Is this the best dairy in the world? That depends on how excellence is defined. If success is measured by scale or throughput, perhaps not. But if it is measured by how long cows remain healthy, comfortable and economically productive, this family-scale herd makes a compelling case.

The days of just making dairy replacement females as fast and furious as possible have taken a back seat to making just enough of the “right” replacement heifers to minimize rising raising costs and maintaining the proper heifer inventories for replacing milking cows that leave the herd.

Voluntary waiting periods (VWP) can vary based on the type of operation, management style, herd size and more. Sometimes, VWP can be based on the individuality of each animal. At Isaac Dairy in Steinbach, Manitoba, this strategy aids in overall profitability, creates more space in the dry cow pen, helps select replacement animals and contributes to a sustainable operation.

By focusing on key factors that can influence your herd lifetime productivity and taking a holistic view of your farms, you can identify opportunities to maximize your herd efficiency and the long-term sustainability of your operation.

Productive life can be like a New Year’s resolution. It sounds like a good idea, but often it doesn’t come true. Increasing the productive life of dairy herds needs to be a priority for the dairy industry.

Jon and Julie Patterson are the sixth generation to own and operate Patterson Farms Inc. Their dairy farm is in the heart of the Finger Lakes in Cayuga County, New York where they milk 1,800 cows and crop over 3,000 acres.

Looking at return over feed numbers is an excellent way to get a quick snapshot of how a dairy farm is performing from a production and cost standpoint, however it doesn’t account for and is not impacted by duration of cows in the herd.

If you were in need of replacements, would you be excited to buy your heifers?