Boost Your Repro Program with Increased Compliance

by Roy Wilson Technology Development Manager Genex Cooperative, Inc.

Is compliance the largest culprit of reproductive problems on your dairy farm?

Today's dairy industry professionals have adopted many new technologies and techniques, however, no new advancement except for artificial insemination (A.I.), may be as widespread and accepted as synchronization. Nevertheless, this "tool" is only as good as the operator.

Think about Ovsynch®: Science has proven if a cow receives a GnRH shot on day one, PGF2 on day seven and GnRH on day nine the majority of cows will ovulate. Keep in mind, science did not prove if a cow receives a GnRH shot on day one, PGF2 on day eight and GnRH on day nine that the cow will ovulate.

Why is Compliance a Must?

Reproduction impacts your bottom line. Following scientifically-proven synchronization protocols correctly is your best bet for positively impacting your bottom line. Look at examples one and two, to the right.

These examples demonstrate the potential devastation incompliance can have on a reproductive program. However, knowing your compliance rate may not be as simple as seeing all the cows crossed off the list. It may actually be one of the most diffi cult issues for a farm to address. Here are some tips to discover your compliance rate and to help promote compliance:

1. First and foremost, take time to educate the employee(s) who administer the shots and breed the cows. If he/she understands why each shot is important and why timing is crucial, there will be more buy-in and the employee will take ownership in the program.

2. Increase compliance by working with the individual in charge of following the protocol. When an employee comes back with cows not crossed off, do not reprimand him/her. Instead, thank him/her for notifying you and assist in finding the animals. You may find the cows were culled and not yet entered in the computer, or they were possibly moved to a different pen.

3. If you are uncertain about compliance, create a phantom cow on the list. If the list comes back with the cow crossed off, you know compliance is a problem that may need to be addressed.

4. Calculate how much GnRH, CIDRs or PGF2 .you should go through in a month according to the protocols and recommended dosage level. Then watch the inventory for fluctuations.