September 5, 2017 at 3:32 p.m.
Observation is key to Jopps' success
Ryan and Rick Jopp use the MAP Program from Genex to mate their cows.<br /><!-- 1upcrlf -->PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE
Mayer, Minn.
Carver County
Number of cows: We have 115 cows. Some are housed in a tiestall barn and the others are housed in a freestall barn.
What was your pregnancy rate average last year? 26 percent.
What is your reproduction program? How do you get cows pregnant? It starts with the dry cow ration and making sure the right amounts of vitamins and minerals are balanced according to the forage results. Our goal is to have cows come fresh without metabolic problems. I'll start breeding cows at 55 days in milk. I watch for heats daily. The cows are let outside once a day for an hour. Those not showing heats are put on an Ovsync program that really helps in getting cows pregnant.
Do you use seasonal breeding or avoid certain months? Our cows are bred all 12 months.
How often do you do pregnancy checks? We do herd checks once every month.
What is your breeding philosophy? Our herd is on the MAP Program with Genex so each cow is mated to certain bulls. We do not use sexed semen and we use genomic tested bulls.
What percentage of your herd is bred through A.I. or a bull? We have been 100 percent A.I. for 33 years.
If you use A.I., who breeds your cattle? The technicians for Genex breed our cows and do a great job.
Do you have a different philosophy when breeding heifers vs. cows? We use calving ease bulls only on our heifers. Our heifers are sorted in nine different groups based on age.
What do you do to settle hard breeders? How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? When a cow does not settle after the second service, on the third service I'll give her a shot of GNRH that helps to release the egg. After that, I use a cheaper bull, Angus or Hereford semen to get them settled.
What is your target size/weight/age for breeding heifers? We'll breed heifers at age 15 months. By then, with proper nutrition, they are of size and weight.
Is there anything you have done or changed that brought about a significant improvement in your reproductive program? The Ovsync program is a good tool to have but observation is still the key.[[In-content Ad]]
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