This semester I decided to take a beef science course with the intention of comparing that industry's standard practices with the dairy industry. I have found that, although the cow-calf and feedlot systems have different goals than dairy, many of the management tools are similar. Last week, I was sitting in lecture and my teacher began discussing body condition scoring. The lecture became an in-depth conversation about monitoring weight to balance daily gain and feed costs to allow for economic success.
Accurate body condition scoring allows producers to group cows according to the rations they should receive based on whether they need to gain, lose or maintain their current weight. In the beef industry, scoring is an important part of management that is done on almost every cow-calf operation at various points during the cow's life.
In the dairy industry, we are up against similar challenges, but also must ensure cows have enough energy to make large quantities of milk. For this reason, Virginia Ishler, Penn State extension specialist, recommends body condition scoring cow four times during the production cycle including 30 days after freshening, at first breeding, 200 days into milking and at dry-off.
Maintaining body condition scores toward the middle of the 1 to 5 point range should be a dairy producer's goal. Ishler said it is particularly important to keep dry cows between the tight window of 3.25 and 3.75.
She warned animals that come in above 3.75 would have issues because of their extra condition. Similarly, cows that come in with a score of less than 3.25 would struggle to maintain body weight as they start milking.
Ishler said the task of assigning and managing body condition scores should be a team effort including all members of the farm to ensure grouping strategies and ration formulation are done in a manner that will best maintain healthy weighted cows.
The author was the 26th Hoard's Dairyman editorial intern. She is a senior at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. At KSU, Maggie is double majoring in agricultural communications and journalism and animal sciences and industry. Seiler grew up on a 130-cow registered Holstein dairy in Valley Center, Kan., near Wichita.
