Analyses of Operational and Economic Conditions in Selected Dairy Farms

Abstract

Dairy farms are an essential component of livestock production in Turkey. This article aims to show the current situation on these dairy farms and incredibly show the technical and operational conditions in milking technology. We researched 32 dairy farms with 6 to 681 lactating dairy cows. The milking technology on these farms corresponds to the usual structure of milking equipment on Turkish dairy farms. It includes bucket milking, pipe-line milking systems, tandem milking parlour, herringbone milking parlours and side-by-side milking parlours. To analyze the current situation, we used a calculation on the model, with evaluation criteria: the total time required for milking and the final direct specific costs. Evaluation of existing milking systems showed the possibilities of reducing human labour costs by optimizing the work activities. Larger farms characterize by more progressive milking technology, higher milk yields, and lower specific costs.