Improve dairy cow fertility for better profitability

Do you want to improve the fertility performance of your cows and boost your profits?

Is it possible to breed cows with greater yield and better reproduction performance? Absolutely! Continue reading to learn more.

By focusing on breeding for better daughter fertility, you can boost efficiency and lower costs regardless of the current management level or the production system in place.

As your cows’ production levels grow, you will learn that fertility needs extra attention from you. Data show a strong negative genetic correlation between milk yield and daughter fertility traits (-21% for Holstein).

Boosting fertility & profits in dairy cattle

Why does cow fertility matter?

Poor fertility is among the most common culling reasons in dairy herds. Herds with a higher production level can achieve bigger savings from improved fertility because every day without milk costs more.

Poor fertility impacts the profitability of your dairy herd. The costs are often hidden but significantly impact your bottom line.

Poor fertility results in:

More empty days – Higher feed cost without any production in return
More involuntary culling due to infertility
Higher insemination costs
Higher veterinary costs
Longer lactation and lower profitability
Risk of reduced milk yield in later lactations
Longer dry periods
Fewer heifers for sale

Better fertility without compromise on yield

When breeding for improved daughter fertility, you don't need to compromise on gain in production. VikingGenetics sires show significant genetic progress for both daughter fertility and production.

Between 2003–2022, the Nordic countries improved their genetic level of Daughter fertility and Production for three dairy breeds.

Genetic progress for Daughter fertility and Production traits achieved in the period 2003-2022

	Daughter fertility	Production
VikingHolstein	+20 index units	+39 index units
VikingRed	+9 index units	+27 index units
VikingJersey	+11 index units	+36 index units

With a consistent focus on breeding, you can achieve genetic progress for daughter fertility and improve your bottom line.

By using sires with a high genetic level for daughter fertility, you can improve the performance of your dairy herd.

The effect of using a bull with EBV 120 on the sub-traits in the Daughter fertility index compared to the breed population average or a bull with EBV 100

	Days from 1^st to last insemination, cows	Conception rate, cows
VikingHolstein	-8 days	+3 %-units
VikingRed	-8 days	+4 %-units
VikingJersey	-6 days	+4 %-units

Find the best bulls to boost fertility

Reliable registrations – a key to success

Genetic development is a long-term investment. Consistent focus on daughter fertility from generation to generation will steadily strengthen the fertility performance of your cows.

Fertility performance is crucial for the profitability of your dairy herd. Decisions made today will impact your bottom line in the years to come.

The Daughter fertility index has been a part of the Nordic Total Merit Index (NTM) since the 1980s – over 40 years of systematic data collection for daughter fertility.

Today, 95% of the cows in Denmark, Sweden and Finland contribute to registrations for daughter fertility. The daughter fertility index is calculated based on data from insemination records on heifers and cows from the first three lactations. Data is collected by A.I. technicians and farmers.

The Daughter Fertility index covers the following sub-traits:

Cows

Days from calving to the first insemination
Days from the first to last insemination
Number of inseminations per pregnancy

Heifers

Days from the first to last insemination
Number of inseminations per pregnancy

Choose VikingGenetics bulls to improve your herd´s reproduction performance with high reliability.

Check out the available bulls

Improving fertility goes a long way

Why does cow fertility matter?

Better fertility without compromise on yield

Reliable registrations – a key to success

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