As a producer, a veterinarian is someone you can call to help with emergency situations and yearly herd health decisions like vaccinations and parasite control. But with years of school and training, he or she can do much more, especially in the field of reproduction. From heifer development to pregnancy diagnosis, a veterinarian can provide reproductive services to your operation that will likely yield you a higher profit margin.

Timely calving – to have first-calf heifers enter the milking string at 22 to 24 months old – is not a stand-alone decision.

Replacement heifer feeding programs must be designed to allow heifers to be bred efficiently, calve out by 24 months old and produce to their maximum potential.