The dairy herd recording has an 89-year tradition in Hungary.
In harmony with the supervisor and control organisations of the Hungarian cattle breeders and as enacted by the Breeding Law, the country-wide Company Network with 17 Regional Centres of Livestock Performance Testing Ltd is linked to 920 dairy herds with 270 thousand cows and their offspring (70 % of the dairy cattle population). Herd records, initial data and regular and instant information on cows’ status and yields are obtained through monthly contact for herds as a company’s own service.
The provision of regular monthly information via the National Data Base according to the regulation in the Codex of Cattle Performance Tests is another service.
The regular services for assisting selection are described in by-lateral information service contracts between the Company and the owners of recorded herds.
There is an extra contract with conditions of a surplus information service assisting quality milk production by regular Somatic Cell Count tests. This service has been already required by 95 % of registered herds and this rate is still increasing.
More and more herds intend to use our recently introduced „Udder care" service with extended use of SCC test results and advisory program. The development of an extension project for urea test and feed monitoring program was also introduced in 250 herds.
New information services have been recently introduced, like: An information service for assisting reproduction biology and AI activity in recorded herds and two versions of „Economic Breeding" System: one is for herds without on-farm PC-s and a more capable version developed for herds having their own PC.
Information services for cow selection, quality milk production and herd management:
 

I. Services via the own Company network of Livestock Performance Testing Ltd.:

1. Data collection and tests of data

The schedule of recording data of herds with planned
- error correction and
- data transfer to the central computer of the Data Base
provides predictably fast output return to the herds.

2. Herd Recording Information Service

2.1. Right after the test day ends:

• Barn-book can be completed with the cows’ survey, their status and milk yields, if there is a printer or an on-herd computer available;
• Instant transfer of milk yield data from data-captor to the on-herd computer.

• Barn-book completed with data of milk components;
• Individual cow survey completed with somatic cell count data and tables

This service is available on floppy disc for contracted partners-as special request in the usual service;

• Individual cows’ sample test for urea
• A unique service for those partners which have compatible modem contact to get completed information service back as fast as 2-4 days after test day.

The „SAMPLE TEST EQUIPMENT > CENTRAL PC > FAX-MODEM > PC of REGIONAL CENTRES" System of Livestock Performance Testing Ltd was installed two years ago. Since then this System made the own information service more effective and faster.

3. Herd Management and Extension Information Service

• Monthly reports based on S.C.C. tests
• Feeding monitor information monthly reports based on urea tests
• Reproduction biology reports
• Information service and extended service for dairy herds udder care program
• „Breeding Economy" projects

II. Services via the Central Data Base

1. Monthly services:

• Monthly herd report;
• List of cows with completed lactations;
• Cow’s individual chart with ancestors, yields and offspring.

2. Periodical services:

• Yearly herd surveys of the cows with completed standard lactation;
• Yearly surveys off all the cows with various statuses.

See Chart 1: Dairy recording in the structure of the Hungarian Cattle Breeding Organization

Table 1: Distribution of cow population according to type and milk recording methods (December 1998)
 

Table 2: Yearly averages (First half year of 1998)
 

Table 3: Main breeds
 

Table 4: Survey of herds and cows according to the method of performance test December 1998
 

See Chart 2: Service activities of AT KFT (Livestock performance testing Ltd.) in the data – and information
flow provided for the recorded dairy herds
Provided H/R equipments Data capture & data flow Information & Extension Services

See Chart 3: Udder care services

Table 5: Sample: Standard S.C.C. Lists

Country/Herd/Dairy unit: 12/490/21 Completed: 07.12.1998.
Date of test milking: 03.12. 1998. Page: 1.

First Std. List.: S.C.C. from 0 to 100 000
 

Second Std. List.:     S.C.C. from 100 001 to 400 000
 

Third Std. List.: S.C.C. from 400 001 to 500 000
 

Fourth Std. List.: S.C.C. from 500 001 to 700 000
 

Fifth Std. List.: S.C.C. from 700 001 to 1 000 000
 

Sixth Std. List.: S.C.C. from 1 000 001 to 3 000 000
 

Seventh Std. List.: S.C.C. from 3 000 001
 

I. Summary of Standard List
 

Table 6: Further information services based on somatic cell count

Distribution of all cows tested for S.C.C.
detailed S.C.C. scale
December 1998
 

(*) Cows-in-milk

Table 7: Distribution of all cows tested for S.C.C. cumulated S.C.C. scale
 
 

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