When we look at reproduction on today’s dairy farms, we find more and more of them performing at a higher level than ever before. I can remember when we first started using pregnancy rate (PR) as the main measure for overall reproductive performance on dairy farms.

When it comes to key performance indicators in heifer reproduction, I continue to be amazed at how many producers around the country do not measure their heifer reproductive programs appropriately. Historically, heifer reproduction has been overlooked because producers look at only a few reproductive measures and assume their heifer reproduction is performing well.