WEBVTT 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:15.060 Breaking free from the chains of the past Where 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:18.820 truth moves faster than a Holstein calf No law 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:21.660 waiting on some printed page We're charting new 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:25.300 ground in the digital age From genomic codes 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:29.120 to robot facts We cut through the noise, no hold 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.460 them back not your daddy's dairy news tonight 00:00:32.460 --> 00:01:03.079 we're sparking Welcome to this deep dive where 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:05.640 we cut through the noise to get you the insights 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:09.790 that actually matter for your operation. We are 00:01:09.790 --> 00:01:12.930 really tearing up one of the oldest sacred cows 00:01:12.930 --> 00:01:15.769 in the dairy industry. We're taking a hard look 00:01:15.769 --> 00:01:17.930 at the traditional voluntary waiting period, 00:01:18.030 --> 00:01:21.870 or VWP, specifically for our first lactation 00:01:21.870 --> 00:01:24.250 heifers. This one's got layers that will make, 00:01:24.269 --> 00:01:26.950 I think, every farmer rethink their approach 00:01:26.950 --> 00:01:29.230 to breeding young stock. We're talking about 00:01:29.230 --> 00:01:32.849 challenging the 50 -day VWP dogma, which, frankly, 00:01:32.989 --> 00:01:35.560 I thought was written in stone. right next to 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:37.060 the Ten Commandments. It really felt that way, 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:39.219 didn't it? For decades, the industry standard 00:01:39.219 --> 00:01:41.959 has been just so rigid. Get them bread. Get that 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:45.000 fresh heifer bread at 50 to 60 days in milk or 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:46.719 you're losing money. That was the whole idea. 00:01:46.900 --> 00:01:49.859 The belief was centered entirely on maximizing 00:01:49.859 --> 00:01:52.400 the frequency of peak lactation. You know, getting 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:54.420 that second calf into the barn as quickly as 00:01:54.420 --> 00:01:56.939 possible. We call that the 50 -day dogma. And 00:01:56.939 --> 00:01:58.959 I'm certainly guilty of it. I mean, if my computer 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:02.239 flags a heifer as cycling at 45 days, my first 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:04.400 impulse is to reach for the breeding box. The 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:07.379 entire industry, from our vets to our consultants, 00:02:07.620 --> 00:02:10.580 teaches us that every day open after 100 days 00:02:10.580 --> 00:02:13.439 is a financial penalty. Exactly. And that instinct, 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:15.460 while, you know, it's financially motivated, 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:18.280 is now colliding head on with the physiological 00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:21.699 reality of the modern high genetic merit heifer. 00:02:22.180 --> 00:02:25.590 These animals are just, they're different. Different 00:02:25.590 --> 00:02:27.349 how? They're producing more milk, they're growing 00:02:27.349 --> 00:02:30.270 faster, and their bodies are making entirely 00:02:30.270 --> 00:02:33.370 different demands than the cows of, say, 30 years 00:02:33.370 --> 00:02:35.389 ago. So what's the counterproposal then? How 00:02:35.389 --> 00:02:37.629 dramatically are we shifting this timeline? Well, 00:02:37.650 --> 00:02:39.449 we're discussing some pretty groundbreaking research, 00:02:39.509 --> 00:02:42.349 actually. Pioneered by Anna Edbertson Rasmussen 00:02:42.349 --> 00:02:45.210 in Sweden, and recently validated in high -performing 00:02:45.210 --> 00:02:47.949 herds across the Netherlands and the U .S. And 00:02:47.949 --> 00:02:50.000 what are they proposing? They propose delaying 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:54.060 first service until 140 to 145 days in milk for 00:02:54.060 --> 00:02:56.360 these primiparous cows. Whoa, stop right there. 00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:01.159 140 days. One, four, zero. Yes. That is essentially 00:03:01.159 --> 00:03:05.199 doubling the traditional VWP. That feels borderline 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.400 irresponsible. It feels like malpractice just 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:09.500 saying it out loud. I get it. What happens if 00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:12.580 I wait that long and she misses? I'm looking 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:16.159 at a 16 -month calving interval and a stale cow 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:18.289 that's just... burning feed, right? That is the 00:03:18.289 --> 00:03:20.030 traditional risk assessment, Jake, but the new 00:03:20.030 --> 00:03:22.189 research completely flips the script on that. 00:03:22.330 --> 00:03:24.050 Okay. You need to understand the stakes here. 00:03:24.289 --> 00:03:27.629 The gain, according to some really intensive 00:03:27.629 --> 00:03:30.810 economic modeling, is dramatic fertility restoration. 00:03:31.250 --> 00:03:33.870 How dramatic. We're talking about improving first 00:03:33.870 --> 00:03:36.490 service conception rates, FSCR, from a typically 00:03:36.490 --> 00:03:39.449 struggling industry average of around 51 percent. 00:03:39.490 --> 00:03:41.449 Meaning half your animals miss. Right. Half miss. 00:03:41.490 --> 00:03:44.530 Up to a stunning 67 percent. 67 percent first 00:03:44.530 --> 00:03:47.550 service. Yeah. That's near the biological theoretical 00:03:47.550 --> 00:03:50.289 maximum. You're saving massive amounts of semen 00:03:50.289 --> 00:03:52.590 and labor right there. Precisely. And when you 00:03:52.590 --> 00:03:55.069 factor in the reduced culling and the increased 00:03:55.069 --> 00:03:58.270 persistency, the economic modeling suggests an 00:03:58.270 --> 00:04:02.949 added profit of between. $1 ,020 and $380 per 00:04:02.949 --> 00:04:05.629 head. Per head. Per head over the course of that 00:04:05.629 --> 00:04:09.250 first lactation cycle. Over $1 ,000 just for 00:04:09.250 --> 00:04:11.569 waiting an extra 90 days. I mean, it's a huge 00:04:11.569 --> 00:04:14.229 claim. If that number holds up, it completely 00:04:14.229 --> 00:04:16.350 changes the relationship between a farmer and 00:04:16.350 --> 00:04:19.069 their heifer. It does. And this is the real controversial 00:04:19.069 --> 00:04:22.970 part. The traditional cost of days open metric, 00:04:23.149 --> 00:04:26.009 it might actually be negative for these highly 00:04:26.009 --> 00:04:28.050 persistent heifers. Negative. You mean it's profitable 00:04:28.050 --> 00:04:30.870 to wait? It can be profitable to intentionally 00:04:30.870 --> 00:04:33.870 delay pregnancy to hit that metabolic sweet spot. 00:04:34.050 --> 00:04:36.230 I am. I'm extremely skeptical about the economics, 00:04:36.329 --> 00:04:39.329 but the biological argument has to be there if 00:04:39.329 --> 00:04:41.610 the conception rate jumps that much. It is. We 00:04:41.610 --> 00:04:44.589 have to unpack the mechanism and the money behind 00:04:44.589 --> 00:04:47.029 this 140 -day strategy, because if this works, 00:04:47.110 --> 00:04:49.509 it changes how we manage every heifer that walks 00:04:49.509 --> 00:04:51.569 into the parlor. Okay, let's do it. Let's unpack 00:04:51.569 --> 00:04:53.449 this by starting with the fundamental physiological 00:04:53.449 --> 00:04:57.689 conflict. Why the 50 -day approach so often fails 00:04:57.689 --> 00:05:00.189 our young cows. Right. And it's not a failure 00:05:00.189 --> 00:05:02.829 of genetics. These heifers are genetically superb. 