Vol. 10, No. 4, December 2000

Editorial
Education
Nutrition
Milk Quality
Environment
Management
Labor
Miscellaneous
Marketing

Editorial

As another year comes to a close, I extend my heartfelt holiday wishes to all of you. Together we embark upon another year of challenge in agriculture and strive to reach our business goals, while meeting family and personal needs. I wish you all good fortune in the coming years and look forward to working with you.

Read the following for an update of what's to come, as well as topics of current interest.

Happy Holidays!

J.W. Schroeder
Extension Dairy Specialist

Education

Cow College Preview
The annual Dairy Cow College is set for:

Highlighted topics for this year include:

• What does it take to survive $10 milk -- Dwight Aakre
• Dairy pollution prevention program and you -- Jason Wirtz
• Treat dry cow management as an investment -- J.W. Schroeder

All sessions will start promptly at 10:30 a.m. local time with the local ADA meeting followed by the educational program. Coffee served at 10 a.m.

New Dairy NRC Requirements

I will be hosting a satellite downlink for the International Symposium on the Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle, 7th-revised edition. This two-day video conference is scheduled for:

January 16-17, 2001
NDSU, Fargo

This program is designed for all professionals in dairy cattle production, including consulting nutritionists, animal scientists, feed company nutritionists, field specialists, and veterinarians, as well as the general public.

I still have several openings. If you are at all interested, please call me at 701-231-7663 or email me at jschroed@ndsuext.nodak.edu and I will provide details of the program, time and place.

The cost of the program is $65 and will include a copy of the new NRC for Dairy, a cd-rom with the dairy ration analyzer software, and all breaks.

Nutrition

Pre-fresh cows intake studied

In research conducted at the University of Wisconsin, factors that affect dry matter intake during the transition period (which begins at three weeks prior to calving), reviewed the diets and intakes of 699 cows in 16 different research studies. They showed that the day within the transition period, age and body condition score all influence the animal's dry matter intake. In addition, the feeding of rumen undegradable protein, rumen degradable protein, fat and neutral detergent fiber (NDF), were all considered significant (see chart).

Among these factors, the greatest influence was the day within the transition period. Cows' dry matter intake steadily declines as calving approaches, typically reaching the lowest point on the day of calving. Of the factors studied, dietary NDF accounted for 14 percent on the variation in intake. Ric Grummer, dairy nutritionist at the University of Wisconsin, says diets with less than 40 percent NDF typically decreases consumption. Other highlights include:

• Cows with body condition scores greater than 4.0 consumed less dry matter than cows with scores of 4.0 or less.
• Supplementing rations with fat also affected intakes; however, this primarily occurred in heifers. This agrees with field reports that animals have lower intakes when fat is first introduced, but resume eating at previous levels when acclimated to a fat-supplemented diet.
• Protein levels have very little influence on intake.

While these factors give you a starting point for managing transition diets, the study found a lot of individual cow influence. In fact, 87 percent of the cow's intake in the transition period was influenced by factors beyond those considered, with the factors listed above only accounting for 13 percent.

Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Milk Quality

High SCC? Maybe your bedding is to blame

How do you choose bedding for your cows? One important consideration is how well the bedding supports bacterial growth, which can lead to increased SCC and udder infections.

According to University of Minnesota scientists, all bedding made from plant materials harbors bacteria. However, different types of materials support bacteria differently. Crushed or ground sunflower hulls, sawdust, oat hulls, and straw support the most bacteria. Paper dots, shredded paper, aspen, and a mixture of oak and pine support an intermediate level of bacteria. Sand and large pine shavings support the least amount of bacteria. In general, bedding made of large particles supports fewer bacteria than bedding made of fine materials.

Some recommendations to minimize bacteria problems in bedding and reduce the risk of mastitis:

• Use materials with larger particle sizes.
• Keep bedding as clean and dry as possible.
• Change bedding daily.
• Remove soiled bedding.
• Do not move bedding from front of stall to back of stall.
• Always use fresh bedding under the back one-third of the cow.

Examples of Milk Quality Performance Goals

Source: NMC 2000 Annual Meeting Proceedings, pg. 68

Protocol for preparing cows for milking

Using a recommended teat dip isn't good enough. How you use it is equally important. Certainly there is no one best practice, but a commonly recommended protocol is as follows:

1. Strip teats three times before teats are otherwise manipulated. The idea is to eliminate all the bugs that have sedimented in the teat's cysterna.
2. Clean (if necessary), and dry. Many prefer cloth towels; one or two per cow. Wash and dry before the next use.
3. Dip teat and allow 30 seconds of contact.
4. Wipe the disinfectant away.
5. Teats must be completely dry.
6. Attach unit.

