SELECTIONS - Spring 2007
Select RePRO Analysis™:
Finding Ways to Improve Reproduction
Ask any dairy producer today what challenges he faces and one thing is guaranteed to make the short list: getting cows bred. The mission of Select Reproductive Solutions™ (SRS™) is to do "whatever it takes to increase the production of pregnant cows." SRS offers a Portfolio of Reproductive Solutions™, part of which is Select RePRO Analysis™, a software program that helps dairy producers use records effectively to assist in the analysis and implementation of management decisions and ultimately, find ways to improve reproduction.
At Mercer Vu Farms Inc., Mercersberg, Pa., Rod Hissong’s family operation milks 1,360 head. Herdsman Jason Irwin is an integral part of the operation. Mercer Vu began utilizing Select RePRO Analysis about a year ago. "We were beating ourselves up over all these details," Irwin said. "We felt our first service conception rate could be higher and we were looking for ways to improve."
Kirk Sattazahn, central marketing manager for Select Sire Power, and Dr. Ray Nebel, senior reproductive specialist – field services for Select Sires, ran Mercer Vu’s Dairy Plan data through Select RePRO Analysis to break their records down into easy-to-understand charts and graphs. Matt Hershey, reproductive specialist in the area, has also worked closely with Mercer Vu and many other operations.
"It was finding a little thing here and a little thing there to work on," Hissong said. "Finding 10 things to change 10 percent is impossible, but this program helps us find a few important things to change 1 percent."
Nebel noticed that the herd’s conception rate for first-calf heifers was lower than desired and recommended a vaccination program including protection against Lepto hardjo. "That’s the first thing I always recommend when I see that problem," Nebel said. "It has worked great for this herd and improved their conception rate for first-calf heifers."
RePRO Analysis charts A.I. service, heat detection, conception and pregnancy rates and produces graphs such as Days in Milk at Conception, Lactation Insemination Analysis or Weekly Profile of Eligible and Pregnant, for example. Reproductive specialists work with producers to identify reproduction goals that are charted against actual results. Regional and national results can also be included so producers can see how the herd is performing compared to their peer groups, something that is not available in any other herd management programs today.
Making Data Easy to Understand
Hissong sees the graphs as the biggest advantage. “It’s nice to have focused data presented in a really appealing way. This program pulls everything together in reports that every person who works for us can understand,” he said. He has even had larger graphs made to post in the barn so everyone can be reminded of their goals and progress.
Their first service conception rate is now 33 percent, with 38 percent for first lactation cows, higher than most producers regionally.
Using All of Select’s Services to Improve Reproduction
Mercer Vu is also taking advantage of the Select Mating Service (SMS). Evaluator Michelle Cornman visits the herd every other week and inputs the matings into their computer. "She’s looking at every cow every time they freshen and that consistency is very valuable," Irwin said. "It’s like clockwork and it’s integrated into our Dairy Plan."
Prior to using SMS, another A.I. company’s mating program was in place at Mercer Vu. "Our tank was empty a few times with them," Hissong said. "I think Select takes it up a notch. I like the team approach offered from Select Sires."
Taking advantage of SRS, SMS and Select Sires genetics have been keys to success for Mercer Vu. "I believe our change to Select has improved our reproduction," Hissong said.
More Success with RePRO Analysis
Logan Bower milks 500 Holsteins in Blain, Pa., and has been using Select RePRO Analysis since it was first introduced in the fall of 2005. He learned about it at a Select Sire Power meeting and immediately knew he was interested in running the program with his data. "In the beginning we met twice a year to review the analysis but now it’s about four to six times a year," Bower said.
He was already using Dairy Comp, but felt he could get something more from Select RePRO Analysis. "The graphs are the difference between this and PC Dart and Dairy Comp." Bower said. "This gives you nice color-coded graphs that you can look right at and understand. I’m the kind of a person that sees things easier on graphs and charts and these are all well-designed. You can get overloaded with facts and figures and statistics but this drills it down into what you need to be looking at."
After consulting with Sattazahn and Nebel, Bower quickly realized a change that needed to be made in his reproduction program. "The first big decision we made after the analysis was to go with a 100 percent timed-A.I. program, which we implemented last June. You can see on the graph where we went to 100 percent timed-A.I. The scatter graph shows how all of the sudden, it lines right up." Their 21-day pregnancy rate jumped from 14 to 22 percent, a sure-fire indicator of success.
People Make the Difference
Bower also sees working with reproductive specialists as a huge advantage that is not available through other software programs. "I don’t have a lot of time to look through all the data so working with Kirk and Dr. Nebel helped me see what I need to see," he said. "Reproduction is their area of expertise so I let them run with that and tell me what I should be looking at. All the programs offer this kind of information, but RePRO Analysis condenses it and pinpoints the important things."
Another area for improvement found through RePRO Analysis has Bower now looking to increase reproduction on second and third lactation animals. "We have a lower pregnancy rate on those animals," Bower said. "We now have a voluntary waiting period of 70 days. We bumped up the waiting period two more weeks to see if we could get a better conception rate." The results from this change aren’t in yet, but when they are, RePRO Analysis will make it easy to see if this management decision was as successful as anticipated.
Setting Goals
While the reproductive specialists work with producers to identify the proper goals, producer input is also encouraged. "Kirk gave us suggested goals and then he asked, 'what are your goals?' So we kind of have a hybrid between the two." Regional and national goals are also good indicators of success. "I’ll definitely be looking at those to benchmark myself against the nation’s producers," Bower said.
Bower will continue to use RePRO Analysis in order to strive for constant improvement. "With any decision you make, the more information that you have, the easier it is to make that decision. This gives me more confidence to make the right decisions."
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Rod Hissong and Jason Irwin, Mercer Vu Farms Inc., Mercersburg, Pa., discuss results from Select RePRO Analysis with Kirk Sattazahn, central marketing manager, Select Sire Power.
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™Select Reproductive Solutions, SRS, Select RePRO Analysis and Portfolio of Reproductive Solutions are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.
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