00:05:03.170 --> 00:05:06.329 But it's a profound failure to respect the hierarchy 00:05:06.329 --> 00:05:08.990 of nutrient partitioning in a growing mammal. 00:05:09.449 --> 00:05:12.110 Okay, let's set the stage. When a Holstein heifer 00:05:12.110 --> 00:05:16.470 calves at, say, 24 months, we see her as a milking 00:05:16.470 --> 00:05:18.730 animal. But she's not. She's an adolescent in 00:05:18.730 --> 00:05:20.569 a lactation suit. That's a great way to put it. 00:05:20.629 --> 00:05:23.189 At calving, even a really well -grown Holstein 00:05:23.189 --> 00:05:26.339 has only achieved maybe... 80 to 85 % of her 00:05:26.339 --> 00:05:28.100 mature body weight. So she still has a lot of 00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:30.319 growing to do. A ton. She needs to add another 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:34.259 150 to 200 kilograms of loon tissue and skeletal 00:05:34.259 --> 00:05:37.040 frame to reach her potential. That is a massive 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:39.639 nutritional sink. Okay. And the moment she freshens, 00:05:39.660 --> 00:05:42.120 she is thrown into what researchers call the 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:45.100 tripartite energy conflict. The three massive 00:05:45.100 --> 00:05:47.379 competing demands. Walk us through them. Okay, 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:50.430 the first and the most urgent is lactation. We're 00:05:50.430 --> 00:05:53.810 asking her to synthesize 25 to 40 kilograms of 00:05:53.810 --> 00:05:56.610 milk per day, which is just a relentless drain 00:05:56.610 --> 00:05:59.449 on her glucose and amino acid reserves. The body's 00:05:59.449 --> 00:06:02.170 first priority. It's the top priority. That homeoerotic 00:06:02.170 --> 00:06:05.829 drive, that powerful biological signaling. prioritizes 00:06:05.829 --> 00:06:08.089 the udder above all else. And second. Second 00:06:08.089 --> 00:06:11.410 is growth. Unlike a mature cow, the heifer cannot 00:06:11.410 --> 00:06:14.430 just stop growing. She has to continue significant 00:06:14.430 --> 00:06:17.230 skeletal and lean tissue accretion for months 00:06:17.230 --> 00:06:19.949 post calving. And that demand is often really 00:06:19.949 --> 00:06:22.290 underestimated. It pulls energy away from everything 00:06:22.290 --> 00:06:25.889 else. And the third one is just keeping the lights 00:06:25.889 --> 00:06:28.199 on. Precisely. Maintenance. Her basal metabolism 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:30.759 is extremely elevated because of the sheer effort 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:33.480 of eating enough to support the first two demands. 00:06:33.740 --> 00:06:36.759 Her gut and liver have undergone a massive organ 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:38.779 hypertrophy. I mean, they've literally grown 00:06:38.779 --> 00:06:41.100 in size just trying to process the feed necessary 00:06:41.100 --> 00:06:44.639 for lactation. That liver alone is sucking up 00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:47.220 a huge percentage of available glucose. So we 00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:49.459 have lactation, growth, and maintenance all peaking 00:06:49.459 --> 00:06:51.680 at the same time. Where does reproduction fall 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:54.089 in that hierarchy? Reproduction, Jaap, is the 00:06:54.089 --> 00:06:56.769 ultimate luxury function. In the evolutionary 00:06:56.769 --> 00:06:59.209 context, it is the first thing sacrificed when 00:06:59.209 --> 00:07:02.610 energy is limited. It's a triage situation. When 00:07:02.610 --> 00:07:05.089 the body signals resource scarcity, the reproductive 00:07:05.089 --> 00:07:07.790 axis gets shut down. It's non -essential for 00:07:07.790 --> 00:07:10.470 immediate survival. But my vet always told me 00:07:10.470 --> 00:07:12.649 that if we manage the transition period well, 00:07:13.209 --> 00:07:16.490 her NIFA levels, the non -esterified fatty acids, 00:07:16.550 --> 00:07:20.250 the fat mobilization markers, they normalize 00:07:20.250 --> 00:07:23.610 by day 30. post -calving. Right. We see those 00:07:23.610 --> 00:07:26.670 NEFAs below that 0 .4 milliliter threshold, which 00:07:26.670 --> 00:07:28.829 signals she's out of the negative energy balance 00:07:28.829 --> 00:07:31.939 trough. So by day 50, she's technically healthy 00:07:31.939 --> 00:07:34.319 enough, isn't she? She may be energy neutral 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:38.259 in terms of gross calories by day 50, but, and 00:07:38.259 --> 00:07:41.279 this is the key, she is emphatically metabolically 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:43.800 depleted in terms of the sophisticated signaling 00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:46.279 reserves needed for a successful pregnancy. Okay, 00:07:46.339 --> 00:07:48.439 explain that difference. Metabolically depleted. 00:07:48.500 --> 00:07:50.399 Think of it like a bank account. She stops spending 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:52.620 more than she earns, sure, but her savings account 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:54.939 for high -risk ventures, which pregnancy absolutely 00:07:54.939 --> 00:07:57.680 is, is still empty. That's a good analogy. So 00:07:57.680 --> 00:07:59.560 she's cycling, but she's not really competent 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:02.839 to hold a pregnancy. You've got it. She is partitioning 00:08:02.839 --> 00:08:05.259 every available bit of energy toward the udder 00:08:05.259 --> 00:08:08.519 and toward growth. The reproductive axis remains 00:08:08.519 --> 00:08:10.819 starved of those critical support signals for 00:08:10.819 --> 00:08:14.300 much, much longer. Day 50 is the metabolic trough 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:17.540 for achieving a 67 % conception rate. And this 00:08:17.540 --> 00:08:20.019 brings us to the core biological mechanism that 00:08:20.019 --> 00:08:24.019 shifts everything. The insulin IGF -1 axis. Okay. 00:08:24.199 --> 00:08:26.899 This is the biochemical green light the cow needs 00:08:26.899 --> 00:08:29.939 to successfully conceive and then hold an embryo. 