These days, repro programs on progressive dairies are well-oiled machines. When it comes to annual pregnancy rates, we now tend to see more dairies around 30% than we see at 20%. And a 40+% annual average is no longer an unattainable dream of the future.

There are so many factors that affect how efficiently you can get cows pregnant. Cow comfort. Cow cooling. Nutrition. Herd health. Genetics. Dry cow, transition and fresh cow management. And the list goes on.

Meet cow 8968. She lives on a 1,500-cow dairy farm in Wisconsin, where she’s milked three times per day through a double-20 parallel parlor. She’s fed a well-balanced ration and spends her time resting in sand-bedded freestalls.

Have you chosen to put your breeding strategy in high gear? If so, that means beef semen may be a part of your genetic planning process.

Think about the healthiest cows in your herd. What defines them as your healthiest? Is it their older age? Is it the fact they’ve never had mastitis?

Since its 2015 U.S. debut, A2 milk has been a hot topic among dairy producers. Now the latest A2 buzz comes from consumers, following the launch of the a2 Milk Company’s national television advertising campaign.

Growing up on the small, 40-cow registered Holstein farm that my parents still operate in rural southwestern Wisconsin, I never imagined where future travels might take me.

We’ve all heard the statement, “Genetics don’t matter without first creating a pregnancy.” This insightful truth has shifted our global breeding strategy to a stronger focus on fertility.