Reproductive performance is instrumental to farm profitability, but no single measure can capture all facets of a reproductive program. One important number we can look at, however, is 21-day pregnancy rate, which is the best measure we have to evaluate reproductive success, according to Victor Cabrera, University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Extension dairy management specialist.
Cabrera shared his thoughts on the value of escalating pregnancy rate at the Dairy Science Showcase event held on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus last week.
"Using numbers like 21-day pregnancy rate, producers can verify that reproductive performance is improving on-farm, but the question remains: Are they making money?" he asked. "If we improve the 21-day pregnancy rate, we will see an economic gain, but how much will depend on different factors on different farms."
To estimate the value of improved pregnancy rate for a specific farm, Cabrera and others created a calculator called, "Wisconsin-Cornell Dairy Repro: A Reproductive Programs Economic Analysis Tool." It can be found on his dairy management website, under the "Tools" tab.
In one example using the calculator, a 200-cow herd that changes its pregnancy rate from 13 to 22 percent could be worth $188 per cow per year, or $37,600 over the whole herd. Even a modest improvement from 10 to 11 percent can equate to $19 per cow, or $3,800 for the herd over a year's time.
Further supporting the value of improving pregnancy rate, Connie Cordoba, also with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shared some preliminary observations from the Repro Money program. Repro Money consisted of facilitated team meetings across the state of Wisconsin with a goal to enhance overall reproductive performance on farms.
Of the 40 farms that finished the program, average 21-day pregnancy rate improved from 18 percent to 20 percent. The farms that maintained or bettered their 21-day pregnancy rate saw a boost in profitability of $14,482. Those that lowered their 21-day pregnancy rate experienced a profit loss of more than $15,000.
