Meadows: Sum: How big should the pasture plots be?
Or how long can cows last with a parcel or part?

If it grows nicely in the spring, it will grow at least 100 kg dm. Per hectare per day.
This decreases further in the growing season, about 80 kg per day and in autumn or during drought it can drop to less than 40 kg per day.
If you do “Standweiden” (on one parcel for a longer time), it is sufficient for grazing when there is 800 – 1000 kg dm. on a hectare. (Is about 10 cm.) Otherwise the last grass will quickly become too long and the cows too selective.

Suppose you have 100 cows and you want them to eat 6 kg per day of grass. That is 600 kg of dm. grass.

You want to let them graze for ten days on that plot. That means 10 x 600 = 6000 kg dm. in total.

You placed them in 1000 kg of dm. grass what was on it.
In those ten days, 80 kg dm. per day also grows = 800 kg
1000 kg present + 800 kg growth = 1800 kg present grass.

When the cows are removed, there may still be 1000 kg dm. per ha. So the growth, 80 kg per day for example, is to eat.
The requirement is 100 cows x 6 kg dm. grass intake x 10 days = 6,000 kg dm.

6,000 kg of grass required divided by 800 yield means that you need 7.5 ha of grassland for this. It is safe to take a little more.

Sum:
100 cows x 6 kg dm. X 10 days = 6000 kg dm.
10 days growth x 80 kg = 800 kg dm. 6000: 800 = 7.5 ha

Your situation:
…… cows x… kg dm. X…. days = ……… kg dm
…. days of growth x.…. kg = …… .. kg. dm. ………: ……… = …… ha

If you do “Roterend Standweiden”, so called “New Dutch Grazing”, or in other words a fresh part of pasture every day, you can start when the grass is slightly higher at, for example, 1500 kg ds. When it is “finished” there is still  600 kg ds. 900 kg has been eaten. An additional 80 kg of growing  is added = 980 grass to eat.
100 cows x 6 kg DM intake = 600 kg DM per day required. 980 kg dry matter per ha crop yield divided by 600 is a bit more than 0.6 ha per day.

So then you need blocks of a bit more than 0.6 ha per day. For a round of “Rotating Stand Grazing” , for example, 15 days: 15 x 0.61 = 9.2 ha. Here too, if possible, take a little more when possible.

Sum:
100 cows x 6 kg DM x 1 day = 600 kg intake: 980 kg grass yield = 0.6 ha per day x number of days = a block of 9.2 ha.

Your situation:
…. cows x… kg DM x 1 day = ……. kg intake:… … kg grass yield =… .. ha per day x …… days = a block of …. ha.

Perhaps it is useful to make an excel for this (with a grazer coach?) And to enter the fixed formulas and numbers and how much additional feed you will have in the barn.

With your growth estimates, this will mean fewer surprises and a more constant supply of grass for the cows.
So grazing more successfully.

Remember that a cow eats about 1 kg per hour. Especially in the evening before sunset and in the morning after sunrise, the cows eat the most.

Robot milkers have no problems with that 😉

See previous Tips about pastures from May 2017 and August 2018.

Cow statistics report.

In addition to the lists, “AMS milkings” also contain the list “Cow statistics report”.
This shows, for example, which cows are often milked and also have many or few refusals.
But also whether the cows are just as active this week as they were last week.
It is interesting to see per cow, but also the average of all cows.
This is of course especially interesting if something changes, for example a ration change, pasture, or ……
(Maybe put it on “Last 30 days”)

Buffer tank.

It seems like an advertising tip.
The cleaning of the milking robot takes place at the same time every day and is therefore a stable factor in the farm and cows rhythm. Emptying the milk cooling tank is done once every 2 to 3 days. But this causes rhythm disturbances every time.

Emptying and especially cleaning the tank quite a bit of time is lost, and the cows that want and may be milked again are not able to do so.
When the cleaning is finished, other cows will come allready and they may be milked again.
And so it accumulates.
And who are the victims again, who keep getting out of their rhythm?
Right! The (new) heifers and low-ranking cows….

A buffer tank solves this.

Where is the USB Stick with Backup?

Recently there was a fire on a farm.
Office and engine room completely burned out.

The farmer had regularly changed USB stick with backup and placed it in a cupboard in the office ….
That was already very neat, but now also burned.

All data from backup, cow information, teat positions, … gone!

Make sure you regularly put a current backup on a stick, but also store it in a different place! (Tip of the Month – April 2012)

And pay attention to the Tips for the winter!

This site has also paid attention to this.
(Tip of the Month – December 2010 and January 2012)
A heating element is important.
And in any case make sure that no or minimal cleaning is required at night.
Many milkings, possibly earlier milk permission, and minimum rinses.
So milk the separation cows earlier and later, and prevent cold (east) wind / air under VMS.
Where we are happy with a lot of air circulation in the VMS space on summer days, we are not like that on freezing days ..

What is needed for the highest daily production per VMS.

We often hear interesting stories about the average daily production of a milking robot.
Sometimes 1500 liters per day, sometimes more than 2000, some regularly reach 2500 liters and a few are milking even more than 3000 liters per robot per day.

What do you think is necessary and important to achieve a high production per milking robot?
Here I would like to add experiences and practical tips from you, so I hope for responses from you:

If this is successful, I would also like to make a list with more tips from you, for example about increasing the number of visits to the milking robot, keeping the somatic cell count low, …

Some examples of mine what is needed for high daily productions per VMS:

• High-yielding livestock, high persistence
• High quality roughage.
• Pay extra attention that newly calved heifers learn to visit the VMS soon after calving and are given time / space for this.
• Many cows with 2+ lactations

It is therefore the intention that this list is getting longer.
I would like to add your practical tips and experiences to this!

Added by you:

• Punctually claw care policy (for dry period and after negative energy balance period) by the skilled person.
• Short interval between calves
• Reward high-yielding cows (concentrate, space, …)
• Often push feed, also at night
• Generous, comfortable lying places