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This article was #8 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on www.progressivedairy.com in 2014. It was published in the April 30, 2014 Extra e-newsletter.
Accelerated Genetics’ Glaucio Lopes offered his top tips for improving reproductive success, starting with monitoring transition cows. He notes that a severe negative energy balance in post-fresh cows can negatively affect fertility, thus resulting in lower pregnancy rates.
Cattlemen are leaning on their counterparts in the dairy industry to beef up the supply of quality red meat.
“The beef industry has its eyes on nine million dairy cows,” Jerry Wulf told dairymen at the 2014 World Ag Expo. “Hopefully, you can help us produce high-quality feeder cattle from that cow supply.”
Two more dairymen joined Wulf in the discussion of breeding dairy cows to beef during the World Ag Expo panel. Find out why they are doing it, how they are implementing a breeding plan and what they do with their calves.
This article was #1 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on www.progressivedairy.com in 2014. It was published in the April 1, 2014 print issue.
A growing world population and fewer resources are driving the efficiency of agriculture production, and in the dairy industry, genomics is an example of one technology positioned to take the dairy cow we know today to a whole new level.
Genetics matter. And they are one of the cheapest investments you can make to improve the profitability and efficiency of your herd. While the numbers on a proof sheet may sometimes seem unrealistic or unclear, once you break it down to see how they translate on a herd-level basis, it becomes very real.
Using herd management software programs, we can create a genetic assessment of any given herd to see if their animals truly live up to their genetic potential.
The dairy world, both the production industry and the commodity market sides, is at a pivotal moment. No longer is fluid milk the leading driver of milk prices; now, the solids within milk have the power.
Sure, a producer can make a little more money by shipping more hundredweights, but at the cost of the efficiency of the dairy. The good news for the dairy producer is that boosting the premium dollars on their milk check can be as simple as choosing the right bulls.
The easy answer to this question is yes, but the deeper question is: How much improvement are you making, and could you be making more?
For the vast majority of producers, improving the genetics of offspring starts with the selection of A.I. service sires. On the sire side, decisions have to be made about which traits to select for, what minimum or maximum values you wish to consider and how much you wish to spend on a unit of semen.
How could adding activity monitors, changing synchronization protocols, or improving heat detection affect your dairy’s bottom line? Find out with the UWCU-Repro$ tool.
Dehorning cattle has become a standard practice in modern dairy operations to prevent injury to humans and animals alike. Dehorning is one of the sometimes unpleasant tasks that must be performed on the average dairy farm.
But what if you could eliminate this task simply by choosing the “right” bull? Selecting genetically hornless or “polled” sires will allow you to incorporate the polled trait into your herd and permanently eliminate dehorning from your to-do list.
Genetics has historically played a minor role in day-to-day herd management when compared to nutrition, udder health and reproduction. Genetic progress for most dairies consisted of selecting A.I. sires that might improve the herd’s main deficiencies, like production, feet and legs or udder composite.
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