Select Sires

Solutions to Improve Reproduction
(Part Two)
Transcript of Select Sires' Reproductive Moment Program
on DairyLine Radio Which Aired June 23, 2005
With Jeff Stephenson, professor of animal sciences,
Kansas State University

This week's Reproductive Moment is a continuation from last week with Jeff Stephenson, professor of Animal Sciences at Kansas State University. Last week, Jeff, we began our discussion of solutions to improve reproduction, and we are picking up where we left off. Let’s talk about the cow’s body condition.

Body condition is something that is probably more important than we realize. We know that cows that are losing body weight, losing body condition, are not going to be as fertile as those that are on a positive plane, or are gaining body condition, gaining weight. Most studies have demonstrated that if a cow goes into a negative energy balance, it reaches a date about two weeks into milk and then it takes about eight to twelve weeks before she is back to a positive energy balance. A positive energy balance means that she is consuming enough feed to support the energy that is being secreted in milk or excreted in body waste. It takes some time for that to occur, and cows that are losing condition or losing weight are not going to be very fertile. We need to do everything we can to make sure that cows start consuming adequate amounts of dry matter intake as early as possible. The transition period from the dry period into the early lactation is just critical to get cows started on the right step.

You also emphasize a proper nutrition diet.

That's right, balanced nutrition, it goes without saying. We can put feed in front of cattle, but unless it is balanced properly for the nutrients that provide the necessary essentials to support body functions, that cow is not going to produce milk. She is not going to reproduce. And so body condition, dry matter intake, nutrition and balanced diets all go hand-in-glove.

With all that said, Jeff, there is still the climate you have to deal with, and the seasons.

That is correct. Just about anyone who is in the dairy business in the United States is going to have some type of seasonal problems, seasonal heat stress problems. It is just a matter of duration. Here in south Florida we are going to have a long stress period compared to the upper midwest or the northwest where you maybe have 60 days of heat stress. It is a matter of managing it properly and doing whatever we can to provide heat abatement -- whether that is fans, sprinklers, or other methods to allow those cows to be as comfortable as possible so that we don’t lose milk production. More importantly, we maintain reasonable fertility during those periods of heat stress.

Thanks, Jeff. We will wrap up our talk about solutions to improve reproduction on next week’s Reproductive Moment. That is Jeff Stephenson, professor of Animal Sciences at Kansas State University.

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