n-calf Cost In-ca healthy healthy Herd Health Cost Benefits Data Analysis Partners Data nalysis Replacements Herd Health Cost Benefits Dairy Herd

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1 Replacem Calving Interv t healthy Herd Health Herd H Calving Date Submission Rates Fertility Performance ta alysisnutrition lar Veterinary Visits nt eption thy Date achievabl Date Calving Date Calving Date Successful Conception Fertility Performance Calving Inte Fertility Team acements Herd Health Calving Date First Service Improved Performance Partnership Cost Benefits healthy n-calf Cost Data nalysis Dairy Herd Fertility Performance Assessment post-calving Submission Rates Fertility formance Partners Data Analysis Heat Detection herd profitability Pregnancy Rate Pregnancy Diagnosis Date ership Cost Benefits Regular Veterinary Visits In-ca C Annual Milk Y Replacements First Se post-calving Calving D Data Analy Regular Vete Early Treatm post-calving achievable targets gra fert pro her C Data B lys

2 The UK dairy herd has fallen by 2.7% to stand at 1.86 million head 3 The costs in lost milk production, fewer calves, excessive culling and additional veterinary treatments have been estimated at over 14,000/year in the average performing 100-cow herd, equivalent to over 2.0p/litre 2

3 IN THIS BOOKLET Better cow management could reduce calving interval by 12 days Introduction 2 Causes of subfertility 4 Effects of subfertility 6 Measuring fertility 7 Prevention of subfertility 8 Cost calculators 10 Total fertility costs 11 Culling costs 12 Fertility improvement planning 14 Farmer feedback 16 Your fertility plan 17 Your priorities, solutions and targets 20 Treatment protocols 24 Find out more 25 Grassroots Fertility In this booklet 01

4 02 Introduction Grassroots Fertility

5 Introduction Dairy Herd Fertility 62% of farmers said their herd s fertility needed to be improved 1 Dairy herd fertility management is the basis for improved performance. Profitable farmers recognise the need to improve their herd s fertility as profitability comes down to getting cows back in calf promptly and getting more milk in the tank. Infertility issues affecting profitability can be subtle and complex, it s not always obvious what the problems are, however the scope for improvement is great and every farmer and vet partnership has the potential to improve herd fertility. Getting on top of fertility problems requires a holistic whole farm approach to herd management. Doing everything you can to get cows to the correct condition for calving can mean nothing if they re failing to get in calf. But the good news is that some simple changes can yield big results over time. However, every farm is different and one answer doesn t fit all, so this booklet has been designed to help you and your vet identify your own circumstances, develop an individual, manageable programme and improve the fertility performance of your herd. Grassroots Fertility Introduction 03

6 Causes of subfertility The five main causes of subfertility include: herd health nutrition management environment genetics There s no simple solution to subfertility, every farm is different with varying issues. So it s important to identify the most important factors on your farm. Pinpoint the areas of concern on your farm using the tables opposite. Herd Health o Fresh cow health issues e.g. displaced abomasums, milk fever, dirty cows etc o Bull infertility o Retained foetal membranes o Endometritis/whites o Lameness o BVD o Leptospirosis o IBR o Neospora o Cystic ovaries o Poor body condition at service o Mastitis o Inactive ovaries o Late embryonic mortality o Liver fluke 04 Causes of subfertility Grassroots Fertility

7 NUTRITION o Excess protein o Minerals/trace elements o Body condition (cows that are thin, fat or lack energy may be affected by feed management and space issues) ENVIRONMENT o Housing and cubicle design issues affecting lying times, heat detection and access to water o Slippery floors o Social stress levels MANAGEMENT o Cow age o AI techniques o Time pressures on staff o Insufficient records o Poor heat detection o Grazing management GENETICS o High milk yielders o Defective breeding traits Grassroots Fertility Causes of subfertility 05

8 Effects of poor fertility Reduced fertility within any herd affects a huge number of things, from the obvious to the not so obvious. It s common for at least some of the following areas to be measurably affected on farm. Tick the areas that you would like to address: o Calving interval o Fertility culling rate o Voluntary waiting period o Pregnancy rate o Staff morale o Heat detection o Increased dry period o Heifer replacement rate o Calving rate o Young stock levels o Embryo failure o Inseminations per pregnancy o Pregnancy after first insemination o Non-return rate (NR) after days o Number of times calved o Milk yield o Genetic loss o Nutrition o Production diseases o AI o Veterinary costs o Other 06 Effects of poor fertility Grassroots Fertility

