Production performance indicators used at Nili Ravi buffalo farm of ICAR-CIRB, Sub Campus, Bir Dosanjh, Nabha (Punjab) since its inception

India is the world’s largest milk producer, with milk generated by millions of smallholder farmers. Buffalo contribute substantially to global and national milk production, with Nili-Ravi among the principal dairy breeds in the Indian sub-continent. Early-life underfeeding and imbalanced nutrition can delay puberty and increase age at first calving, which affects lifetime productivity. Understanding and tracking production performance indicators is essential for improving herd productivity, as milk yield and lactation length are influenced by genetic and non-genetic factors (management, feed quality, season). Prior work has shown relationships between service period and milk yield and that factors such as year, season, parity, and days open affect milk yields in buffalo. Objective: to record and present production performance indicators (total and standard lactation milk yield, wet and herd averages, age at first calving, service period, calving interval, dry period, conception rate, and total milk production) for the Nili-Ravi buffalo farm of ICAR-CIRB, Sub Campus, Nabha (Punjab) since its inception.

Cited literature highlights: (1) Global and regional roles of buffalo milk (FAO, 2004) and major dairy buffalo breeds (Chantalakhana and Falvey, 1999). (2) Comparative ages at calving across breeds (Moore et al., 1990; Bashir, 2006; Rehman, 2006) and nutrition’s role in improving growth of buffalo calves (Ahmad and Jabbar, 2000). (3) Effects of non-genetic factors on milk yield and lactation length, including service period groupings (Afzal et al., 2007). (4) Determinants of buffalo milk yield such as year, season, parity, days open, and sire (Cady et al., 1983). (5) Rationale for standardizing lactation to 305-day yields for comparison (Patton et al., 2006; Windig et al., 2006). (6) Management targets for reproductive performance including calving interval recommendations (Thomas, 2008; Baithalu et al., 2014). (7) Evidence on impacts of dry period length on milk yield and fertility in dairy cattle as context for dry period management (Andersen et al., 2005; Annen et al., 2004; Santschi et al., 2011a,b,c; Van Knegsel et al., 2013, 2014; Pezeshki et al., 2007; Gumen et al., 2005; Watters et al., 2009; Chen et al., 2015).

Setting: ICAR-CIRB Sub-campus, Nabha (Punjab), established December 1, 1987 as India’s only organized Nili-Ravi buffalo farm to conserve and improve the breed. Herd management included group feeding, continuous access to fresh water, regular cleaning of troughs, veterinary care on site, and cultivation/preservation of fodder (green fodder production year-round; silage during lean periods). Herd size reported as about 500 Nili-Ravi buffaloes. Data: Annual farm-level production performance indicators were compiled from 1988–89 through 2017–18. Indicators recorded: total lactation milk yield (TLMY), standard lactation milk yield (SLMY; 305 d), wet average (weekly test-day milk per lactating animal), herd average (weekly test-day milk per breedable buffalo, lactating + dry), age at first calving (AFC), service period (SP; calving to conception), calving interval (CI; between calvings), dry period (DP), conception rate (CR; % pregnant per inseminations), and total milk production. Data are presented descriptively in Table 1 with annual values and overall averages. No inferential statistical analyses were described; trends and extrema were interpreted relative to management targets and literature benchmarks.

• Total Lactation Milk Yield (TLMY): Highest 2564 kg (2015–16), lowest 1724 kg (1988–89); overall average ≈2058 kg. General increasing trend over time despite year-to-year variability.
• Standard Lactation Milk Yield (SLMY, 305 d): Highest 2471 kg (2015–16), lowest 1465 kg (1988–89); overall average 1947 kg. Increased ~1.7× since inception.
• Wet Average (WA): Lowest 4.55 kg (1988–89), highest 8.52 kg (2017–18); average 6.70 kg. Approximately doubled since inception.
• Herd Average (HA): Lowest 2.81 kg (1989–90), highest 6.22 kg (2015–16); nearly doubled since inception.
• Age at First Calving (AFC): Highest 1529 d (1995–96), lowest 1197 d (1999–00); average 1283 d (about 10 d higher than 1988–89 baseline of 1273 d). Improvements inconsistent and not significant.
• Service Period (SP): Highest 312 d (1991–92), lowest 112 d (2014–15); average 178 d. Marked reduction over time, but still above the optimum 60–90 d.
• Calving Interval (CI): Longest 622 d (1991–92), shortest 420 d (2014–15); average 484 d. Decreased over time but remains above recommended targets; 444 d in 2017–18.
• Dry Period (DP): Highest 243 d (1991–92), lowest 131 d (2000–01); average 165 d.
• Conception Rate (CR): Lowest 18.30% (1990–91), highest 67.31% (1991–92); overall average 39.66%; 39.75% in 2017–18. Considered poor relative to AI herd targets (50–60%).
• Total Milk Production (farm annual): Lowest 165,699 kg (1989–90), highest 345,780 kg (2015–16); average 240,381 kg. Nearly doubled since establishment. Overall, production performance (milk yields, averages, SP, CI, DP, total milk) improved substantially from 1988–89 to 2017–18; CR remained comparatively low.

The study’s objective was to document long-term trends in key production and reproduction indicators at the Nili-Ravi farm. Results show substantial improvements in milk yield metrics (TLMY, SLMY) and productivity proxies (wet and herd averages), reflecting enhancements in herd management, feeding, and general farm practices over three decades. Reproductive metrics improved but remain suboptimal: service period and calving interval declined markedly, yet current values (SP ~135 d in 2017–18; CI ~444 d) exceed recommended targets (SP 60–90 d; CI <410–405 d), indicating room for reproductive management optimization. The dry period averaged 165 d, with evidence and literature suggesting careful DP management can balance yield and fertility. Conception rate averaged ~40%, below AI herd benchmarks (50–60%), likely reflecting semen handling and insemination technique constraints noted by the authors. Collectively, the improved production indicators align with the study’s aim, while reproductive efficiency remains the key bottleneck affecting lifetime productivity and farm profitability.

There was considerable improvement in production performance indicators—total and standard lactation milk yield, wet average, herd average, service period, calving interval, dry period, and total milk production—during 1988–89 to 2017–18 at the ICAR-CIRB Sub-campus, Nabha Nili-Ravi farm. Wet average, herd average, and total milk production have almost doubled since establishment. Conception rate remained comparatively poor throughout. Continued focus on reproductive management (reducing service period and calving interval, improving AI practices) is warranted to reach recommended targets and further enhance productivity.