Correct time of insemination is important to ensure conception but also to make sure the embryo has the best conditions to survive long term. An old oocyte has higher probabilities of early embryonic death, and if we breed too early, the sperm may die before the oocyte is ready to be fertilized.

It has been 20 years since the Ovsynch program was released to the industry. Since then, a lot has been learned about improving fertility, and 21-day pregnancy rates have increased from 14 percent to more than 30 percent.

Last November marked the 20th anniversary of the first publication on Ovsynch by J.R. Pursley, M.O. Mee and M.C. Wiltbank. It has been cited in 1,161 journal articles since. That article, in Theriogenology, introduced the idea that ovulation could be synchronized in an eight-hour period to potentially allow for acceptable fertility following fixed-time A.I. in dairy cows.

During the summer of 2015, the price of milk protein dropped below the price of butterfat for the first time in quite a while (Figure 1). In fact, the price of milk protein has lost more than half its value from where it was in early 2014, when U.S. protein exports were at an all-time high.

Researchers have developed many management protocols and technologies that can be used to increase efficiencies of production on the dairy. One of these tools is advanced reproductive technologies.

Health remains one of the primary reasons for animals leaving the herd. Why do some cows get sick more often than others when they’re living in the same environment, eating the same ration and being exposed to the same pathogens?

The negative effects of heat stress take a big chunk out of dairy farm coffers each season. The amount may be more or less, depending on the year, but estimates often put U.S. dairy industry losses to heat stress around $900 million annually.

Today, dairy farmers have access to a plethora of data about their cattle. Important information can be gleaned from data management systems, DHI records, pedigree information and genomic evaluations.

Dairy farm management reaches across several areas on the farm, leaving dairy producers to manage not only cows, crops and markets but also quite possibly the greatest asset on the farm: people.

“Man, you got it made! Farmers talk about how tough their work is, but I see you riding around in that big tractor with the air conditioner going full-blast.” Ever hear that from a non-farming friend? I sure have. I counter by asking them if they have ever sat in a parked car with the windows up in the full sun – and follow by asking them to consider the realities of a tractor cab.