Veterinary intervention in the reproductive management of beef cow herds

British beef producers need to function at maximum efficiency if profitability is to be achieved. For the breeding herd, the key is to maximise reproductive efficiency. Veterinary practitioners are ideally placed to provide the services that beef cow herd managers will require to achieve this, but may find clients initially reluctant to take up these new services. Cattle practitioners therefore have to demonstrate a sound knowledge of the principal factors that impact on beef cow herd productivity and the ability to translate that knowledge into effective herd investigative strategies and planned intervention programmes. This article provides guidance for practitioners wishing to grasp this new opportunity.