"Moneyball" A new approach to practice

building the perfect team and prioritizing problems in dairy herds

Abstract

It is well known that transition cow diseases negatively affect reproductive performance; thus, profitability and welfare of dairy herds. Prevention of diseases at the herd level requires a constant effort and effective coordination of the total system (animals, environment, nutrition, and personnel). Substantial knowledge exists to prevent many diseases or conditions; however, it must be translated into on-farm applications or practices to have a meaningful effect at the herd level. Reproductive data of dairy herds throughout the United States showed that more than 73% of the variation in pregnancy risk (between bottom 10% and top 10% of herds) was due to management practices and/or environment. Fully trained and competent workers know what to do and how to do it, and have the skills and abilities to do the work. However, competent workers will often fail to perform when conflict or lack of satisfaction, motivation, and/or communication occur, resulting in lower work performance which affects the overall herd productivity. Frequent assessment of performance, educational needs, and training of dairy personnel should be top priorities for dairy operations to achieve a consistent and efficient herd performance over time. Practicing veterinarians regularly visit their clients and are ideally placed to identify at-risk dairy herds likely to benefit from personnel training (e.g., calving management), conflict management, and development of preventive standard operating procedures.