Seasonal upward swings well underway

Our 18-month “moving window” – currently March 2014 through August 2015 – provides a balanced view of seasonal shifts and significant regional differences in milk components. DV Monitors currently shows that the seasonal upward climb in the concentration of milk fat and protein continues across all regions.

We publish these data from our DV Monitors database of real-time regional milk component data on more than 160 leading Holstein herds in order to help you put your milk fat and milk protein in perspective. Thanks for your input in helping us optimize this information resource.

 

 

 

For the 167 Holstein herds enrolled in our DV Monitors database, we download data for every load of milk from the milk processor websites. Then we generate weekly weighted averages across four major dairy regions:

It’s difficult to compare an individual dairy with milk processor averages in some regions that typically pool data from Holstein and Jersey herds. That’s why we currently provide Holsteinonly milk component data, but plan to add the Jersey averages at a later time.

The database is large enough to provide an index for all Diamond V customers to compare to other leading herds across both time and region.

DV Monitors helps you rule out the “background noise” of normal variation by revealing important seasonal trends as well as the transient effects of other factors affecting the herds enrolled in the program. DV Monitors data let you “self index” your dairy’s fat and protein performance against others.

However, at note of caution: It can be difficult to know for sure what may be causing fluctuations in milk components at individual dairies.

We welcome your questions about DV Monitors. Please email questions to the editor (cgill@diamondv.com) with “DV Monitors” in the subject line so that a Diamond V Dairy Advisor can follow up