Did your calving period seem to drag on this season? One way to try and compact your calving for next year is to have a good 3-week submission rate.  

To be on track for a successful mating, the industry target is to have 90% of cows submitted for mating over the first three weeks. Herds that hit this target will have more early calving cows, lower empty rates, less late calving cows, and ultimately more days in milk in the following season.  

If your 3-week submission rate was low last mating season, here are a few tips to boost your percentage: 

• Get bloods and livers done before planned start of mating to see if your herd is low in copper, selenium or magnesium. All three are important to the cycling of your cows.  

• Aim to have 85% of the herd cycling before planned start of mating. This can be done by tracking pre-mating heats through collars or with tail paint.  

• Use intervention to get your non-cyclers cycling. Speak with one of the vets to hook you up with a CIDR programme.