The Value of Herd Health Written by Rob Swackhammer, D.V.M. Veterinarian, Upper Grand Veterinarian Services
Veterinarians spend a lot of time visiting dairy farms for herd health. I look at my time on a client’s farm as an investment for both of us. The goal is that every dollar spent on veterinary care should have at least a 3 to 1 return for the farm. This is much easier to accomplish with preventative care rather than sick cows. It could be argued that it is even easier with Jersey cows since many believe them to be more efficient at milk production than other breeds.
Like a lot of things when it is done correctly, and the information is used properly I believe a regular herd health schedule is very valuable. In fact, this summer we hired a veterinary student to extract and analyze the data from our herds’ Lactanet (formerly DHI) Annual Reports. Our goal was to compare the herds with regular weekly or biweekly herd health visits with those that only had occasional herd health visits such as monthly or less. We found that on average herds that were visited weekly or biweekly had better reproductive, udder health and profitability parameters than inconsistent herds. Example: Pregnancy rate was up 3.5% on the regular herd health herds over the inconsistent ones, SCC was lower by 69,000 SCC and Milk Value was better by $243/cow. The increase in Milk Value alone exceeds any potential increase in expense for more visits on a biweekly schedule.
Maker Farms 22 OCTOBER / OCTOBRE 2020 Canadian Jersey Breeder / Eleveur De Jersey Canadien
