Instituto BioSistêmico completes three rounds of reproductive management in the Leite Seridó project

The reproductive management services provided by the Leite Seridó project are helping to better prepare dairy herds for genetic improvement.

The second and third rounds of reproductive management were carried out by the Instituto Biosistêmico (IBS) between the months of July and September in the municipalities of Serra Negra do Norte and Timbaúba dos Batistas, in Rio Grande do Norte.

During these visits, the team evaluate the health of the cows and checks whether they are ready to receive the ovulation synchronization protocol so that they can be inseminated later. In addition to this assessment and carrying out the protocol, it is important that the herd receives quality food, with adequate mineralization.

Before joining the project, most producers had never performed ultrasound examinations on their herd, which is essential to check the animal's reproductive conditions and treat possible diseases.

This is the case of producer Pedro Gabriel de Araújo, from the Logradouro das Várzeas farm, in Serra Negra do Norte. He was very pleased with the results of the ultrasound examinations on his herd, as it was found that the cows are healthy.

Adjust mineral salt

However, it was necessary to adjust the mineral salt offered to the animals, as has been done on several properties served in the project, with the aim of improving the AITF results and the health of the cows. Mineral deficiency can cause several problems linked to reproduction, such as reduced fertility, abortion, birth of weak or dead calves and retained placenta.

“In the first round of AITF, the result was not good. But after making corrections to the salt and the cows' diet, we had a percentage of around 60% in the second round of insemination. Of the 17 cows inseminated, 10 became pregnant, which is considered a great result”, highlights Pedro Gabriel, who had never performed aitf in his herd until joining the project.

The producer states that he has always thought about starting the genetic improvement of the herd and the project has been an excellent opportunity for him to achieve this goal. “I hope to soon have better milk production per cow. This year, due to the drought and lack of roughage, our average is around 230 liters of milk per day. In normal years, we produce 320 liters per day”, he reports.

According to veterinarian Fabio Spinelli, an IBS consultant who provides reproductive management services, the case of producer Pedro Gabriel is quite representative, as producers are following the guidelines of the IBS teams and improving their results.

“Among the challenges to be overcome are the condition of the animals' body weight, in addition to the difficulty of supplying quality mineral salt that meets the animals' needs. In most properties we have already been able to observe a change in the nutritional and reproductive management of animals”, says the veterinarian.

About the Seridó Milk Project

Designed and executed by the Instituto Biosistêmico, the Leite Seridó project is supported by resources from the Zoetis Foundation and Sebrae/RN. The initiative seeks to promote the development of dairy farming on a total of 100 properties, with a family farming profile, in the Seridó region, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Northeast region of Brazil.

It proposes a set of activities and technological assistance resources, structured and modulated into four thematic axes aimed at improving the production process: good practices, reproductive management, nutritional management and health management.

The project uses the CheckMilk methodology, which has a platform with a management system and application for technical teams and producers. The system facilitates project management and the application helps the producer on a daily basis, as support, an extension of IBS consultancy that can be accessed at any time in the palm of your hand.