Focusing on fertility can improve milk yields and reduce costs
Dairy farmers pushing for increased milk yields should pay close attention to fertility
levels and calving intervals.
Increased herd sizes and a shortage of farm labour are resulting in a decline in herd fertility
throughout the UK. As a result, dairy farmers are losing a significant amount of income to
reduced productivity and increased costs. The latest figures from Kingshay suggest that
rising milk and feed prices mean that extending the calving interval could easily cost milk
producers as much as £4.90 per cow per day. This adds up to a significant amount of money
to most herds as the average calving interval has increased by approximately one day every
year over the past decade to an average calving index of 425 days.
Most dairy farmers that do not receive regular veterinary visits now have significant scope to
improve their farm’s profitability by introducing routine fertility visits to focus on the proactive
control of fertility and to accurately diagnose any potential grumbling fertility problems.
Routine visits, as well as allowing earlier and more reliable pregnancy diagnosis, ensure that
fertility levels are constantly monitored against agreed targets and any necessary treatments
or improvements are implemented as soon as possible.
Regular veterinary input will successfully identify which cows need additional help to get
them back into calf. A suitable course of action, such as the use of Estrumate or other
appropriate fertility treatments, can then be instigated.
Direct veterinary support can therefore deliver real financial and herd management benefits.
They can enable the average annual yield per cow to be improved, effectively cutting the
cost of producing each litre of milk. And as many dairy farms could expect routine visits to
reduce their calving interval by approximately 20 days after the first 12 months, they
represent an increasingly strong return on investment as milk value and feed costs continue
to rise. For a 100 cow herd, this is currently worth up to £10,000 per year.