Most farms are hitting the three-week mark of the breeding season and ideally, 90% of cows and 100% of heifers have been submitted for breeding.
However, the work is not done.
Good management of cows post-breeding is vital to prevent embryo loss, which is more important than ever.
Breeding season
The breeding plans on many farms have changed in recent years, with much fewer dairy sires and a lot more beef sires being used on cows.
Only the cows and heifers with the best genetics are being used to produce replacement heifers for the future, which means fewer cows are potentially carrying replacements.
Because of this, embryo loss needs to be avoided where possible.
Although it may be impossible to completely eliminate, it should be possible to reduce the number of potential losses.
Maintaining a high level of good nutrition in early pregnancy is critical in preventing early embryo loss in heifers and cows.
Research has shown that maintaining energy or slightly increasing intakes improves embryo survival, while a decrease in intakes after breeding can have a negative impact on embryo survival.
Placing stress on the cows or heifers in the early stages of pregnancy should also be avoided, as it can also have a negative impact on embryo survival.
Grass
In the lead up to and the first few weeks of breeding, the weather has been a challenge.
This may have placed stress not only on yourself, but on the cows too.
Grass growth and grazing conditions have now improved and issue around feed intakes should be over.
But during this period it is important to get the balance between achieving residuals and ensuring that the cows are getting enough feed.