Fall is Here. Time for Pregnancy Testing Cattle!

We have experienced nice weather and beneficial rain this past week in the Florida Panhandle. For most cattle producers in the area, the breeding season is over, the calves are weaned and sold, so it is natural to focus on preparing your farm, resources, and pastures for calving season. However, before thinking about the calving season, don’t forget about pregnancy diagnoses (Figure 1). The only way to determine the efficiency of the reproductive program implemented for your herd is by identifying the cows that remained open after the breeding season.

Figure 1: Before you start planning for calving season, don’t forget about pregnancy diagnosis. Pregnancy diagnoses is the best way to evaluate the efficiency of the reproductive program at your herd, sort your open and pregnant cows, and make decisions about culling open cows. Credit: Angela Gonella, UF/IFAS

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If you are still doubting why using pregnancy diagnosis is essential or how much money could you save by adopting this technology, please continue reading this article. If you already know that it is important but are unsure how to adopt this technology, please check out references 1 and 2 below. In these two articles, we summarized the options available for pregnancy diagnosis. Disregarding which methodology you choose (rectal palpation, transrectal ultrasound, or blood test), identifying the cows and heifers that did not get pregnant during the breeding season will bring tremendous benefits to your herd. Unfortunately, the number of producers that use pregnancy diagnosis in the beef industry is still low, with only 19.3% of producers using rectal palpation, 8.8% of producers using ultrasonography, and 3.5% of producers using blood tests  (References 2-4 below).

Why should you pregnancy test?

Looking at Figure 2 below, and assuming that you have a three-month breeding season (April 1st to July 1st) that results in 90-day calving season (January 1st to April 1st). Most producers will use a similar schedule as in this example, where pregnancy diagnosis is conducted on the same day as or soon after weaning. So, using this example, if a cow is pregnant and you don’t pregnancy test, it is OK, because she will calve in the subsequent calving season. But what about the cows that are not pregnant (open)?

Figure 2: Timeline containing two consecutive calving seasons. The first calving season (from January 1st to April 1st) is followed by the breeding season (April 1st to July 1st). After the end of the breeding season, many producers conduct pregnancy diagnoses at weaning, as exemplified here in mid-September. Later, the subsequent calving season will happen on January 1st to April 1st of the following year. This means that, if an open cow is not sorted out, she will remain 6 ½ months with the pregnant herd. Credit: Angela Gonella, UF/IFAS Click on image to make larger.

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As you can see in this example, this open cow will remain in your herd from the day of weaning (September 15th in figure 2) until the end of the subsequent calving season (April 1st). That is 6 ½ months of keeping an unproductive cow in your herd. Now, imagine how much money this open cow will waste in terms of food, grass, water consumption, veterinary services, vaccination, drugs, labor, and other resources.  For example, let’s say that your herd has an annual production cost of $800 per cow, this open cow that remains in your herd will cost you $427 ($800 annual cost, divided by 365 days = $2.19 per day X 195 days or 6 ½ months).  What if instead of just one open cow, you actually carry 10-15% of your herd open through the fall and winter?

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Do you know how much pregnancy diagnoses costs?

Using the blood pregnancy test as an example, the price range goes from $5 to $15 per cow, depending on whether you are shipping the samples to a laboratory or using the on-farm test. Either way, imagine how many cows or heifers you can check for pregnancy simply from the the savings in winter feeding expenses from not retaining the open cows in your herd. You can likely test your whole herd and have money leftover for other expenses!

Many producers tell me that they retain their open cows to give them a second chance. And, although I don’t fully agree with this decision, keep in mind that you want to at least separate your open cows from your pregnant herd. An open cow that stays with the pregnant herd steals resources from the fertile pregnant cows that need to gain weight prior to calving, so they can quickly recover for the subsequent breeding season. So, even if you keep your open cows for another year, you must consider pregnancy diagnoses to separate those open cows and send them to a different pasture with a diet designed for them, as they will not have the same nutritional requirements as the lactating cows.

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Take a home message

• Don’t forget that the breeding season is not over until you pregnancy test to evaluate the success of the reproductive program for your herd.
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• Keeping an open cow over the winter has considerable costs. Money that you can better invest in your most productive and more efficient cows.
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• If you need help implementing a pregnancy testing program for your herd, contact your local extension agent to find the resource people that can provide this service in your county. We are here to help!

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References:

1. Lopez Duarte, MC. Waters, K. Simmons, N. Gonella, N. 2024. Pregnancy Diagnosis on Beef Cattle Today. Ask IFAS, AN394.
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2. Lopez Duarte, MC. Waters, K. Simmons, N. Gonella, A. 2023. Pregnancy Diagnosis Options for Beef Cattle Herds. Panhandle Ag eNews.
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3. Binelli, M. Bittar, J. Gonella, A. 2021. Analysis of the USDA’s 2017 Cow-Calf Management Practices Results: Part 2—Breeding Practices/Reproductive Technologies. Ask IFAS, AN379.
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4. Gonella, A. Binelli, M. Bittar, J. Ojeda, OA. 2021. Powerful Reproductive Technologies are Available to Boost the Performance of Your Cattle Herd. Panhandle Ag eNews.
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5. Beef 2017: Beef Cow-Calf Management Practices in the United States, NAHMS May 2020 Report, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

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Angela Gonella-Diaza

Beef Cattle Reproductive Physiologist Assistant Professor at University of Florida

Dr. Angela Maria Gonella-Diaza was born in Colombia, in a region where agricultural production is significant for the local economy. "My family has a farm for more than 60 years, where rice and cattle are produced; thus, basically, I was surrounded by cows since I was a little girl. I went to the vet school in Bogota (Colombia). During that period, I worked a lot in in vitro embryo production, and when I finished my program, I worked in some dairy farms near Bogota (Capital of Colombia). But I loved the research since I was very young, so in 2008 I started my Master in Reproductive Physiology at the National University of Colombia. My research was focused on the reproductive efficiency of Romosinuano and Brahman breeds. Then, I worked for two years in a private vet School, teaching Theriogenology to undergraduate students before I went to Brazil in 2013 to start my Ph.D. at the University of Sao Paulo. I remained for almost six years there, first doing my Ph.D. and then a postdoc in the Department of Animal Reproduction. My research involved the identification of molecular patterns of receptivity in the reproductive tract of beef cows".

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Latest posts by Angela Gonella-Diaza (see all)

• Fall is Here.Time for Pregnancy Testing Cattle! - September 13, 2024
• How Stress Impacts Cattle Reproduction - March 15, 2024
• Pregnancy Diagnosis Options for Beef Cattle Herds - October 6, 2023