By unlocking the export potential China offers the pig industry, not to mention the red meat sector as a whole, we could gain entry into a marketplace which comprises a fifth of the world’s population.Focus on the future when setting farm targets
MORE consideration needs to be given to what information is recorded on dairy farms, how the data is used and how targets are set, said Steve Eicker of US company Valley Ag Software.
Rear view
He said too many farmers were ‘looking in the rear view mirror’ and focusing on historical data, such as last year’s conception rate and repro culls (see panel).
Mr Eicker said: “I’m going around the world trying to take these off people’s computer systems, because if its there some consultant will come along and waste your time telling you what happened a year ago and not helping you now.”
Mr Eicker said it was often difficult to monitor more useful things, but recommended pregnancy rate in the last three months, heat detection in the last two months, abortions in the last one to three months, all occurrence of different diseases, including lameness.
“We need to start looking differently at these things,” he said. “What question are we trying to answer? What tools do we have and which one is the best to use? And make sure it’s a question worth asking and there’s some action you’re going to follow it up with.”
Poor data and targets
Other examples of poor data and targets:
- Calving interval, as it only includes cows which get pregnant and not those which are culled for infertility
- Age at first calving, as it is too great a lag between calf management and lactation; better to measure number of heifers not bred at 13 months or 15 months
- Days open, as number gets ‘worse’ when a problem cow eventually gets in calf, when, in fact, getting problem cows in calf is often an achievement
- Setting a mastitis level at 5 per cent, as staff will stop recording mastitis cases
- Setting a low target for cows culled before 60 days, as they will go at 61 days instead
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