Creating success with what you have is the goal when it comes to cow longevity for farmers. Recently, keeping cows in the herd longer may be a route that some farmers are choosing to take as cow and heifer prices continue to skyrocket. As replacement costs continue to rise, longevity is a main area of focus on dairy farms.

Cow longevity is defined as the productive life of an individual cow, while productive life is defined as the amount of time from a cow’s first calving until it leaves the herd. Over the years, the amount of time that a cow remains in the herd has fluctuated as new research and data hits the surface. In a Cornell PRO-DAIRY webinar, veterinarian Kaitlyn Briggs gave insight as to how to achieve cow longevity from a management standpoint.

While cow longevity is impacted by performance and health, herd longevity is determined by breeding and young stock rearing decisions. This is where the management factor comes into play. Focusing on your breeding and young stock programs sets the scene for how the cow contributes to the herd. Typically, farmers breed for and will keep cows that maximize milk production, get pregnant, and have few or no health events. “With a finite number of spots in the herd, you want the healthiest and most productive cows,” Briggs noted.

Research has shown that cows in the United States stick around the farm for just 2.5 lactations on average, which is shorter than other countries even though U.S. cows produce the most milk. This shows that farmers may be choosing to make culling decisions before cows become problematic, affecting longevity rates. Incidences such as mastitis, disease, and lameness should all be recorded and used as a reflection point to make adequate culling decisions.

Ensure that workers understand how to enter data into the farm’s recording system. Identify areas of improvement on the dairy and dial in on them as an area of focus. Any focus area that is managed correctly will ultimately lead to better cow longevity. “Dairy farmers can and will successfully manage to whatever outcome they are targeting,” said the veterinarian. If looking for more insight, consider navigating longevity through the lens of an outside perspective. Bringing in someone who isn’t on the farm everyday could help you identify areas of improvement that could ultimately make your herd become more successful and last longer.


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(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2025
January 23, 2025
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