Progesterone profiling software for on-farm
fertility monitoring is here!

There is much talk within the farming community about problems with dairy cow fertility. The solution to these problems could be one step closer to being solved. Much time and effort has been spent investigating the possibility of using progesterone profiling as a diagnostic tool to provide the farmer with a clear picture of the fertility status of his cows. The key issue with this topic has always been in finding a way to incorporate the extensive scientific knowledge into a practical tool that can be easily used. The Cattle Fertility Group at Nottingham University, with support from the Milk Development Council, has been developing such a tool, in the form of a computer program, which can be installed on a P.C. We are now testing it out on a small number of farms.

The story begins when a cow calves and this information is entered on to the computer. The program then advises to start taking milk samples for progesterone analysis at a specified period after calving. The default is approximately 40 days, as this is when a cow should have returned to ovulation. This period can be changed by the farmer if they decide to start monitoring earlier or to give the cow more time to recover before looking to inseminate etc. The milk samples can be collected during milking two or three times a week and sent to the lab for analysis every week. The results from the lab are sent via email to the farm and are automatically read by the program. The computer then makes a decision on the fertility status of each cow using both the progesterone results and any fertility events such as bulling, treatment or inseminations that have been observed and recorded.

There are three main decisions to be taken by the program: is the cow cycling (ovulating)? Is treatment indicated? Or is the cow pregnant (if recently inseminated)? If the cow is cycling the software can detect which stage of ovulation she is currently at from the progesterone levels and hence predict when she is due in heat. It is particularly useful to know which cows are likely to be bulling or showing other signs of oestrus in a particular week. Farms currently trying out the software have found that separating those cows and concentrating on them for heat detection has improved matters significantly. This technique also solves the problem of silent heat since the software uses progesterone analysis to predict the day of oestrus; the farmer can then inseminate on this day.

 In the case of a cow having a ‘fertility problem’ the software can give advice on the nature of the problem from the progesterone profile. The software flags those cows that have an irregular profile. The farmer can act on this himself or show the progesterone profile to the vet who can then make an informed decision on the correct action/treatment. Farms currently involved have found that their vets have been able to take more effective action from this information. The software will automatically assess whether any treatment or other action has been effective from further progesterone readings.

 For many years progesterone concentration has been known to be a good indicator of pregnancy and the software makes use of post insemination progesterone values very effectively in indicating the likelihood of pregnancy. Thus the farmer is in a strong position to decide whether an animal is pregnant or not.

 Any farmer interested in using this sort of tool will probably have several questions in mind before being convinced of its usefulness. How effective is it in improving fertility? How much does it cost? How much extra time and effort is involved? Etc.

 The answer to the first of those questions has already been answered to a significant extent when previous progesterone trials where carried out on farms around the midlands. Put simply, the farms found that their fertility performance improved, the number of missed heats declined sharply, the services to conception ratio decreased, the vet fees decreased and the interval to conception and days open decreased significantly. As well as improving these fertility issues the software can also help to highlight each individual cow's fertility traits. This can help the farmer in preparing and knowing what to expect from each cow in the post calving period and also to choose the most fertile cows for breeding. Thus, there are long term benefits as well as short term solutions.

 The cost of such a system is difficult to pin down at present due to the logistics of milk sampling and laboratory analysis. There would be an initial minimal investment in purchasing the software and signing up for the service and a secondary ongoing cost in sending samples for analysis. It is estimated that any cost incurred would be greatly outweighed by savings in the following:

1. Unnecessary or ineffective treatment and vet time,

2. Repeat inseminations, 

3. Money lost on milk yield for extended days open,

4. Cows culled for failure to get in to calf

5. Long term savings in breeding a more fertile herd.

Some may argue that time spent using the software could be spent watching for heat and other fertility management tasks. Again, put simply, the amount of time using the software is the amount of time it takes to input simple fertility events such as calving, treatment, observed heat and insemination. The rest is done automatically and the software provides lists of cows showing each fertility status from progesterone analysis. The progesterone profiles for each cow are easily viewed, as is other data.

To recap, the software advises which cows are due in heat in the near future, which have irregular profiles and need attention and the likelihood of pregnancy for those inseminated. These are shown in easy to view lists. The software also generates lists of those cows for which samples need be taken. Samples are collected from those cows being monitored and boxed up to be collected on behalf of the university. This adds a minimal time on to normal milking.

The farmers currently using the software are finding that time spent is minimal, that it is easy to use and brings many benefits. This tool is currently on trial and its standing is strong with all farms involved having one main concern - that we won’t take it away from them. At the conclusion of this trial it is intended that the tool will be available as part of a commercial service. Maybe in the near future dairy farmers will wonder how they ever managed without progesterone profiling!

Andrew Scully & Keith Gregson
Cattle Fertility Research Group
Division of Animal Physiology
University Of Nottingham
Sutton Bonington
25th February 2000