Milk deliveries to factories are lagging a few days behind actual milk production because milk is collected once every 3 days Vreugdenhil states that dairy farmers are ensuring a good barn climate and providing cows with proper supplementary feed
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!FrieslandCampina is observing a sharper than usual decline in milk production though it is not yet prepared to attach a specific percentage to it However the company has noted a change in the severity of heat related effects in recent years production drops caused by heat are less pronounced than in the past
This is due to measures taken by dairy farmers such as installing fans and misting systems and improving barn insulation These measures are proving effective FrieslandCampina also observes dairy farmers adjusting their grazing practices many now let their cows graze at night and keep them in the barn during the day The dairy cooperative welcomes this approach and certainly does not recommend daytime grazing on the hottest days
25 Percent Less Milk
The heat appears to be hitting dairy farms harder in some European countries In Belgium some farmers have seen production drop by 25 percent or more according to the Belgian broadcaster RTL Dairy farmer Damien Van Rompu runs a farm with 120 cows in Genappe Wallonia Before the heatwave struck they produced 3500 litres of milk daily Now with the intense heat we are dropping below 3000 litres perhaps even down to 2500 litres in the coming days That represents a significant loss of income the farmer said
Dairy farmers in France and Germany are also feeling the effects of the heat German dairy farmer Josef Pruys based in Kranenburg just across the border from Nijmegen is seeing production fall despite the fans and misting system in his barn as reported by WDR
Furthermore the cows no longer go to the milking robot on their own so he has to herd them there His milk production has dropped from an average of 37 litres to between 33 and 34 litres per day