What is a 4-EVENT COW?
If you look at any cow card in DairyComp or your herd management program, a 4-EVENT COW has only four major events listed throughout her lactation:
- FRESH
- BRED
- CONFIRMED PREGNANT
- DRY
Meet cow 5677.
She lives on a 1500-cow dairy farm that partners with Alta Genetics and uses an Alta AI technician to handle all of the herd’s reproduction. On the dairy, she’s milked three times per day through a double-20 parallel parlor.
She’s fed a well-balanced ration, and when she’s not eating, spends her time comfortably resting in sand-bedded freestalls. 5677 is currently in her second lactation. And at Alta, she’s what we call a 4-EVENT COW.
This means she had a live calf with no troubles. She had no milk fever, ketosis, or retained placenta. No other metabolic issues slowed her down after calving, and by avoiding those issues, she did not incur treatment costs.
After the dairy’s 60-day voluntary wait period, 5677 was bred. Since BRED is only listed once on her cow card, we know it took only one unit of semen – meaning just one insemination for her to conceive.
She was later confirmed pregnant, noted as PREG on her cow card. This is only possible because she did not have early embryonic death loss or an abortion, and no other reproductive troubles.
The fourth, and final event of 5677’s lactation shows as DRY on her cow card. This means there were no other lingering issues throughout her lactation. She went about her business as usual, until time to be dried off in preparation for her next lactation.
What’s missing
You might wonder what is missing from 5677’s cow card. Of course, maintenance events like pen moves, foot trims, vaccinations, and pregnancy re-checks also occur during a cow’s lactation.
But what’s really missing in a 4-EVENT COW’S lactation are the setbacks – the costly, time-consuming issues that hinder overall herd profitability. A 4-EVENT COW like 5677 does not get mastitis. She doesn’t become lame, and she does not abort her calf midway through the pregnancy. She avoids the sickness, infections and troubles that can cause major headaches for even the best dairy producers.
Cow 5677 is not only a 4-EVENT COW. She’s a profitable cow. Consider the time and money you save, and peace of mind you gain, with 4-EVENT COWS. A herd full of cows like 5677 don’t require costly treatments, and don’t drop in milk production due to those health concerns.
