A lot of spring calving farms now target a 90% submission rate within the first three weeks of the breeding season, but is it worth it?

Firstly, we must remember that achieving a 90% submission rate in three weeks does not mean you will have 90% of the herd calving down within three weeks next spring, as there will be plenty of cows that do not hold on to their first service.

If we take the average 100-cow herd, a 90% submission rate will mean 90 cows served in those three weeks.

But with an average conception rate at first serving of 60% when using sexed semen, it is likely that only 54 of these cows will actually be impregnated in that time.

That puts the farm well on track to achieve a 90% six-week calving rate.

Hitting these targets will means cows are in milk for longer periods, which in turn generates more solids and ultimately leads to healthier milk cheques.

However, if you do not have farm labour on hand, achieving a 90% three-week submission rate will be tough going, not to mention the work involved in a 90% six-week calving season.

That is why it is worthwhile sitting down and looking at your own figures, asking yourself if you are happy with a compact labour intensive calving season which pushes profits, or if you would rather a more relaxed season in which the milk cheque will be slightly reduced, but so would labour intensity.

Submission rate

If you are looking to achieve that 90% three-week submission rate, you must be on top of your pre-breeding checks and acting on any identified issues accordingly.

4.3% of the herd needs to be submitted each day at the beginning of the breeding season, which would be five cows a day for a 100-cow herd.

To achieve this, heat detection should have already be underway, identifying any non-bullers in the herd and putting a plan in place for them.

Waiting until breeding has already started to detect cows that are not cycling means that you will be at least three weeks into breeding before treatment can occur.

Aside from that, keeping on top of the diet is also crucial to ensure the cow's dry matter intake and energy requirements are still being maintained.

Thankfully we finally have a bit of good weather upon us which should get grass growing, but farms that have overgrazed in the last month must situate themselves in a position where feed is available to meet these requirements.

If grass is in deficit, feeding a small bit of extra silage or meal might be no harm to keep on top of requirements.

Considering a mid-day feed of soya hulls or beet pulp might also be worth it in a bid to increase the energy and dry matter intake of the herd.

Remember, reproductive performance goes beyond effective heat detection, it requires optimal body condition score, disease control, pre-breeding checks and intervention, as well as the genetics of the herd.

Cost of a missed heat

A Teagasc study conducted in 2021 estimated that a missed heat could cost up to €149.50 in a 12-week breeding season.

The costs associated were a combination of slippage in calving date, which was estimated to cost €52.90, as well as the increased likelihood of a cow being empty, which was estimated to cost €96.60.

Although it may not seem like much as a stand alone figure, if 10 cows miss heat, that could equate to €1,495, and we must consider how that figure will have risen in the last five years.

The research highlighted how dairy cows were typically more active than usual for a period of around 17 hours during heat, but 55% showed standing heat for less than eight hours.

The study also identified that due to the random nature of standing heat, cows need to be heat detected three times a day.

This highlights the importance of effective heat detection through methods such as tail painting and scratch cards.

However, recently heat detection technology such as collars have made the process far easier, essentially removing the need for tail painting.