Management information system impact on dairy production for selected herds in Texas

Yearly production and performance data were obtained for dairy herd improvement members in Texas to determine whether on-farm use of a management information system (MIS) quantitatively impacted performance. Data from 66 dairy operations for the years 1983¯1996 were evaluated. Herds enrolled in an MIS program increased rolling herd average milk production by 281 kg and received a return on investment of 212%. Most of the increase in production occurred during the initial year of MIS usage. Throughout the study, larger herds and those that increased in size tended to adopt a management information system.