The Partners in Reproduction Series is a collaboration between MSD Animal Health and Agriland Media Group.
In the second part of the series, technical and customer success manager with MSD Animal Health, Catherine Heffernan, spoke with Brendan Ryan, a dairy farmer from Co. Limerick on the use of technology to optimise fertility performance.
This three-part video series will cover a number of topics focused around the breeding season, including: pre-breeding management, selecting the most suitable cows for sexed semen, synchronisation protocols and using technology for optimum fertility performance.
The final video will be released next Wednesday.
Brendan Ryan
Brendan farms in partnership with his parents, with the family milking cows on two blocks.
One of the blocks is owned and the other is leased, with 250 cows calving down this year.
Calving start date was due to be January 31, with calves arriving from January 20 onwards.
60 cows and heifers were bred using a synchronisation programme, with 42 holding to this programme and most of these calved before their due date.
Brendan said that a lot of the heifers calves have been born early in the calving season, and the number of Friesian bulls is down due to sexed semen and beef artificial insemination (AI) being used.
Heat detection
The Ryans installed SenseHub Monitoring Technology on the cows last year, increasing the six-week calving rate by 10%.
Brendan is also using an Allflex drafting system which is integrated to the SenseHub collars on the cows.
Tail painting was the method of heat detection used on the farm, up until last year. Brendan described this as being quite labour intensive.
He noted that during the recent bad weather conditions, Sensehub has been offering them information on the cows and identifying cows that need to be checked by the vet.
Brendan says that earlier detection of problems allows them to deal with them accordingly and ensure that cows are cycling once breeding begins.
He said that the potential to increase the six-week calving rate, labour efficiency and the cows milking on two farms, were all reasons to get behind the decision to install Sensehub Monitoring Technology on the herd.
“During breeding season, anyone can milk the cows here, bring in the cows, set the gates – and the cows that are on heat are in the yard after milking – waiting for the AI man to come.
“It’s such an easy system, we had two family weddings last year in May and it was stress-free knowing that all the cows were caught for AI,” he said.
Drafting
Although milking on two different farms, the cows are all calved on the one farm, before being moved to the second block.
Brendan said that this is easily managed in the Sensehub app, as it allows him to set up two different groups for the different farms.
The home farm has the Allflex drafting system in place, while manual drafting is still required on the second block.
Commenting on how the drafting gate has performed since it was installed last year, Brendan said: “It has been an absolute gift.
“For anyone that is milking here at home, there is nothing to do, anything that is on heat is in the yard and I plan on installing one on the second farm for the upcoming breeding season.”
Sexed semen
The installation has allowed the Ryans to be more precise when inseminating cows with sexed semen.
Before installing SenseHub Monitoring Technology, sexed semen was used on the farm, but timing of insemination was an issue and mixed results were achieved.
Brendan said: “Putting the collars on the cows, and having the Sensehub Breeding Window on the app gave us great confidence. We used a good lot of sexed semen on cows last year.
“We replaced 50 Friesian bulls with beef sired calves this year, due to using more sexed semen.
“That has given use great confidence to use more sexed semen this year and hopefully not have Friesian bulls in the yard next year.”
Health
Improved animal health is also a key feature of Sensehub Monitoring Technology with earlier detection of sick animals possible.
Describing how the Ryan’s use it on their farm, Brendan said: “I have used the health feature a lot this spring.
“We do a lot of grazing in tricky conditions, with just over 30% of the farm grazed now, and it has shown me a couple of times that I have tighten the cows up on grass too much.
“Or had to reallocate them silage at night time or grass during the day to increase their health rate and so far we have not had any LDA’s [left displaced abomasum], which was a bit of issue in the past.”
Partners in Reproduction Series
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