Environment

Watch that ration phosphorus

One of the arguments against reducing ration phosphorus for dairy cattle is that lowering P will reduce reproductive efficiency. Research summarized by Shur-Gain refutes this argument. They summarized 13 trials totaling about 800 lactating cows. When dietary P was 0.32%-0.40% the pregnancy rate was 92%, while when dietary P was 0.39-0.61% the pregnancy rate was 85%. Cows on the low P rations also came into heat 5 days sooner. Similar results were found with heifers. When ration P was 0.14%-0.22% the pregnancy rate was 98%, while at ration P of 0.32%-0.36% it was 94%, and no milk production differences were found between the levels.

Reducing ration phosphorus will of course reduce feed costs. Reducing ration P will also lower the phosphorus contest of manure and should permit farmers operating under a nutrient management plan to apply more manure per acre. According to one Midwest study, reducing P content of the ration from 0.5% to 0.4% will save $15-18 per cow each year, and will reduce P excretion in the manure by 27%.

Don't rely on NIR analyses for balancing rations for phosphorus or other minerals. NIR underestimates the P concentration of the TMR, suggesting wet chemistry analyses for dietary phosphorus content.

Management

Making things happen

Someone has said that there are three types of people: (1) those who make things happen, (2) those who watch things happen, and (3) those who say, what happened?

The dairy industry is changing. To remain in the dairy business, most producers need to ask themselves several questions. How long do I plan to dairy? What are my management strengths and weaknesses? Even though you may plan to dairy for only a few more years doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't change. Perhaps now is the time to consider changes in your operation which will maximize your strengths, correct weaknesses and allow you to `make things happen'. Here are a few areas for consideration.

1. Expansion. Average herd size continues to rise. Generally, larger herds produce milk more efficiently than smaller herds, although a lot of variation exists among all herd sizes. But, expansion is not for everyone. Smaller herds that are unable or unwilling to expand will need to consider other alternatives to maintain adequate cash flow. It may be necessary to develop a specialized market or diversify.
2. Replacements. Calculate the cost of raising your replacements. Consider death losses, average age at first calving and the genetic merit of raised replacements. You may want to consider purchasing all replacements or have your heifers custom raised.
3. Feed. Can you afford to maintain a complete line of equipment for planting and harvesting crops, especially if replacement time is near. Consider contracting the planting and harvesting of forage or hire custom operators for just certain phases such as silage corn chopping. Another option is to purchase all feed or purchase a built in roughage ration fed along with home grown hay. Elimination or reduction of field crop responsibilities provides more time for herd management.
4. Cooperation. Consider cooperating with surrounding farmers by sharing and perhaps jointly purchasing machinery.
5. Partnership. This is an area fraught with dangers but also opportunities. The possibilities are endless, from bringing a younger partner into the business to forming a partnership with one or more other dairies.

Every dairy farm has different opportunities, different goals and different resources. With the changes occurring in the dairy industry it behooves every dairy producer to examine their business and consider possible changes. Don't wait for things to happen, but make things happen!

Labor

Using milk quality incentives

Putting an incentive program into practice can be like playing a game. All employees can win bonus earnings if they meet or exceed established performance levels that improve milk quality. Even though offering employee incentives sounds simple, successful incentive programs require careful planning.

Using incentives without careful thought given to the design of the program can lead to undesirable or unanticipated results. If a milk quality incentive program is to be effective, management must be willing to train, support and communicate with the employees.

Some recommended guidelines when setting an employee incentive program are:

• Incentives must have meaning. Employees need to know how the incentive benefits them.
• Provide training and communication. Employees will need training and responsibility before a financial award can be given.
• Incentives should be awarded in a regular and timely manner. Feedback soon after a task is completed reinforces the desired performance behavior.
• Incentives must be attainable. Management must educate and train employees so they can see how their performance affects desired outcomes. Employees must believe the goals are attainable.
• Use appropriate performance measurements. Management needs to select criteria that can be monitored and linked to employee incentives.
• Anticipate the incentive message and employee actions. Weigh all the possible outcomes, including employee reaction.
• Display on-going performance information. Post data regularly, such as charts and milk processor data, for all to see how the dairy is progressing.

