Autumn calving cow breeding: Most autumn-calving herds will have started breeding at this stage and cows inseminated this week will calve around 15 August 2017. Autumn-calving herds have a great opportunity to use AI and accelerate genetic gain within the herd. Very high levels of heat detection rates are important if AI is to be successful in any herd. Because cows housed indoors won’t show heats as well as cows outdoors, good observation is key. Underfoot conditions also have an effect on cows showing heat, and straw bedded areas or mats have the advantage over slats or concrete. It’s also important that pens are not overstocked and cows have space to rise and demonstrate heat. Twice-a-day suckling can speed up a cow’s resumption to cycling once a cow has been calved 30 days. This is used very successfully in some autumn-calving herds. There is some extra labour involved at the beginning, however calves get trained quite quickly and the process takes less time. Heat detection aids also play an important role in successful AI. Tail paint, scratch cards, a vasectomised bull or a steer can all be used to help in heat detection. My preferred choice would be a vasectomised bull with a chin ball harness. Make sure the bull is vasectomised at least six weeks before running with cows. Best conception rates are obtained using the AM/PM rule. If a cow is in heat in the morning, serve her that evening, and if a cow is in heat in afternoon, AI her the next morning. If a stock bull is being used, be safety conscious if entering pens when cows are on heat.

Withdrawal Dates: With some farmers housing animals and moving to high-concentrate diets, finish times could be shorter than you think. Take note of withdrawal periods when purchasing dosing products. An albendazole-based product such as Albex has a withdrawal period of 14 days, oxyclozanide-based product Zanil has a withdrawal period of 28 days, while Nitroxynil-based product Trodax has a withdrawal period of 60 days. Emphasis should also be placed on the target parasites and the stage of the lifecycle you are aiming for. Accurate records need to be kept in the blue book with the animal tag number, date the animal was treated and the date the withdrawal ceases all entered.

Dry cow minerals: Don’t forget to feed a good-quality mineral to spring-calving suckler cows, especially in early calving herds. Feeding minerals before calving can result in livelier calves at birth and a reduced amount of retained placenta. In general, mineral deficiencies can be quite farm-specific, and the first port of call should be to get your vet to take a random blood sample of in-calf cows in the herd and get it analysed for trace elements. Minerals can then be formulated to meet your needs. Low levels of copper, iodine and selenium can occur in certain areas around the country, and this can have knock-on effects in herd fertility at breeding time. It is recommended to supplement dry suckler cows six to eight weeks prior to calving.