Economic evaluation of longevity to increase profits

摘要

Dairy cow longevity is a highly desirable quality, due largely to the economic benefits associated with a longer productive life. DHI provides measures of longevity at both the herd level (average herd age, % in lactation 3+, and herd removal rate) and cow level ($/day of life). These measures, however, can be misrepresentative as they do not incorporate all aspects of the productive, reproductive, or health status of the cows. Nor do they account for the substantial financial loss that stems from heifers who are culled or die before first calving, and, therefore, incompletely represent the economic conditions of the herd. As a result, the objectives of this study are to 1) assign economic values to specific cow factors, and 2) evaluate the effect these factors have on the economics of longevity.