A.I. & BREEDING

Pregnancy rate is a standard measure of the success of a dairy reproductive program. It is the percentage of females eligible to become pregnant in a 21-day period that actually become pregnant.

Pick up the latest sire directory from any of the major bull studs, and you’ll see that the “bull book” contains more information than ever.

A decade ago, the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Dairy 2007 study showed the average voluntary waiting period (VWP) on U.S. dairy farms was 54.8 days in milk and did not differ by herd size.

Dairy farmers could lower costs associated with heifer rearing by making improvements in their herd reproductive management, based on research being conducted by Ph.D. candidate Magdalena Masello and Cornell University’s Dairy Cattle Biology and Management Laboratory.

It’s Monday, so my week begins with the usual pre-dawn departure from our little hobby farm in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, as I drive to the coast – specifically, the WestGen offices in Abbotsford.

Today’s dairy cow deals with some of the greatest challenges ever faced in the dairy industry.