9 Measuring fertility What system do you currently use to monitor your herd s fertility performance? Fertility diary Breeding charts Record cards Veterinary practice recording service o o Certain measures are widely used to evaluate the effects of subfertility. Farms with simple records using tools such as fertility diaries, breeding charts and record cards can still measure and monitor their fertility performance. This creates some limitations but allows us to focus on the more general measures within the checklist on page 6. Technology can see more than we can. Farms with computer recording systems can access a huge range of fertility performance measurements. System users should be aware of their limitations and identify the most appropriate and useable measurements for their farm team rather than produce more and more data. On farm computer recording system o Remember that data and measurement summaries are only valuable if you use them and understand the questions they answer. If you would like to learn more about fertility management systems or brush up on your skills ask your vet for advice Grassroots Fertility Measuring fertility 07

10 Prevention Vet and farmer should follow the three stages of herd fertility management: Fertility is a whole herd issue. By repeatedly treating individuals alone veterinarians cannot influence the herd performance Establish the current herd s fertility performance Investigate the factors associated with it Design a programme to improve it Prevention starts when the decision is made to move away from a haphazard working pattern to a planned approach to fertility improvement. Balanced nutrition, infectious disease control and good transition cow management are crucial to the general health of your herd and form the foundations of good herd fertility. 08 Prevention Grassroots Fertility

11 Planning your approach to fertility improvement Assess your current performance Agree on and address the most important issues in turn Agree on the best performance indicators for your farm Nutrition - focus on safe, balanced energy supply Assess feeding space and availability Improve oestrus detection is your current system efficient enough? Explore selective synchronisation as an option Reduce stress conditions including lameness and mastitis to increase the cows willingness to display signs of oestrus Evaluate and improve AI timing and technique Pregnancy diagnose and catch negatives sooner Assess your current bull selection and fertility testing Monitor first service timing Identify and tackle herd health problems Avoid calving difficulties Manage dry cow period (better cow management could reduce CI by 12 days) Identify your team - team work for smaller herds may be 1 or 2 men plus the vet. Preventative work must be at an achievable scale for your team Measure results Monitor growth rates and body condition Review and improve heifer management for fertility performance Grassroots Fertility Prevention 09

12 Costs For an average performing 100-cow herd poor fertility is costing over 14,000 a year or over 2p per litre 2 Subfertility results in higher culling rates, less milk per lifetime due to extended calving intervals, fewer replacement heifers born and fewer surplus animals to sell. However, every farm is different and fertility losses vary significantly between herds. Finding out what your actual costs are will help you when setting up new fertility targets. Start by personalising the following cost calculators. Input your own figures within the following blank tables or complete the tables online at www. grassroots.xlvets.co.uk. The website calculators are easy to use spreadsheets which enable farmers not currently using computerised measuring systems to quickly work out fertility costs. 10 Costs Grassroots Fertility

13 Complete with your vet by inserting your own figures into the following tables Components Actual Target Excess Cost per Cost per cow target unit ( ) ( /cow) A B C = A - B D E = C x D 1. Calving Interval (days) 2. Failure to Conceive Culling Rate (%) 3. Total Cost ( /cow) = Herd Size 5. Total Cost ( /herd) = 3 x 4 6. Average Yield (litres/cow) 7. Total Cost (p/litre) (3/6) x 100 EXAMPLE: Calculating Total Fertility Costs with FERTEX , Calculating Total Fertility Costs with FERTEX Components Actual Target Excess Cost per Cost per cow target unit ( ) ( /cow) A B C = A - B D E = C x D 1. Calving Interval (days) 2. Failure to Conceive Culling Rate (%) 3. Total Cost ( /cow) = Herd Size 5. Total Cost ( /herd) = 3 x 4 6. Average Yield (litres/cow) 7. Total Cost (p/litre) (3/6) x 100 Grassroots Fertility Costs 11

14 Culling Loss Calculations 6 ( /cow) Cull sale value A Cost of replacement heifer B Depreciation C = B - A Lower annual milk margin with a heifer D Lower value of smaller calf from replacement E Total Cost = C + D + E YIELD LEVEL 7,000 litres/cow 10,000 litres/cow YIELD LEVEL 7,000 litres/cow 10,000 litres/cow Cull sale value A Cost of replacement heifer B Depreciation C = B - A Lower annual milk margin with a heifer D Lower value of smaller calf from replacement E Total Cost = C + D + E 12 Costs Grassroots Fertility

