Rethinking Lactation: What If One Calf Per Year Isn’t Optimal?

I just finished reading a paper published by van Knegsel and others on extended lactations in dairy cows, and it really challenged the traditional mindset of aiming for a one-year calving interval.

  Key insights:

• Extending the voluntary waiting period (VWP) can reduce the number of transition periods, which may improve cow health and fertility.

• It may also help reduce the surplus of calves, an increasingly relevant issue in the dairy sector.

• However, there are trade-offs: milk yield efficiency (especially Milk Yield/Calving Interval) can vary, and there's a risk of fattening in late lactation, particularly in multiparous cows.

 How are you approaching lactation length in your herd or region?

• Are you already customizing VWP based on individual cow traits like persistency, peak yield, or BCS?

• What tools or indicators help you decide when to delay insemination?

Let’s share experiences and ideas, especially around how to balance milk yield, fertility, and welfare in extended lactation strategies.