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The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) recently recognized 24 dairy operations for reproductive efficiency, fertility and well-implemented management procedures related to getting cows safe in calf. These dairies received Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze recognition in the Excellence in Dairy Cattle Reproduction Awards program, held during the DCRC annual meeting. Of the 24 dairies honored, CowManager is excited to announce that two herds using the company’s revolutionary ear sensor system received the highest award, Platinum.
Taking home the top prize were Stefan Temperli, Crosswind Jerseys, Elkton, S.D., and Michael Johnson, Trailside Holsteins, Fountain, Minn.
At Crosswind Jerseys, the goal of their reproductive program is to keep things simple and get cows pregnant as quickly as possible after passing the 60-day voluntary waiting period (75 days for many of the herd’s high producers). The farm has used CowManager for more than five years. “It’s been extremely helpful optimizing conception with the timing of artificial insemination in our cows,” says Temperli. “We haven’t changed our breeding program since implementing CowManager.”
The farm cares for 2,450 cows and uses CowManager for heat detection in both cows and heifers, and to help establish clear goals for reproductive culling. “Implementing the CowManager system has been the best decision to help us improve our reproduction,” adds Temperli. “The system has simplified our breeding protocols and almost completely reduced our use of reproductive hormones.”
Michael Johnson concurs. At Trailside Holsteins, CowManager has been instrumental in improving the herd’s reproduction. Johnson farms with his dad Jon, milking 715 cows with a herd average of 32,300 pounds of milk. The farm’s goal is to have a high service conception rate and to get open cows bred back quickly. “We shoot for a 60% first-service conception rate year-round,” says Johnson.
Heat detection with CowManager is key, says Johnson. “In heifers, we begin breeding at 420 days and our ideal age at first calving is 23 months. We’re able to achieve these numbers with CowManager.”
“We’re super excited that both Trailside Holsteins and Crosswind Jerseys were honored with this Excellence in Dairy Cattle Reproduction award,” says Gerard Griffioen, owner of CowManager and founder of the cow monitoring system.
“Both Crosswind Jerseys and Trailside Holsteins have excelled in doing the little things well, and we’re thrilled that CowManager is part of their success,” adds Griffioen. “Our cow monitoring system has extremely accurate heat detection capabilities to help producers identify peak heats, non-cycling cows, pregnant cows and even potential abortions. The ear sensors monitor behavior and activity, and then send heat alerts, helping to identify when it is optimal to breed a cow. Along with fertility, CowManager also provides actionable insights about herd health and nutrition by measuring ear temperature and other behavior. New algorithms predict a sick cow with high accuracy days before she gets sick.”
For more information on CowManager, contact your CowManager Specialist at Select Sires or visit CowManager.com.
