The total milk production on a farm varies over the year. This variation can be caused by the number of cows being milked, the lactation stage and other factors such as feed quality. By having insight into the future predicted production, you can take actions to increase or decrease milk production or you can share information with, for example, the dairy producer that you deliver milk to. Milk yield prediction is available at herd and at individual cow level.
What is the milk yield prediction based on?
To calculate the predicted milk production, Horizon calculates the expected production for every cow. This is based on:
- the cows’ previous performance
- lactation number
- days in lactation
- expected calving date
Heifers have no data for previous lactations, so the calculation of the milk yield prediction of her first days is based on the average milk production for heifers on the farm.
Milk yield prediction at herd level
The production data in Horizon for all cows is added together over a month. This results in the expected milk yield production at herd level which is shown in the dashboard widget. Cows with a keep open status included in the milk yield calculation till they are transferred out in Horizon.
Cowcard
For individual cows, the milk yield prediction is shown in the margin tab and can be added to the overview page.
Note: milk yield predictions will be shown 30 days after installing Horizon.