Avoid these Lessons learned from

I’ve had the privilege of working with many dairies during the past 40 years. Throughout this time, a few key lessons routinely emerged, and still exist as opportunities on many dairies, today. As you read, keep your future in focus. Consider what you want your future dairy herd to look like, and be accepting of the change necessary to get there.

Raising more heifers than you need almost never pays.

If you speculate and raise more heifers than you need in hopes the market will be good when it’s time to sell, it’s a risk. On the other hand, you will never lose money by raising the optimum number of heifers.

A well-designed replacement plan includes utilizing the best combination of dairy and beef genetics with conventional semen, sexed semen, and sometimes embryos to maximize genetic progress. Work with your CentralStar team to determine appropriate inventory needs. Then devise a plan for breeding the best cows in your herd to elite genetics and the bottom-end to the “right” beef sires that will yield more revenue on the beef market.

There is still an opportunity to improve heifer-breeding efficiency.

Getting heifers moved into the breeding pen in a timely manner, along with good heat detection, is necessary to accomplish maximum-breeding efficiency. The best herds reach 70% or greater heat-detection rates for both cows and heifers.

If you are struggling in this area, consider why? Often, lack of labor is the key reason. When that’s the case, consider using a professional A.I. Specialist or CowManager®, an electronic heat-detection and health-monitoring system. Both will save you time and labor and put focus to this key area.

How many heifers do you lose before they reach the milking herd?

Major opportunities exist to lower heifer non-completion rate.

Many farms don’t have a handle on heifer-raising costs, including the expense of partially raising a heifer and having her die (or sold) before she makes the milking herd. Animal husbandry and reproductive efficiency are key to keeping this low.

Genetic tools can help you select for improved calf livability and wellness, as well as animal-health products. Creating a pregnancy is only half the battle; raising healthy calves is the other half.

How do you manage milk quality?

High somatic cell counts (SCC) drain profits in more ways than just removing premiums.

High SCC lowers milk production, causes increased culling, results in poorer reproductive performance, and the type of bacteria involved changes the severity of those things. While cleanliness, strict adherence to protocols, and properly-working equipment are the basis for producing quality milk, there is more that can be done.

Selecting sires that excel in multiple indicators of mastitis resistance, like Mastitis ResistantPRO®, will assist in creating a healthier herd. Even still, having data from monthly DHI testing is critical to identify individual cows with high SCC scores, monitor trends, and pinpoint infected cows. Beyond monitoring, identify the cause of infection with the Complete-16 Mastitis PCR test, to guide more informed and effective treatment decisions.