00:08:30.019 --> 00:08:32.200 Okay, let's dig into this. We need to explain 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:35.299 IGF -1 in plain farmer English, but with enough 00:08:35.299 --> 00:08:37.259 detail that you really understand the why. Okay. 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:39.840 IGF -1, or insulin -like growth factor 1, is 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.440 essential. It acts as an obligatory cofactor 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:44.399 for the hormones that drive ovarian function, 00:08:44.580 --> 00:08:47.480 FSH, and LH. So it's a helper hormone. It's what 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:49.659 tells the follicle it's safe to mature, it's 00:08:49.659 --> 00:08:52.580 safe to release a viable egg. High IGF -1 means 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:54.720 robust follicles, strong estradiol production, 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.919 low IGF -1, you get smaller, weaker follicles, 00:08:57.960 --> 00:09:00.960 and compromised oocytes. So why is this green 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:03.159 light blocked in early lactation, specifically 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:06.600 before, say, day 60? The central issue is the 00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:09.820 uncoupling of the growth hormone, or GH, and 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:13.549 the IGF -1 axis. The cow's body is already producing 00:09:13.549 --> 00:09:16.370 high levels of GH because GH is the primary signal 00:09:16.370 --> 00:09:18.649 telling the body to mobilize fat and glucose. 00:09:18.990 --> 00:09:21.929 To make milk. To make milk, exactly. From adipose, 00:09:21.929 --> 00:09:24.289 from muscle, all for the other. That's that home 00:09:24.289 --> 00:09:26.889 ear headache drive working overtime. It is, but 00:09:26.889 --> 00:09:29.450 the key is the liver's response. Because of the 00:09:29.450 --> 00:09:31.690 immediate post -calving stress and the high demand 00:09:31.690 --> 00:09:34.690 for glucose, her systemic insulin levels are 00:09:34.690 --> 00:09:37.850 typically very low. Okay. And this lack of insulin 00:09:37.850 --> 00:09:41.110 sensitivity causes the liver to become refractory 00:09:41.110 --> 00:09:44.029 to GAs. Refractory. So it just ignores the signal. 00:09:44.169 --> 00:09:46.649 It completely ignores the signal to synthesize 00:09:46.649 --> 00:09:49.830 IGF -1. The liver's response is a survival mechanism. 00:09:50.169 --> 00:09:53.350 It's saying, don't waste energy on IGF -1, which 00:09:53.350 --> 00:09:56.029 signals growth and reproduction. Instead, direct 00:09:56.029 --> 00:09:58.970 all available resources, primarily glucose, straight 00:09:58.970 --> 00:10:01.490 to the udder. So the pathway for IGF -1 is effectively 00:10:01.490 --> 00:10:03.870 throttled shut. It is. So even though the heifer 00:10:03.870 --> 00:10:06.490 is technically cycling at day 50, the signal 00:10:06.490 --> 00:10:08.669 required for a high -quality pregnancy is just 00:10:08.669 --> 00:10:10.830 physically absent. The machinery is running, 00:10:10.929 --> 00:10:13.029 but the fuel for the best performance isn't there. 00:10:13.370 --> 00:10:16.269 And how low are we talking? At day 50, the IGF 00:10:16.269 --> 00:10:18.830 -1 levels are typically 30 to 50 percent lower 00:10:18.830 --> 00:10:21.549 than their peak levels. This creates a really 00:10:21.549 --> 00:10:24.970 hostile uterine and ovarian environment, compromising 00:10:24.970 --> 00:10:27.169 both the follicle's development and the uterus' 00:10:27.289 --> 00:10:29.889 prep for implantation. So then what shifts so 00:10:29.889 --> 00:10:32.470 dramatically at day 140 that recouples this whole 00:10:32.470 --> 00:10:36.149 axis? Okay, so by day 140, the heifer is generally 00:10:36.149 --> 00:10:39.049 100 days past her peak negative energy balance. 00:10:39.370 --> 00:10:42.509 Her dry matter intake has maximized, it's stabilized, 00:10:42.669 --> 00:10:45.230 and she is consistently in a strong positive 00:10:45.230 --> 00:10:47.490 energy balance. The energy surplus. The surplus. 00:10:47.649 --> 00:10:50.210 Finally, she is finally earning more than the 00:10:50.210 --> 00:10:52.529 utter and growth demands combined. Right. And 00:10:52.529 --> 00:10:55.169 with that consistent energy surplus, plasma insulin 00:10:55.169 --> 00:10:58.389 concentrations rise and stabilize. This is the 00:10:58.389 --> 00:11:01.230 key that unlocks the liver. Insulin allows the 00:11:01.230 --> 00:11:04.190 GH -IGF axis to recouple. Okay. The liver now 00:11:04.190 --> 00:11:06.750 responds robustly to GH, leading to a surge in 00:11:06.750 --> 00:11:09.289 circulating IGF -1 that can persist for weeks. 00:11:09.429 --> 00:11:11.389 The green light is finally shining and it sounds 00:11:11.389 --> 00:11:14.320 like it's on. high beam setting. It is. The environment 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:16.399 within the follicle, that fluid surrounding the 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:18.799 egg at day 140, is entirely different from day 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:22.179 50. It's rich in glucose, insulin, and IGF -1. 00:11:22.500 --> 00:11:25.519 This creates a high -fertility phenotype that 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:27.779 is just physiologically impossible to achieve 00:11:27.779 --> 00:11:29.519 when she's still climbing out of that metabolic 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:31.500 hole. Well, wait, the source material goes deeper 00:11:31.500 --> 00:11:33.259 than just the immediate cycle. It talks about 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:36.200 metabolic memory and oocytic quality. This is 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:38.220 where it gets really interesting for me. Explain 00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:41.379 this concept of metabolic scars. Right. So think 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:45.340 of it this way. Oocytes, the eggs, they aren't 00:11:45.340 --> 00:11:47.940 developed in a matter of days. The one that's 00:11:47.940 --> 00:11:50.440 ovulated today began its critical developmental 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:54.379 journey roughly 60 to 80 days before ovulation. 00:11:54.519 --> 00:11:57.139 Okay, so follow the timeline. If the heifer ovulates 00:11:57.139 --> 00:11:59.759 at day 50, that egg started maturing right around 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:02.200 the time she was calving. Day minus 10 to day 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:04.789 10. Exactly. Right in the thick of it. Those 00:12:04.789 --> 00:12:06.789 oocytes started their critical growth period 00:12:06.789 --> 00:12:08.889 during the absolute peak of the transition period 00:12:08.889 --> 00:12:12.309 when the cow was experiencing massive fat mobilization 00:12:12.309 --> 00:12:15.649 high in NUFA and BHB spikes. Those are the metabolic 00:12:15.649 --> 00:12:18.750 scars. So the stress of calving and early negative 00:12:18.750 --> 00:12:22.450 energy balance, literally, it burns the egg. 00:12:22.889 --> 00:12:26.730 Cellularly, yes. NIFA toxicity specifically has 00:12:26.730 --> 00:12:29.389 been shown to impair mitochondrial function within 00:12:29.389 --> 00:12:32.169 the oocyter. The powerhouse of the cell. Right. 