General Management
Herd characteristics/management practices and their relationship to milk production
Sixty-four variables out of 136 survived the initial screening procedure at P < 0.25. Number of cows in milk was the variable most associated with Milk Production (F=341.88, P=0.0001) at the initial screening. Final model of variables most significantly associated with milk production in our study is shown (Table 2). For each one cow increase in herd size, there was a corresponding 200 lb (91 kg) increase in RHA milk production. For each one percent increase in detected estrus, there was a corresponding 54 lb (24 kg) increase in RHA milk production. For each one percent increase in death of heifer calves, there was a corre stalls. Forty-six percent of the producers had maternity/ calving or springer pens where cows routinely calved. Only 10% of the producers grouped first lactation cows separately from older lactating cattle. Dry cows were grouped , based on time to calving by 67% of the producers. Most producers (67%) cleaned the parlor holding pen at least once a day.
| Variables in final model | dfa | F | Betab | Standard Error of Beta |
| All cows in milk | 1 | 164.55c | 200.03 | 15.59 |
| % detected heat | 1 | 25.44c | 53.72 | 10.65 |
| Approximate % death loss per year (heifer calves born alive but dying before eight weeks of age) |
1 | 11.56c | -111.45 | 32.77 |
| % days in milk | 1 | 11.27c | 156.82 | 46.72 |
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adf = degrees of freedom
bRegression coefficients for continuous variables. cP < 0.01. |
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