On Track for Mating? A Look at the Season So Far

The stars seemed to have finally aligned for the humble Waikato dairy farmer: the payout is good, the grass is growing, the cows are cycling, and cow value is at an all-time high. Read on for information on how this may have improved your mating performance so far, and four important tips to maximise your in-calf rate:

Submission rates seem to be humming along, with many farms ahead of the previous season. We are mainly putting this down to higher, more consistent body condition over calving, and the nice warm sunny weather we have been having this spring. This should hopefully engender good 6-week in-calf rates and lower empty rates, as cows will have more opportunities to conceive over mating.

With pregnant cows holding their value at over $3000, every pregnant animal counts. Empty cows are currently worth about $1500, so every cow you successfully get in-calf represents a $1500+ gain.

Tips on how to ensure you get as many pregnant as possible:

1.      Nutrition- know the quality of the feed you are offering.

The biggest enemy to a cow conceiving is low and declining body condition. Providing a stable plane of nutrition and fully feeding your animals is the best way to ensure success, especially as we peak in lactation.

2.      Be careful if you are opening up the grass.

With all this grass growth, it is tempting to open up paddocks and drop out supplement. However, while the total dry matter might be the same on paper, the quality of what you are offering may be significantly different and cause a decline in both production and conception rate.

1.      Do a phantom scan.

Phantom cows are those which cycle and are mated, but then ‘go silent’. They show no further oestrus activity, but they aren’t pregnant; they have simply stopped cycling. A phantom scan about 6 weeks into mating will help identify and treat these non-cyclers prior to the end of mating.

2.      Address your non-cyclers.

Non-cycling cows cannot get pregnant (as they are never submitted), so if you know who they are, address them. The return on your investment is around $1500 if you are successful. As always, the earlier the better so they have more than one opportunity to get pregnant.

Please feel free to contact the team at FVM if you need any assistance with making the most of mating!