Abstract
Records are an essential tool for farm management. Its importance resides in the acquisition of management indicators which will allow measuring the system´s performance on a quantifiable way, allowing the fast detection of problems in order to correct them or the identification of strengths in order to take advantage of the circumstances. Indicators´ evaluation can be carried out from different approaches: Productive, reproductive, nutritional and environmental. The interaction among these indicators provides a holistic vision of the production system, allowing decision making to be made far most objective, informed and integral. Some indicators provide a general vision of the company´s productive behavior as: milk yield/lactation/ha (PLH). Others show the animal´s condition such as the Body Condition Score (ICC), that analyzed together with age at puberty and age at first parturition show the real status of an animal category that represents the future genetic material of the herd. Reproductive indicators include, Calving Interval (IEP), Breeding Season (PS), Pregnancy Rate (TP), and Conception per Services (SPC) as those of more common use, being TP the most efficient reproductive indicator allowing to evaluate pregnant and non-pregnant animals. Milk solids concentration (Σ% fat +% protein) measures indirectly the nutritious condition to which the animals are subjected. On the same way, the relationship between fat and protein concentration (G:P) can be helpful indicator ruminal dysfunction caused by feeding alterations. Measuring and quantifying environmental indicators requires bigger effort, which limits the use of these indicators by dairies, however its importance is paramount. Nutrient surplus/ha and Energy consumption/ ha can be used to calculate the efficiency in nutrient use and the environmental impact caused by the production system
Keywords
Production system
management
indicators
index
dairy
management
indicators
index
dairy