Can overworked staff affect dairy fertility rates?

With the ever increasing pressure on farm resources, not least labour, it is hardly surprising that the amount of time farmers devote to observing cattle for signs of bulling is becoming harder to find or justify.  This is compounded by the fact that a number of studies show that most heats occur out-of-hours – 70% occur between 7pm and 7am, and 15% between midnight and 2am.  Herdspeople are spending less man hours per cow observing for signs of heat, with the consequence that detection rates on some units are as low as 40%. 


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