Vol. 7, No. 3 -- July 1997
Editorial...
New Mastitis Circulars Available
Experimental Barrier Dip Decreased Mastitis During Dry Period
Average Milk Time Per Cow
Can You Afford Not to Cover Your Bunker?
When to Wean Calves
Feeding Full Fat Oilseeds Improves Economic Net Returns and Reduces Methane Losses
Production Medicine Affects Dairy Herd Health
Let 'Em Eat Bedding
Update on Drug Use and Storage Requirements
From too much snow to a shortage of rain, Mother Nature keeps you, her stewards of land and animals constantly guessing. Losses from the winter and spring blizzards, flooding, extended power outages, and deteriorating township and county roads have taxed North Dakotans physically, spiritually and financially. For some, this barrage of challenges has been the straw that broke the camel's back. Milk dumped because the truck couldn't get through, buildings destroyed by snow load and wind, and high SCC cases that threaten your milk market have all taken their toll on the state's dairy industry, as can be seen by the further decline in numbers of dairy farms in 1997.
Amidst your strife, however, your benevolence during the 500-year flood of the Red River Valley was phenomenal and worthy of praise. Unfortunately, the tragedy in the Valley will overshadow the monumental losses to agriculture in this state. However, I want you to know you and your industry came through in a big way to help the victims of the recent disaster.
Specifically, I'm referring to the milk and cheese provided to the victims who otherwise were dependent on powdered milk or none at all. From my personal experience, when I wasn't helping others sandbag, patrolling our neighborhood dike, or filling in for faculty at work who were battling high water, I also assisted the Salvation Army in procuring dairy products. Thanks to the quick work of Cass Clay, a generous contribution from Dakota Dairy Specialists, Hebron and the board members of the North Dakota Milk Producers Association, by Saturday evening of the initial disaster, there was milk to drink and many people delighted at the nutrition and taste of cheese with their meals. Bridgeman and Land O Lakes were also great contributors, the final numbers of which have yet to be tallied.
Certainly the list is longer than I've included here. These are just the organizations that I worked with and who responded so quickly and generously. Eventually, your co-op or creamery will be reporting their contribution to you. While it seems at times that you (and much of the strife in agriculture) has been forgotten, take heart, your kindness was noticed. And while it doesn't provide you with well deserved disaster relief of your own, your industry was a shining example of support, compassion and the willingness to do the right thing in helping others. Don't forget to share your story with lawmakers and others who need to hear the story the dairy industry has to tell.
J.W. Schroeder, Extension Specialist–Dairy
Prompted by the tightening of manufacturing grade milk standards last fall, I started an effort to provide additional educational information on mastitis. These circulars have finally gone to print and are now available to you through your county extension office. These new circulars are:
AS-1126 Proper Milking Techniques
AS-1128 Troubleshooting a Mastitis Problem Herd
AS-1129 Bovine Mastitis and Milking Management
AS-1131 Milk Quality Evaluation Tools for Dairy Farmers
Complimentary copies are also being sent to the state's milk processors, so they too may have a limited supply on hand to be used by field representatives.
Mastitis research has shown that 40 to 50% of intramammary infections (IMI) are contracted during the dry period with the greatest percentages of these occurring during the first and last two weeks of the dry period.
Research has been under way for several years at Iowa State University to develop or find a barrier type teat dip product which could: 1) persist for three to seven days on teat ends of dry cows; 2) prevent IMI; 3) not harm teat tissue. A natural exposure field trial was conducted from November 1995 to November 1996 using an experimental persistent barrier teat dip that was shown to persist greater than three days on 98% of dipped quarters of dry cows in preliminary studies. All dry cows and freshening heifers at the Iowa State University Dairy Farm were included in the trial. The trial was a randomized half udder design with either right or left quarters dipped while the others served as controls. All cows were dry treated. Cows were only dipped once at dry off following dry cow treatment and were dipped again starting approximately 10 days prepartum and were redipped as needed until parturition.
