Use of a proactive herd management system in a dairy farm of northern italy: technical and economic results

Submitted: 20 June 2014
Accepted: 20 June 2014
Published: 8 September 2013
Abstract Views: 967
PDF: 599
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Reproductive and economic data were recorded before and one year after the installation of Herd Navigatorâ„¢ in a dairy farm with AMS (Automatic Milking System) located in a mountain area of Northern Italy. Number of days open reduced from 166 to 103 days, number of days between the first and second insemination decreased from 45 to 28 days, and days for identifying an abortion were 80 % less, from 31 to 6 days. The preliminary results highlight the usefulness of the proactive herd management system installed for the reproduction management. A basic economic model is proposed to evaluate the potential economic benefits coming from the introduction of this technology. The model considers the benefits deriving from the reduction of reproduction problems and, consequently, of days open. Considering the effects related to the above mentioned aspects in a case study involving 60 dairy cows, a return on investment over 5 years has been calculated.

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Leonardi, S., Marchesi, G., Tangorra, F. M. and Lazzari, M. (2013) “Use of a proactive herd management system in a dairy farm of northern italy: technical and economic results”, Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 44(s2). doi: 10.4081/jae.2013.283.