms, while at the same time, the availability of skilled labour is decreasing. In addition, younger farmers are placing an increasing emphasis on lifestyle. Consequently, there is an increased interest in milk production systems involving reduced labour inputs. In view of the fact that approximately 33% (O’Brien et al., 2002) of the daily labour input on dairy farms is associated with the milking routine (herding, milking and washing), the adoption of once daily milking would appear to offer considerable potential to reduce labour inputs. This study examined the effect of once-daily milking, in late lactation, on animal performance.