»ReproManagement sund fornuft«

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1 DJURVÄLFÄRD & UTFODRING SVENSK MJÖLK SAMLAR BRANSCHEN»ReproManagement sund fornuft«specialist advisor Marie-Louise Ancker, Knowledge Centre for Agriculture, Cattle Among other things, the dairy farmer s economical profit depends on whether the reproductive organs of the cows are functioning normally. Any reproductive problems result in a prolonged calving interval, involuntary culling and expenses on purchases of heifers, inseminations and veterinary treatments. When reproductive problems occur in a herd, causes are often a combination of several factors, since female fertility is affected both by breeding, nutrition, health and management. By introducing an advising concept, which makes the best possible use of the competence of different advisers for troubleshooting, a basis is created to turn / counteract the marked negative development in reproductive results, which has appeared concurrently with an increasing milk yield per cow. Moving quickly from thought to action The advising concept ReproManagement sund fornuft is a practical guide which can be used by both dairy farmers and advisers. The material holds 6 chapters, which correspond to the different steps in an advising process 1. Strategy 2. Identify fields of efforts 3. Prioritize fields of efforts 4. Lay down aims for fields of efforts 5. Decide concrete items for a programme for action 6. Programme for action follow up on plan and aims The aim of using the guide is to improve pregnancy rate in the individual herd. At the same time it was an important element, when developing the material, to bring possible co-operation between feeding/production adviser, veterinarian, breeding adviser and AI-technician into view. Who are not interested in increasing pregnancy rate? Calculations from the Danish national cattle database (2008) show that the herd average pregnancy rate is 0,15, and that there is a difference of 0,07 between the best and the poorest quarter of Danish dairy herds. Taking these results as a starting point, in 2009 economical calculations were performed using the tool Sim-Herd. These results show that the difference in pregnancy rate between the best and the poorest quarter of the herds, equals a difference in contribution margin per cow per year of 578 Dkr.. When comparing the 10 pct. best herds and the 10 pct. poorest herds, the difference is 1,263 Dkr. per cow per year. So it is worth considering moving to the best fourth of the herds! Overall, a herd s pregnancy rate covers the biological characters of the cow as well as the management-wise abilities of the farmer. It is a joint number for how many inseminations are performed out of the possible 3-week-periods, and how large a proportion of these inseminations are resulting in a pregnancy. So, pregnan-cy rate is obtained by insemination rate x conception rate, and several factors are affecting these two key numbers. Require that the advisers pull together Improving pregnancy rate, therefore requires a systematical approach in the individual herd. If insemination rate is low is it because one does not see the heats? Or is it because the cows / heifers do not show heat? If conception rate is low is it because conditions for inseminations are not acceptable? Or is it because cows / heifers are not maintaining pregnancy? It is very important to stop right here, asking which one of these four tracks should be followed. In order to assist a systematical approach to point out necessary initiatives in the herd, a number of check lists and fact sheets to match were developed. By means of this material, it is possible to expose which factors are causing insemination rate and / or conception rate to be too low in the individual herd. The programme for action is focused on which concrete items / activities should be carried out in the herd, but also focused on the communication among the involved parties dairy farmer, employees, AI-technician, breeding advisor, feeding/production adviser and veterinarian. 6 Svensk Mjölk

2 DJURVÄLFÄRD & UTFODRING SVENSK MJÖLK SAMLAR BRANSCHEN There is no doubt that it becomes easier to obtain the aims which have been laid down for the herd s repro-duction, if everybody have a common picture of the concrete items which need improvement. Definition: Reproduktionseffektivitet (Danish) could be called efficiency (In international literature is often used the term Pregnancy rate ) = Insemineringspct. x drægtighedspct. (Danish) (In international literature is often used the term insemination rate x conception rate) Covers the biological characters of the cow as well as the management-wise abilities of the farmer. Marie-Louise (Søs) Ancker has since 2005 been working at the Danish Knowledge Centre for Agriculture, Cattle, Team & Breeding as a specialist advisor in reproduction. During the first 2,5 years, Marie-Louise Ancker worked as part of a team developing a pro-active Herd Man-agement System for the milk producers (Herd Navigator), by which it is possible to predict the reproductive status of the cows. Apart from this, Marie-Louise Ancker has been examined Project Manager in 2006, and has been responsi-ble for a number of different reproduction projects regarding strategy, daily management and evaluation of reproductive efficiency in dairy herds. Since 2008, appointed peer reviewer of articles in in Domestic Animals. The author of several articles and reports published on Temaside Reproduktion. Landbrugsinfo aspx She graduated M.Agr.Sc. in 1997, and her former professional positions were at The Danish Agricultural Advisory Centre, National Department of Danish Cattle Husbandry, Section for Production systems, working with production economy and data analyses from Subsequently, from , she was em-ployed at LandbrugsRådgivning Østjylland A/S (LRØ), Cattle Department, as an advisor regarding nutrition, health and production systems at dairy farms. 7 Svensk Mjölk

