pregnancy status is a key component of herd management. Early identification of open cows and heifers allows for the implementation of a reproductive program to reduce the interval between A.I

Location matters — in real estate, business, and A.I. During natural service, a mature bull deposits 8 to 10 billion sperm in the anterior vagina, near the cervix of the cow. One of the advantages...

Appropriate semen storage and handling is critical to the success of A.I. The liquid nitrogen semen storage tank actually consists of two tanks, with a smaller tank housed inside a larger tank

We know that inbreeding rates accelerated after the introduction of genomic selection in 2009. Part of this shift is simply because we are turning our generations over more rapidly, which raises inbre

Most dairy farms today collect data by which they attempt to make informed decisions about how to manage their herds

The history of preserving bovine semen goes back more than 75 years. If you are past retirement age, you’ll remember semen being packaged in 1 cc glass ampules

ThIs year’s 11th annual Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) award winners prove that constant improvement is a must

in a previous column, I discussed a project that was developed to explore genetic diversity and to re-establish two lost Holstein paternal lineages

About 38 years ago, the first prostaglandin (PGF) product was introduced into the U.S. market

In 1979, the first prostaglandin product, commercially known as Lutalyse, came to the marketplace. It allowed veterinarians and farmers new opportunities to manage the estrous cycle by i

since the early 1970s, we have had a magical drug that has benefited dairy cow breeding programs — prostaglandin F2α (PGF)

Often we fail to take time to sit back and contemplate progress . . . to compare where we are with where we were

A record 128 herds were nominated from 18 U.S. states and Canadian provinces for this year’s ninth annual Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council awards competition

One of the most important economic factors that determines a milking herd’s profitability is the average days in milk (DIM). That parameter obviously depends on getting the cow pregnant early in...

Poor heat detection rates, under 50 percent in U.S. dairy herds, are a major factor limiting reproductive efficiency. Even so, detection of behavioral estrus plays an important role in overall reproduction

At our most recent Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council meeting, the University of Guelph’s Stephen LeBlanc gave an excellent presentation highlighting the importance of monitoring ketosis in transitio

Pregnant with twins," I announced as I scanned cow 13478. Sam dutifully entered the information in his handheld device, but the slump of his shoulders was more dramatic than if I'd called 13478 open

This year's Dairy Cattle Reproduction Councils award winners have a great deal of insight to share on how they get cows safe in calf

Additional questions from roundtable article: "Excellent cow care leads to repro success" November 2014 Issue, page 735. Breeding - Who breeds? Dutchland Dairy: Crosby Krischel and Dave Duitscher breed...

But simple practices can help calves survive and thrive, even after a difficult birth. Do you know how many calves you lost as a result of dystocia last year?