Now more than ever, dairy heifers have become a precious commodity. With record-high heifer prices due the beef-on-dairy craze, the heifer population has gotten smaller and smaller with each passing year. For those who raise heifers, it is important to understand how to manage them to reach their maximum potential. In an Iowa State extension webinar, Gail Carpenter identified pathways to implement to create a successful heifer rearing program.

Heifers are the foundation of a productive lactating herd. Without them, there would be no replacements as lactating cows begin to age and slow down on production. Healthy, genetically advanced heifers that calve at the right maturity play a huge part in the success of the lactating herd. But since we often do not have many touchpoints with heifers during their growing stage, it can be difficult to keep tabs on them. Unlike lactating cattle, farmers often don’t have much data feedback about heifers. Failing to manage heifer records can pose a significant risk to your bottom line, as nearly 25% of a dairy’s production costs stem from raising heifer replacements.

Your heifer program is only as good as the records you keep. “If we don’t know what our birth weights are, if we don’t know how many heifers are doubling their body weight by weaning, and if we don’t know age at calving or what size they are calving in at, it’s really hard for us to make recommendations and to make adjustments to management to improve our heifer production,” Carpenter noted. Strive for adequate growth and development, low mortality rates, and improved production and longevity once they reach the lactating herd.

Because heifers are the building blocks of a herd, it is important to breed them at the correct time. “In order to breed heifers at the appropriate maturity relative to mature body weight, you have to know what your mature body weight is,” the extension specialist said. Target heifers to reach 80% to 85% of mature body weight at first calving. The number of heifers that are bred should be based upon cull rate, target cull rate, pregnancy rate, conception rate, and expansion plans. “We don’t just want to keep heifers for the sake of keeping heifers,” she said. Be tenacious when selecting which heifers will help the herd and which ones will struggle. “If she is struggling earlier in life, she is going to struggle for the rest of her life,” Carpenter said.

Monitoring heifers can seem like extra work, but in the end is critical for helping a farm’s bottom line. Investing in a sick animal results in a sunk cost for the herd. Some recommendations to make heifer management easier include heat synch protocols, activity monitoring, following protocol compliance, and regularly detecting heats. “Sometimes there is lower hanging fruit we can use without making a massive investment,” the extension specialist stated. Do what works best for your farm, but don’t let your eyes glaze over the heifer barn.