00:12:32.269 --> 00:12:34.990 And they're essential for the huge energy demands 00:12:34.990 --> 00:12:38.169 of fertilization and early embryo cleavage. If 00:12:38.169 --> 00:12:40.269 the mitochondria are damaged, the cleavage rate 00:12:40.269 --> 00:12:42.470 and subsequent embryo development are severely 00:12:42.470 --> 00:12:44.809 compromised. So you're basically breeding with 00:12:44.809 --> 00:12:47.269 an egg that has an impaired battery life. That's 00:12:47.269 --> 00:12:48.809 a perfect way to put it. You are breeding with 00:12:48.809 --> 00:12:52.049 low -quality stressed eggs. And even if fertilization 00:12:52.049 --> 00:12:55.090 occurs, the embryo often stalls or dies before 00:12:55.090 --> 00:12:58.889 day 16, resulting in early pregnancy loss. That's 00:12:58.889 --> 00:13:01.269 why that 50 % conception rate is so hard to beat. 00:13:01.350 --> 00:13:03.629 It's a biological ceiling set by that stress. 00:13:03.929 --> 00:13:06.870 And the 140 -day strategy acts like a metabolic 00:13:06.870 --> 00:13:09.669 cleanse. It lets the heifer cycle out that damaged 00:13:09.669 --> 00:13:12.250 cohort of eggs. It allows her to age out that 00:13:12.250 --> 00:13:14.289 stress cohort. The follicles that are ovulating 00:13:14.289 --> 00:13:16.389 at day 140, they started their critical growth 00:13:16.389 --> 00:13:18.649 around day 60 to 80. Which is well after the 00:13:18.649 --> 00:13:21.090 worst of the transition stress is over. Exactly. 00:13:21.129 --> 00:13:24.990 Well after the severe NIFA and BHB stress resolved, 00:13:25.250 --> 00:13:28.799 they get a clean slate oocyte. And that physiological 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:32.100 difference breeding with a pristine, well -nourished 00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:34.399 egg instead of a stressed, metabolically scarred 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:38.080 one, that accounts for that massive 16 percentage 00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:41.059 point gain in conception rates. That is the difference 00:13:41.059 --> 00:13:44.139 between technical cyclicity and true reproductive 00:13:44.139 --> 00:13:46.740 competence. It's the foundation of the entire 00:13:46.740 --> 00:13:49.559 strategy. We're moving from breeding based on 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:52.559 the calendar to breeding based on cellular biology. 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:55.500 Okay, I'm sold on the biology. That explanation 00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:57.960 of the metabolic scars in the IGF -1 axis is, 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:01.889 it's profound. But now we pivot to the hard numbers. 00:14:02.049 --> 00:14:04.350 Let's look at the Rasmussen study evidence. If 00:14:04.350 --> 00:14:06.909 I'm delaying breeding for 70 to 90 days, I need 00:14:06.909 --> 00:14:08.690 to see evidence that actually pays off. And the 00:14:08.690 --> 00:14:10.870 evidence is remarkably consistent. The study 00:14:10.870 --> 00:14:13.929 followed 533 primiparous cows in really high 00:14:13.929 --> 00:14:16.029 -performing Swedish herds. Comfortable to top 00:14:16.029 --> 00:14:18.070 U .S. herds. Very comfortable. Similar genetics, 00:14:18.169 --> 00:14:19.870 similar management practices to what you'd see 00:14:19.870 --> 00:14:21.909 in Wisconsin or the Netherlands. Okay, so what 00:14:21.909 --> 00:14:24.350 was the data comparison? The conventional VWP 00:14:24.350 --> 00:14:27.240 group, the 50 -day group. achieved a first service 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:30.240 conception rate of 51%, and they required exactly 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:33.860 2 .0 inseminations per conception. Industry standard, 00:14:34.059 --> 00:14:36.960 two straws per pregnancy. A lot of labor and 00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:39.539 semen wasted on repeats. Okay. And the extended 00:14:39.539 --> 00:14:44.860 VWP group at 140 days. Their FSCR was 67%. 16 00:14:44.860 --> 00:14:48.460 points higher. That 16 -point jump is huge. And 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:51.639 they dropped to just 1 .6 inseminations per conception. 00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:54.759 That's a 20 % savings on semen, labor, and cinch 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:56.879 protocols right off the pop. Okay. The fertility 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.000 gain is undeniable. But here's my operational 00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:01.539 challenge. My farmer brain is still stuck on 00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:04.559 the idea that a cow milking for 350 days is profitable. 00:15:04.740 --> 00:15:07.090 Right. I've been taught the moment that production 00:15:07.090 --> 00:15:09.009 turf starts dropping, I need a new peak to hit 00:15:09.009 --> 00:15:10.830 my quotas. Doesn't production just collapse? 00:15:11.029 --> 00:15:13.690 I hate stale cows. We need to put the stale cow 00:15:13.690 --> 00:15:15.990 myth to rest, especially when it comes to heifers. 00:15:16.389 --> 00:15:19.289 The strategy hinges entirely on understanding 00:15:19.289 --> 00:15:21.950 lactation persistency and how dramatically it 00:15:21.950 --> 00:15:24.330 differs between parodies. Okay, define persistency 00:15:24.330 --> 00:15:27.330 for me again. Persistency is just how slowly 00:15:27.330 --> 00:15:30.950 the milk yield declines after the peak. For multiperis 00:15:30.950 --> 00:15:33.809 cows, your second, third, fourth lactation animals, 00:15:34.070 --> 00:15:36.870 they typically have a moderately steep decline. 00:15:37.269 --> 00:15:40.190 Persistency is around 85 to 88 percent. They 00:15:40.190 --> 00:15:43.509 peak high, but they fall relatively fast. I see 00:15:43.509 --> 00:15:45.870 that drop off around day 200. You start feeling 00:15:45.870 --> 00:15:47.590 that pressure to get them pregnant. Exactly. 00:15:47.750 --> 00:15:49.809 Now look at permiperis cows. Their lactation 00:15:49.809 --> 00:15:52.070 curve is radically different. Their persistency 00:15:52.070 --> 00:15:55.639 is extremely flat, somewhere between 92 and 95%. 