Sustainable dairy farming in support of animal welfare

For dairy farms, sustainable agriculture and animal welfare go hand in hand. Why? Because ensuring cow comfort contributes to a high productivity and aligns operations with consumer expectations.

Sustainable agriculture is commonly associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change.

But it doesn’t stop there.

If the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals are any indication, sustainable agriculture also means high-performance farms that can feed a growing population while helping farmers to meet rising societal expectations.

And in the move toward sustainable agriculture, dairy herd management and animal welfare have a key role to play.

Understanding cow behaviour

While some farms still identify their cows by name, most herd management software have been using 15‑digit EID cattle tags for many years now. Of course, even though Daisy is now identified by an electronic tag, her welfare is still the responsibility of the good people who run the farm where she produces milk.

The basic principles of animal welfare are simple: provide a nutritious diet, adequate shelter, fresh water, and prompt medical care. But beyond these essentials, it’s the close examination and study of cattle behaviour that turn animal welfare into a tool for boosting farm productivity.

Animal welfare and robotic milking

Whether in the nursery, with lactating, or dry cows, it’s possible to observe the interactions of animals to refine management practices and prevent natural hierarchies from hindering overall productivity.

My colleague Philippe Couture, Agr., has developed a keen interest for this topic for over a decade. During his presentation at the AQINAC 2024 Dairy Gathering, he emphasized the importance of these observations when transitioning cows from a pipeline milking system to a robotic milking or milking parlour situation, as they need to adapt and learn how to be milked in a group environment.

As a farm manager, you need to help your animals as they adjust to these changes. It’s important to get a good reading of their behaviour and adjust your management strategies accordingly to optimize herd performance.

Paying attention to cow comfort and barn layout is essential for maintaining healthy feet and legs, enabling cows to move freely for feeding, resting, and ruminating. This, in turn, encourages them to go to the milking robot with confidence.

This is animal welfare at its best—a prime example of sustainable agriculture that’s aligned with societal expectations.

Dairy herd feed and management experts

Sollio Agriculture’s agri-advisors stay at the forefront of feed and herd management practices through ongoing education on the topic (and many others). They are often the first to be called when problems arise, helping farmers to take action before disruptions affect production.

Our agri-advisors use typical data from various robots, as well as the data available via AgConnexion | Dairy Solution (or Lactascan, for those in the know) to proactively make any necessary adjustments to the herd management situation.

For example, the robot visit's frequency table can be used as an indicator of the cow's ruminal or foot and leg health, depending on the frequency and duration of their daily milking sessions. As for Lactascan, provided that the feed is up to standard, the tool can be used to establish a correlation between a decrease in milk constituents and animal welfare in relation to environmental factors.

Society expects more and more from the farming industry, and dairy consumers especially are counting on us to ensure the welfare of the cows in our care. By knowing how to observe our animals and interpret their behaviour, we can balance the operational aspects of farming with the rewarding aspect of it: improving productivity while also taking good care of our animals and the planet.

To learn more about animal welfare in robotic milking, read the Rewill Farm article.