In July 2025, Techna India organized a technical seminar in Ludhiana, Punjab, bringing together nutritionists and feed manufacturers to address key challenges in dairy nutrition. The seminar focused on optimizing strategies for heifer growing and rearing and dairy cow feeding to enhance precision nutrition.
Heifer Rearing: Why the first six months matter
Raising heifers is a crucial factor in the profitability of dairy farms, particularly in reducing the age at first calving and increasing the production of primiparous cows. Techna shared its expertise in dairy heifer rearing, emphasizing nutrition, management, and profitability.
A recent Techna survey revealed that reducing the age at first calving alone does not guarantee optimal production, highlighting significant disparities in primiparous cow performance. These differences are partly due to nutritional inconsistencies such as limited or no measurement of colostrum IgG, lack of forage analysis, and insufficient diet calculations, alongside an absence of a comprehensive management strategy.
The importance of Early-Life Nutrition
To effectively reduce the age at first breeding, attention must be paid to the critical 0 to 6 month period, essential for the growth and health of heifers (see chart below). Ensuring good immune transfer and rigorous feed management during this timeframe is vital.
Feeding Dairy Cows: A new strategy based on two feeds
Faced with the limitations of traditional feeding systems, which often rely on imbalanced diets, Techna proposed a new strategy based on the use of two high-energy dairy feeds. This innovative approach aims to balance the TMR while providing a targeted concentrate intake according to days in milk.
The main objectives of this system are to secure body condition, stimulate the start of lactation, and meet the energy and protein requirements of both primiparous and multiparous cows. Testimonials from farmers and technicians confirm the technical and economic relevance of this feeding strategy.
Results demonstrated an increase in milk production alongside improvements in animal health parameters, such as body condition and locomotion, as well as an enhanced margin per cow per day. Adaptable to different production levels, this strategy leverages the expertise of feed manufacturers and contributes to improved farm profitability.
Through this seminar, Techna India reaffirms its commitment to supporting the dairy industry with practical knowledge and innovative solutions aimed at improving the productivity and competitiveness of India’s dairy sector.
