Internal Expansion

Farm Resources and Expected Production Changes

Authors

  • A. Villarroel Dept. of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
  • V. M. Lane Dept. of Population Health and Reproduction, College of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, CA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20074563

Keywords:

expansion rate, culling rate, stillbirths, infertility

Abstract

Internal expansion rate of dairy farms is controlled by the culling rate of the farm and the number of replacement heifers that can be raised to the point of calving. Commonly, farmers assume that 50% of their cows will produce heifer calves and count on having all these heifers join the milking herd two years later. However, this assumption is flawed and fails to account for other factors such as stillbirths, death during the calfhood period and infertility.

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Published

2007-09-20

Issue

Section

Research Summaries 1

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