Case study

Case study: economic benefits of preventive NEB treatment

The HerdLine app flagged 52 cows in negative energy balance. Treated cows produced 3.46 kg more energy-corrected milk per day over 122 days.

Case studyBrolis HerdLine

How much is it worth to act on an early NEB warning? This study on one dairy farm put a number on it.

Aim

To assess the economic benefits of preventive treatment for cows in negative energy balance (NEB).

Method

  • The Brolis HerdLine application identified 52 cows in NEB on one selected dairy farm.
  • The cows were divided equally into a test group and a control group, taking number of lactations and days in milk into account.
  • Test cows received treatment and prophylaxis with a monensin bolus; control cows received neither.
  • Energy-corrected milk (ECM) production was compared between the groups, and the additional profit from treated cows was calculated.

Results

122 daysobservation period
+3.46 kgECM per treated cow per day
+€1.09profit per treated cow per day, after treatment costs

Over the observation period that is about €133 of extra profit per treated cow.

Read more about how HerdLine detects negative energy balance.

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