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5
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
Veterinary Surgeon
Chris Parker
XLVets Practice
Scarsdale Veterinary
Group
At Springfield Farm near Ambergate, Michael
is currently milking 230 cows (following a
recent TB outbreak which saw 25 cows go
for slaughter) with an average herd yield of
8,500 litres/cow.
His enviable fertility figures include: a
pregnancy rate to first service of 41%, a
rolling 100-day in-calf rate of 50%, and
a calving interval of 394 days - well below
the UK average.
However, herd fertility wasn't always this
good. Two years ago, the calving interval had
extended to 420 days, prompting Michael
to make two key management changes. He
signed up to the Genus RMS (Reproduction
Management Service) in which daily visits are
made by an AI technician to check for bulling
cows and to serve them. ‘It's another job
ticked,’ says Michael.
Michael also changed his vet. He wanted
specialist dairy vet expertise and experience,
and turned to the services of Scarsdale
Veterinary Group in Derby. Now, vet Chris
Parker makes fortnightly fertility visits and also
provides an in-depth herd health report in
conjunction with the University of Nottingham's
Vet School students.
Scarsdale is one of two vet practices used by
Nottingham Veterinary School as an associate
farm teaching practice (the other being XLVets'
Farm Vet Solutions in Uppingham). A student
will work alongside a Scarsdale vet to gain
practical experience; farm clients can benefit
by having students visit every three months to
collect data and complete a full health report
on the farm, which includes mastitis and cell
count control, condition scoring, fertility
and locomotion.
All Scarsdale's clients receiving regular fertility
visits are provided with a Herd Pride report
which includes the basic data on SCC and
fertility. For those, like Michael Oulton, who
want more in-depth information, including
quarterly trends, then a Total Vet Report can
be provided, generated either by the students
or Scarsdale's team of vets and technicians.
FERT I L I TY CAMPA IGN
CHR I S PARKER ,
SC ARSDAL E VETER I NARY GROUP
D
erbyshire dairy farmer Michael Oulton is keeping herd fertility in
very good order thanks to regular fortnightly fertility visits by his vet
Chris Parker of Scarsdale Veterinary Practice, and daily visits by a
Genus breeding technician.
Regular veterinary visits
keep (more than just)
fertility
on track...
Other health matters are also discussed during
Chris's visits - here discussing how best to
prevent badgers getting into feed troughs and
coming into contact with youngstock.
Different coloured tailpaints are an integral part
of the Genus RMS service indicating which cows
are available to breed or already served/PD’d.