It's important to find a qualified inseminator who places importance on high quality semen that has been handled correctly and for the inseminator to be on the farm at the right time. Also, Heersche suggested inseminating cows that are definitely in heat, have been vaccinated for reproductive diseases, are consuming a balanced ration that is low in mycotoxins, and are not under or overfed protein. He recommends watching to see if cows are in heat three times a day, watching for 30 minutes each time. Also, producers should watch cows on concrete, rather than dirt, when possible. Use a 21-day reproduction calendar to anticipate which cows will be in heat.
Producers also can use commercial heat-detection aids to know which cows are in heat.
Open cows that need to be bred are injected with a prostaglandin product on Monday morning and watched very closely for heat on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Fall and early winter are great times to get dairy cows pregnant and can be a time for dairy producers to get particularly high returns on time and energy invested in managing dairy herd reproduction.