Technology continues to push the envelope when it comes to reproductive efficiency. Automated monitoring systems and sort gates have proven to be productive investments for dairy farms across the country. Progressive Dairy interviewed several dairy producers to learn how they utilize sort gates in their reproductive programs.
McCarty Family Farms, Rexford, Kansas
Owner: Clay McCarty
Herdsman: Luis Calamaco
# of cows: 10,000
Parlor type: Two 120-stall rotaries
Conception rate: 45%
Pregnancy rate: 34%
Reproduction program: Ovsynch
Type of automated sort system: DeLaval
Coldstream Farms, Demming, Washington
Owner: Galen Smith
# of cows: 1,800
Parlor type: 50-stall rotary
Conception rate: 52%
Pregnancy rate: 35%
Reproduction program: Breeding from natural heats
Type of automated sort system: GEA
Foremost Farms, Decorah, Iowa
Owner: Ethan Wise
Herdsman: Ben Guevara
# of cows: 1,100
Parlor type: Double-16 parallel
Conception rate: 54%
Pregnancy rate: 35%
Reproduction program: Double Ovsynch
Type of automated sort system: CowManager
Q: Why did you choose to install sort gates?
MCCARTY: We didn’t want to lock up cows every day. We knew long-term that wasn’t a strategy we wanted to use.
SMITH: We really like having larger pens, and I don’t like to lock cows up. We have headlocks in the fresh and close-up pens, but everywhere else we use a neck rail. Sort gates allow us to treat every single animal like it’s our only one and we can make the best decision for her.
WISE: We wanted to limit disruptions in each pen. Using Double Ovsynch, we give a lot of shots and we wanted to reduce the time cows spent locked up. We had established a relationship with CowManager, being one of the first dairies to use their tags and once the sort gates were through research and development, we were able to be a pilot dairy.
Q: What benefits have you seen since implementing this technology?
MCCARTY: We used to have a timed A.I. day for both cows and heifers. Now we split that up and breed heifers one day and cows another. This limits the number of cows going through the sorts and limits the stress on our guys breeding. One thing that’s made the sort gates work extremely well was installing the ParlorBoss system – this allows us to give hormone shots directly on the rotary.
SMITH: We have two palpation rails – one for repro and one for herd management. So if we’re hoof trimming today or vaccinating today, we can separate those cows out and don’t have 330 cows locked up for an hour. Same thing with breeding, they spend 15 minutes at the rail and then they’re back in their pen. We’ve seen benefits with feet and leg health using sort gates.
WISE: Lockup times decreased significantly. We saw savings in labor and time. We’re able to let a cow be a cow. We’re also in six-row barns and don’t have a 1-to-1 headlock-to-cow ratio, which is a real challenge in a Double Ovsynch program. The sort gates helped us solve that problem.
GUEVARA: We also saw more accurate routines with the shots. There were fewer opportunities for mistakes and we saw our reproduction numbers improve.
Q: What advice do you have for producers interested in investing in sort gates?
MCCARTY: Understanding limitations of the system. If you’re not careful and are running a very intense repro or vaccination program, you’ll be limited quickly by the number of animals you can sort efficiently. It was a total mindset change for us – we went from all headlocks, touching every cow every day, to relying on the filters of our behavioral system to catch the cows we need. Be patient and understand how to make the technology work for you.
CALAMACO: Stay committed. It won’t work perfectly on day one. Be patient and persistent.
SMITH: Use the technology that’s available to you and use it with confidence. Sort gates and collars are investments that have paid for themselves easily. We’ve seen increased milk, decreased health events and we are getting cows pregnant, which was our main priority with this investment.
WISE: Make sure you have a good relationship with your local dealer. Like I said, we had already established one and they are instrumental in making sure everything runs smoothly. If your gates aren’t working, it will throw your whole day off. Having the support to get them running again as soon as possible is the biggest advice I would give anybody.
