Customized lactation length

Extending the lactation reduced the frequency of critical calving moments. This may improve cow health, and reduce labor around calving and rearing calves. An extended lactation could lead to a reduced milk production, both per day of calving interval and at the end of the lactation. A lower milk production end lactation could be beneficial for udder health at dry-off, but could be related with fattening of cows during that time. This project evaluated consequences of an extended lactation for milk production, reproductive performance, health, metabolism, and economic performance of individual cows.