Week Overview: Herd Inventory Calculations (Lecture 50 min + Lab)

Author

Miel Hostens

Why this week exists (the “so what”)

Inventory calculations are the bridge between biology and decisions. If your snapshot is wrong, your reproduction strategy, semen strategy (sexed vs beef), housing plan, and growth plan will all be wrong—even if your math is perfect.

This week trains students to: 1) produce a defensible snapshot of the current herd and 2) compute flows (dynamics) with correct denominators and time windows, then 3) translate those numbers into a growth strategy for CDREC (CURC).

Learning objectives (students should be able to…)

By the end of lecture + lab, students can:

  • Explain herd statics (state) vs herd dynamics (flows).
  • Define risk vs rate and why mixing them breaks inventory math.
  • Compute and interpret:
    • culling/removal rate
    • mortality/death rate (cows vs calves)
    • replacement/entry rate
    • calving/freshening rate
    • herd turnover rate
  • Identify which metrics are true synonyms vs near‑synonyms.
  • Run DC305 commands to build a farm snapshot and extract needed numerators/denominators.

References (for students)