Stick with us as we take it back to the basics. What is the engine that powers a dairy? Calving events. Everything on a dairy starts with a calving event because a full-term pregnancy results in lactation. Dairies are, first and foremost, in the business of milk production, so it is key to create as many pregnancies as you can to maximize calving events.
Thus, every pregnancy has the purpose of generating revenue. Today, let’s dive into the concept of increasing the profitability of each pregnancy by deploying the right genetics on the right portion of the herd. The semen you choose on breeding day determines the path of that pregnancy: an investment for future profitability or a positive cash flow calf check.
Is the pregnancy an investment or short-term cash flow?
The decisions you make on breeding day in terms of what semen to breed a particular cow to impacts the future of that calf before the pregnancy is even confirmed. While a sexed and beef strategy is not new, it is important to not become complacent in getting the right number of calves in each bucket. Those buckets are the replacement heifers who are a two-year expense you choose to invest in for your future herd and the short-term cash flow you want from beef-on-dairy calves.
The investment in raising a heifer is not cheap, so determining how many of the right females you need for your future goals is critical. However, choosing to breed for too many short-term cash flow beef pregnancies might force you to purchase replacements in a market that currently doesn’t see many extra heifers, which drives up prices.
When deciding the calf type for each pregnancy, determine the amount of expense you are willing to bear from raising heifers and the revenue you expect to receive from beef-on-dairy calves. Think about these questions as you build your sexed and beef strategy.
- What is your current herd performance versus your future herd goals?
- Why are you culling females in your herd and at what rate?
- How many heifers do you need to raise?
- What opportunities do you have when marketing beef-on-dairy calves?
How do you think about your female pregnancies?
Your female pregnancies should focus on maximizing your return on your investment by using the right genetics to generate the right future performance from the herd. The females you create today should be designed to help extend your herd’s profitability and create a more sustainable future. You have to ask yourself, “Am I identifying the right animals in my herd to become the mothers of the next generation that will lead to a more profitable and efficient future operation?”
You decide how you make your females. You can choose to make it as easy or complex as you desire. However, be aware of substantial differences in future performance based on how you decide to create them. You can buy replacements or blanket breed a group in the herd to simplify your reproduction plan, but I’d challenge you to consider if either of those options allows you to harvest the best genetics.
In some cases, you could be harvesting the best genetics. But in others, you won’t. A blanket breeding approach puts you at risk of getting a completely different outcome at the end of the pregnancy because of the variations in genetic quality. Unfortunately, this approach does not allow you to maximize genetic progress.
The other approach that does allow you to maximize genetic progress is breeding based on genetic profile. While it can add some complexity to your breeding program, the benefits far outweigh any challenges. Breeding based on genetic profiles allows you to hone in on the genetics that create the ideal cow for your system. Then, you can rank your herd accordingly to identify who should become mothers of the next generation, rather than subjectively choosing.
A breeding plan as described above maximizes genetic progress, future performance, productivity, efficiency and, ultimately, profitability. Because not all heifers are the same, focus on creating the right number of heifers from the best animals in the herd who are in an area of reproductive performance where you're comfortable creating replacements. In doing so, you will replicate the herd’s best genetics in the next generation.
Which females should you consider for your beef-on-dairy pregnancies?
Your beef-on-dairy pregnancies should come from females you’ve identified who don’t need to produce the next generation. Keep in mind as you create these pregnancies, you want to generate the most profitable beef-on-dairy without sacrificing reproductive performance in your herd. Doing this successfully is making as many pregnancies as you can from fertile beef genetics that result in a live calf. Converting more beef services into a pregnancy is a revenue driver for a dairy, but you must keep calving ease, stillbirth and gestation length in check. Otherwise, you could do more harm than good.
Let’s circle back to the beginning of the article. Yes, a full-term pregnancy still gives you a revenue-generating calving event, but ketosis, metritis, stillborns, tough pulls and calving-related difficulties all have negative effects. As the industry continues to shift to offering premiums for male beef-on-dairy calves, remember that gender does impact calving difficulty, and minimizing your risk while maximizing value will be critical. Manage those scenarios by using the right beef genetics proven for dairy performance.
Beef-on-dairy pregnancies should aim to create the most value. To do this, you must understand your calf buyer or know the product you must produce if retaining ownership. Genetics and management matter and have a significant impact on calf value. Set yourself up for success by using dairy performance-proven beef genetics and applying the appropriate management practices.
To sum it all up, more calving events mean more milk. More calves born alive means more revenue. Higher-value calves based on gender, genetics and good management means more price per calf.
Make every pregnancy count with these tools
You have the tools available to you to make every pregnancy count. Consider the following in your breeding plan or on your next breed day:
- Custom index: This tailored selection index is based on your management style and herd goals. A custom index allows you to select the traits you want to focus on, and their weightings, and move your herd in the direction of your desired future performance.
- X and Y skew sexed semen: It is imperative to not raise more heifers than you need as input costs rise, but also, the profitability spread between male and female beef-on-dairy continues to grow. No need to worry. With sexed semen, you can manage your heifer investment by creating the right number of replacements while maximizing short-term cash flow by producing highly valued beef-on-dairy calves.
Remember, every pregnancy has a purpose; make the most out of each one with a strategic breeding plan based on your dairy’s future goals.
