May milk production was at record levels. A total of 1890 million kilograms of milksolids (kg MS) was produced in the 2014-15 season. This was 3.6% more than the previous season.
Source: AgriHQ
The strong growth in output occurred despite an increase in the number of cows culled. By the end of the milk production season the number of cows culled was 155,000 head or 20% greater than the same time the previous year.
The cow cull was expected to be elevated in the 2014-15 season. A lower number of cows than usual was culled in the 2013-14 season as the high milk price encouraged farmers to hold on to stock.
This year culling occurred earlier in the season than normal. Farms that encountered drought over the summer period were proactive by de-stocking earlier than normal. This provided the remaining cows with a greater amount of feed which allowed many farms to milk through to the end of the milk production season.
Pasture production was lower than normal in January and February, but growth rates were above average in March and April. The additional pasture growth in the later part of the season helped put more milk in the vat despite the elevated cull. Lower producing stock are typically the first ones to be culled. This naturally results in an increase in productivity per cow in the remainder of the herd.