Dipping of cows at dry off and 10 days prepartum until calving with an experimental barrier teat dip resulted in a 53, 52, 68, and 43% reduction in total, major pathogen, environmental streptococcal, and coagulase negative staphylococcal IMI at calving in cows. This test dip significantly reduced dry period and calving IMI, and had no effect on teat tissue. This dip may provide an alternative to dry cow therapy in low SCC cows at dry off. Field trials are currently being conducted to provide more data.
If you're an Internet user, visit the NMC Home Page at http://www.nmconline.org
Source: 1977 NMC Annual Meeting Proceedings
Field studies in England, France and the U.S. show remarkably consistent results. On average, cows giving 20 to 25 lb (about 10 L) of milk per milking will take about five minutes to milk, and cows producing about 30 to 35 lb (about 15 L) will take about six minutes. The conclusions: 1) add one minute to the mean milking time per cow for each 10 lb (5 L) increase in mean milk yield per milking; 2) slower average milking times per cow may indicate problems with milking equipment, vacuum level, or milking management.
It seems to be a question asked every year, "Does it pay to cover bunker silos and piles?"
According to research done at Kansas State, the answer is yes. Sixty five percent of the organic matter in the top four feet is lost if the feed is not covered, and only 12 percent of the organic matter in the top four feet is lost if the bunker is covered.
Let's assume that the top 4 feet in a 30 ft. wide by 100 ft. long by 8 ft. high bunker holds 210 tons of as-fed haylage. An uncovered bunker silo with these dimensions would result in organic matter losses that would total 136 tons of as-fed forage. If the bunker were covered and weighted down with tires, organic matter losses would total 25 tons of as-fed forage. The difference between covering and not covering, based on Kansas State research, is equivalent to 111 tons of as-fed haylage. Based on $35.00 per ton as-fed, the total difference between covering and not covering the bunker equals $3,885 of forage.
Based on Kansas State research, no one can afford not to cover bunker silos or piles.
Forty-three Jersey calves were utilized in a trial to evaluate three different weaning methods:
As long as calves received milk replacer, they ate less starter. Both the intake of milk replacer and total feed cost was highest for those fed replacer until starter intake reached one pound per calf per day. Those calves that were fed 10 percent of their birth weight daily of replacer with weaning abruptly at 24 to 35 days were able to consume one pound of starter per day. Average age of weaning with this group of Jerseys was 40 days. Literature indicates that Jerseys are typically older than Holsteins at weaning.
Source: Quigley, III, J.D. 1996. Influence of weaning method on growth, intake and selected metabolites in Jersey calves. J. Dairy Sci. 79:2255.
Many dairy rations are formulated to contain 1.2 pounds of added fat from an oilseed crop, usually whole cottonseed. Canola, sunflower seeds, and soybeans can be substituted for whole cottonseed and takes advantage of their local availability, especially when cottonseed is scarce. Washington State University recently completed a feeding trial with dairy cows fed 0, 1.2, or 2.4 pounds of fat which came from a combination of whole cottonseed and whole canola oilseed. These multiparous cows were fed the experimental rations from 14 days after calving until dryoff. They recorded milk production, determined changes in milk protein and milk fat, and also the effects the diets had on the type of milk fat.
The cows fed diets with the added oilseeds ate an average of 2.5 lbs more feed DM/day. Both actual milk production and fat-corrected milk production increased with the added dietary fat. The oilseeds caused reductions in milk protein percent (.15 and .30%) and in milk fat percentage (.2%). The reduction in milk protein was due to an actual drop in the casein content. The milk fat of cows fed the oilseeds had more of the longer-chained unsaturated fatty acids.
Two economic analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect of the oilseeds in the diets. The first analysis was done on the actual feed costs and milk receipts based on prices when the trial was conducted from September 1994 to December 1995 and January 1996. While the numbers changed with feed and milk prices, both times favored 1.2 pounds of added fat in the diets.
One reason whole oilseeds improve efficiency of milk production is because their unsaturated fats (or oil) capture hydrogen released form ruminal fermentation which would otherwise be lost as methane. They found the amount of energy lost as methane was reduced from 4.7% of gross energy intake of control cows to 4.2% of gross energy intake of cows fed 1.2 pounds of fat from the oilseeds.
