Silly Season
OPINION: Election years are usually regarded as the silly season, but a mate of the Hound reckons 2026 is shaping…
In general, all mammals use their own body reserves (fat and protein from body tissues) in early lactation, to meet the demands of milk production.
Treating second year heifers like mixed aged cows is one of the main reasons they don’t get in calf again, DairyNZ South Auckland consulting officer Jamie Haultain says.
Body condition score (BCS) will increasingly be adopted as a measure in welfare assurance schemes, so scoring must be accurate throughout the BCS range, say DairyNZ’s Chris Leach and Jacqueline McGowan.
A change will be made this month to the way body condition score (BCS) records are treated before they enter the animal evaluation (AE) system.
An automated body condition scoring system for New Zealand-bred cows will be launched at National Fieldays next month.
An animal nutritionist is urging farmers to look deeper than body condition score for a true understanding of their cows' skeletons in assessing their health.
Despite great cow and pasture condition in spring, Lincoln University dairy farm’s six-week in-calf rate slumped from 78% last year to 72% this year.
Body condition score (BCS) is to be included as a new trait in breeding worth (BW) from February 2016.

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