00:15:55.639 --> 00:15:58.639 95%. A heifer might peak a little lower, say 00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:02.139 38 kilos, but she's still producing 35 kilos 00:16:02.139 --> 00:16:05.799 at day 305. She is running a marathon, not a 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:08.039 sprint. So what's the mechanism there? Why the 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:10.539 physiological difference? It comes down to mammary 00:16:10.539 --> 00:16:13.179 gland maturation. For older calves, the decline 00:16:13.179 --> 00:16:15.820 is driven by apoptosis that's programmed, natural 00:16:15.820 --> 00:16:18.539 secretory cell death. The hormonal signals of 00:16:18.539 --> 00:16:20.539 pregnancy actually accelerate the cell death, 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:23.259 pushing the gland toward involution, preparing 00:16:23.259 --> 00:16:25.360 for the dry period. But the heifer's udder is 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:28.059 still developing. It is. The premiparous mammary 00:16:28.059 --> 00:16:30.379 gland is still maturing and remodeling throughout 00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:33.419 that entire first lactation. The rate of apoptosis 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:36.860 is significantly lower. So by delaying pregnancy, 00:16:37.139 --> 00:16:39.799 you are delaying the hormonal signal for involution 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:42.360 and you're maximizing the total number of active 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:45.200 secretory cells for a longer duration. The penalty 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:47.500 for delay is minimal because that curve is just 00:16:47.500 --> 00:16:49.840 so incredibly flat. That's a powerful distinction. 00:16:49.940 --> 00:16:53.440 So the milk lost by not initiating a new peak 00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:56.860 early is more than compensated by the sustained. 00:16:57.470 --> 00:17:00.190 high volume production during those extra 90 00:17:00.190 --> 00:17:03.110 days. The production data proves it. Rasmussen's 00:17:03.110 --> 00:17:05.730 study showed the extended VWP group increased 00:17:05.730 --> 00:17:09.309 total lactation yield significantly from 9 ,600 00:17:09.309 --> 00:17:12.250 kilograms to 12 ,300 kilograms of energy corrected 00:17:12.250 --> 00:17:14.990 milk. Wow. And here's the kicker. When they normalized 00:17:14.990 --> 00:17:17.769 the yield per day of calving interval, the extended 00:17:17.769 --> 00:17:20.269 group was virtually unchanged, or in some cases, 00:17:20.289 --> 00:17:22.670 slightly higher in the second lactation. So my 00:17:22.670 --> 00:17:25.410 fear of having a stale cow that's costing me 00:17:25.410 --> 00:17:27.990 money is just not accurate for a heifer that's 00:17:27.990 --> 00:17:31.029 milking strong at day 350. It is not. In fact, 00:17:31.089 --> 00:17:33.329 many high performance farmers realize this already. 00:17:33.529 --> 00:17:36.410 A heifer at 350 dim is often more profitable 00:17:36.410 --> 00:17:40.150 than a fresh cow at 10 dim. How so? Well, she's 00:17:40.150 --> 00:17:42.430 producing high quality, high component milk. 00:17:42.509 --> 00:17:45.269 She's eating efficiently. And you are incurring 00:17:45.269 --> 00:17:47.809 none of the high health costs, labor or risk 00:17:47.809 --> 00:17:50.390 associated with the transition period. It's just 00:17:50.390 --> 00:17:54.609 consistent, low drama milk flow. OK, let's follow 00:17:54.609 --> 00:17:56.910 the money trail. This is the hardest part for 00:17:56.910 --> 00:17:59.930 the traditional farmer to swallow. How can waiting 00:17:59.930 --> 00:18:02.950 90 days be profitable when we've been hammered 00:18:02.950 --> 00:18:05.930 with that $2 to $5 per day cost a day's open 00:18:05.930 --> 00:18:09.109 penalty? That model is dead for heifers. It's 00:18:09.109 --> 00:18:11.490 based on the physiology of a multi -paris cow. 00:18:11.750 --> 00:18:14.329 It assumes a steep decline in milk production 00:18:14.329 --> 00:18:17.329 and high marginal feed cost, which forces the 00:18:17.329 --> 00:18:20.170 economic need to refresh the cow. For a highly 00:18:20.170 --> 00:18:22.369 persistent heifer, that model is just fundamentally 00:18:22.369 --> 00:18:25.109 invalid. So what does the new modeling show for 00:18:25.109 --> 00:18:27.750 this specific group? It shows that for primiparous 00:18:27.750 --> 00:18:30.150 cows, the cost of days open can actually be negative, 00:18:30.289 --> 00:18:33.150 sometimes as low as negative $1 .54 per day. 00:18:33.329 --> 00:18:35.369 Meaning you make money every day she's open, 00:18:35.470 --> 00:18:38.269 up to a point? Exactly. This inversion happens 00:18:38.269 --> 00:18:40.809 because the massive cost of replacing the animal 00:18:40.809 --> 00:18:43.750 if she fails to breed back early far outweighs 00:18:43.750 --> 00:18:46.029 the marginal gain of a slightly shorter calving 00:18:46.029 --> 00:18:48.049 interval. Okay, let's elaborate on that massive 00:18:48.049 --> 00:18:51.170 cost. This is the replacement heifer crisis multiplier, 00:18:51.509 --> 00:18:54.380 isn't it? It absolutely is. The economic context 00:18:54.380 --> 00:18:57.299 today is critical. Rearing a heifer to calving 00:18:57.299 --> 00:19:00.380 age now costs farmers between $2 ,100 and $2 00:19:00.380 --> 00:19:03.859 ,500. Easy. And due to the popularity of beef 00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:06.200 on dairy tightening the supply, the market price 00:19:06.200 --> 00:19:08.500 for dairy springers is hitting $2 ,800 to $3 00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:11.859 ,200. That's a minimum $3 ,000 asset walking 00:19:11.859 --> 00:19:13.579 around. And if I call her, that money is just... 00:19:14.289 --> 00:19:16.609 Precisely. Every first lactation heifer that's 00:19:16.609 --> 00:19:18.789 called for reproductive failure because she struggled 00:19:18.789 --> 00:19:22.329 to breed back at day 60 or day 100 is a $3 ,000 00:19:22.329 --> 00:19:24.390 loss of asset value that you have to absorb. 00:19:24.589 --> 00:19:28.490 By achieving a robust 67 % FSCR, we drastically 00:19:28.490 --> 00:19:30.890 reduce that involuntary culling. So the biggest 00:19:30.890 --> 00:19:33.309 chunk of that $1 ,300 profit isn't even the milk 00:19:33.309 --> 00:19:35.670 she makes later. It's just retaining a $3 ,000 00:19:35.670 --> 00:19:39.029 asset. That is the multiplier effect. It de -risks 00:19:39.029 --> 00:19:42.960 your most expensive asset group. Let's synthesize 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:45.299 the detailed profit breakdown. The total advantage 00:19:45.299 --> 00:19:50.299 estimated between $1 ,020 and $380 per head comes 00:19:50.299 --> 00:19:52.920 from three main compounding factors. Okay, break 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:54.839 them down for me. The largest contributor is 00:19:54.839 --> 00:19:59.319 the milk revenue, an estimated $750 to $850 from 00:19:59.319 --> 00:20:02.539 those 60 to 90 additional days of high persistency 00:20:02.539 --> 00:20:04.710 milk production. Right. The next substantial 00:20:04.710 --> 00:20:06.829 gain is from replacement deferral and reduced 00:20:06.829 --> 00:20:09.869 culling, estimated at $200 to $400. That's the 00:20:09.869 --> 00:20:12.569 insurance against culling a $3 ,000 animal. And 00:20:12.569 --> 00:20:14.990 then the savings on inputs. Right. Semen and 00:20:14.990 --> 00:20:17.430 breeding savings contribute about $25 to $40 00:20:17.430 --> 00:20:19.750 per head by reducing services per conception 00:20:19.750 --> 00:20:23.049 from, say, 2 .2 down to 1 .6. Plus, there are 00:20:23.049 --> 00:20:24.970 all these intangible gains in health and labor. 