The past year of the project has been really enjoyable, watching our six farmers go through different change processes. Each and every one has seen business change begin on their units and as each change takes place, they have become braver about the next that we have waiting in the wings for them.

However, these changes are not just fly by night guesswork. All are carefully considered, and all have started from the exact same point – the collection and analysis of data. All farm businesses across the world are sitting on vast gold mines of good-quality data and when harnessed, it offers fantastic insights to the business.

Initially we started with the business reviews, looking at the farm accounts and digging in to each enterprise to see what it contributed to the bottom line and where the opportunities were. Then we started gathering more detailed data.

This year, all of the farms are keeping more detailed records during calving with a record sheet that has been matched to the Beef Efficiency Scheme (BES) diary. This has the benefit of simplifying the data recording process on the farms and also making the data across the herd more accessible to ourselves for digging deeper in to performance.

All of the farms, to one extent or another, retain some of their own heifers for breeding and harnessing the data on these heifers and their dams, paired with their visual appearance will lead to a higher performing herd long term. As is often said: “You get what you select for”.

Looking at the data gathered under BES, the following traits are measured:

1. The level of assistance required at birth

Scores are:

  • 0: no assistance.
  • 1: manual pull.
  • 2: calving jack.
  • 3: caesarean.

    • A statement often heard is: “No one wants to calve cows anymore”.

    Perhaps having less need to calve cows in the first place would make keeping cattle a more pleasurable experience. Having less need to calve cows reduces the labour requirement of keeping cattle. Reducing calving interventions also improves fertility. The application of traction to a cow at calving means longer recovery to bulling.

    Some trial work has shown that as you move up through the interventions above, an extra week of recovery is required at each level.

    By recording the assistance level, heifers from cows that do not require assistance can be selected to join the herd. Maternal calving ease traits are quite heritable, with pelvic size being one of the most heritable traits of all. Some vet practices are now offering a pelvic measuring service to help with the selection decisions.

    2. Cow aggressiveness

    This is a more subjective score than assistance, however, it is equally as useful. Cow aggressiveness at calving has two effects on the business. Firstly, a nervous cow will generally produce a nervous calf. Experimental work around the world has shown that calves of a more nervous disposition grow at a slower speed than the rest of a batch, with some trials suggesting as much as 0.3kg/day of difference. At current prices, this is a 60-70p/head/day difference between animals. Over a 200-day winter, the nervous calf could be as much as 60kg lighter than its peers.

    The other aspect of aggressive cows is the health and safety risk. Aggressive cows pose a greater danger to those caring for the stock and with less people working on farms now, can any business afford to be without key members of staff at one of the busiest times of the year? What if it is you yourself?

    3. Calf vigour

    Calf vigour is again a subjective score. However, it is measured in relation to the rest of the calves born in your herd. Calf vigour is driven by the cow’s diet, instincts and genetics. Generally, cows are fed on the same diet across batches, hopefully diet is not flagged by this measure. A vigorous calf means one that is alert, up and sucking.

    Many post-mortems on calves with pneumonia show that whilst bacterial exposure was the cause of the infection, a lack of colostrum early in life is the main reason for the infection getting out of control. Vigorous calves get up and get that colostrum, meaning they are better protected not only from infection in early life but also later in life too.

    With pressure growing on the use of antibiotics in the food chain, picking heifers that were vigorous as calves should mean less need for antibiotics over the animal’s lifetime.

    4. Calf size

    Various tapes and measures are available to put firmer detail on the size, but there is a greater risk of injury gathering the data. Assessing this is often safer to be done as a subjective measurement from outside the pen.

    The size of the calf again leads back to the ease with which it is born and thus to its vigour. There are two parts to calf size. Some bulls may father a calf that is relatively heavy. However, if the calf is long, it can be delivered unassisted, get up and have a good bellyful of colostrum soon after calving. These calves are of little concern but perhaps the bull they came from would be best kept away from maiden heifers.

    Other large calves may cause all sorts of issues and these are not for selecting for the herd going forward.

    Poorly scoring calves

    A calf that scores poorly on all four measures could be a very expensive calf to keep. We all know that caesareans cost money but do we stop to consider the big calf that was a difficult pull with the jack, that didn’t get up for two days, and the dam chased you out of the pen before you even had the ropes off the calf?

    The calf size and jacking mean that the cow will take 14 days longer to get back in-calf. This means that she has cost an extra £20 to keep for that time. The calving operation will also have taken at least an hour of labour at a value of £12/hour plus another hour over the following two days trying to get the calf up. Her following calf is 14 days younger come the time it is weaned, a further £30 loss in output for the business.

    The lack of vigour means less colostrum intake and a weaker immune system, so the calf perhaps needs a shot of powerful antibiotics along the way, a further £20+, not to mention the loss in performance as it fights the infection.

    Then we add in the fact that the nervous traits from the dam pass down to the calf and lead to a 0.15kg/day reduction in performance. By weaning at 200 days, the calf is 30kg lighter due to nervousness and a further 10kg lighter from the infection. At a value of £2.25/kg, the 40kg of output missing from the calf is equivalent to £90.

    Adding it all up, we have £20 of cow keep, £30 of lost potential from the following calf, £24 of labour at calving, £20+ on antibiotics and £90 of lost performance – a grand total of £184 of lost output from that cow.

    This shows the power of data at our fingertips, and, once we use this information and incorporate it into a breeding plan, it can have significant benefits over a short number of years.