Boost the reproduction performance in your herd

The long-term effects of poor cow fertility

Save from £18 to £37 per cow per year - choose VikingGenetics Fertility sires! That is the value of using a sire with a superior genetic level for daughter fertility (EBV 120). Bulls with a high genetic level for daughter fertility create extra value for your dairy business.

For a herd with 100 cows, that is between £2,700 to £5,500 of extra earnings per year. The decision to invest in genetics that you make today have an impact on your bottom line in the years to come.

Secure your future success today.

Why does cow fertility matter?

Poor cow fertility impacts the profitability of your dairy herd. The costs are often hidden but have a huge influence on your bottom line.

Poor fertility results in:

More empty days resulting in higher feed cost without any production in return
More culling due to infertility, higher proportion of involuntary culling
Higher insemination costs
Higher veterinary costs
Longer lactation and lower profitability
Risk of reduced milk yield in the next lactation due to dry period being too long
Reduced number of heifers for sale

Poor fertility is among the most common culling reasons in dairy herds. For Holstein, poor fertility is the most frequent reason for culling in Denmark and account for 21% of all cullings. When culling is related to poor fertility, it is always involuntary.

With a consistent focus on fertility in your breeding strategy you can achieve higher profitability. Herds with a higher production level can achieve bigger savings from improved fertility because every day without milk is costing more.

Struggling with poor fertility in your dairy herd?

As the production level of your cows continues to increase, you will learn that fertility needs extra attention from you. Data show that there is a strong negative genetic correlation between milk yield and daughter fertility traits. Is it possible to have a breeding strategy to achieve higher yield and better reproduction performance at the same time? Yes! Keep reading below.

Improve both production and daughter fertility

With a consistent focus on breeding, you can achieve genetic progress for production and daughter fertility and improve your bottom line.
When breeding for improved daughter fertility, you don't need to compromise on gain in production. VikingGenetics sires show strong genetic progress for both daughter fertility and production traits.

Genetics for top reproduction

The daughter fertility index has been a part of the Nordic Total Merit (NTM) Index since the 1980s – that is 40 years with 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.

Learn more about the NTM and the Nordic registration system!

Daughter fertility covers the sub-traits

Cows

Days from calving to 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

Long-term improvement

The genetic improvement that you achieve is a permanent and desired improvement cumulated through generations. The investment in genetics will pay off more and more with each generation. While optimal management and improving the environment are important short-term solutions for fertility problems in your herd, genetics is a crucial long-term solution. To achieve success, you need to focus on both, genetics and management.

Daughter fertility is crucial
in cattle breeding

The long-term effects of poor cow fertility

Why does cow fertility matter?

Struggling with poor fertility in your dairy herd?

Genetics for top reproduction

Daughter fertility covers the sub-traits

Long-term improvement

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