How are you tracking compared to your mating goals?
Calving has only just finished, but mating is here.
Reproductive performance has an enormous impact on every aspect of farm management; it can unlock profitability and performance, but can also constrain you from farming the way you want. Gains tend to compound year on year, as cows that calve early have more time to cycle before the next mating period.
Cows with more cycles pre-mating are more likely to conceive, which is why farmers are encouraged to track pre-mating cycling and intervene early for at-risk, later calving, or non-cycling cows. As you get closer to mating, here are some things to keep an eye on:
Body Condition Score (BCS)
Continue to fully feed cows. Consider preferentially feeding first and second calvers to give them the best support as they transition while continuing to grow. If animals are not at target mating BCS 4 (4.5 for heifers) increase the quality and quantity of feed, or reduce energy demand through once-a-day milking.
Accurate Heat detection
If using tail paint, apply it early and keep it topped up, or check that cow wearables are accurately identifying cycling cows well in advance.
Pre-mating heats >85%
If fewer than 85% of your cows were cycling before the planned start of mating, look to understand why. Is it one age group? Have they been calved for at least six weeks? This can help with a plan later in the season when you have your reproduction review with your vet or breeding company.
What can you do about too few cows cycling?
Check that all cows that are cycling are being identified (accurate heat detection). Talk to your vet about a non-cycler programme. The best bang for your buck is treating before the planned start of mating, or as soon as possible after mating has started.
Have a 3-week submission rate of greater or equal to 90%
If you are not hitting 90% of cows put up for mating after three weeks, check heat detection and recording. If not, it may pay to talk to your on-farm advisory team about what could be going on.
Make a plan
Book your early pregnancy test in (<120 days) to calculate your 6-week in-calf rate, and pick dry off dates that set up body condition for next season. Your 6-week in-calf rate feeds into your Farm Insights Report to benchmark your herd’s reproductive performance against other farms in your area.
After the pregnancy test, it's a great time to review your herd’s reproductive performance with your vet, to make a plan to set the herd up for next season. You might identify opportunities, like an age group that needs extra help or a change to body condition score targets, dry off dates, transition feeding or trace mineral supplementation.
Talk to your vet, breeding company or the local on-farm advisory team to see how you can improve reproductive performance to set you up for next season.