North Dakota
State University
NDSU Extension Service
| EDITORIAL HERD HEALTH
NUTRITION MANAGEMENT |
LABOR Utilize training programs effectively MILK QUALITY REPRODUCTION MISCELLANEOUS |
With this quarterly version, signs of spring are arriving: Taxes are done, winter meetings completed, high school tournaments are behind us and machinery soon will be coming out of winter storage. So I bring you spring greetings and offer this newsletter before you are too busy to read it, and hope you have a productive and profitable growing season.
In addition to production and management information, please consider returning the enclosed questionnaire with your comments and suggestions.
Regards,
J.W. Schroeder
Extension dairy specialist
Department of Animal and Range Sciences
Did you attend the 2005 convention? If so, you know the North Dakota dairy and pork associations combined resources for a joint convention in Bismarck.
Well, we're going to try it again - this time in Fargo. Scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 28 and 29, this year's event will be held at the Ramada Inn Suites. Why are we talking about it so soon? We are asking for your help.
Please complete the enclosed survey and return by April 1. Give us your suggestions and input, then fold on the lines and drop in the mail, postage-free.
Antibiotics fail to cure diseases for a lot of reasons. Most of the time, drug handling, storage and dosing problems are the culprits, not the drug itself. Here are some tongue-in-cheek names for the most common maladies.
1. Pickup-itis: After purchasing, the antibiotic remains in the pickup and never is given to the sick animal.
2. Window sill-itis: The bottle of antibiotic is set on a barn window sill for days on end. Exposure to strong sunlight and heat can destroy much of the drug's potency. But some drugs are stored in the freezer when they shouldn't be.
3. Too-much-water-itis: Some producers will add extra water to the antibiotic powder to "stretch" the bottle. For an antibiotic to work, it must reach minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for a specified period of time. If the antibiotic doesn't reach and maintain this MIC, it likely won't be fully effective.
4. Store-the-syringe-in-the-bottle-itis: Storing the syringe in the bottle can spread dirt into the bottle, contaminating the drug. Plus, used needles are the perfect way to spread leukosis animal to animal. Use a new needle every time. A new needle costs 12 cents. By using an old needle, you save 12 cents and risk the health of a $400 to $1,000 heifer.
5. Underdosing-itis: By underdosing, the antibiotic will not reach the MIC. If producers don't use the correct dose per day, they'd be better off not to give any drug at all. Less than recommended doses actually might build resistance to the drug. The next time you treat the animal, the drug will be even less effective.
6. Frequency-of-dose-itis: A great deal of variation occurs among drugs and the vehicles in which they are suspended. The only way to maintain MIC for the proper length of time is to follow your veterinarian's direction.
7. Quit-treating-too-soon-itis: An animal may "look better" in three days, so you stop treatment to save time, hassle and money, even though the recommended regime is five days. Not good. All antibiotics depend on a minimum length of contact with the pathogen, and that contact has to be sustained long enough to allow the animal's immune system to kill off the remaining pathogens.
8. One-drug-fits-all-itis: Matching the antibiotic and the pathogen is the best insurance for effectiveness. Monitoring recovery rates when you follow uniform treatment protocols provides invaluable evidence about which drugs are most effective on your farm.
9. Virus-itis: Using an antibiotic to treat a viral disease is certain to be ineffective. But the immunocompetence of sick calves always is compromised, leaving them open to possible secondary bacterial infections. So, antibiotic treatment early may be best to knock out the secondary bacterial infection. In this instance, records and working with your veterinarian are essential for correct treatments.
Source: Sam Leadley, a calf and heifer management specialist with Attica Veterinary Associates in Attica, N.Y.
Granted, the price and availability of corn determines the economics of supplemented feed. However, the availability of regional byproducts has been widely overlooked in North Dakota. The expansion of ethanol production has renewed interest in not only distillers dried grains with solubles, but others as well. Wet brewers grains, wet beet pulp, wet distillers grain, wet corn gluten feed and potato waste byproducts could be options.