3 Sida 1 av 5 ReproManagement sund fornuft, trouble shooting reproduction i dairy herds Søs Ancker, Specialist advisor Knowledge Centre for Agriculture, Cattle department Team & Breeding Outline Introduction to reproduction in danish dairy herds Background for developing a tool for trouble shooting Going through an example Applying check lists, fact sheets and an action plan to a herd specific case Foto: Poul Bech Sørensen Foto: Poul Bech Sørensen A definition before moving on! Reproduktionseffektivitet (danish) = Pregnancy rate = insemination rate x conception rate Covers the biological characters of the cow as well as the management-wise abilities of the farmer. in danish dairy herds Key number, cows in danish Holstein herds 25% percentile 75% percentile Difference Age at 1st calving, months 25,2 27,2 2 Calving to 1st AI, days Insemination rate, % Conception rate, % Pregnancy rate 0,11 0,21 0,1 Reference:National Cattle database DLBR Nøgletalstjek Not only a challenge in danish herds Greater proportion of cows with unnormal profiles of reproduction hormones Proportion of cows expressing standing heat has decreased from 80% til 50% Great variation between animals according to how the signs of heat are expressed Motivation When pregnancy rate is sufficient Flexibility according to culling strategy AI costs Treatment costs Need to buy replacement heifers Positive effect according to danger of infection from purchased animals Chance of pregnancy has decreased dramatically 4

4 Sida 2 av 5 Motivation Contribution margin per cow, dkr. Insemination rate Background KU-Life / DK Cattle federation Danish / Swedish research Viking Danmark / Local advisors Vidensyntese Reproduktion rpp. 113, 2006 Projects during Revision of management lists Daily basis results Analyses Obtained key figures Effects of health & nutrition Draw attention to the importance of reproduction Info for local advisors and Theme page farmers Preg.% 41 Preg.% 35 Preg.% 60 Kilde: Østergaard, S. 2009; Ancker et al., 2008 On our way in the right direction BUT! Hit the nail on the head 2011 Fields efforts Insemination rate Conception rate strategy Voluntary waiting period Age at first calving Calving interval? Herd strategy Increase no. of cows by 10 per cent 2009/ 10 ReproManagement sund fornuft A tool which improves pregnancy rate in dairy herds Provides possible cooperation AI-technicians breeding advisors production / feeding advisors veterinarians ReproManagement sund fornuft contains 6. Follow up on plan & 1. Strategy aims Model herd via SimHerd 5. Items in programme of 2. Point out action fields of efforts Programme for action New Check reproduction lists management Fact sheetslists 4. Aims for fields of efforts 3. Prioritize fields of efforts 5

5 Sida 3 av 5 Factors affecting reproduction Breeding Nutrition Health Tecnology Management Economy Chapt. 5 Check lists overview Items in programme of action Low insemination rate, cows C1 One overlook heats of the cows C2 Cows are not expressing heat Low conception rate, cows C3 Conditions for insemination are not accept. C4 Conception fails / cows are not maintaining pregnancy Low insemination rate, heifers C5 One overlook heats of the heifers C6 Heifers are not expressing heat Low conception rate, heifers C7 Conditions for insemination are not accept. C8 Conception fails / heifers are not maintaining pregnancy On our way in the right direction and getting there! Field of effort Low conception rate of the cows 1. calvers Fields of efforts Insemination rate Conception rate strategy Voluntary waiting period Age at first calving Calving interval Herd strategy Increase no. of cows by 10 per cent 2. calvers Older cows Conditions for ins. not acceptable? Conception fails / pregnancy is not maintained? Low conception rate, cows C3 C4 Conditions for insemination are not acceptable Conception fails / cows are not maintaining pregnancy Trouble shooting begins in the barn Trouble shooting begins in the barn Are all employees aware of which criteria must be met, in order to provoke an ins.? Describe Employees do not agree Loss of body condition during 3-4 weeks p.p.? Proportion of cows with a loss of BSC 1.0 F 8 Post partum anoestrus & Cysts No. of cases per 100 cows 6

6 Sida 4 av 5 Fact sheets -Focus become on aware of facts and causes > Include several heat signs in your evaluation > Perform heat observation at least three times a day, for at least 20 min på time (one should be between 06 pm. and 06 am.) > Combine visual heat observation with activity measurements Programme for action for Employees did not agree of criteria for insemination! More information? Look at back page Programme for action for Programme for action for Observing heat signs - Dvd Medarbejderne ikke enige om kriterier for inseminering! Programme of action for Programme of action write concrete items Activity How to obtain the intermediate aim? 1) All employees watch the dvd How to spot the bulling cow, and discuss which heat signs should be present to provoken an insemination. 2) Standard opration procedures are decided for heat observation (a SOP). 3) Examination of: - fresh cows within 10 days after calving. - animals not showing cyclic activity (heifers > 17 months and cows > 70 days after calving). Resources Information Time Whom and costs to inform? / By who? Herd Herd manager manager reserves informs time the for AI a technician common meeting, when where it has all been employees done. are able to participate. The AI technician should be invited to join the discussion. Possibly Herd manager a SOP-package are responsible including that material the and owner, advising AI is technician, ordered. vet, breeding - and feeding advisor get acces to the SOP. The Every management three months, list ReproDagsliste the vet sends a from status Dyreregistrering on examination is used results to select to the AI animals technician which, do feeding not show advisor cyclic and activity. feeding advisor. 7

7 Sida 5 av 5 How to find the material Require that the advisers pull together Thank you for your attention! 8