Achieving success in your breeding program isn’t something that just happens overnight. A lot of things need to go right in order to build high fertility rates. Dairy cattle reproduction specialist Paul Fricke introduced a pyramid approach on how to capitalize on dairy reproduction during a recap of the 2024 Reproduction Roadshow. In a recent University of Wisconsin-Madison extension article, extension specialist Ryan Sterry explained the building blocks of this pyramid in depth.
The foundation of the reproduction needs pyramid focuses on maintaining a high 21-day pregnancy rate. Like anything, success is only achieved by how well the program is managed. Synchronizing cows for artificial insemination (A.I.) using double ovsynch has proven to have positive outcomes and has also shown to improve fertility. Failing to maintain a 21-day pregnancy rate makes the next level of the pyramid — genomic testing —less beneficial. “If cows are not becoming pregnant, the negative hit becomes twofold. More cows will become reproductive culls, necessitating the need to raise more replacement heifers. At the same time, fewer heifer calves are being born simply because fewer cows become pregnant and calve in again,” warned Sterry. With a shortage in heifer calves, this will result in less flexibility in culling decisions within the milking herd.
If the first two levels of the pyramid are strong, there are more options to make more informed breeding decisions. Two ways that can influence breeding decisions is the use of sexed and beef semen. “Through strategic use of sexed semen, you can determine which dams are most worthy of producing the next generation in your herd,” said the extension specialist. This provides more flexibility as to what route to take when making a breeding decision. For example, cows with lower genetic potential can serve as recipients of beef semen, while some cows can be bred to maintain the number of heifer calves introduced to the herd or to capitalize on the market value of cross calves.
One may also consider the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF) or embryo transfer (ET). This allows for more opportunity compared to the use of beef or sexed semen. “Not only can we select which dams will produce replacements, but truly elite individuals can produce multiple offspring,” noted Sterry.
After becoming successful in these four building blocks of Fricke’s “Hierarchy of reproduction needs,” the top of the pyramid is reserved for success. Using a mixture of all levels of the pyramid allows opportunity for flexibility in the breeding decision process. “There is no reason today not to reach the pinnacle, with more tools available than ever before to improve fertility and submit cows for A.I. in a timely manner,” Sterry encouraged.