The cost of drying is the main reason for using it wet. Obviously, your proximity to the plant offers distinct economic advantages to dairies and feedlots.
Wet byproducts also can bring moisture to the ration, reduce sorting and increase palatability leading to optimal dry-matter intake and rumen function.
But wet byproducts can impact herd health negatively since mold, yeast and mycotoxin development can occur. Because these feeds can contain 50 percent to 80 percent moisture, transportation costs also are a factor. The following management aspects should be considered:
• Most wet byproduct feeds have a "shelf life" of seven days or less before molding, heating and mycotoxin formation occur.
• Some wet byproduct feeds have greater risk to cow health and rumen digestion as they "age" on the farm. For example, spoiled wet brewers grains are a greater problem than moldy wet gluten feed.
• As fuel costs remain high, carefully re-evaluate break-even prices.
• Most wet byproduct feeds are clean or wholesome immediately after production. Contamination after production, and delays in delivery or feeding, can lead to damage.
• If the base feed is damaged before processing (such as aflatoxin-contaminated corn), feed processing can concentrate the level of mycotoxin. Know your feed source and its quality assurance program.
• Moisture levels can vary depending on processing and whether wet products, such as corn distiller solubles on wet distillers grain, are added back as drying costs increase. See the table below for relative price differences.
| Break-even prices for wet byproduct feeds using Feed Val 3 (added value for undegraded protein and oil as energy sources). | ||
| Wet Byproduct Feed | Dry-matter Content | Value ($/ton delivered) |
| Distillers grain | 92% | $201 |
| 45% | $106 | |
| 33% | $78 | |
| Corn gluten feed | 91% | $86 |
| 45% | $43 | |
| 30% | $28 | |
Source: University of Wisconsin
• Shrink (wasted feed, effluent water, fermentation loss and/or molding) is another concern. If a 6 percent shrink occurs with wet brewers grain (30 percent dry matter), the value drops to $49 a ton (you must pay $3 less per ton to cover this loss).
NDSU dairy research in the mid-'90s with wet corn luten feed demonstrated that storing in bags is indeed an option. The cost of storage increased about $5 per ton, but resulted in extending storage for more than six months and eliminating spoilage. This method also kept the feed from freezing solid during winter weather.
During the Winter Olympics, seeing how "fine-tuned" athletes could push their abilities to the maximum was amazing. Likewise, high-producing dairy cows are "fine-tuned" production athletes and, like the human athletes, they need comfort and rest to approach their genetic and nutritional maximum.
All too often, dairy producers invest a lot of money in new stalls to improve their cows' comfort only to find the animals aren't using the stalls. To build ergonomically correct stalls, you must know the normal resting positions, and rising and lying motions, as well as the dimensions of dairy cows and their space requirements for normal behavior.
Comfort is important because cows that are healthy and housed in clean facilities with adequate access to feed perform better than cows in a poor environment. Cows' need for rest is a major component of their comfort. Dairy cows spend about 21 hours a day walking, standing in their stalls, grooming and ruminating, and 2.7 hours in the milking parlor. Some studies suggest a cow produces about 2 additional pounds of milk for every hour it rests.
The health benefits of resting include increased rumination and blood flow to the mammary gland; less pressure on hooves, which results in less lameness; less fatigue and stress; and greater feed intake. Feed intake is particularly vital because it drives milk production.
Poor stall design and overcrowding are among the factors that can interfere with a cow's resting time. Twenty-five percent overcrowding can reduce the time cows spend lying by two hours. Also, overcrowding can limit the cows' access to stalls and feed.
When cows rest, they need room to stretch their front legs forward; lie on their sides with unobstructed space for their neck and head; rest their head against their sides without interference from a partition; rest their legs, udders and tails on the stall platform; stand or lie without pain from neck rails, partitions or supports; and rest on a clean, dry, soft bed. To rise, cows need room to lunge forward and bob their head.
