1. With superlevy pertaining over 60% of dairy farms, it is essential to reduce the economic risk of same by identifying empty cows. Pregnancy scanning is an excellent tool to aid in the accurate ageing of pregnancies and identification of cows carrying twins. Scanning can also be used to see if the empty cows can […]
Read MoreDAIRY herd management has become extremely difficult because of expansion with the impending removal of the milk quota regimen in April 2015. Many farmers have expanded far in excess of their ability to manage the cows, a grazing platform to accommodate the herd and the capital investment required for both housing and milking. Grazing conditions […]
Read More1. Scan your cows now to: identify empty cows, accurately age pregnancies and identify those cows carrying twins. 2. Identify cows in poor body condition and those with poor locomotion score. Supplement diets with concentrates or dry cows off early if BCS needs to be improved. Ensure your hoof trimmer has the correct expertise to rectify […]
Read MoreSTOCK BULLS should now be “on holiday” from the dairy herd for grass based milk production systems. However, many farmers contend that there will be a market for “late calvers” next year with the ending of the milk quota regime. Therefore, many farmers are delaying their end of season pregnancy scan this year. I […]
Read More1. Scan your cows after the last AI or the bulls have been removed. 2. Check health status in your herd; IBR, Johnes’ disease, Liver & Stomach fluke, worms. 3. Ensure your weanling and maiden heifers are achieving target weights. Late calves may need to be isolated to get supplementary feeding if they […]
Read More1. Grassland management needs to be excellent at this time of year to avoid poor quality pastures. 2. Do not graze too tight as this will increase stress on cows and reduce DMI. Top paddocks after grazing and remove paddocks from the rotation for baled silage to maintain high quality grass in front of cows. […]
Read MoreImproved weather conditions, excellent opportunities to make silage and hay, phenomenal growth rates in maize crops and a good milk price all lend themselves to a buoyant mood in the dairy industry. Breeding programmes which are the primary dictator of future profitability of your business are now resulting in cows which will calve from mid-April […]
Read MoreAn International conference on cow fertility was held in Westport, Co. Mayo two weeks ago. It brought together 480 delegates from over 35 countries and all five continents. This is the first conference focused on the importance of cow fertility on the ultimate profitability of your business. The conference was primarily organised by Professor […]
Read More1. Identify cows not yet detected in heat and get them scanned to address underlying reasons for failure to have these cows bred. 2. The latter will be more difficult when using natural service as the sole method of breeding for the herd. Suggest having the herd scanned six weeks into the breeding programme. ScanMan […]
Read More1. Spring calved cows are performing extremely well on grass based milk production systems. This milk production performance is at the expense of BCS on many farms. Cows need a balanced diet which avoids BCS loss, meets mineral and vitamin requirements. 2. Put a plan in place for heat detection if using AI in Spring calving […]
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