It`s time to fix the herd fertility cycle

August 2010
Your levy in action
Good stockmanship and
animal management is at
the heart of good dairy
farming.
Every farmer knows that
their fortunes depend on
their animals thriving. This
issue has relevant seasonal
stories on reproduction,
calving and what you need
to do to get the best results
for your farm business.
Animal health and welfare is one of the top dairy
farming subjects New Zealanders want to know more
about, according to our recent public perceptions
research. We surveyed 1000 people and conducted
eight focus groups around the country to determine
what people really think about dairy farming.
There continues to be high awareness of the
importance of dairy farming, with 87 percent of those
surveyed agreeing the success of the dairy industry
is critical to New Zealand’s economy. They also
know how good we are at farming, with 59 percent
agreeing our dairy farmers are the most efficient milk
producers in the world.
People also want to know more about what farmers
are doing to address environmental concerns.
We’ll be taking up this challenge at DairyNZ and our
new Go Dairy campaign will showcase some of our
industry’s innovation and achievements. It’s up to all
of us to talk about the good things you’re doing on
your farm. Together we can promote the great stories
of our industry.
I welcome your views on our work, you can email me at
tim.mackle@ceo.dairynz.co.nz.
Tim Mackle
DairyNZ, Chief Executive
It’s time to fix the
herd fertility cycle
Experts agree – yes we can!
Whether you recognise the head line above as
belonging to Barack Obama, Bob the Builder
or our case study farmers
Diane and Peter Miedema, it
doesn’t matter.
The point is that many farms have a
great opportunity to drive profitability
and job satisfaction through a focus on
getting more cows in calf, earlier. And
the annual cycle of fertility management
means that every month there is an
opportunity to act in a way that will
improve in calf rates.
Bruce Thorrold
Strategy and
Investment Leader,
Productivity
Why start today?
The dairy industry has
committed to phasing
out induction as
a management
practise – most
farmers already do
not induce – but
for some farmers,
management changes
will be needed. Chris
Glassey’s article on
page 8-10 describes
how this change can
be implemented.
See this
month’s insert
for your local
InCalf advisors
(cont’d p2)
For more information or to send us your feedback, email insidedairy@dairynz.co.nz or ph 0800 4 DairyNZ (0800 4 324 7969)
ISSN 1179-4916
(cont’d from p1)
There is plenty of scope to increase
profit on most farms – the industry
target is to achieve 78 percent in
calf at six weeks of mating. For
every 1 percent your herd is below
that figure, the cost to you is $10$15/ha/year. Seventy-five percent
of farmers are not achieving this
target and with the national
average at around 68 percent,
there is a lot of money on the table.
We’ve never had better tools – the
InCalf Programme, developed by
Dairy Australia and adopted by
DairyNZ, and the Fertility Focus
report (available from LIC, CRV
AmBreed and InfoVet) are world
leading. These tools take the big
view of herd fertility on-farm
and allow you to diagnose your
situation and plan actions based on
your data performance.
It can be done – there are farmers
achieving the six-week target
already and case studies including
owner-operators on average size
farms such as the Miedemas, as
well as large farms like the Riverside
Vets-Pfizer study at Ma Taua near
Ashburton, show that large gains
are possible.
You don’t need to clutch at the
latest fashion. There has never been
so much skilled assistance available.
You don’t have to choose between
good grazing management and good
herd fertility. Eight years of data
shows the perception that optimal
grazing management practised at
Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF)
has caused poor fertility, isn’t true.
Herd reproductive performance
at LUDF has been improving for
the last six years – and page 6-7
summarises Mark Blackwell and
Steve Lee’s LUDF presentation at
SIDE 2010.
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InsideDairy
What can you do today?
Call your InCalf advisor, get a
Fertility Focus report and start to
really understand your situation.
Use their expertise – get used
to paying for advice rather than
buying the product and thinking
people’s time is free.
Involve your team – staff who
understand both why and how,
will be needed for success. Hugh
Jellie and Sarah Watson discuss
this further on page 3.
In every region there is a group of
trained InCalf advisors who can
assist you – these advisors will take
an overview of your situation, not
just sell you more feed, minerals
or drugs. There is a list of trained
advisors in your region enclosed –
the skill and expertise these people
have is worth a lot of money to you
(far more than you’ll pay them for
their time).
Today might also be a good
time to:
You don’t need to accept poor
reproductive performance in your
herd. DairyNZ and others in the
industry have invested developing
tools, skills and products that can
help lift performance.
All it requires is commitment from
you – you can do it!
•
Check the weights of
replacement stock
•
Plan how to collect better data
through calving to improve
your Fertility Focus report
•
Make sure your breeding
programme is supporting
progress on fertility
•
Get an accurate assessment
of body condition score of
heifers and mixed age cows.
The truth might not set you
free, but it’s a great place to
start a plan from.
Good stockmanship, great in calf rates
Without good stockmanship and staff regimes, high in calf rates are virtually
unachievable. Having a team who understand cow health and fertility will
create success with six-week in-calf rates.
Veterinary advisor and dairyconcepts
founder Hugh Jellie says
reproduction in New Zealand is
losing ground because farms fail
to get the fundamentals of staff
recruitment and management right.
“Reproduction requires good
winter management, transition
management, good capability
for heat detection and bull
management,” says Hugh.
“Poor reproductive performance is
a consequence of a whole raft of
things – poor fertility comes from
poor feeding and management.
Getting these things right,
particularly on large farms, is about
getting the people to do it well.”
Hugh is a founder of Caring
Dairying, which in 2008 completed a
national survey to identify key issues
within large herd farms. Caring
Dairying then began a two-year pilot
programme in August 2009, with
funding assistance from DairyNZ
and Sustainable Farming Fund, to
help eight large South Island farms
achieve good practice.
Hugh says having a good manager
is a great start to a successfully
run farm and having one person
allocated to manage each herd will
be a real benefit during the mating
period. A trend to run more cows
with less people on-farm reduces
animal-people interaction – a real
drawback during mating, when
a high level of stockmanship is
required to make key decisions.
Hugh’s study has highlighted that
good people can achieve more with
good infrastructure, but it will never
be a substitute for skilled people
on-farm.
“Technology will not replace base
capabilities to run a farm. As our
farms grow, our infrastructure
copes less and less. People skills
and infrastructure need to be in
harmony.”
How to manage your team for results
The way you manage the people in
your team can have a big impact on
the results you get.
You can minimise the likelihood of
costly mistakes by ensuring everyone
in the team has a break before
mating, are trained in the skills they
need and understand ‘what good
looks like’.
And by making sure you have enough
resources (people) to get all the jobs
done.
What good looks like
•
Provide training to all staff before
the planned start of mating, so
all staff know the physical signs
of heat, how to detect heat, the
plan for your farm and the impact
they can have on results. Don’t
assume they understand this!
•
Make someone responsible for
repro management in each herd –
this has been shown to markedly
improve results
•
Conduct pre-mate heat detection
and use this period as a practice for
staff and for testing procedures
•
Heat detection needs to be
conducted in the paddock and
shed – record the numbers
•
Use heat detection aids and make
sure all staff are familiar with their
application and use – show them.
For more information get a copy of
the InCalf Book dairynz.co.nz/incalf
Getting our cows in calf requires:
•
Having a plan – what does good
look like?
•
Tell the team the plan
•
Are the right resources available
– enough people, appropriate
facilities
•
Does the team have the skills they
need? For example, you won’t get
a successful in calf result if your
team don’t know how to identify
cycling cows
•
Review progress as you go
- are things on track?
- does anything need changing?
•
Involve staff in the review process
- how are they doing?
•
Give your people feedback
- do they know they are doing a
good job, or not?
InsideDairy
33
Peter and Diane Miedema
Location: Hoe-o-Tainui,
north-eastern Waikato.
Herd size: 275 NZ Friesian
Area: 110ha
Reproductive issues: low six-week
in-calf percentage, high empty rate,
poor heifer reproductive performance.
Animal Health Centre vet Katrina Roberts and Peter Miedema.
Year-round focus for mating success
Drought is never a welcome part of dairying and for farmers in the north-east
Waikato it has become a way of life for the past three summers.
However for a Hoe-o-Tainui
couple it has also proved the
catalyst to focus attention on their
herd’s reproductive performance,
understanding how decisions made
under stress in summer affect
outcomes months later in the
following spring.
For Diane and Peter Miedema the
poor spring of 2007, followed by
the drought in 2008, resulted in a
Fertility Focus report last June that
did not make for happy reading.
They recorded a six-week in-calf
rate of 44 percent, and a 30 percent
empty rate in a 245 cow herd that
had performed well in the past,
with good submission rates and an
acceptable 8 percent empty rate.
“The spring of 2008 was also tough,
and we knew we had to address
the problems, it had eliminated our
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InsideDairy
ability to cull on anything other
than empty cows, and we had also
recorded poor in calf rates in our
replacement heifers,” says Peter.
He attended one of DairyNZ’s My
Herd Fertility events run by his local
vet clinic, to understand where they
could improve herd reproduction.
Peter learned one-on-one meetings
could be arranged between
veterinarians certified to deliver
DairyNZ’s InCalf programme to
farmer clients.
Peter could see how the InCalf
Book’s four-step Continuous
Improvement Process could bring
together the multiple tools already
available to lift herd reproductive
productivity in a way that was
reviewable and measurable.
The first step involved assessing
current herd reproductive
performance, something the
Miedemas could do easily, thanks to
their Fertility Focus report.
Calving pattern and condition
score identified
“We clearly had to deal to the
calving pattern aggressively through
inductions before mating for 20092010, while herd body condition
score (BCS) needed to improve to lift
submission and conception rates. But
regardless of improvements made
in BCS, we chose to induce for the
short-term or we would just see the
poor calving pattern compounded
into the following season,” says
Katrina Roberts, a veterinarian from
the Animal Health Centre.
They set a conservative goal of
achieving a 65 percent six-week incalf rate and 12 percent empty rate.
Addressing BCS last June required
focusing on both mixed age cows
and heifers. Lower than ideal body
weights in 2008 had resulted in poor
conception rates in the heifers, and
accounted for half the overall herd’s
poor performance.
The heifers the previous season had
achieved only 28 percent calved by
the end of week three of calving
against a desired target of 75
percent, which flagged a yearling
management issue. On Katrina’s
advice, the couple weighed heifers
before coming home last June,
identifying lighter animals and
building an allowance into overall
feed budget for ad lib feeding of
palm kernel.
Induction to tighten pattern
With BCS improved and lactation
under way, the couple’s
induction plan came into play.
Both appreciated an aggressive
approach would mean negligible
use in seasons to come if the focus
remained on the key InCalf practices.
Both appreciated an aggressive
approach would mean
negligible use in seasons to
come if the focus remained on
the key InCalf practices.
The decision to induce 12 percent of
the herd helped lift the 2009 calving
pattern to 54 percent calved in three
weeks, up from only 38 percent in 2008.
Meantime 100 percent of the main
herd was under BCS 5 last June.
The InCalf Book provided a clear
calculation on what the gains were
for lifting this to a more acceptable
level of less than 15 percent under
BCS 5 at calving.
The InCalf Book clearly illustrates the
greater chance earlier calving cows
have of getting in calf within six
weeks of mating.
For the Miedemas, lifting the herd
BCS represented a gain of $23,500,
significantly greater than the value
of the 30t of palm kernel Katrina
recommended they feed through
winter. This figure reflects not
only the benefit of earlier calving
cows, but the benefit in extra milk
solids production through the year
(totalling $14,000 alone) and having
a lower empty rate.
By calving time last year they had
closed some of the condition score
gap to an average of 4.8 BCS.
Lighter cows and heifers were split
into a separate milking mob in late
August to help maintain BCS prior to
mating by milking once a day.
Cows that calve more than eight
weeks after the start of calving
have less than half the chance of
conceiving during the first six weeks
of mating. They also have double the
chance of being empty at the end of
mating, compared with cows calving
in the first three weeks of calving.
Tighter in calf rate follows
tighter calving
To tighten up the three-week in-calf
figure, 100 cows (36 percent) were
CIDRed right at the start of mating.
Once six weeks of AB were over,
Peter boosted his bull power
from the usual five to nine to
ensure maximum coverage for the
remaining seven weeks.
Early scanning revealed the success
of their aggressive induction
plan, CIDRs, more bull power and
improved BCS.
Calving spread was tighter, with
a 67 percent six-week in-calf
figure, up from 44 percent. Final
in calf rates were also significantly
improved, with a 7 percent empty
rate after 13 weeks of mating,
compared to the poor 30 percent
figure in 2009.
The couple enter the 2010 season
feeling more empowered and
optimistic.
“We now have more options on
what cows we cull out – not having
a mastitis problem means we can
cull on production.”
For Peter the InCalf consultancy has
given him a “bigger picture” view of
his management, and how decisions
made at the end of one season can
have a big impact on reproduction
outcomes in the next.
“We ended up deciding to dry off
at Easter, after weighing the options
with Katrina, while BCS was still
good. We were keeping one eye on
what we wanted to achieve come
mating this season.”
They intend to stick with the InCalf
consultations they enjoy with Katrina
for at least another year.
“She provides a very valuable
sounding board, and keeping the
meetings regular means we can
review and be motivated to carry
out the goals we set at each one for
the next.”
In calf success shows in the figures:
Season:
2008-2009
2009-2010 targets
2009-2010 actual
2010-2011 targets
Six-week in-calf rate (%)
44
65
67
75
Empty rate (%)
30
12
7
5
Mating length (weeks)
11
14
13
12
InsideDairy
5
Five stars for Lincoln
Six-week in-calf rate success
There is a persistent myth that poor reproduction at Lincoln University Dairy Farm
(LUDF) is associated with the success in lifting milksolids production by grazing to
consistent residuals of seven to eight clicks.
Six-week in-calf rates and empty
rates (illustrated below) show where
this perception came from – poor
reproduction in 2002 got worse as
LUDF shifted to the seven to eight
clicks policy in 2003.
For the first time in 2009, the LUDF
herd achieved a six-week in-calf rate
of 74 percent and a five-star rating on
the InCalf Fertility Focus report, with
minimal hormonal intervention, in line
with industry targets for reproduction.
A focus on reproductive performance
reversed this trend rapidly in 2005
and 2006, and fertility has continued
to improve while keeping the grazing
policy. This has taken place while
maintaining a zero induction policy and
progressively reducing the mating period.
In the process, LUDF has debunked
the belief that good reproduction
cannot be achieved while grazing
to target residuals, viewed by some
farmers as excessively low.
Figure 1.
InCalf project leader Mark Blackwell
says despite the successes,
challenges remain, including
identifying what is limiting herd
conception rate and performance
beyond week six of mating.
Conception rates did not exceed 45
percent until 2009, when it reached
57 percent.
A study is now underway to
identify underlying reasons for
chronically low conception rates
at LUDF and in other large South
Island herds.
Lincoln University Dairy Farm
Six-week in-calf rate, empty rate and annual milk production
Figure 1 shows where the perception
of LUDF came from – reproduction
was already poor in 2002 and got
worse as LUDF shifted to the seven
to eight clicks policy in 2003.
However, with a focus on
reproductive performance, this
trend was reversed rapidly in 2005
and 2006 and has continued to
improve while the grazing policy has
remained the same.
6
InsideDairy
So how did Lincoln University Dairy Farm improve its
performance over seven years?
Let’s consider key management areas identified by DairyNZ’s InCalf
programme – the eight ingredients of herd fertility:
Calving pattern
LUDF has used synchronised AB mated heifers calving earlier than the main
herd. This has been very successful for improving the calving pattern and
the percentage of cows having a pre-mating heat.
Heifer management
The consistent five-star calving pattern for first calvers reflects good heifer
rearing and mating at 15 months old. It has also contributed to a 93 percent
three-week submission rate for first calvers in 2009, without non-cycling
treatments.
Heat detection
The 2009 InCalf Fertility Focus indicated that heat detection performance
was slightly below average. However best practice procedures with heat
detection enabled a five-star 74 percent six-week in-calf rate, driven with a
90 percent submission rate and a 57 percent conception rate.
Non-cycling
The pre-mating cycling rate has improved over the last seven years and
indications are the herd (cyclers included) is more fertile. In 2009, 90
percent of cows had a pre-mating heat. With this result, LUDF management
elected not to use non-cycling treatments for the first time.
Genetics and AB practices
The breed type has moved from Holstein-Friesian to a cross-bred herd, using
Jersey and Kiwicross AB over synchronised heifers and relatively high culling
and replacement rates (24-27 percent). Genetics in the LUDF herd is no
longer a reason for not achieving five-star reproductive performance.
Bull management
In 2008, the herd was mated entirely to AB for 10 weeks and in 2009, bulls
followed six weeks of AB but left 13 percent of cows empty. The same bulls
were used for yearling matings, with poor in calf rates for the heifers.
Performance beyond week six was poor in 2008 without any bulls,
suggesting that low in calf rates beyond six weeks may include some failure
on the cows part or management unrelated to bulls.
Cow health
In 2008, the InCalf Individual Cow Health Tool assessed whether any
abnormally high animal health problems might be influencing herd
reproductive performance. Assisted calving was the only area identified.
Body condition score (BCS) and nutrition
The improved 2009 six-week in-calf rate may be thanks to the herd BCS
average of 5.0-5.5 at calving. Monthly herd BCS recording will ensure BCS
does not reduce reproductive performance.
De-bunking the myths
Myth: LUDF’s grazing residuals
lead to high empty rates
Farmers have interpreted early LUDF
results as showing that grazing to
residuals of seven to eight clicks
result in high empty rates. This
misplaced belief may cost farmers a
lot of operating profits.
Since 2003, the six-week in-calf
rate at LUDF has risen from 61 to
74 percent, despite maintaining a
policy to achieve consistent grazing
residuals (around 1500kg DM/ha,
or seven clicks). The lift from 67
percent in 2008 to 74 percent in
2009 is worth an estimated $115/ha
in operating profit.
LUDF’s empty rate has improved from
17 percent in 2003 to 13 percent in
2009, while the mating period has
been shortened to 10 weeks.
InsideDairy
7
Coping without induced calving
According to a dairy farmer I met recently, zero use of
induced calving can be managed easily.
Chris Glassey
Farm Systems
Specialist, DairyNZ
How to get there – a process
“Milk Jerseys or Kiwi-cross, milk them all on once a
day from January and you won’t have to worry about
inducing ever again.”
I doubt if it’s that simple, but zero-induced calving
can be successfully managed. Just ask the 50 percent
of farmers who already manage without it – many of
these farms are highly productive and profitable. Their
experience is supported by research and success at
Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF).
Phasing out induced calving will limit opportunities to
‘buy your calving pattern’ and turn late calving cows
into capital growth. Change is required to avoid high
levels of cow wastage.
The difference is a small number of late-October calving
cows. Does this make you any worse off? Probably not, as
evidence shows herds with shorter mating periods can
achieve empty rates much the same as those with longer
mating periods (see Table 1).
•
Ask where your herds’ reproductive performance is
at now. Each herd is starting from a different place
•
Identify what priority management areas to focus
on e.g. heifer rearing, heat detection
•
Select the best options for your situation and
implement them well
•
Measure results and review progress
•
Positive results from these changes are proven.
Expect these to arrive incrementally over three
years. This requires planning and patience
•
For a greater chance of success use the InCalf
programme (tools, resources, advisors and
training) to help identify opportunities to improve
reproductive performance in your herd.
InCalf Fertility Focus report – a must-have for all
herds
What to do – achieving zero inductions
•
So how do you go about making the change from
induced calving, through restricted use and then to a
no induction policy, over say three years?
•
Lift your expectations of reproductive performance.
Aiming for the same thing using the same practices
from the past, will likely mean the same or worse result
•
Get more cows in calf in the first three and six weeks
of mating
•
Shorten the herd total length of mating to 10-12
weeks so no cows need to be induced
•
Prepare more replacements to cover a higher empty rate.
•
InCalf has a robust way to describe and assess
overall herd reproductive performance and identify
key drivers of that performance, based on research
studies in several hundred seasonal calving dairy
herds in Australia and New Zealand
•
InCalf also indicates areas of management likely to
be contributing to poor performance and identifies
actions for improvement
•
This approach is captured in the Fertility Focus
report which is available to all New Zealand dairy
farmers through LIC, CRV AmBreed and InfoVet,
and offers a concise and consistent means to assess
a herd’s reproductive performance.
Table 1: Effect of reduced length of mating and non-induction on percentage of empty (Stevens, 2000)
77 non-inducing herds
730 inducing herds
81 days
102 days
% empty
8
7
Empty cows per 350 cow herd
28
24
Length of mating
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InsideDairy
InCalf identifies eight areas that support high reproductive performance. Highlighted below
are some of the most common focus areas which need attention when reducing inductions.
However, these do not apply to every farm – to identify and address key areas specific to your
farm, use the InCalf programme.
Examine two-year-old heifer calving pattern and
re-calving rate
The key to having your herd change its six-week and
10-week in-calf rate lies with a compact calving pattern
for the first calving heifers and reaching target 5.5 body
condition score (BCS) at first and second calving.
Having as many heifers as possible calve before or at
the start of the herd’s calving pattern, at target 5.5
BCS, will help them return to oestrous earlier in the
mating period. The money previously spent on induced
calving could be redirected into synchronised mating of
well-grown yearlings and feeding to ensure BCS targets
are met.
Successful progress has been made using these
strategies, the most public example of a non-inducing
strategy being LUDF where, in 2001 and 2002, 10
percent of the herd was induced.
A zero-induction policy was introduced for the 2003
calving and LUDF has remained a zero-induction herd
ever since.
Farmers demanded demonstration of how a zeroinduction policy would work and a strategy for a
sustainable zero-induction policy was based on
synchronised AB mated heifers calving one week
earlier than the main herd.
This strategy has been very successful at LUDF, helping
to shift the calving pattern from the InCalf one-star
ratings in 2003 to five-star ratings (the highest) from
2005 onwards.
Establishing this stable and desirable calving pattern for
young cows has had flow-on benefits for other mating
performance areas, such as a consistent reduction
through seasons in the percentage of cows without a
pre-mating heat.
The AB synchrony strategy for heifers was expected to
show a consistent improvement in calving spread and
profitability to match the induction policy by year five,
and this has gone exactly to plan (for more: see pg6-7).
Cross breeding, using easier calving Jersey or Kiwicross
semen is also important for these matings, and will have
also contributed to improved reproductive performance
since 2004.
Heifer rearing and management
The consistent calving pattern for heifers at LUDF
reflects good heifer rearing and mating at 15 months
of age.
The high three-week submission rate for first calvers
(since 2005) follows this great calving pattern, but
also suggests that management of first calvers in early
lactation is also working well for LUDF.
The 93 percent three-week submission rate achieved by
first calvers in 2009 was achieved without non-cycling
treatments. Achieving the BCS targets for calving is
likely a major contributor to this.
Beyond 2004, heifer management has not been limiting
herd reproductive performance at LUDF.
Dealing with non-cycling
Pre-mating heat detection can be used to assess the
herd’s level of non-cycling and determine the cause
first, then consider the need to treat.
A higher rate could result from not achieving BCS targets
at calving. On DairyNZ research farms this has been
critical for a successful zero-induction policy resulting
from a 10-week mating period over the last four years.
Money previously spent on induced calving is now
available for non-cycling treatments if necessary,
enabling every cow to be mated at least twice in the
mating period.
(cont’d p10)
InsideDairy
9
(cont’d from p9)
Bull power
In many herds, bulls fail to get as many cows in calf in
the weeks after AB as they should. Herds have achieved
the target six-week in-calf rate of 78 percent, only to
find the bulls add just another 8 percent to that over the
next four weeks (a 14 percent empty rate).
A common cause is too few fit bulls available for
the number of cows still to get in calf. The InCalf
programme contains three management areas to
consider in bull management: sourcing, managing and
bull power/rotation.
length is reduced. Many have found it useful to keep a
small number of young, high merit empty cows that fail
to get in calf in the reduced mating period and mate
them as extra replacements to calve the following year.
Previously farmers chose to ‘buy and sell’ improvement
in their calving pattern, with purchases of early calving
replacement stock, sale of late calvers, or milking a group
of empty cows on extended lactation so they become
available in subsequent years.
With induced calving restrictions, selling late calvers for
somebody else to induce will become difficult.
Reduce the length of mating to 10 weeks
Economics
If mating length last year was 15 weeks, reduce it this
year by 10 days, then annually over three years. A
sudden change to 10 weeks is probably too drastic.
Reduced induced calving should be viewed as an
opportunity for extra income and cost saving, because
accompanied by improved in calf rates in the first six
weeks of mating, there will be extra operating profit.
Removing bulls from the herd 10 days earlier each year,
for three years, will get you there. The new phase-in
period for reduced induced calving allows an opportunity
to reduce mating length and reduce levels of induced
calving in steps until 2013.
Replacement rate
The first year of a reduced mating period can be
problematic in terms of maintaining herd size.
Implementing an AB synchrony programme will not
impact on the percentage of extra replacements entering
the herd for three years, when extra AB heifer calves
(born to first calving heifers) will calve.
Plan for how heifer replacements will meet the need for
your planned herd size over the next two years, if mating
The InCalf Economics of Reproduction tool establishes
the benefits for your herd. Discuss this with an InCalf
trained advisor.
Initially, some additional costs might occur due to a
higher number of empty cows and a weaker market for
late-calving cows. Accompanied by improvements in
the right areas of reproductive performance, the overall
effect will be positive.
Plan improvements for the start of calving, not just
the end. Seek advice rather than ‘struggling with the
stragglers’. InCalf offers ways to minimise the impact of
reduced induced calving and maximise the returns for
money spent improving in calf rates in your herd.
For more information:
dairynz.co.nz/incalf or see the list of trained
advisors in this month’s Inside Dairy.
10
InsideDairy
Making InCalf even better
Continuous improvement to make it more useful for farmers and advisors.
The InCalf approach, which involves technical resources,
Farmer Action Groups and veterinary involvement, is being
tested through the National Herd Fertility Study, assessing
its ability to motivate change on-farm and lift reproduction.
Funded by DairyNZ and the Sustainable Farming Fund,
the study is being undertaken by veterinary clinics in the
Waikato, Taranaki, Canterbury and Otago.
DairyNZ Strategy and Investment Leader for
Productivity, Dr Bruce Thorrold, says that InCalf
was adopted by DairyNZ (based on a Dairy Australia
programme) to support dairy farmers and their advisors
to lift reproductive performance.
The six-week in-calf rate and overall empty rates will be
used as primary indicators to compare groups – those
farmers using the InCalf programme and farmers not
using it. Social, biological and physical factors which
affect reproductive performance will also be explored,
along with the effect of InCalf Farmer Action Groups.
“While farmer experience and success in Australia
backs the InCalf approach, we wanted to test the
ability of InCalf to inspire reproductive success and
support changes on-farm. From this we can improve the
programme to be more useful for advisors and farmers.”
Data from this study will provide an updated and
comprehensive dataset on current management practice
and success in managing reproduction. The National
Herd Fertility Study is one year into the study, which
wraps up in 2011.
The National Herd Fertility
Study involves:
•
168 farms and 70,000 cows from four dairy
regions: Waikato, Taranaki, North Canterbury
and South Canterbury/North Otago
•
The study led by Dr Scott McDougall is
being undertaken by veterinary centres
which provide InCalf – Waikato’s Animal
Health Centre and Anexa; Taranaki’s Eltham
Veterinary Clinic; Canterbury-based Riverside
Veterinary Clinic and in Otago, Oamaru
Veterinary Services
•
LIC, CRV Ambreed and Infovet are also
supporting the study, as providers of Fertility
Focus Reports
•
Farms undertake body condition scoring
on most herds, along with weighing
replacement stock at specific points of the
reproductive cycle
•
Early pregnancy diagnosis (12-14 weeks
after planned start of mating) is done to
ensure an accurate measure of the six-week
in-calf rate
•
On-farm events (disease, assisted calvings, CIDR
use and inductions) are recorded through
MINDA or MISTRO.
InsideDairy
11
Dairying: the public view
By Sarah Fraser, General Manager Marketing & Communications, DairyNZ
What do New Zealanders really think of dairying? Is there a ruralurban split, and how big is it? How strong is the support and
understanding of New Zealand’s leading export industry?
These are all questions DairyNZ set out to find answers
to in this year’s public perception research.
to our economy. Seventy percent agreed the success of
major export industries affects their standard of living, but
only 57 percent agreed that the dairy industry’s success,
in particular, affects their standard of living.
The research done previously has stood us in good
stead, enabling us to evaluate the success of the Go
Dairy advertising campaigns. But this year, in line with
Aucklanders in particular found this a more difficult
the fourth outcome of the Dairy Industry Strategy
concept. Higher dairy product prices also came into it,
(‘industry reputation enhanced locally and globally’)
with them being seen as a direct negative effect of the
we wanted to set a
success of the industry.
benchmark to measure
This is a challenge for us,”
public perception of the People are seeing dairy farmers as being
says Dr Rick Pridmore, who
industry.
better at looking after their animals than leads DairyNZ’s investment
And the results are in.
in this area. “It’s not an
they are the environment.
easy concept to grasp.
We surveyed 1000
Export earnings affect
people across the
our standard of living in many ways. Some of us gain
country and conducted eight focus groups in Auckland,
benefit directly by working for the industry.
Christchurch, Hamilton and Invercargill, with the aim of
finding out not just what impressions people had of the “A large proportion of our society benefits by industry
dairy industry, but what was influencing their thoughts. earnings cycling through the economy. There is also a
substantial tax associated with these export earnings
Overall, the news is good, with 71 percent of people
and that helps all of us by allowing the government to
describing their impressions of dairy farming as favourable
spend more on infrastructure such as roads, hospitals,
or very favourable. This compares well with 72 percent of
schools and social services.
those surveyed a year earlier. But once you start to dig a
little deeper, the results become very interesting.
“This lack of understanding is highest in the cities, and
it’s ironic given urban residents are relatively big users
People understand how important export earnings are
of national infrastructure.”
to New Zealand’s economy, with 91 percent agreeing
that the success of major exporting industries is critical
On the subjects of the environment and animal
12
InsideDairy
From feed to farm financials
it’s all in here
welfare, 70 percent agree that dairy farmers are doing
all they can to look after the welfare of their cows, and
50 percent agree that the impact of dairy farming on
the environment has improved in the last five years.
The closer to a farm, the more likely respondents were
to agree to that, with 67 percent agreement in Taranaki
compared with 39 percent in the major cities. But only
35 percent of all those surveyed agree dairy farmers are
doing all they can to protect the environment.
“People are seeing dairy farmers as being better
at looking after their animals than they are the
environment. You’d have to argue that the main thing
driving that is effluent non-compliance, as that’s
what’s making the media headlines,” says Rick.
When asked what they’d like to know about dairy
farming and the dairy industry, the top three subjects
were environment, economic contribution and animal
welfare, with environmental concerns and addressing
them being the clear leader.
This is one of the dairy industry’s challenges – as
well as working to improve the reality on-farm (such
as ensuring effluent systems are fit for purpose and
farmers understand the standards they have to meet)
we also have to improve the perception of that reality.
The new Go Dairy campaign is part of this work, and we’ll
be sending you a preview of that in the next few weeks.
Can’t find that key data on
the DM percentage of mature
maize or the optimal target age
structure for a herd? Wouldn’t
it be handy to have these facts
at your fingertips?
Just released from DairyNZ is the Facts and Figures
booklet for New Zealand dairy farmers. A
compilation of established research and practical
knowledge, this handy booklet is jam-packed
with statistics, facts and figures.
“We saw the need for a comprehensive, quickreference resource,” says Rob Brazendale, DairyNZ
Development Team Leader for Productivity.
“Farmers who have been part of its
development have described it as the
Edmonds Cookbook of the dairy industry
- a must-have for every farm office.
“This has been a truly collaborative project.
The list of people to thank is long and includes
experts from throughout the industry.”
Facts and Figures includes:
•
Cow and young stock feed requirements
•
Pasture growth data
•
Supplement feed values
•
Feed storage information
•
Body condition score recommendations
•
Breeding dates and periods
•
Shed water supply requirements
•
Milk composition
•
N fertiliser response rates
•
Cost of servicing mortgages
•
and much more.
Farmers can order their own copy of Facts
and Figures for New Zealand dairy farmers on
the DairyNZ website, from their local DairyNZ
consulting officer or by calling the DairyNZ
Farmer Information Service on 0800 4 DAIRYNZ.
InsideDairy
13
Tight management pays
dividends for Rakaia farm
Exercising discipline around spending and keeping an eye on key
cost centres is a strategy that has proven effective season after
season for Te Pirita dairy farmers, Leo Donkers and Terry Kilday.
This season was no exception,
with Leo and Terry’s Willsden Farm
achieving farm working expenses of
$3.35/kgMS, which is only $0.12/
kgMS over budget. The overrun is
due to an irrigation pump failure,
which Leo says they hope to
recover through insurance and staff
wages, there being 27 fortnightly
pay periods in this year.
“We’ve always been rigorous about
watching our spending in key areas
such as wages, fertiliser, irrigation,
electricity, and feed and grazing
costs,” says Leo. “We’ve also
been disciplined about spending
money in the winter to push our
feed forward and ensure we have
enough on-hand for the spring.
“Traditionally, there is cheaper feed
available in the winter, so it makes
sense to push enough feed forward
for the spring and avoid exposing
ourselves to the market if the spring
is tight and demand and prices
increase. This requires constant
cashflow monitoring and the
confidence that we can recoup the
winter spending later in the season.”
Leo says running a successful
farming business is all about
‘measure, monitor and manage’.
“We prepare detailed budgets and
review the budget to actual variances
every two months. Our focus is on
cost of production, as it is the only
business input we can control.”
Leo says the DairyNZ Tight
Management campaign has given
him and his staff more focus and
made sure they follow their plan.
“If we deviated from our plan, we
had to have a good reason and
provide a cost-benefit explanation
for doing so!”
Tight Management – top
farmer highlights
Tight Management dairy farmers
nationwide recently attended
the campaign’s wrap-up event in
Hamilton, where they shared their
highlights from the campaign. Two
key themes emerged:
Going back to basics
Many compared the campaign to
“being like a sharemilker again –
when every dollar counts”.
Justifying financial decisions, timing
purchases well, doing the homework
to underpin a financial decision and
sharing financials with staff were a key
campaign highlight.
“I’m more aware of spending in the
right areas for profit and monitoring
the major expenses better, like
animal health and breeding.”
Accountability
Setting goals and sticking to them –
and having to justify any over-spends
– was an aspect Tight Management
farmers found rewarding.
Measuring and monitoring progress
throughout the eight months
also brought attention to detail,
particularly around pasture budgeting
and financial management.
“The need to explain and justify
decisions in public forced more
analysis and better decision-making.”
14
InsideDairy
A Tight Management field day at the Rakaia farm.
News in brief
Dairy scientist recognised
During a career which spanned forty years, former
Ruakura scientist Dr Arnold Bryant left his mark on
the dairy industry.
The principles of profitable pasture management
and dairy farming in New Zealand have been heavily
influenced by his work and the industry’s success has
been partly built on these principles.
Mr Bryant’s contribution to dairying was recently honoured
when he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order
of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Much of his work was completed while with Dairy
Research Corporation, a predecessor of DairyNZ, where
he conducted research and participated in activities
with farmers in the areas of herd management and
dairy cow nutrition.
DairyNZ CEO Dr Tim Mackle says Mr Bryant was also
a great mentor for young scientists, such as Dr John
Penno, Dr Phil L’Hullier and Dr Eric Kolver.
Revamped
DairyBase
website
The DairyBase website has been
revamped. A web-based software
tool that enables dairy farmers,
accountants and consultants to
analyse farm physical information
and financial statements, DairyBase
provides an overall business view from
a management perspective.
Visit dairybase.co.nz to find
information on:
•
DairyBase reports
•
The benchmarking tool
•
Other farmers who use DairyBase
for their farm business
•
Answers to commonly asked
questions.
“His genuine desire to see the young succeed was
evident and he has inspired many in their careers.
Mr Bryant’s work has not only impacted dairy farmers, but
the wider New Zealand economy by helping to underpin
the economic contributions made by dairy farming.”
Mr Bryant’s ability to communicate with farmers,
inspiring them to make positive changes, was
unmatched.
Even today he is quoted by farmers, almost 15 years
after his retirement.
Thumbs-up for small herds
An event for smaller herd dairy farmers has been hailed a success.
Around 300 people attended three Smaller Milk and Supply Herds (SMASH)
events in Waikato and the South Island’s West Coast during June.
Organised by a group of volunteer farmers supported by DairyNZ and
assisted by AgResearch, the events provided a forum for those with
small herds to discuss issues important to them.
SMASH chairwoman Fran Allcock was delighted by the feedback from
farmers who attended.
Climate change workshops for consultants
A nationwide series of workshops will provide rural consultants with an
introduction to climate change issues and land management practices.
The free workshops, led by DairyNZ and funded by MAF, will focus
on providing rural consultants with an introduction to climate change
issues, greenhouse gases and the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), so
they can advise clients how to mitigate their emissions and adapt to a
changing climate.
The workshops began in the North Island during July, wrapping up in
Southland in late August. For more: dairynz.co.nz/climatechange
InsideDairy
15
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Just released from DairyNZ, this handy
booklet is a compilation of established
research and practical knowledge. It is
jam-packed with vital statistics, facts
and figures.
“This is the Edmonds cookbook of
the dairy industry – a must-have for
every farm office.”
Order your copy of Facts and Figures
for New Zealand dairy farmers at
dairynz.co.nz or by calling the DairyNZ
Farmer Information Service on
0800 4 DairyNZ (0800 4 324 7969).
Free to levy paying dairy farmers.
For all dairy farming queries:
0800 4 DairyNZ (0800 4 324 7969)
www.dairynz.co.nz
From feed to farm financials
it is all in here!