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Optimizing Breeding Decisions for Finnish Dairy Herds

Optimering av inseminationstidpunkt för finska mjölkbesättningar

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 41, pages 199–212 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of reproductive performance on profitability and optimal breeding decisions for Finnish dairy herds. We used a dynamic programming model to optimize dairy cow insemination and replacement decisions. This optimization model maximizes the expected net revenues from a given cow and her replacements over a decision horizon. Input values and prices reflecting the situation in 1998 in Finland were used in the study.

Reproductive performance was reflected in the model by overall pregnancy rate, which was a function of heat detection and conception rate. Seasonality was included in conception rate. The base run had a pregnancy rate of 0.49 (both heat detection and conception rate of 0.7). Different scenarios were modeled by changing levels of conception rate, heat detection, and seasonality in fertility.

Reproductive performance had a considerable impact on profitability of a herd; good heat detection and conception rates provided an opportunity for management control. When heat detection rate decreased from 0.7 to 0.5, and everything else was held constant, net revenues decreased approximately 2.6%. If the conception rate also decreased to 0.5 (resulting in a pregnancy rate of 0.25), net revenues were approximately 5% lower than with a pregnancy rate of 0.49. With lower fertility, replacement percentage was higher and the financial losses were mainly from higher replacement costs.

Under Finnish conditions, it is not optimal to start breeding cows calving in spring and early summer immediately after the voluntary waiting period. Instead, it is preferable to allow the calving interval to lengthen for these cows so that their next calving is in the fall. However, cows calving in the fall should be bred immediately after the voluntary waiting period. Across all scenarios, optimal solutions predicted most calvings should occur in fall and the most profitable time to bring a replacement heifer into a herd was in the fall. It was economically justifiable to keep breeding high producing cows longer than low producing cows.

Sammendrag

Meningen med denna studie var att evaluera effekten av reproduktionsresultat på lönsamheten och den optimala inseminationstidpunkten i finska mjölkbesättningar. Vi använde en dynamisk programmeringsmodell, utvecklad for att optimera beslut gällande inseminering och rekrytering av mjölkkor. Denna optimeringsmodell maximerar de väntade totalinkomsterna för en given ko och hennes ersättare över en beslutsperiod. Inputvärden och priser reflekterande den finska situationen år 1998 användes i studien.

Reproduktionsresultatet reflekterades i modellen av totalt dräktighetsresultat, som i modellen var en produkt av brunstdetektion och befruktningsresultat. Årstidseffekter beaktades i befruktningsresultatet. Baskörningen hade dräktighetsresultatet 0.49 (både brunstdetektion och befruktningsresultat var 0.7) och speglar situationen i Finland. Fiera olika scenarier iscensattes genom att förändra befruktningsresultat, brunstdetektion och årstidseffekter på fruktbarheten. Reproduktionsresultatet hade en betydande inverkan på besättningens lönsamhet; hög brunstdetektion och högt befruktningsresultat erbjöd möjligheter art kontrollera insemineringstidpunkter och övriga rutiner. När brunstdetektionen sänktes från 0.7 till 0.5, medan alla andra faktorer hölls konstanta sjönk den totala inkomsten med cirka 2.6%. Om även befruktningsresultatet sjönk till 0.5 (vilket resulterar i ett totalt dräktighetsresultat på 0.25), var den totala inkomsten cirka 5% lägre än vid ett dräktighetsresultat på 0.49. Med lägre fruktbarhet var rekryteringsprocenten högre och utgifterna ökades främst av högre rekryteringskostnader.

Under finska förhållanden är det inte optimalt att börja seminera kor som kalvat på vår och tidig sommar genast efter den rekommenderade tomperioden; det lönar sig i stället att tillåta en förlängning av kalvningsintervallet så art deras nästa kalvning blir på hösten. Kor som kalvar på hösten borde dock semineras genast efter den rekommenderade tomperioden. I alla de optimala lösningarna skedde de fiesta kalvningarna på hösten och den mest lönsamma tiden för introduktion av en rekryteringskviga i besättningen var på hösten. Det är ekonomiskt befogat att seminera högproducerande kor flera gånger än lågproducerande kor.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, 1900 Coffey Road, 43210, Columbus, OH, USA

    P. J. Rajala-Schultz

  2. Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland

    P. J. Rajala-Schultz

  3. Section of Epidemiology, Dept. of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Y. T. Gröhn & H. G. Allore

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  1. P. J. Rajala-Schultz
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  2. Y. T. Gröhn
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  3. H. G. Allore
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Correspondence to P. J. Rajala-Schultz.

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Rajala-Schultz, P.J., Gröhn, Y.T. & Allore, H.G. Optimizing Breeding Decisions for Finnish Dairy Herds. Acta Vet Scand 41, 199–212 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03549651

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147