What Is the Most Cost-Effective Breeding Program for Lactating Dairy Cows: Timed AI, Estrous Detection, or a Combination of Both?

dairy-cowAs any other business enterprise, the sustainability of a dairy farm is highly dependent on economics. Reproduction influences both milk production and number of replacement heifers available on a farm; therefore, reproductive efficiency becomes a key determinant of dairy cow profitability. Several parameters affect reproductive performance. This 4-page fact sheet presents information from recently published articles that looked at the economics of different reproductive programs for breeding dairy cows that use estrus detection only, timed AI only, or a combination of both. Written by Klibs N. Galvão, Gustavo M. Schuenemann, Eduardo S. Ribeiro, and Jose Eduardo P. Santos, and published by the UF Department of Veterinary Medicine-Large Animal Clinical Sciences, May 2014.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm198

What Is the Most Cost-Effective Breeding Program for Breeding Heifers: Timed AI, Estrous Detection, or a Combination of Both?

e dairy cows wait patiently in line to give milk at the UF/IFAS Dairy Research Unit in Hague. Florida ranks first nationally in average herd size and 15th in milk income. Photo by Milt Putnam.As any other business enterprise, the sustainability of a dairy farm is highly dependent on economics. In order to obtain a profitable return on assets, there is a constant need to maximize outputs and, oftentimes, to minimize inputs. Reproduction influences both milk production and number of replacement heifers available on a farm; therefore, reproductive efficiency becomes a key determinant of dairy cow profitability. This 3-page fact sheet presents information from recently published work that looked at the economics of different reproductive programs for breeding heifers that use timed AI only, estrus detection only, or a combination of both. Written by Klibs N. Galvão, Eduardo S. Ribeiro, and Jose Eduardo P. Santos, and published by the UF Department of Veterinary Medicine-Large Animal Clinical Sciences, May 2014.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm199

Is It Worth Switching from Natural Service to Artificial Insemination? A Comparison of Reproductive Performance and Profitability in Dairy Herds

vm200Reproductive efficiency is a key determinant of dairy cow profitability. A considerable portion of dairy producers in the United States still use NS in at least part of their breeding program. This 3-page fact sheet presents the results of papers that compared the reproductive performance and profitability of dairy cows submitted to natural service or a combination of timed AI and natural service. Written by Klibs N. Galvão, Eduardo S. Ribeiro, and Jose Eduardo P. Santos, and published by the UF Department of Veterinary Medicine-Large Animal Clinical Sciences, June 2014.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm200