Improving heifer reproduction programs is essential to enhance herd health, fertility, and overall productivity. To shed light on this topic, we turned to CentralStar team members who work in the cow-lots every day. They offered practical insights and actionable advice to help farms that are ready to optimize heifer reproduction programs and improve performance.
Dave Sattler, Team Leader. “When it comes to raising profitable replacement heifers, the most important time is day one. Getting a large volume of high-quality colostrum into the calf will go a long way to getting that calf through the first month healthy. A dry, clean environment is critical. The next challenge is the transition from milk to solid feed and potentially individual housing to group housing. Monitor growth in order to evaluate that aggressive growth continues during this phase. Poor-doing heifers should be culled at all stages. Cutting losses early will save dollars. Health challenged cattle will not be profitable. There should be a specific plan to get heifers bred in a timely manner. Either synchronize heifers to start the process at a specific age or size or give a designated period for natural-heat detection and synchronize any heifer not showing heat after a few weeks. Getting heifers initially bred in a timely manner and having regular pregnancy checks will keep most heifers from getting too old. Old heifers cost too much to raise and don’t return as much in lifetime profitability.”
Darrin Stein, A.I. Specialist. “The greatest opportunity I see is in getting calves started off right. This may include sanitation in the maternity areas, colostrum management, and the use of products like First Day Formula® CR Deluxe colostrum replacer or a direct-fed microbial like CONVERT™, Tri-Start Jr+, and others. Getting calves started off right ensures they’re ready when they reach the breeding pens and when they freshen and enter the milking herd.”
Scott Hecker, Reproductive and CowManager Specialist. “The easiest and most beneficial opportunity with heifers is to increase palpation rate, which is a direct effect of increasing detection rate. With increased heat-detection rate, hormone and CIDR® usage is minimized by catching more animals in natural heat. Putting sensors (CowManager) in heifers one month prior to the voluntary-waiting period (VWP) gives dairies a chance to identify cycling and non-cycling animals and plot the data. Therefore, when heifers reach the VWP, there is reliable information to accurately identify heats, to make more effective decisions on when to inseminate. This is particularly important when using sexed-semen.”
Deanna Pleiman, A.I. Specialist. “With the continued rising cost of replacements, I believe the greatest opportunity with heifers is to zone in on the best VWP for the dairy. Look at the records and walk the pens to really understand what’s happening. Are heifers well-grown and healthy? Is it taking more than one service to conceive? When reproduction struggles, I call one of our (CentralStar Dairy Records Analyst) Consultants and ask them to dig into the data and help identify the challenges and what needs to change to get better results. The more efficiently a farm gets heifers pregnant, the more profitable they will be.”
Rex Reinholt,Area Sales Manager. “The greatest opportunity in herd sustainability is the genetic value of heifers. Through genetics, dairies can change their herd makeup to meet their needs, whether for health and fitness, production, or other characteristics. The second greatest opportunity is to strategically manage the heifer inventory to create replacements, as well as replacements to sell, given the dairy has room and feed to do it. Additionally, dairies can capitalize on the value of crossbred beef-on-dairy calves, now.”
Jordan Freund, Team Leader. “Due to the importance of profit potential within the youngest members of dairy herds, I would say the greatest opportunities with heifers starts at the beginning, which is the planning phase. Using CentralStar’s genetic-consulting staff to determine the number of progeny needed offers the best return-on-investment for dollars and time. Whether the goal is herd expansion or maintenance, dairies can maximize the value of every retained heifer and sold-wet calf.”
Brian Pionek, A.I. Specialist. “Lifetime production and profitability are influenced by calf viability and health. When a calf stays healthy and makes it to the milking herd without ever being sick or challenged, the dairy is rewarded with a more profitable cow. Every dairy can benefit from taking another look at calf-raising practices and protocols to ensure the best payoff possible of their genetic investment.”
Matt Staner, Genetic Consultant and CowManager Specialist. “I think the biggest opportunity with heifers is identifying genetically superior animals through genomic testing, and then breeding them to the best bulls for that producer’s goals. I sometimes see producers use great genetics on their cows but skip this step on heifers due to lack of facilities and/or labor. Those farms are slowing genetic advancement in their herds and leaving money on the table.”
Optimizing heifer reproduction programs requires attention to key metrics and tailored management practices. The CentralStar consulting team regularly monitors crucial metrics in the herds they work with, identifying what they often call the “sweet spot” for reproductive success. When you’re ready to take your heifer program to the next level, the CentralStar team is here to help with a tailored plan that aligns with your specific goals.