Cutting cow costs

Apr 8 2008 by Owain Thomas, Western Mail

DAIRY producers could save more than £100 a cow by improving the fertility of their herd through simple monitoring techniques.

Better heat detection, body condition scoring and overall herd health play a massive part in improving herd fertility.

The longer it takes to get a cow back in calf, the lower her overall lactation will be.

Longer lactations or dry periods result in lower peak milk yields throughout the life of the cow, reducing overall yields for similar feed and management costs.

Producers should compare the amount of milk sold per cow per year against lactation yields. The higher the difference the more infertility is likely to be costing you.

In many cases poor fertility costs producers more than £100 a cow – but that can be slashed in half purely through better heat detection rates.

Improving your heat detection rate by just 10 percentage points can provide a financial boost of £50 a head – a huge saving for an inexpensive task.

The best way to improve heat detection is to spend more time observing cows, ensure staff know what signs to look for and keep a clear record of bulling activity.

It is important to have good freeze branding to aid cow identification, for all staff to carry a pen and paper to note bulling activity, and to keep records staff can understand.

Involving all farm staff in heat detection can bring about a marked increase in identification of bulling cows.

A tractor driver feeding the cows for several hours in the morning is in an ideal position to note bulling activity, but may not have been trained to identify the signs of early heat.

DairyCo’s fertility manual, pd+, and a short DVD, Managing heat detection, are available free to levy payers to help staff instantly recognise the signs of heat, as well providing a target list for them to refer back to.

A 10% improvement in heat detection rate will give you more cows to serve, more chances to get them back in calf, and may significantly reduce losses from your herd.

The pd+ also provides information and practical tips on herd nutrition and health, to help farmers build a herd that is easier to get in calf at the first service.

Working with your vet and nutritionist together is recommended, as is having routine meetings with farm staff to produce a thorough plan to ensure all aspects of fertility are covered.

Using impartial reference material like pd+, which vets rate highly, will help to prioritise a way forward.

Owain Thomas is the extension officer for South Wales for DairyCo (the organisa-tion that replaced the Milk Development Council). He can be contacted on 01267 267052; 07875306905 or by email at owain.thomas@dairyco.org.uk.