Over the coming weeks, farmers will be using milk recording data to decide which cows to need to be dried off first.

Drying off the herd is a relatively basic task, but when using selective dry cow therapy, some research is needed to prevent any issues.

Farmers who have scanned their cows should have approximate calving dates in mind, giving them an extra advantage for planning their treatment strategy.

Farmers also need to be carrying out body condition scoring (BSC), and ideally weighing cows and heifers to have an idea of which cows need extra time off to fully recover before calving down.

At this time of the year, farmers also need to be thinking about buying sealants and antibiotics if they have not yet done so.

The product bought will depend on the treatment you plan on using.

For cows that do need the full 12 weeks dry, farmers should be planning on how they are going to reduce their milk production in the two weeks leading up to the treatment.

Drying off

There are 14 weeks between now and February 1, a date where most farms start calving down.

This means there is only a fortnight until first lactation, so underconditioned cows should be getting dried off to give them the full 10-12 weeks' rest.

Ideally a cow's production needs to be below 9L/day when drying off.

However, given the relatively good conditions up until this week, a lot of cows will still be producing over 12L/day.

Therefore, 10 days before your planned dry-off date, you should be reducing concentrates fed to a maximum of 2kg/cow/day.

In the last few days leading up to drying off, completely cease concentration feed and move them to a paddock with limited grass availability.

Ideally, these cows should be separated from the rest of the herd you plan to milk on for another few weeks.

Cows that have an ideal BCS of 3.0-3.25 should ideally be given eight weeks dry to sufficiently prepare them for the next lactation.

Cows that have had issues with lameness or high SCC throughout the year should also be given additional time dry, to help replenish muscle in the case of lameness or build udder tissue in the case of high SCC.

When drying off, remember to follow all basic hygiene practices, and ensure cows are left in a clean yard for the first three to four hours post-drying to discourage them lying down, followed by a fresh paddock or extremely clean cubicles.

Only feed a 'maintenance diet' for the first three to four days post drying off.