Effective reproductive management programs can work to increase profitability as they decrease calving intervals and increase pregnancy rates. Pregnancy rate is the percent of eligible cows that become pregnant in a 21-day period. According to Paul Fricke, University of Wisconsin dairy reproductive specialist, pregnancy rate should be a concern for producers.
Pregnancy rate is determined by the conception rate and the service rate.
The conception rate is the percent of cows conceiving to a service. On the other hand, the service rate is the percent of eligible cows that are serviced every 21 days. If cows never receive an AI service then they will never become pregnant. With these concepts in mind, it is know wonder that today's producer has a variety of options when it comes to the abundance of heat-synchronization programs offered. An individual administers prostaglandin products, and use of these products requires the producer to continue to watch for heats.