How Cow’s Own Worth (C.O.W.) Helps Dairy Farmers Make Better Culling Decisions
At TeamAg Advisory, we work with seven dairy discussion groups and a number of one-to-one clients across the country, representing well over 100 farm businesses. I am also involved in several dairy farms operating under different partnership structures. Across both sides of my work, C.O.W. is an award-winning decision support tool we get great value from every year.
Improving Herd Profitability
Deciding which cows should be retained and which should be culled can be quite complex. There are numerous factors to consider, and it can be difficult to weigh them all consistently. C.O.W. does an excellent job of bringing the relevant information together in one place.
I encourage farmers not to focus solely on the overall C.O.W. figure. It is important to examine the individual components behind it, including:
- Kilograms of milk solids produced
- Calving date
- Somatic cell count and recorded health events such as mastitis and lameness
- Age
- The cow’s EBI
Looking at these components helps farmers understand why an individual cow has received her ranking. Over time, this builds confidence and trust in the index and allows it to become a helpful decision support tool.
The quality of the output also depends on the quality of the information recorded. We strongly encourage our clients to record every mastitis and lameness treatment through a suitable herd-management app and ensure that this information is synchronised with ICBF. The more complete the data, the more accurate and valuable C.O.W. becomes.
Better Culling Decisions
Selective culling is an area in which we believe many farms could do more of. When we examine the profitability of the lowest-performing cows, we often find that they are leaving very little—and sometimes no—profit. In our experience, a consistently low culling rate can result in problem cows and poor performers being retained for too long.
Over time, this can lead to an older herd with declining performance and profitability. As a general guide, we like to see replacement rates of approximately 18% to 20%, although the appropriate rate will depend on the individual farm and its stage of development. Equally, the replacement rate should not become excessively high, as this can leave the herd too young.
We frequently see relatively young herds, averaging approximately 3.3 to 3.5 lactations, outperforming more mature herds averaging four lactations or more. Although the younger herds may not have the same level of maturity, the overall quality of the cows is often higher because poorer-performing and problem animals have been removed.
For herds that have not been culling selectively, a focused period of two or three years can substantially improve the quality of the bottom end of the herd and, in turn, lift the herd average. Once this improvement has been achieved, it may be possible to return to a lower, steady replacement rate.
Why Health Recording Matters
Many farmers are still not making full use of the information available through milk recording and health-event recording. C.O.W. makes that information much easier to use by combining production, fertility, health, genetics and future profit potential in one clear tool. It provides an excellent evidence base for making more consistent and informed culling decisions.
Access the C.O.W. profile through your ICBF HerdPlus account and see which cows are delivering the greatest profit potential in your herd.