Looking ahead to make this year’s calving even better

By Steve Forsman, Business Development Manager

As calving begins, it seems early to be considering mating strategies and how to make sure those brand new calves make you money in the future.  But whole-herd fertility starts from birth and even before that, you can be looking at this year’s calving pattern with an eye to improving things for next year and beyond.

Cows that calve close to the beginning of your desired calving pattern, each and every year, are cows that are making you more money.  Not only are they putting milk in the vat for longer, but their calves – your replacement herd members – have longer to grow and are more likely to reach weight targets, thrive and themselves get in calf early for their first lactation.  Dairy NZ suggests that at least 75% of the herd should have calved within six weeks, with top farmers achieving 87% at six weeks.  In addition to benefits for the vat and the calf, cows who calve early are also more likely to get in calf and calve early again as they have the time to recover normal reproductive function before mating begins.  In addition, the need for inductions and other interventions is decreased which means more money for you as well as being a better option for the cow.

What can you do to tighten up your calving pattern so that you reap the rewards next spring?  Start by using the tools already available to you.  Your artificial breeding company can tell you how to run a Fertility Focus Report, which takes the information you already have and benchmarks it against recommendations from Dairy NZ.  Even small improvements in areas such as calving pattern can yield big rewards and this report will give you an idea of where you are now and help you set goals for where you want to be.  CRV AmBreed can also offer a range of strategies to make improvements here, including short gestation sires and Fertabull, a unique product that is designed to get those hard-to-get-in-calf cows back into your desired  calving pattern.  Talk to your vet about strategies they can offer that will give late cows the time they need to be ready close to the planned start of mating rather than at the end of it.

As each calf hits the ground, take a second to consider what you have.  Most of us look forward to replacement heifer calves out of the herd’s best cows.  But if you’ve got a bull calf instead, take another look.  Check out www.crv4all.co.nz to see if that bull calf could be a future sire before you bobby what could well be your best.

Best of luck for calving – and for making next year’s calving even better.