At this stage of the year most dairy farmers are approaching around week 12 of breeding. Cows served today won’t calve until mid-April, and if a beef bull is used they will probably carry a week or 10 days longer. While the longer the breeding season lasts, the lower the empty rate will be, you have to look at the overall picture. Late-calving cows are a massive cost and a drain on cash as they don’t produce nearly as much as an early calver, but need similar feeding. Best policy to avoid late-calvers is to pull out the bulls now. Some people will say that you will get a higher sale value for a cow in calf versus an empty cow. And while this may be true, in general the sale times are different so the costs of keeping the cow aren’t the same.

Time off

The summer is going fast and holidays would want to be planned now. If bringing in relief, pay them to do a few milkings when you are around to familiarise themselves with the setup and learn the routine. Leave clear and simple instructions for when you are gone.

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Growing a business on leased land

Dairy management notes