A.I. & Breeding

Sometimes we limit ourselves because we don’t know our options – or have heard misrepresentations about what is possible. Many past unachievable efficiencies or techniques are now a standard part of everyday life, on and off the farm.

Improved heifer raising and reproduction results in fewer total days on feed, earlier return on investment, improved cash flow by having fewer heifers on feed and more milking cows, increased first-lactation milk and more lifetime milk.

In 2019, age at first calving is on course to be added to the Net Merit Index, and residual feed intake may not be far behind.

Over the last decade, we have seen significant changes in the dairy industry, including the adaptation of new technologies and management of reproduction and genetics:

That semen tank sitting in the corner of the barn office or vet room generally goes unnoticed except for the times you are pulling out a dose of semen from one of your favorite sires.

Technology has changed how the herd is managed and decisions are made at Reuter Dairy in Peosta, Iowa, where Dan Reuter and his father, Rick, milk 900 cows with a 32,000-pound average and a somatic cell count (SCC) averaging 80,000 over the last 10 years.