‘AHV boluses have improved our overall herd health’

Paulien, Willem and their son Jeroen Breunisse milk 365 mixed-breed (Friesian, Fleckvieh, Viking Red, Normande) cows on their Sheffield farm. Fairleigh farm has a 44-bail E-100 Delaval rotary milking parlour and operates a system 4 farming system. They use a DeLaval Cell Counter and Mastatest machine in their office to monitor udder health.

Paulien embraced the AHV concept when she encountered it: ‘I am always on the lookout for new opportunities that make our cows healthier and happier and that make good business sense at the same time. AHV solutions are plant-based and have zero milk or meat withhold, which really appealed to us’. Fairleigh farm started using the udder health boluses last year with good results, especially in younger cows. When AHV showed the Breunisse family the results of the proactive Fertility Protocol from a demonstration trial in the North Island, Jeroen was interested: ‘Fertility is one of our main priorities and the results that were shared looked exciting, we wanted to give it a go’.

The AHV Proactive Fertility Protocol consist of an AHV Opti Bolus that supports the uterus to clean up and recover from calving and sets her up for her next pregnancy well; and a Milk Start Paste which stimulates the appetite and replenishes some of the energy and minerals she needs for her milk production. Together these products ensure more energy is available for the cow for milk production, health and fertility. In the 2023 spring calving season, all early calvers, some of the mid-season calvers and all of the late calvers received the AHV Fertility protocol at the Fairleigh farm.

The cows came into their milk faster and better’

When asked what they observed in their cows, Willem starts: ’First and most of all we just saw no problems with the cows, which is great’. Jeroen builds:’ The cows came into their milk faster and better’. We had very few cows with metabolic challenges or uterine health challenges and our SCC is 13% down from last year. We know that improved udder health also contributes to improved fertility, so we continue to work on improving udder health using the AHV udder health boluses.’ Paulien adds: ’The cows were cycling earlier and we had fewer non-cycling cows compared with last season. Our 3 week submission rate was 90%. AHV will keep monitoring the results with the Breunisse family, pregnancy scanning is planned for February 2024. When asked what they would say to other dairy farmers, the Breunisses commented : ‘AHV boluses have improved our overall herd health, as an additional benefit, this has reduced our need for antibiotic use’ .

About AHV

AHV (Animal Health Vision) is the global leader in quorum sensing-powered animal health solutions and advisory services, giving #PowerToTheFarmer to optimise their animal health. Since opening in New Zealand February 2022, AHV has tailored a range of protocols to New Zealand farming challenges to power herd longevity, productivity and profitability. Reach out to your local Territory Manager or call AHV New Zealand at 0800 424 869 to learn more about how AHV can support your farm.