Investigating poor reproductive performance in suckler herds - are we missing a trick?

摘要

Profitability of beef suckler herds is directly related to the number of calves reared per heifer or cow served annually. The economic consequences of high barren rates can, therefore, be very significant, let alone the costs associated with the diagnosis and management of the problem causing poor fertility.In recent years, we have eradicated brucellosis, which used to be a major cause of reproductive losses, and many farms now also have disease control strategies in place for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), leptospirosis and bovine herpes virus type 1 (BoHV-1).