If cows' legs fall off the stall platform and the animals have abrasions on the inside of their rear legs or hock injuries, the stalls are too short.
Free-stall recommendations vary and tend to be based on cow weight. For more information on stall designs, visit my Web site at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/aginfo/dairy/index.htm and click on "Facilities."
For your cows to have a chance to reach the medal-winning performance platform, include the following in your management program:
• Design the feed alley so cows can eat comfortably without lifting their head.
• Push feed up frequently to prevent cows from having to overreach.
• Do not keep cows in a lockup more than one hour. More time in lockup limits grooming and other activities.
By adjusting management to cows rather than cows to a management plan to fit people, dairies could improve cow performance.
A cow's behavior is an indicator of her comfort or discomfort with the milking environment, milking routine and milking machine.
Relatively small changes in behavior can alert milker and herd managers to changes in milking routine that require attention - for example, deterioration in performance of the milking machines.
Recent research has shown that a simple, reliable way to assess behavior in the dairy is to count the number of cows that "kick" or "step." A "step" means lifting a hoof off the floor. This is easy to observe and record because this involves a significant and deliberate shift in weight for the cow. A "kick" means a hoof is aimed at a person or the milking cluster.
The stage of milking when most of the kicks and steps occur gives a hint to some of the possible causes of discomfort. Discomfort when cows are in the stall waiting to be milked may suggest environmental factors, such as flies or poor design of the stalls. If the discomfort occurs when operators are preparing the udder, attaching or reattaching units or at post-milking disinfection, it may indicate a problem of interactions between the operator and a cow or the milking machine and cow. Discomfort during the first two and last two minutes of milking often suggests milking machine effects.
These easy-to-make observations can be monitored on a regular basis to check the milking experience for cows. In general, if more than 10 percent of the cows "kick" or "step," it warrants further investigation.
Source: www.countdown.org.au/
As a dairy owner, manager or employee, you know the importance of consistency, accuracy and delivering results. To do that, training programs are required frequently. Jorge Estrada of Estrada, Simmonds & Associates, Puyallup, Wash., offers the following dairy training program guidelines:
1. Determine what area needs training the most.
2. Determine who needs to attend training.
3. Determine who is the best person on the dairy to do the training, or if someone from outside of the dairy is required.
4. Establish how the training will be conducted (classroom or cowside). Training frequently requires cowside observation, feedback, follow-up and coaching so employees integrate the learning and develop work behaviors.
5. Determine when the training will be conducted and how long it will last. If employees are required to attend training during nonworking hours, they should be paid for the time.
6. Schedule training ahead of time and bring necessary materials.
7. Establish an annual training program for each area.
Hiring practices - matching an employee's strengths and talents with the appropriate job - are the foundation of a good training program. Better hiring practices and training programs can give your business a competitive edge in the labor market.
Studies have shown the following are characteristics of low somatic cell count (SCC) herds (<150,000 SCC). Give your farm a score of 1 to 5 for each item, with 5 being the best and 1 the worst.
___ Cows have no visible manure or dirt on flanks, udder or lower rear legs and feet.
___ Udder hair is removed every three months.
___ Stalls are cleaned frequently. Soiled bedding is removed at each milking. Fresh organic (sawdust, straw, etc.) bedding is added daily, or fresh sand bedding is added weekly.
___ Generous amounts of bedding are used.
___ Dry cows are checked daily for evidence of clinical mastitis.
___ Calving pens are clean. Pens are completely cleaned and fresh bedding is added between calvings.
___ Milking parlors are clean. No buildup of manure or dirt occurs on the milking equipment.
___ Milk is kept out of the bulk tank at least 48 to 72 hours after calving.
___ Post-milking teat dip is used consistently.
___ All quarters of all dry cows are dry-cow treated.
___ Transition diets and nutrient supplementation are used for springing heifers, and dry and lactating cows.
___ Producers and employees keep abreast of current practices to improve milk quality and udder health by reading and/or attending workshops.
