The PregCard study: assessing the impact of routine management strategies on reproductive performance of beef herds in the upper Great Plains

Abstract

Summary data from pregnancy examinations were submitted by participating veterinarians over a 2-year period to assess the impacts of routine management decisions on reproductive performance in beef herds. Upon completion of pregnancy examination, the PregCard was completed by indicating the number of females evaluated, number non-pregnant, female age (cows, heifers, or both), number and age (yearling, mature, or mixed) of bulls used, breeding season dates, and whether groups were exposed to artificial insemination. Data were reported by 8 clinics and included 242,967 females in 1,782 groups. Number of females/bull and breeding season were calculated for each group. Each group was also assigned to categories for females/bull, breeding group size, breeding season length, and age class of breeding bulls. Groups consisting of only cows had greater (P less than or equal to 0.01) reported pregnancy rates compared with groups consisting of only heifers (90.1% and 86.6%, respectively). Reported pregnancy rates were also influenced (P less than or equal to 0.01) by breeding group size, breeding season length, and bull age. Females/bull decisions were impacted (P less than or equal to 0.01) by breeding system (artificial insemination or natural service), and reported pregnancy rates were impacted by a breeding system x females/bull interaction (P less than or equal to 0.001). The PregCard system provided an excellent platform to gather benchmarking data and to assess the impact of routine management practices on reported pregnancy rates in beef herds in the upper Great Plains.