15 Grassroots Fertility Costs 13

16 Fertility planning Fertility planning has many benefits in terms of improved performance and infertility prevention. in the pursuit of higher yields and performance rates whilst trying to balance work and home life, experienced labour and time are precious commodities. The way in which farmers manage their herd fertility is key to achieving this balance. To keep the time and effort involved with herd performance on track, more and more farmers are working in partnership with their vet to monitor herd health, fertility and nutrition. A recent XLVets survey of vet practices revealed that over 64% were carrying out more regular dairy fertility visits than in the previous 12 months. And it s not just large herds that are seeing the financial benefits of regular visits (see farmer feedback on page 16). Regular visits identify problems earlier and manage herd fertility, rather than fire fight individual problems when they re diagnosed at a more costly, later stage, saving farmers time and money whilst increasing the health and welfare of the herd. 14 Fertility planning Grassroots Fertility

17 Visits Visit frequency will vary according to individual farm needs but should be broadly governed by herd size, herd health, calving patterns and farmer performance targets. If you would like to learn more about fertility <100 Monthly Fortnightly in season management systems or brush up on your skills ask your vet for advice HERD SIZE Visit frequency: all year calving Visit frequency: seasonal calving Monthly / every two weeks Weekly / two weekly depending on calving pattern Every two weeks Weekly 200> Weekly Weekly Regular visits can focus attention on all, or some of the following depending on the farmer and the herd: day post calving check days post calving not seen bulling Cows presented for pregnancy diagnosis - treat cows not pregnant Repeat breeders (inseminated 3x or more without becoming pregnant) - identify problems Fertility related health issues i.e. metritis, endometritis, displaced abomasums, milk fever and mastitis. Abortions Body condition score Lameness assessment Infectious disease assessment Nutritional advice Environmental assessment and housing advice Herd health planning Data analysis Recommendations Results monitoring Grassroots Fertility Fertility planning 15

18 Farmer feedback 18 months ago, working on my own, only those cows not served by 100 days from calving were given attention and I considered fertility a wet day job. That s all changed now. Thanks to the routine visit focus on fertility our calving interval has been reduced by 29 days and our yield is up from 6,700 to 7,140litres/cow/year. Tim Mayo, Threshold Farm, 80 cows We used to only call the vet when there was a problem. Over the past two years since starting routines milk yield has risen from 7,000 to 7,400, conception rates have increased by 7%, serves per conception are down to 1.8 and infertility culls are only 5%. We ve also improved nutrition and can take the herd to the next gear important for us as we have limited scope to expand so increased milk yield is our goal (and we can sell surplus heifers). Paul Thompson, The Field Farm, 180 cows Our rolling average is just over 10,000 litres. One of the biggest plus sides of regular fertility visits is keeping on top of herd fertility making sure any anoestrus cows, cows we don t catch bulling and assisted cows are dealt with as soon as possible. It s far better to spend money on regular fertility visits and get cows back in calf as soon as we can, rather than allowing the calving rate to slip over 400 days, which then becomes costly. James Major, Chisbury Lane Farm, 210 cows 16 Farmer feedback Grassroots Fertility

19 Your fertility plan The following pages will help you identify the areas that you need support with, what is achievable and what you really want to accomplish with the assistance of your vet. Common type of target: I want to increase my milk yield Your vet can help you make your targets SMART Example of a SMART target: Specific I want to increase my average milk yield by 10% per annum MEASURABLE I want to increase milk yield by an average of 10% per annum (currently 7000 litre per cow per annum) within 18 months Achievable I will consult my vet, organise monthly (could be weekly or fortnightly) fertility visits and adapt my current fertility management system following our initial herd/farm fertility assessment. Relevant The agreed adaptations will tighten my calving interval and reduce my fertility cull rate therefore increasing my yield. Time-based I want to achieve this within 18 months from the start of monthly regular visits. Grassroots Fertility Your fertility plan 17