___ Detailed herd records, including clinical mastitis treatment records, are kept.
___ Milkers enjoy milking cows.
___ Emphasis is on getting the job done right rather than getting the job done quickly.
61 to 75: Excellent. Keep up the good work!
46 to 60: Good job. However, you still have room for improvement.
31 to 45: Fair. Time to get serious about milk quality.
<30: Get with it! Are you producing food, or running a summer camp for bacteria?
Source: J. Rensou, R. Bay and R. Farnsworth. University of Minnesota
Some fieldwork soon will be in full swing and your time will be at a premium. While effective shortcuts might improve time efficiency, your reproduction program cannot tolerate less than maximum detail.
1. Keep unused straws below the tank frost line. When raised above the frost line, ice crystals in the straw change shape and size, shearing delicate sperm membranes, resulting in less than optimal semen quality.
2. Keep it clean. Bacteria on your hands or insemination equipment can be carried into the uterus during insemination, allowing organisms to thrive and grow, resulting in metritis and infertility. After insemination, wipe the breeding gun clean and dry it before returning it to the insemination kit. If the gun becomes dirty after use, take it completely apart, wash with soapy water and rinse with clean water. Shake dry and reassemble.
3. Check thermometer accuracy regularly. An inaccurate thermometer will result in improper thaw rates and damaged sperm cells. Semen straws thawed in warm water (95 F) will provide better breeding efficiency.
4. Only thaw as many straws as you can use in 15 minutes. Once thawed, sperm cells burn limited energy reserves. Ensure sperm cells are using energy to find their way to the oviduct, not swimming in the straw.
5. Avoid rapid temperature changes. While a 70 F morning feels comfortable to you, it represents a 25 F change in temperature for sperm cells taken from 9 F thaw water. Thaw the semen and load the gun in a warm environment; warm the gun by stroking prior to loading; wrap the loaded gun in paper towels for insulation; and place the loaded gun and protective cover inside your shirt for additional insulation.
6. Slow down. Inseminating cows too rapidly can result in improper semen placement, with much of the semen deposited into one horn or the cervix. Rapid semen placement even can cause damage to the uterine lining.
Source: NorthStar Cooperative, June 2005
In the spirit of classroom testing, here are a few dairy questions to test your global dairy knowledge.
1. In 1999, how many countries produced dairy
products?
(a) 43 (b) 78 (c) 145 (d) all 193
2. Which animal produces most of the milk in
the world?
(a) cow (b) water buffalo (c) camel (d) yak
3. When did China introduce a glass of milk every
day to every child in school?
(a) 1949 (b) 1969 (c) 1995 (d) 2000
4. Which country is the biggest exporter of dairy
products?
(a) United States (b) New Zealand
(c) Canada (d) India
More in next quarterly newsletter. (Answers below)
Source: The Progressive Dairyman. September 2005
1. (c) Of the 193 countries in the world, 145 countries produce dairy products, such as milk, milk powder, butter, cheese and yogurt.
2. (a) Cows produce 86 percent of the world's milk, water buffalo 10 percent, and the rest comes from other dairy animals, including camels, goats, sheep and yaks.
3. (d) In 2000, China passed a national policy saying that each child would get a glass of milk each day.
4. (b) New Zealand produces only 2 percent of
the world's milk, yet it exports 28 percent of all dairy products in the world because it
produces so much more than it can use. New Zealand exports 95 percent of its milk products to
more than 120 countries, including the United
States. The U.S. imports cheese, milk protein
concentrate, butter and casein (which we do not produce,
and is used in industry and for other foods).
We import because sometimes U.S. prices are
very high, and we also have a quota with
New Zealand to buy some of its dairy products
at a lower price than for other imports.
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