Reproductive success is vital to the profitability and sustainability of any dairy farm. Good management practices are an important component of running an effective reproduction program, and these five videos can help improve management and decision-making. From economic tools to troubleshooting, learn more with DAIReXNET.
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Dairy Reproduction: Identifying Problems and Solutions for Your Herd
Many dairies experience difficulty in their reproduction programs, and a wide range of factors can affect reproductive success in a herd. In this session, Ray Nebel took a look at some of the factors that affect reproduction on dairies, including labor, nutrition, environment, and the cow herself. He also discussed how you can find and fix problems that could be affecting the success of your reproduction program.
The Role of Nutrition in Dairy Reproduction
In this presentation, Dr. Milo Wiltbank discussed some studies on the effects nutrition can have on reproduction for high-efficiency dairy cattle. He talked about some important time periods to focus on, the effect of vitamin E on reproductive performance, dry period nutrition and post-partum body condition, and more.
Strategies to Improve Reproduction During Summer Heat Stress
Reproductive failure is the number one reason dairy cows involuntarily leave the dairy farm and summer heat stress amplifies this costly issue. However, managerial, hormonal and novel reproductive technologies are available which will reduce the severity of summer heat stress on reproduction. The various strategies were presented in detail to educate both producers and consultants to be able to implement reproductive program changes to mitigate summer’s negative effects.
Economic Analysis Tools for Dairy Reproduction Programs
Drs. Cabrera and Fricke of the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed some new economic analysis tools for dairy reproduction programs. During this session, Dr. Cabrera discussed three main decision support systems, including the UW-DairyRepro$Plus and the Dairy Reproductive Economic Analysis. These tools are openly available at http://dairymgt.info/tools.php under the Reproduction heading.
New Tools for Dairy Reproduction Programs
Dr. Fricke covered two areas of reproductive research that have investigated new tools for reproduction and conclude each with an economic analysis of the data. The first new tool will be the use of accelerometer systems combined with various levels of synchronization for submitting cows for first AI service. The second tool will be new methods for non-pregnancy diagnosis coupled with strategies for resynchronization of ovulation.