DHIA helps you manage your dairy herd using record reports and test results.
Why Keep Records?
Good management = More $$$. Based on a 100-cow herd, keeping DHIA records will help you:
1. Add 1 pound of peak milk
1 lb. peak = 250 lb. milk per cow x $20.00 = $50.00
$50.00 x 100 cows = $5,000 per year
2. Lower SCC
- Cutting your herd’s SCC in half increases 1.5 lbs. of milk per cow per day
- Milking 85 cows x 1.5 lbs. milk = 127 lbs. milk per day @ $20.00 = $25.40 per day x 365 = $9,271 per year
- $0.40 cwt milk bonus @ 22,000 lbs. RHA x 100 cows = $8,800 per year
- Combined lower SCC and milk quality bonus for 100 cows = $18,071 per year
3. Maintain reproduction
- Every month over 13 month calving interval = $100 milk loss per cow per year
- Bring calving from 14 to 13 = $100 x 100 cow = $10,000 per year
Every dairy farmer should know
- Calving interval
- Pregnancy rate
- Days to 1st service
- Services per pregnancy
- Conception rate
4. Lower cull rates
- Cut your cull rate 5% – save 5 animals for a 100 cow herd
- $1,000 difference between replacement cost and cull price = $5,000 per year
5. Maintain optimum age at first calving
- Every animal over 24 months calving age amounts to $100 milk loss per month
- Example: 27 month average age at 1st calving for a 100 cow herd with 34% 1st lactation animals equals $300 per 1st lactation animal x 34 = $10,200 per year
DHIA Testing Programs
Lancaster DHIA offers the following DHIA Testing Programs. Join us and get started managing your herd!
- Supervised Testing
- Owner Sampler Testing
- Prime
- Basic
- Lab Only
- On-Farm Computer PCDART for all types of testing (except Lab Only)
Programs also include the following:
- Usable I.D. for Young Sire Programs
- Keeping Heifer Records
- Production Benchmarks
- Herd Comparison
- $12.00 annual fee subscription to Lancaster Farming for all herds on regular DHIA Testing Programs (Does not include Lab Only)
Contact a field service coordinator below and he’ll get you started on the right program and assign you a local technician.
Contact your Field Service Coordinator
Lancaster DHIA Field Service Map
Field service coordinators can help you get started with DHIA and let you know who your local tech is.
We have 3 field service areas on the map: Green, Blue, and the Lancaster Area (see counties below).
Contact the field service coordinator in your area.
Lancaster Area Field Service
Becky Hershey
1-717-413-3331
LDHIA@lancasterdhia.com
Becky service the following counties: Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks, Bucks, Chester, York, Cecil (MD), Harford (MD)
Field Service
David Bigelow
1-814-330-5222
davidb@lancasterdhia.com
David services all counties except the counties in the Lancaster Area.
Vermont Field Service
Brett Denny
1-802-233-8662
bdenny@vtdhia.org