Improving herd replacements

How does optimising your herd replacement programme lower the risk of disease?

One of the most obvious things to do would be to have a closed herd, which means that you are not bringing in disease from other sources and mixing animals. Taking TB as an example, you are lowering the risk of getting new disease and being shut off, and ultimately not being able to bring in animals when you want.

In terms of other diseases, another big advantage is that by not mixing with other cattle, you lower the risk of animal-to-animal infection, but also start to limit wildlife, get animals properly grown and maintain health status of whole herd.

Will it save farmers money?

Saving money is always a difficult one, however if you grow your animals well from the beginning you will not need to buy as much food. Target growth of 700 grams a day should be easy to achieve from within the herd area of land. There is no need to spend a lot of money on feed unless you miss your targets and have to play catch up. Other costs can be controlled by following the basic rules, having a system and making sure you do things in a logical manner. Having fewer groups of animals and simple systems will also reduce costs.

Are there any drawbacks to investing?

One drawback is cash: it costs a lot of money and you have to show that money upfront. You take a calf and it takes two years to fully grow and enter the herd, so that money is tied up. The benefit is that you know what you are getting, you are in control and you can make sure you have properly grown animals, which is a great advantage. Improving your herd replacement rate is very much about seeing what resources are available and keeping to a very logical, very simple system. Drawbacks can be turned into benefits in the long run.

What is Houghton Lodge Farm doing well and where can they improve?

In terms of setting up the dairy unit from a standing start, the progress has been startling.  The facilities have been rebuilt, the land reseeded, fenced and tracks etc. laid and a large dairy herd established.  New staff have been brought together to develop a team and their skills have grown rapidly.

From a heifer rearing aspect, the farm’s outlying land is rough permanent pasture with many limitations, but there is opportunity to improve the grassland performance. In terms of starting to keep youngstock and rear them on, they will initially tie up capital.  If they do it right, they will know what animals they have got coming in and they can plan for the right type of animal in terms of genetics, growth rate etc.

These heifers will be already used to grazing and have the same disease status as the main herd. This will allow the herd to make more rapid progress while also growing the capital base for the business. It does have potential risks but the pay back will be significant.  One aspect that is important is to ensure that the new enterprise is properly resourced with adequate facilities.  Without these, it will prove a lot harder and could lead to disappointment.

I think having just started on this course, they are very aware that they need to spend more attention ensuring they are doing their job correctly and everything is maximised.

Five top tips to improve herd replacement management

1. Make sure heifers are reared properly and growing healthily.  Don’t treat them as the ‘Cinderella’ enterprise – the forgotten ones.
2. All young stock need to get their colostrum within hours of birth, as it is the best defence for their immune systems. Feed three litres within two hours of the first milk; this is essential!
3. Have a clear view of what the targets for your herd are – understand what your herd average weight is and make sure that the animals are growing at the right pace
4. Ensure they are vaccinated
5. Get them in calf for two years, there’s no advantage in having older animals