00:20:25.289 --> 00:20:27.849 What about the beef on dairy synergy? If I'm 00:20:27.849 --> 00:20:30.509 confident I can get 67 % of my heifers pregnant 00:20:30.509 --> 00:20:33.410 on the first try at day 140, how does that change 00:20:33.410 --> 00:20:35.450 my genetic strategy? It gives you confidence 00:20:35.450 --> 00:20:37.730 and optimization. When your conception rate is 00:20:37.730 --> 00:20:39.829 hovering at 50%, you feel pressured to breed 00:20:39.829 --> 00:20:42.170 almost every available animal to dairy semen 00:20:42.170 --> 00:20:44.170 just to meet your replacement goal. Yeah, you're 00:20:44.170 --> 00:20:46.809 hedging your bets. Exactly. But with a robust, 00:20:46.890 --> 00:20:51.450 predictable 67 % FSCR, you can confidently use 00:20:51.450 --> 00:20:54.730 much more high -value sexed semen on your absolute 00:20:54.730 --> 00:20:57.930 top -tier heifers and then aggressively use high 00:20:57.930 --> 00:21:00.569 -index beef semen on everything else. So I get 00:21:00.569 --> 00:21:03.490 fewer, but higher quality dairy replacements 00:21:03.490 --> 00:21:06.609 and more high value beef cross calves. You're 00:21:06.609 --> 00:21:08.890 optimizing the whole pipeline. Precisely. It 00:21:08.890 --> 00:21:10.690 makes your genetic investment highly efficient 00:21:10.690 --> 00:21:13.049 because you're wasting fewer expensive straws 00:21:13.049 --> 00:21:15.490 and you're reducing the overall number of heifers 00:21:15.490 --> 00:21:17.710 you even need to raise, which is crucial right 00:21:17.710 --> 00:21:19.849 now. Okay. I'm convinced the money is there, 00:21:19.950 --> 00:21:23.269 provided I can hit that 67 % rate. But I still 00:21:23.269 --> 00:21:25.869 have a major operational fear. Yeah. The fat 00:21:25.869 --> 00:21:28.839 cow myth. If I wait until day 140, won't these 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:31.059 heifers just get fat and become metabolic train 00:21:31.059 --> 00:21:33.700 wrecks by second calving? This fear is incredibly 00:21:33.700 --> 00:21:35.819 valid, but again, we have to distinguish parity. 00:21:36.019 --> 00:21:38.299 The risk of over -conditioning is specific to 00:21:38.299 --> 00:21:40.339 multi -parous cows. The older cow. Right. An 00:21:40.339 --> 00:21:42.440 older cow whose milk yield declines quickly when 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:44.759 she's pregnant, she partitions that excess energy 00:21:44.759 --> 00:21:46.920 directly into adipose fat. That's how you get 00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:49.039 fat cow syndrome. And the heifer, she's different 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:51.420 because she's still growing. Correct. The heifer 00:21:51.420 --> 00:21:54.480 still possesses an active and robust growth sink. 00:21:54.990 --> 00:21:57.990 Even late in lactation, she partitions surplus 00:21:57.990 --> 00:22:01.269 energy into completing her lean tissue and skeletal 00:22:01.269 --> 00:22:04.089 frame before she starts laying down excess fat. 00:22:04.269 --> 00:22:06.640 Is there data on that? the swedish and dutch 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:09.480 studies rigorously monitored body condition score 00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:12.839 and they found that the delayed vwp heifers maintained 00:22:12.839 --> 00:22:16.880 an optimal bcs of 3 .0 to 3 .25 at the end of 00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:19.000 lactation which is exactly where you want them 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:20.859 exactly where you want them entering the dry 00:22:20.859 --> 00:22:24.259 period but here's the crucial part older cows 00:22:24.259 --> 00:22:27.039 on the same extended protocol often exceeded 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:30.359 3 .75 confirming the risk for the older group 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:32.759 but confirming the safety for the first parity 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:35.940 animals so the heifer uses that energy to mature, 00:22:36.119 --> 00:22:38.759 not to get obese, which means she enters that 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:41.740 second lactation healthier. Yes, and that improved 00:22:41.740 --> 00:22:44.119 condition can actually support higher milk production 00:22:44.119 --> 00:22:46.680 in her second lactation, compounding the profit. 00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:50.079 But, this is big, but management is still key. 00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:52.900 What do you mean? It requires strict monthly 00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:56.420 BCS monitoring. If a heifer starts craning past 00:22:56.420 --> 00:23:00.049 3 .5, you need a ration adjustment. Ideally, 00:23:00.150 --> 00:23:02.329 late lactation heifers should be grouped separately. 00:23:02.450 --> 00:23:04.549 You cannot manage them like the mature herd. 00:23:04.809 --> 00:23:06.910 Okay, that brings us to the real Achilles heel 00:23:06.910 --> 00:23:08.930 of this whole strategy. Yeah. Heat detection. 00:23:09.150 --> 00:23:12.410 Yes. If I'm waiting until day 140, my visual 00:23:12.410 --> 00:23:14.720 detection is going to tank. And if I miss the 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:17.119 first few eligible heats, I destroy all that 00:23:17.119 --> 00:23:19.519 profit we just calculated. It is the single biggest 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:22.019 operational risk that can sink the entire economic 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:25.000 model. And we need to understand why visual detection 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.200 fails. As lactation progresses and milk production 00:23:28.200 --> 00:23:30.960 stays high, estrous expression standing heat 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:33.599 becomes shorter and less intense. The silent 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:35.819 heat phenomenon. Why does that happen? Two main 00:23:35.819 --> 00:23:38.779 reasons. First, the extremely high blood flow 00:23:38.779 --> 00:23:41.000 to the liver, which is necessary to metabolize 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:43.259 all that feed, also accelerates the metabolism. 00:23:47.320 --> 00:23:50.160 So the hormone that triggers the visible standing 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:52.259 behavior is just being flushed out too fast? 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:55.619 Exactly. The peak estrogen concentration is lower 00:23:55.619 --> 00:23:57.920 and shorter. You might get heats that last only 00:23:57.920 --> 00:24:00.640 four or five hours, or just subtle mounting instead 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:03.059 of full standing. And the practical outcome for 00:24:03.059 --> 00:24:05.700 me, relying on my eyes. Visual detection efficacy 00:24:05.700 --> 00:24:09.220 drops from a decent 60 % in early lactation to 00:24:09.220 --> 00:24:13.730 a dismal 35 % to 45 % by day 140. So I'm missing 00:24:13.730 --> 00:24:16.490 more than half to heats. You are missing 55 to 00:24:16.490 --> 00:24:19.390 65 % of heats. Missed heats push your calving 00:24:19.390 --> 00:24:22.869 interval out to 180, 200 days. And that's when 00:24:22.869 --> 00:24:25.230 you start incurring actual irreversible costs. 