As we ease past the halfway mark in scanning our spring-calving herds, we’ve taken some time to take stock of the numbers.
Our analysis (so far) indicates that the average 6-week in-calf rate across Anexa clients is sitting at 75% (based on 200+ herds within our database) – this is up a couple of percent compared to last season’s final result. This is a pleasing trend – given that last year was an improvement from the 2023 season.
It’s still a bit early to have accurate ‘empty rate’ figures, as there are still herds who haven’t done their final pregnancy test at the time of writing this article… However, the on-the-day percentage of empty cows is sitting at around 11%. So, we’ll let you know the final results in a later update. Personally, I feel like clients took mating very seriously this season, knowing that there were some factors that meant you were on the back foot, and by taking control of the things that you could influence, you’ve managed to achieve better results!
Once you have your scanning results – what do you do with them – so you can find out which of the changes actually made a difference?
When the results are already excellent, it’s easy to know that all your hard work has paid off. But, when you’ve thrown the book at mating and changed a lot of things – you’ll need someone from the outside to go through the data with you and ensure you know what actually worked!
That means, NOW is the time to figure it out so that you can try and plan ahead to next season to make use of the better results e.g., next season – do you cull more cows, sell some surplus, milk more cows?
The best time for making sense of your pregnancy testing results is now, because spring is still fresh in our minds, and we can remember what was happening on the farm leading up to and during mating. By taking the time now to dig into the details and figure out what went well (or otherwise!) will pay off with better results next season.
As part of our Anexa scanning service to our clients, we can sit down and review your pregnancy test report with you and possibly identify key areas to focus further on. We have a long list of Anexa veterinarians that are InCalf trained (which also means they’re extra enthusiastic about reproduction), who can delve deeper into the data if you want further advice or support.
We’ll try to be organised and contact you first, but if you haven’t heard from us shortly (after we scan your herd), then feel free to give us a nudge to book your free post-scanning review.