Miscellaneous

Biotech Notes

In a Business Week headline (1984), "Biotech acquisitions are sprouting up everywhere," the country was embarking on a new era of "science will fix it all." In the last 15 years, much has certainly been accomplished scientifically. Nonetheless, attitude has changed. What once was believed to be well received, has now become quite confusing. For example, world acreage of genetically modified crops has grown from 4 million acres in 1996 to almost 100 million acres in 2000. Just three countries grow 99% of all genetically modified crops: Canada, Argentina, and the United States. Brazilian courts will soon decide whether to permit the planting of Roundup Ready soybeans. This will have a big effect on world markets because Brazil, Argentina and the U.S. grow 80% of the world's soybeans.

Work is progressing on the development of a banana that delivers hepatitis B vaccine orally. The cost might be less than 10 cents a dose vs. $200 for a routine inoculation, and no medical personnel would be needed to administer the banana. Quaker Oats, Safeway and PepsiCo have rejected suggestions to ban biotech crops from the products they sell, based on a vote by shareholders. McDonald's, Gerber and Heinz say they will not use these crops in selected products. So, the future of technological advancements is not clear. Something to think about.

Heloise's hints for farmers

Along with twine string and duct tape (Dakota chrome), perhaps we need to add Coca Cola and Bounce dryer sheets to the list of useful tools on the farm.

Coca cola will:

• Clean stains from the milkhouse toilet. Pour a can into the toilet and let sit for one hour, then flush. It works better on porcelain, although I don't know that this has any application to false teeth.
• Remove rust spots. Dip crumpled-up aluminum foil in Coke and scrub away the rust.
• Loosen stubborn bolts. Soak a rag in Coke, apply to the bolt for a few minutes.
• Help remove grease in clothes. Pour a can onto the greasy spots, put in the washer on regular cycle.

Bounce dryer sheets will:

• Repel mosquitoes. Tuck one in your belt loop. Fashion-conscious farmers can choose a brand of dryer sheet that's color coordinated with their farm clothes.
• Freshen the air in farm trucks. Put one beneath the seat where nobody can see it, thus avoiding potentially embarrassing questions from passengers.
• Collect dog and cat hair. Static cling allows dryer sheets to remove pet hair from your favorite seed company jacket.
• Deodorize boots. Put a dryer sheet into each boot, leave overnight. It might not hurt to leave the sheet in there when you put your boots on the next morning.

Marketing

Final decision on Class III and IV pricing

The United States Department of Agriculture announced a tentative final decision to amend the current Class III and Class IV pricing formulas under Federal milk orders. This decision is based on testimony and data presented at a public hearing held May 8-12, 2000, in Alexandria, VA.

The decision provides for separate butterfat prices for milk used in Class III (cheese) and Class IV (butter and dry milk products) based on the value of butterfat in cheese and butter. The manufacturing (make) allowance for cheese is proposed to be reduced slightly, from 17.02 cents per pound of cheese to 16.5 cents. The make allowance for dry whey, also a factor in calculating Class III value, would be increased from $0.137 to $0.140 per pound of dry whey.

The make allowances used in calculating Class IV value are proposed to increase slightly, from 11.4 to 11.5 cents per pound of butter and from 13.7 cents to 14 cents per pound of nonfat dry milk. Interested persons have until Feb. 5, 2001, to file comments in response to the tentative decision.

The market administrator for our Upper Midwest area can provide additional information about the decision. Contact H. Paul Kyburz, USDA/AMS/Dairy Programs, Suite 210, 4570 West 77^th St., Minneapolis, MN, 55435-5037. Tel. (952) 831-5292; email: Paul.Kyburz@USDA.Gov 

An electronic version of this news release can be obtained via the World Wide Web at www.ams.usda.gov/news/newsrel.htm

The proposed changes are expected to have limited impact on returns to dairy farmers.

Dairy Connection -- Volume 10, Number 4, December 2000

NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Sharon D. Anderson, Director, Fargo, North Dakota. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. We offer our programs and facilities to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, Vietnam era veterans status, or sexual orientation; and are an equal opportunity employer. This publication will be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities upon request, 701/231-7881.

North Dakota State University
NDSU Extension Service