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:28.400 so this strategy requires a technological imperative 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:31.539 you cannot do this with tail paint and good intentions 00:24:31.539 --> 00:24:34.119 you absolutely cannot the successful implementation 00:24:34.119 --> 00:24:37.400 of the 140 -day strategy is inextricably linked 00:24:37.400 --> 00:24:39.940 to automated activity monitoring systems the 00:24:39.940 --> 00:24:42.619 callers the pedometer callers leg mounted pedometers 00:24:42.619 --> 00:24:45.079 accelerometers these systems don't just look 00:24:45.079 --> 00:24:47.460 for standing they detect subtle changes in activity 00:24:47.460 --> 00:24:50.740 rumination restlessness they detect heats with 00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:54.299 75 to 90 accuracy regardless of lactation stage 00:24:54.299 --> 00:24:55.970 that's the common Confidence you need to wait. 00:24:56.069 --> 00:24:58.450 Knowing the system will reliably flag that first 00:24:58.450 --> 00:25:01.309 eligible heat on day 140, even if it's silent. 00:25:01.509 --> 00:25:05.349 Yes, the technology de -risks the delay. However, 00:25:05.529 --> 00:25:08.549 if AAM is unavailable or is a critical safety 00:25:08.549 --> 00:25:12.069 net, you have to switch to a robust, timed AI 00:25:12.069 --> 00:25:14.509 protocol for the heifers. Okay, what's the go 00:25:14.509 --> 00:25:17.640 -to protocol to hit that day 140 window? The 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:20.259 recommendation is usually double absinthe. It's 00:25:20.259 --> 00:25:23.259 highly effective in primiparous cows and it ensures 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:25.859 a fixed time breeding at that precise metabolic 00:25:25.859 --> 00:25:27.940 peak. So what does that look like? You enroll 00:25:27.940 --> 00:25:30.019 the heifers in a synchronization protocol at 00:25:30.019 --> 00:25:33.500 day 130. A well -executed double absinthe will 00:25:33.500 --> 00:25:36.940 yield concession rates of 45 to 50 percent. even 00:25:36.940 --> 00:25:39.339 without any heat detection. So even if I don't 00:25:39.339 --> 00:25:40.859 catch the heat, I know I'm going to hit that 00:25:40.859 --> 00:25:44.140 metabolic peak at day 140 with a strong TAI conception 00:25:44.140 --> 00:25:46.500 rate. It's an insurance policy. It's your insurance 00:25:46.500 --> 00:25:49.019 policy. The most profitable herds often use a 00:25:49.019 --> 00:25:52.240 hybrid approach. Breed on detected heat via AAM 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:55.059 after day 130 and then enroll any non -bred animal 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:58.420 in TAI at day 150. Precision and compliance are 00:25:58.420 --> 00:26:00.480 absolutely non -negotiable here. And this isn't 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:02.119 just theory anymore, right? It's being validated 00:26:02.119 --> 00:26:04.549 in high -performing U .S. herds right now. Correct. 00:26:04.630 --> 00:26:06.910 We're seeing consistent success across the Upper 00:26:06.910 --> 00:26:09.569 Midwest, specifically Wisconsin and Minnesota, 00:26:09.849 --> 00:26:12.309 which share the high -performance genetics and 00:26:12.309 --> 00:26:14.670 management intensity of the herds in the original 00:26:14.670 --> 00:26:16.869 study. Can you give me a couple of real -world 00:26:16.869 --> 00:26:19.869 examples? Sure. Rosie Lane Holsteins in Watertown, 00:26:19.910 --> 00:26:22.269 Wisconsin, is a great one. They are known for 00:26:22.269 --> 00:26:26.069 pioneering customized VWPs. They are literally 00:26:26.069 --> 00:26:29.630 breeding for the cow's timeline, not the calendars. 00:26:29.730 --> 00:26:32.430 And by doing that, they've drastically reduced 00:26:32.430 --> 00:26:34.769 their first lactation cull rates. And that's 00:26:34.769 --> 00:26:36.450 where the profit really is. That's where it is. 00:26:36.630 --> 00:26:39.269 Another is Emerald Spring Dairy in Minnesota. 00:26:39.750 --> 00:26:42.930 They manage 30 ,000 plus pound Holsteins and 00:26:42.930 --> 00:26:45.349 prove that high yield doesn't have to mean poor 00:26:45.349 --> 00:26:48.380 fertility. They've successfully implemented strategies 00:26:48.380 --> 00:26:51.039 that reduce physiological stress in that first 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:53.880 parity. I can see a huge regional bonus here, 00:26:53.900 --> 00:26:55.900 too, especially in the Midwest when it comes 00:26:55.900 --> 00:26:58.660 to summer heat stress. This is a major, often 00:26:58.660 --> 00:27:02.059 overlooked bonus. Delaying the VWP allows your 00:27:02.059 --> 00:27:05.480 spring calving heifers to entirely skip the low 00:27:05.480 --> 00:27:07.920 -fertility July and August heat stress period 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:09.880 for breeding. So you're using the physiological 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:12.369 clock to navigate the environmental clock. You 00:27:12.369 --> 00:27:14.970 are. A heifer calving in March, for instance, 00:27:15.170 --> 00:27:19.069 hits day 140 in August. You can time the breeding 00:27:19.069 --> 00:27:21.450 perfectly for the high fertility months of September 00:27:21.450 --> 00:27:24.190 and October. It's smart operational planning. 00:27:24.490 --> 00:27:26.509 What about the global perspective? In Europe, 00:27:26.589 --> 00:27:28.769 are they doing this for the same reasons? The 00:27:28.769 --> 00:27:31.170 drivers are slightly different, but the results 00:27:31.170 --> 00:27:34.210 are the same. In the Netherlands, they face strict 00:27:34.210 --> 00:27:36.730 phosphate quotas, which limits the number of 00:27:36.730 --> 00:27:39.170 animals a farm can keep. So they're incentivized 00:27:39.170 --> 00:27:42.440 to maximize milk per cow. Highly incentivized. 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:45.799 So for them, extended lactation becomes a regulatory 00:27:45.799 --> 00:27:48.420 necessity, not just a profitability strategy. 00:27:48.779 --> 00:27:52.240 The goal is fewer, more productive cows. So this 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:54.099 all makes clear sense for high yield confinement 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:57.079 herds. But what about grazing herds? Does this 00:27:57.079 --> 00:27:59.799 only work for TMR -fed cows? That's a very fair 00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:02.039 question. The strategy is overwhelmingly best 00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:04.240 suited for non -seasonal confinement herds, where 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:06.720 nutrition is consistent. Grazing herds often 00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:09.380 rely on strict seasonal calving blocks. Right, 00:28:09.420 --> 00:28:11.819 they need that 365 -day interval to match the 00:28:11.819 --> 00:28:16.089 pasture cycle. Exactly. The 140 -day VWP pushes 00:28:16.089 --> 00:28:19.829 the calving interval to about 14 .5 months, which 00:28:19.829 --> 00:28:22.450 may completely desynchronize a strictly seasonal 00:28:22.450 --> 00:28:25.410 grazing operation. It requires a hard look at 00:28:25.410 --> 00:28:27.490 the entire farm system before you implement. 