CONSULT CORNER

All of these combined for a surplus of heifers. Eventually, dairy farmers realized it was expensive to raise heifers they didn’t plan to milk, and started producing crossbred beef calves. More recently, the beef herd has gotten smaller, the value of beef calves has skyrocketed, and we have come full circle, with dairy heifers in short supply again. Once again, reproductive efficiency is critical to maintaining a steady supply of replacements.

Rolinda Acres maximizes production per cow by providing extra robotic milking capacity.

The right number of replacements is important. Raising replacements is expensive, but not having enough replacements to maintain the milking herd is even more expensive.

Cull rate is an essential tool for managing future herd size. You need to know how many cows are leaving the herd in order to determine how many replacements will be needed to take their place.