BCS a progress test of farmer

Keith Christensen (left) and Tim Wilson.

Tim Wilson made the jump two seasons ago from winter milking to seasonal supply, and admits he now enjoys time away from milking and having a few weeks out of the dairy to catch up on other jobs.

The 50:50 sharemilker realised jumping the fence to spring calving may bring a winter break, but also brought more pressure to "get all your ducks in a row" in a relatively short period.

One of those "ducks" was having cow body condition scores (BCS) to ideal levels by critical periods, such as calving.

"Running a winter milk operation always means you have two of everything -- two lots of heifers, milking cows, dry cows, the whole lot, and it can be a constant sort of business with little real break from any of it," says Tim.

"With winter milk you always had that second chance if a cow did not get in calf. If she didn't, you could just push her into the autumn mob."

For Tim, getting help from DairyNZ's BCS programme has been invaluable.

DairyNZ's BCS assessor certification programme was established to instil greater consistency in BCS assessment -- an area understood by many farmers, but one with subjective interpretations of what different scores looked like in the flesh.

With the programme, farmers get standardised assessments by a certified assessor, with figures that represent the same BCS all over New Zealand.

For Tim, that assessor proved to be the animal health professional he knew best and trusted the most, his vet Keith Christensen of Levin Horowhenua Vets.

"I quite liked having Keith do the assessment. While as a farmer I may know how to do it, to be really objective you don't want to have to do it yourself.

"Having Keith means I have someone who sees a lot of cows, but who is also familiar with my herd."

REGULAR ASSESSMENTS

Keith's BCS assessments occur four times a year at times that match critical decision-making periods.

A precalving visit helps to determine whether or not the BCS 5 for cows and 5.5 for heifers has been achieved.

The herd is then assessed at premating, early summer and early autumn as drying off decisions loom.

"You really need to have four assessments to follow that curve through the season, and they match the periods when you are going to be making transitions throughout the season."

For Tim, the BCS assessments have helped make the mindset shift from the "doubled up" winter contract supply to the "one shot" seasonal system, for which all cows must be on target at once.

ASSESSOR KEEPS HIS EYE IN

For Keith Christensen, being a certified assessor means keeping his BCS "eye" calibrated with an annual reassessment and constant focus on scoring levels.

"It does take a lot of work to stay calibrated. You can't just do a course and think 'yep, I am all good'.

"You have to come back and recalibrate every year."

Keith acknowledges that BCS assessment can be a challenging process both for the assessor and the farmer.

"BCS is cutting close to what farmers do. However, while the results may not always be what you want to hear, the benefits for whole herd health and productivity are significantly greater than expenditure on individual cow problems," says Keith.

"My experience last year was the farmers who were beating the BCS targets were the ones doing best in their district."

For Tim, working with Keith is part of his approach to becoming a better farmer.

"I enjoy having Keith here as a consultant. He's being proactive rather than reactive about the herd's health and condition.

"I trust him on what he observes and recommends."

Lost opportunity

Each cow that calves at a body condition score (BCS) of 0.5 below the target of 5 for calving means a farm business loss of approximately $56.

A cow calving at BCS 4.5 will produce about 6kg MS less, is more likely not to be cycling at the start of mating and to leave the herd as an empty cow.

That 0.5 BCS could be gained by feeding the cow 65kg PKE in a dry period, which at $270/tonne and 15 per cent wastage would cost $20, leaving a net gain of $36. For a 300-cow herd calving at 4.5, this equates to approximately $11,000 of missed income.

This is a simplified example but clearly illustrates the financial benefit of reaching BCS targets at calving. Capturing that benefit, while avoiding the metabolic issues that occur if mature cows calve fatter than BCS 5.5, requires an eye on individual cow BCS from now until calving.

Many farmers don't have time to score individual cows and their scoring can be biased. Using a certified BCS assessor will help you reach BCS targets and capture the benefits.

* To calculate a herd's potential, use the InCalf body condition at calving tool at dairynz.co.nz/incalf.