20 Your herd fertility now Your name Farm name Contact telephone Number of cows Number of heifers Pedigree or commercial Breed Milk recording Yes No If YES who with Have we access details Yes No Herd replacement options Feeding system Average yield Milk sold per cow per year Housing Cubicle Loose housed Heifer rearing enterprise? Fertility Records Yes No If yes Paper or Computer 18 Your herd fertility now Grassroots Fertility Don t worry if you re missing figures, your vet will help you

21 AI or natural AI Natural If AI, DIY or technician Bull breeds used Breed own used Breed own used Calving Seasonal All year round Heat detection Aids used and when Calving interval Voluntary waiting period Calving to 1st service 100 day in-calf rate 200 day in-calf rate Conception rate Number culled for failure to conceive % of cows aborting Abortion cause if known Grassroots Fertility Your herd fertility now 19

22 Your priorities, solutions & targets Problem identified You can refer to the list of sub fertility causes and effects on pages 4 to 6 for this column Example Our cows aren t getting in calf soon enough and my milk yields are suffering Action Regularly consult with vet using a regular monthly fertility visit (could be weekly or fortnightly) to identify sooner improvement that can be made to my calving interval. These include... Target To increase milk yield by an average of 10% per annum (currently 7000 litres per cow per annum) within 18 months 20 Your priorities, solutions & targets Grassroots Fertility

23 Grassroots Fertility Your priorities, solutions & targets 21

24 Your priorities, solutions & targets Problem identified Action Target 22 Your priorities, solutions & targets Grassroots Fertility

25 Grassroots Fertility Your priorities, solutions & targets 23

26 Treatment protocols 24 Treatment protocols Grassroots Fertility

27 Find out more Contact your local XLVets practice Ask to speak to someone regarding Grassroots Fertility regular visits Arrange for the vet to visit your farm at a mutually convenient time. What to do if you want to find out more about routines? The main message that came out of the national fertility survey was that more than half of dairy farmers want to improve herd fertility but few know where to begin. Regular fertility visits help farmers to create an action plan, assess where they are currently, where they want to be and plan out how to achieve and measure improvements. Most dairy farmers would benefit from working closely with their vet to understand their own herd situation and develop a plan for improvement. This booklet is designed to help farmers identify the areas to work on, but is no substitute to sitting down and talking to a vet about realistic and achievable fertility goals. So, if you are one of the 64% of farmers who want to improve fertility and you re not currently receiving regular fertility visits call your local XLVets practice to find out more. REFERENCES Metricure National Fertility Survey supported by Dairy Farmer. 2. DairyCo PD+ Fertility Improvement Programme 3 edition. Source: Average NMR performance; and, The Costs of Poor Fertility and Disease in UK 3. Publication - Dairy Statistics An Insiders Guide DairyCo. Note: Dairy cow numbers refer to dairy female cattle aged two years or more. Note: 2008 & 2009 Figures: England fi gures have been sourced through CTS (Cattle Tracing System), Northern Ireland data has been sourced through APHIS, Scotland and Wales use survey data. CTS/ APHIS uses breed of cattle to identify purpose. Therefore, cannot be used for a direct comparison with previous years. 4. J.F.Mee.The Role of the Veterinarian in Bovine Fertility Management on Modern Dairy Farms (2007 Science Direct). 5 Source: Esslemont and Kossaibati (2002) The Costs of Poor Fertility and Disease in UK Dairy Herds. These financial calculations will obviously alter with changes in milk, concentrate and quota prices. 6 Adapted from Esslemont and Kossaibati (2002) The Costs of Poor Fertility and Disease in UK Dairy Herds. These financial calculations will obviously alter with changes in milk, concentrate and quota prices. Grassroots Fertility Find out more 25

28 Replacem Calving Interv t healthy Herd Health Herd H Calving Date Submission Rates Fertility Performance ta alysisnutrition lar Veterinary Visits nt eption thy Date achievabl Date Calving Date Calving Date Successful Conception Fertility Performance Calving Inte Fertility Team acements Herd Health Calving Date First Service Improved Performance Partnership Cost Benefits healthy n-calf Cost Data nalysis For more information please contact your local XLVets practice post-calving Submission Rates Fertility formance Partners Data Analysis Heat Detection herd profitability Pregnancy Rate Pregnancy Diagnosis Date ership Cost Benefits Regular Veterinary Visits In-ca C Annual Milk Y Replacements First Se post-calving Calving D Data Analy Regular Vete Early Treatm post-calving achievable targets gras fert pro her C Data B lys