Assessment of past and current status of large dairy farms to assist future management concerns and as a model for expanding dairies worldwide

Abstract

In order to predict future management needs the dairy industry needs to constantly assess the past and the current 
status of the industry. The objectives of this study were to: (1) Identify the past changes and current status of large 
well-managed dairies, (2) To provide management goals and identify areas of concerns for dairies that are stable or 
expanding, worldwide (3) assist in identifying and developing areas for future research to increase the efficiency and 
sustainability of the dairy industry worldwide. The data for this study were questionnaires from 17 dairy producers in 
Roosevelt and Curry Counties, the twenty-second and thirtieth largest United States dairy counties, respectively. The 
questionnaires were mailed to dairy farms throughout Roosevelt and Curry Counties in February of 2006. The 
respondents’ herds account for 38% of the dairy cows in Roosevelt and Curry Counties. The average herd size of 
respondents was 2,926. Respondents were asked to answer questions pertaining to their dairy farm management 
practices and concerns about the industry. Reproductive performance was found to be a top reason for culling while, 
the main health concern for producers was mastitis. Therefore reproduction and mastitis are two areas for future 
research and further improvement.