00:28:27.910 --> 00:28:29.829 And before we move to actionable items, let's 00:28:29.829 --> 00:28:31.450 just touch on the environmental benefits one 00:28:31.450 --> 00:28:35.049 more time. It's a huge factor. By drastically 00:28:35.049 --> 00:28:38.009 reducing the need for replacement heifers, lowering 00:28:38.009 --> 00:28:41.829 the replacement rate from, say, 35 % down closer 00:28:41.829 --> 00:28:45.089 to 25%, we extend the productive lifespan of 00:28:45.089 --> 00:28:47.750 the animal. Which means less energy input into 00:28:47.750 --> 00:28:50.509 raising nonproductive stock. Correct. You significantly 00:28:50.509 --> 00:28:53.009 reduce the nonproductive rearing period, which 00:28:53.009 --> 00:28:55.009 is the most carbon -intensive phase of a cow's 00:28:55.009 --> 00:28:57.569 life. This lowers the overall methane intensity 00:28:57.569 --> 00:28:59.910 and aggregate carbon footprint of the farm. Which 00:28:59.910 --> 00:29:02.130 could be a win for future milk premiums tied 00:29:02.130 --> 00:29:04.130 to sustainability. That's where the industry 00:29:04.130 --> 00:29:06.849 is heading. By reducing involuntary culling, 00:29:06.849 --> 00:29:09.210 you create a more resilient and sustainable system. 00:29:09.450 --> 00:29:11.750 This has been an incredible deep dive. The biology 00:29:11.750 --> 00:29:14.470 is complex. The economics are disruptive. And 00:29:14.470 --> 00:29:17.269 the technology requirements are clear. All right, 00:29:17.289 --> 00:29:19.190 a farmer just finished milking and is driving 00:29:19.190 --> 00:29:21.349 to the feed store right now. What are the three 00:29:21.349 --> 00:29:23.710 things they need to remember from today? Number 00:29:23.710 --> 00:29:27.250 one, stop rushing the heifers. Day 50 is a metabolic 00:29:27.250 --> 00:29:30.200 trap. Day 140 is a physiological checkpoint. 00:29:30.579 --> 00:29:32.740 Agreed. And the immediate action they can take 00:29:32.740 --> 00:29:34.920 this week is to review their first lactation 00:29:34.920 --> 00:29:37.440 heifer breeding list. Adjust your management 00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:40.000 software, Dairy Comp, BoviSync, whatever, to 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:42.359 suppress breeding until at least day 100 for 00:29:42.359 --> 00:29:44.920 a pilot group of 30 or 40 animals. And the medium 00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:47.000 -term strategy over the next three to six months 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:50.180 has to be about condition. Implement monthly 00:29:50.180 --> 00:29:52.480 body condition scoring specifically on that heifer 00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:54.940 group. You have to ensure they do not exceed 00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:57.940 a 3 .5 BCS prior to breeding. And long term, 00:29:58.079 --> 00:30:00.380 one to two years out, it's about redefining your 00:30:00.380 --> 00:30:02.880 goal entirely. Forget days open for this group. 00:30:03.019 --> 00:30:06.680 The new goal is an FSCR greater than 65 % achieved 00:30:06.680 --> 00:30:09.940 at day 140. A goal based on biology, not habit. 00:30:10.140 --> 00:30:12.799 Number two, technology is non -negotiable for 00:30:12.799 --> 00:30:14.819 late heats. If you're going to wait, you must 00:30:14.819 --> 00:30:16.940 guarantee you catch the heat. And the immediate 00:30:16.940 --> 00:30:19.319 action here is to audit your current heat detection. 00:30:19.869 --> 00:30:22.670 If you're relying on your eyes for heifers over 00:30:22.670 --> 00:30:25.630 100 days in milk, you have to recognize you are 00:30:25.630 --> 00:30:28.490 statistically missing over half the heats. You 00:30:28.490 --> 00:30:32.190 are bleeding out semen costs. Medium term. If 00:30:32.190 --> 00:30:33.950 activity monitoring isn't in the budget right 00:30:33.950 --> 00:30:37.230 now, switch immediately to a robust TAI protocol 00:30:37.230 --> 00:30:40.250 like double auxinch for all first lactation animals. 00:30:40.470 --> 00:30:42.650 Get your vet on the phone today to schedule it. 00:30:42.829 --> 00:30:44.690 And the long -term positioning is clear. You 00:30:44.690 --> 00:30:47.089 have to budget and implement AAM technology. 00:30:47.589 --> 00:30:50.789 It's critical to maximizing that $1 ,300 economic 00:30:50.789 --> 00:30:53.609 gain and preventing unnecessary calls. Without 00:30:53.609 --> 00:30:56.009 the tech, the risk is just too high. And finally, 00:30:56.049 --> 00:30:58.880 number three, rethink the economics. The old 00:30:58.880 --> 00:31:01.880 model is broken and patients pays $1 ,300. The 00:31:01.880 --> 00:31:03.700 immediate action is to sit down with your vet 00:31:03.700 --> 00:31:05.579 and nutritionist and recalculate your specific 00:31:05.579 --> 00:31:08.920 cost of days open. Use your real high persistency 00:31:08.920 --> 00:31:11.759 milk curve, that 90 -95 % number, and your current 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:13.700 replacement heifer cost, which is probably close 00:31:13.700 --> 00:31:16.200 to $3 ,000. You'll see the old model is invalid. 00:31:16.579 --> 00:31:20.299 Medium term. Start tracking specific KPIs for 00:31:20.299 --> 00:31:22.720 that pilot group. Track services per conception 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:25.799 and the cull rate in first lactation. The success 00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:28.099 isn't just in conception, it's in retention. 00:31:28.420 --> 00:31:31.000 And long -term. Integrate this strategy into 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:33.660 your genetic program with confidence. Use those 00:31:33.660 --> 00:31:35.400 higher conception rates to more aggressively 00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:38.259 use sexed semen or high -indexed beef semen. 00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:41.319 Optimize that pipeline for years to come. This 00:31:41.319 --> 00:31:43.299 has been a deep dive into challenging the 50 00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:45.269 -day dogma. For more straight -talking industry 00:31:45.269 --> 00:31:47.730 analysis and for all the details on the Rasmussen 00:31:47.730 --> 00:31:50.269 study, head to our sources. Subscribe wherever 00:31:50.269 --> 00:31:52.750 you get your deep dives. We're out with new discussions 00:31:52.750 --> 00:31:55.410 every day, and next time's topic will be the 00:31:55.410 --> 00:31:57.809 surprising cost of transition cow overcrowding 00:31:57.809 --> 00:31:59.970 and why your current square footage might be 00:31:59.970 --> 00:32:02.589 bleeding you dry. We'll be talking space, safety, 00:32:02.750 --> 00:32:04.349 and profitability. See you then.