Heifer management and AI go hand-in-hand
UNIVERSITY PARK -
Forecasts for the dairy industry
indicate that dairymen will be
challenged to be better managers
than ever before. Furthermore,
the cattle they manage must be
efficient producers.
Heifer management is the first
crucial step to improving the ef
ficiency and future performance of
the herd, according to Michael
O’Connor, Penn State Extension
dairy specialist. Generally 25 to 30
percent of the replacement heifers
are daughters of heifers them
selves. This represents a sizable
portion of the future herd.
Dairymen who are not currently
using artificial insemination (AI)
for their heifers should consider
taking advantage of this
management tool. The most recent
USDA sire summary indicates that
active AI bulls have a 1042 pounds
predicted difference milk ad
vantage over non-AI bulls.
By using AI dairymen are
making more efficient use of their
heifers which are genetically the
better animals in the herd,
O’Connor said. Using natural
service does not allow the
dairyman to reap this potential.
Secondly heifer calves resulting
from natural service will add very
little to the development of the
herd.
When a dairyman turns a bull
loose with the heifers he is making
a number of assumptions. He
assumes the bull is fertile, capable
of mounting and breeding, free of
disease and abnormal traits and
does not sire abnormally traits and
does not sire abnormally large
calves. Assumptions can be
dangerous and costly. On the other
hand, the AI sire is examined and
tested for reproductive soundness
and disease.
Semen quality and fertility are
routinely monitored. Not only is
accurated production and type
data summarized for AI sires but
calving ease information is also
readily available to dairymen,
available, the risks involved in a
heifer AI program are much less
compared to natural service,
O’Connor added.
Another advantage of AI is that
breeding dates are recorded and
calving dates can be more ac
curately predicted. Thus a
dairyman can better plan and
control the time his heifers
freshen. Natural service does not
allow for accurate record keeping.
Furthermore, an AI program
with effective heat detection will
allow the dairyman to record
breeding dates and determine
which heifers are not cycling. Such
heifers can be examined by the
veterinarian and the problems
diagnosed. In a pasture breeding
situation these problem heifers
would not be identified until
considerable time is lost. Such
heifers would not be freshening at
the optimum age and this is costly
in the long run.
Even if a dairyman wants to
delay breeding heifers in order
that they freshen at the end of the
milk diversion program, delayed
pasture breeding is not the best
alternative, O’Conner said.
Breeding to a subfertile or an in
fected bull will cause a significant
delay in time to conception, much
more than the dairyman intended.
A better alternative would be to
establish an intensive heat
detection and AI program for the
heifers over a four or five week
period.
Use of estrous synchronization
methods can be very useful in this
regard. Breeding and subsequent
calving periods can be planned in
advance to coincide with milk
production other management
IT’S MAGIC \ PHONE
How quickly '
extrazine™
IHERBICIDE
SATISFIED PERFORMANCE
AGREEMENT
Brood-Spectrum Weed Control In A Single Jug
AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS & HERBICIDES
JONAS S. EBERSOL
V/z Miles North of Bird-In-Hand
2689 Stumptown Road
Bird-In-Hand, PA 17505
PROWL* GUARANTEED
CONTROL OF TRIAZINE
RESISTANT PIGWEED.
PROWL"' herbicide gives you
control of pigweed, including
those types that have become resis
tant to some other herbicides
And you can get PROWL right
now at the lowest cost ever See
us and get guaranteed control
of grasses and major broadleaf
weeds, including triazine-resis
tant pigweed
DO NOT incorporate PROWL
in corn Always read and follow
label directions carefully
PROWL. YOUR BEST HERBICIDE VALUE.
SEE YOUR
LOCAL DEALER
objectives. Remember that heifers
are generally the most fertile
animals in the herd and very ac
ceptable conception rates can be
achieved through AI.
For efficient production in the
future, dairymen should seriously
consider using AI for their heifers,
O’Connor said. Breeding heifers to
unproven bulls retards im
provement, reduces the number of
quality herd replacements and it
involves other risks which may be
quite costly.
cyanamid
Ayrk-unural Olvi«t*n
Ham curing
is revised
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Beginning April 15,
the U.S. Department of
Agriculture started
regulating the amoung
of curing solution in
ham and other cured
pork products by
requiring minimum
protein levels.
“USDA has found that
measuring protein in
the finished product
instead of estimating
the amount of curing
solution used in
processing the cured
pork products will
provide a more ac
curate basis for
determining com
pliance with the federal
standards that assure
wholesome, accurately
labeled products,” said
L.L. Cast, deputy ad
ministrator of USDA’s
Food Safety and In
spection Service.
Previous regulations
permitted no more than
10 percent curing
solution in a finished
cured pork product
labeled “Water Added.”
Under the new
regulation four
categories of canned
ham are allowed and
could be labeled:
“Ham”, if the
product is at least 20.5
percent protein, the
amount previously
found in fresh hams;
“Ham with Natural
Juices” if the product is
at least 18.5 percent
protein, the amount
previously found in
products labeled in this
way;
—“Ham Added
Water” if the product is
at least 17.0 percent
protein, the level found
in hams with 10 percent
added solution; or
—“Ham and Water
Produce - XX% of
Weight is Added
Ingredients” for any
canned ham less than
17.0 percent protein.
The XX would be the
actual percent for that
product