Knowing your numbers will help identify areas for improvement. Keep animal records up to date and entered into herd management systems.
Review your fertility focus report annually.
TAKING ACTION
What you can do
Colostrum management is key
Healthy calves turn into productive cows; and healthy, productive cows produce more milk relative to emissions. Capitalise on early growth efficiency.
Weigh your heifers every eight weeks
Heavier, healthier heifers produce more milk in their first lactation and future seasons. Help heifers to meet liveweight targets by age stage, and ensure they have enough feed, protein, and trace elements to support good growth.
Consistent feed quality
Ensure pasture quality is consistent to ensure consistent heifer growth rates. Avoid any sudden changes in diet and choose the right supplements and crops to support optimal growth.
Animal health plans
Youngstock are more susceptible to disease, and this can impact growth rates. Put prevention plans in place to protect against parasites, and diseases like coccidiosis and facial eczema.
What you can do
Put a heifer development plan in place, if you don’t have one already. This is to help your heifers meet the right growth rates over the first two years of their lives.
Establish protocols early, and communicate these
Use whichever heat detection aids work best for your farm – tail paint, technology, recording. Make sure your team is refreshed on how you're using these with clear, consistent communication throughout mating.
What you can do
Review your current heat detection strategy – DairyNZ have collected a list of options, with best practice advice.
Identify issues early
Get bloods taken to assess herd health and identify any nutritional or mineral issues. Bloods taken in the pre-mating period and calving period can help to spot these issues.
Know your cycles
Record when your cows are cycling – cross-check this information with the cows that come in the first cycle of mating. Then you can focus on the cows that haven't started, or might have stopped cycling, as soon as possible.
Aim to have all cows back in-calf within 12 months of calving. Your cows will have more opportunity to cycle well before the planned start of mating and are more likely to get in calf.
What you can do
Work with key advisors, like your vet, to ensure cows are cycling early with the best chance of getting in-calf and to review any opportunities to improve mating.
Breeding worth
Use breeding worth to select the best cows and bulls to be the parents of the next generation and consider genetic traits like calving ease and fertility.
What you can do
Read more about the traits of highly efficient cows, and how to identify them in your herd.
TOOLS AND INFORMATION
From other farmers and industry experts
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- Farmers
- On farm experts
- Industry tools
BENEFITS
What's the opportunity for your farm?
Productivity
Increasing your 6-week in-calf rate gives you more choices around breeding strategy to ensure you’re increasing animal efficiency and you've got the best producers in your herd.
Profitability
More days in milk, reduced forced culling and a reduction in the number of replacements needing to be reared all strengthen your bottom line.
Sustainability
Higher producing cows equals fewer emissions per kilogram of milk solids. And a reduced replacement rate is good for lowering absolute emissions.
Get in touch
Have a question? We’re here to help
Talk with your vet or herd improvement company to make a plan for your farm on the best approach to reproduction.
Or call our Farmer Support Team on 0800 65 65 68 for more options.