Economic impact of reproductive performance in dairy herds and approaches for program selection

Abstract

Implementation of an effective reproductive management program is critical to success of dairy operations, as herd reproductive performance is inextricably linked to farm profitability. Therefore, understanding the multiple sources of variation in herd cash flow affected by reproductive management is fundamental to support informed decisions when defining reproductive management or level of desired herd performance. Ideally, selecting a reproductive management program or level of desired reproductive performance is based on an objective measure of expected profitability. Approaches available for determination of the economic impact of reproductive management programs include: (1) decision support tools that simulate dairy herd dynamics and economics; (2) extrapolation of expected trends in profitability gain for changes in reproductive metrics (e.g. 21 day pregnancy rate or days open); and (3) extrapolation of results from research experiments conducted through simulation or on commercial dairy farms. This review includes a summary of the main factors associated with reproductive management that contribute to variation in herd profitability and a brief description of approaches available to support selection of reproductive management programs based on their expected economics.