Animal

Breeding Worth (BW) is an index that ranks cows and bulls on their ability to breed profitable, efficient replacements. This page explains how BW is used to create herds resilient to changes and disease, therefore increasing farm profits.

Dry matter is a crucial dietary requirement for dry cows. This page outlines the energy a cow needs, considering its weight gain or loss. The feed requirement considers the cow's maintenance, pregnancy, and weight gain.

Drenching is a method you can use during your milking routine to balance your dairy cows' diet and safeguard against metabolic diseases.

The sooner you spot and treat sick and lame cows, the better. Learn how to identify, separate and care for sick and problem cows, about marking and recording systems, and the most common cow diseases. 

This page details who the calibration team is, and how to find a certified assessor near you.

Cows with heat, swelling or pain in the udder, or changes in their milk (wateriness, clots, discolouration) that persist for more than three squirts have clinical mastitis, and require treatment.

Lameness in cows is a complex issue that you can manage with good record-keeping, identification of risk factors, and creating a customised prevention plan.

For the best outcome at calving time, know the signs and stages of labour, how to calve a cow, and the immediate care needed after calving. Check springers regularly to help identify the signs of labour, ensuring timely interventions if needed.

A heifer's health plan needs to adapt to her age and grazing farm, especially if she moves farms in her first two years. It should cover 5 areas: biosecurity, vaccinations, parasite management, trace elements and minerals, and region-specific issues.

Improving your herd's reproductive performance starts with understanding and adjusting the calving pattern. Late calving cows often have less recovery time and hence a lower chance of getting pregnant in the first six weeks.