Boost fresh cow performance by turning data into actions

MADISON, Wis. — Dairy replacement heifer numbers have fallen almost 15% over the last six years, reaching a 20-year low, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

With this smaller-than-ever replacement herd, a strong fresh cow program has never been more critical.

Now more than ever, optimizing lactation performance and minimizing health challenges is essential to keeping cows productive for longer.

Leveraging data-driven insights is the key to proactively managing fresh cows and achieving herd goals.

“To give fresh cows the best start, monitor them before they freshen and focus on proactive actions. When challenges arise, be prepared to react quickly,” said Craig Walter, senior educator at VAS.

“With the right herd management tools, you can identify cows that need more support. By tracking changes in health and reproduction trends, you can ensure your entire team is on the same page.”

Here are three practical tips for using data insights to give fresh cows the best start to their lactation.

1. Build an accurate data foundation.

Timely and accurate data entry is the foundation for effective fresh cow management. Accurately and consistently recording health events, milk production and reproductive performance allows you to identify issues early and make informed decisions.

“I worked with a farm that was recording a ketosis rate of nearly 70%,” Walter said. “They were giving calcium boluses as a preventative measure, but after reviewing the data, I noticed they were recording this preventative care as a health event. We adjusted their protocols and their rates moved back to normal ranges.”

Accurate data entry is the first step to building a proficient and profitable fresh cow management program.

Ensure accurate data by educating employees and emphasizing the importance of compliance and consistency with data entry and treatments.

2. Quickly find and address problems as they appear.

Effectively managing fresh cows requires addressing issues as they arise. Herd management software, like DairyComp, offers real-time, customizable tools and reports to help you quickly intervene and manage fresh cows when health-related challenges occur.

Comparing weekly overview reports can help you spot minor deviations before they become more significant problems. These weekly reports, which include data on health events, treatments and more, help you react faster to fresh cow trends.

“By customizing these weekly reports, you can focus on critical areas like activity monitoring, rumination and health events like mastitis and milk fever,” Walter said. “Focusing on these key areas makes it easier to manage your fresh cows and ensure you meet your management goals.”

Weekly reports help you to quickly see sudden drops in production or increases in health events. This allows you to pinpoint the cause of the spike, whether it is due to environmental influences or management changes.

Health-focused insights in herd management software can equip you with more information to make the best health management decisions. These tools allow you to gain insights into your herd’s health, compare data with peer performance, evaluate the cost of health events and stay in the know with real-time alerts.

Fresh cows are most vulnerable to health events in the first 30 days of transition. Using herd management software with health-focused features, easily track the most common health issues, such as milk fever, ketosis, metritis and mastitis and be alerted when trends are above thresholds. These alerts inform your entire team, including consultants, and enable them to respond quickly.

3. Use data to proactively manage your fresh cows.

Proactive management allows you to stay ahead of issues, ensuring fresh cows transition smoothly, recover quickly and contribute effectively to the herd’s overall success. It’s about setting cows up for long-term productivity through strategic, timely and data-driven care.

Identifying and analyzing trends within historical data can reveal which cows are prone to health challenges during transition. By identifying these outliers, you can give them extra care and attention to prevent recurring issues.

A big-picture view of all data is great for general management, but sometimes you need to dig deeper into the data.

“Customization is the best thing in a herd management software,” Walter said. “I recommend farms pull a custom report of past health events and treatments to help flag any problem cows before freshening. This helps pinpoint cows that require closer monitoring and preventative care, ultimately reducing treatment costs in the long run.”

Easily filter data by stage of lactation to focus specifically on fresh cows. Monitoring 30-, 60- and 90-day trends can help track recovery and performance, ensuring cows are on the right path.

Hospital and work lists, like those used during herd checks, provide a practical framework for implementing these insights.

They allow you to focus attention where needed most, ensuring every cow gets the support required for optimal health and performance. These lists also create efficiencies with workflows.

For example, a farm Walter works with previously walked the fresh cow pen, temping and checking cows for ketosis based on fresh dates and physical appearance.

To streamline management, they now use their herd management software to make a fresh cow checklist to keep a closer eye on and record those animals for the first 21 days. After that period, those cows drop off the list unless they are treated or re-added.