The 2020/21 breeding season is under way on autumn-calving Dairylink farms. The aim is to get as many eligible milking cows and maiden heifers served and in-calf as quickly as possible.

A key benefit of block autumn calving is the gradual improvement it brings to herd fertility, because cows that are slow to get in calf leave the herd or at least do not breed replacements.

Phase two Dairylink participants are now seeing that after a few years of having this approach to breeding, more cows are calved down and eligible for serving by the start of the breeding season each year.

It effectively has a snowball effect on herd fertility, as tightening and maintaining a compact calving profile gets easier over time.

Stronger heats

With more cows coming on heat in a shorter period, heats should be stronger and easier to detect, which helps fertility performance too.

It is easier to get many cows in-calf over a short period of time, rather than few cows in-calf over a long period.

Block autumn calving suits several Dairylink farmers, because their cows have the genetic potential to respond well to concentrate feeding.

The system allows cows to produce milk from good-quality silage and concentrates over the winter.

By early spring, the bulk of the herd are settled in-calf and over peak lactation and are therefore well suited to being turned out to grass once ground conditions allow.

Autumn calving also allows programme participants to capitalise on winter bonus payments, which are paid in November and December for Lakeland suppliers.

On the young stock front, a tight calving block means that heifer calves form a uniform group, which is easier to manage throughout the rearing process.

This means more heifers will be at target weights and eligible for AI at the start of breeding the following year.