A.I. & BREEDING

Estrus detection in dairy cattle is one of the biggest issues in the dairy industry, contributing to an annual loss of $300 million in the dairy industry for failed estrus detection due to prolonged calving intervals and days open, losses in milk production, increased veterinary costs, etc.

A heifer doesn’t generate revenue for the farm until she starts putting milk in the bulk tank. Up until she begins her first lactation, estimates are that the average heifer costs $2.50 per day to raise.

Holstein Canada recently awarded a second Master Breeder shield to a man who has had a great impact on the industry in Canada and around the world. Albert Cormier grew up on a dairy farm in Prince Edward Island, where he developed a keen interest in breeding Holstein cattle.

The following data represents statistics and trends in Canadian dairy cattle breeding.

Over the past decade, the use of reproductive and genetic technologies has increased in dairy herds across Canada. The evolution of electronic activity monitoring and timed artificial insemination (A.I.) protocols has impacted the overall reproductive performance of the Canadian dairy herd.

Proofs are not 100 percent accurate. Never have been, never will be. Every proof is simply the best approximation of the real genetic value of an animal.