In summary, the addition of whole cottonseeds and canola oilseeds improves cow performance and net returns to dairies. These oilseeds enabled more efficient use of the energy in feed.
A "special report" in the September 15, 1996 JAVMA titled "The effect of participation by veterinarians in a dairy production medicine continuing education course on management practices and performance of client herds" examines the integral role of veterinarians in the success of the dairies they serve. In the past, the role has meant treatment of individual cattle, but today, veterinarians are being asked to devise comprehensive health management plants for entire herds of dairy cattle.
A sample population of 56 dairy herds for which health services were provided by veterinarians enrolled in a dairy production medicine continuing education program (treatment herds), and 97 dairy herds with health services provided by veterinarians who were not enrolled in the program (control herds) were included in the study. Management practices were evaluated every year for years, and herd performance was evaluated by reviewing Dairy Herd Improvement Association records. Study results indicated that producers with cows in the treatment herds were three times more likely than producers with cows in the control herds to review herd performance with their veterinarian and monitor heifer growth, and two times more likely to set goals and conduct adequate estrus detection.
AVMA News Bulletin, September 1996
If you're running low on alfalfa yet still feeding it to the dry cows, heifers, and late-lactation low producers, you may want to stretch your forage supplies by feeding those animals straw or chaff. Both straw and chaff, leftovers from small grain enterprises can be good, low-cost forage extenders. That's wise for the vast majority of milk cows. But when balancing rations for older heifers, dry cows, or late-lactation low-producing milk cows, throwing in some straw and accounting for its nutrient value can cut costs and make more of the high-quality alfalfa available for the bulk of the milk herd.
When considering straw as a feed, start with the dry cows, then the older heifers, and go to the low-producing milk cow rations last. In terms of palatability, cows prefer oat straw followed by wheat straw. The current feed value of straw for a ration supporting 40 lbs. of milk is $42 per ton. The feed value of 20 percent crude protein alfalfa in the same ration is $92 per ton. That's much lower than the current market price for alfalfa if quality of that kind can even be found.
Most small grain straw is about 4 percent crude protein but can run as low as 3.6 percent. Acid detergent fiber ranges between 50 and 55 percent on a dry matter basis, with total digestible nutrients running at 41 to 47 percent. Chaff (loose hulls, small grain kernels, small straw particles, and weed seeds) is a better feed if you can get it. Nutrient analysis of wheat and oat chaff collected by George Marx, University of Minnesota, was 89 percent dry matter, 11 percent crude protein, 3.2 percent fat, 35 percent fiber, 11.3 percent ash, and 39 percent readily available starches and sugars.
Straw should be mixed half and half with alfalfa, and the more straw you feed, the more grain you will need to add. It's nice to chop it with a TMR, but if you can't, just feed it like hay. Ammoniating straw and other low-quality forages helps increase their feed value. Ammoniation increases digestibility by about 10 percent, consumption by about 25 percent, and crude protein by 3 to 8 percentage points. However, the additional protein from ammoniation won't be utilized unless energy is also added to the diet and the ration is balanced.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a memorandum providing guidance on the use and storage of certain drugs on dairy farms specifically aloe vera, homeopathic drugs, and drugs that are packaged for intramammary infusion but labeled for oral, topical or other routes of administration.
Aloe Vera: The FDA has received complaints that aloe vera is being promoted for use as a treatment for mastitis and calf diarrhea, a cure for high somatic cell counts and as an aid for increasing milk production. FDA is aware that firms are selling containers of aloe vera with no drug claims on the label to dairy farmers and then providing the drug use claims either orally or by other printed materials or graphics (labeling).
No aloe vera product has been approved for treating these disease conditions or to increase milk production. Aloe vera products for animals bearing these types of claims are unapproved new animal drugs. Aloe vera products intended for animal use that do not bear adequate directions for animal use are misbranded. Using unapproved drugs violates the PMO.
Homeopathic Drugs: Homeopathic medicine is considered an unconventional form of veterinary practice. FDA can find no justification for regulating veterinary homeopathic drugs any differently from other drugs subject to Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. There are currently no FDA approved homeopathic drugs for veterinary use.
Homeopathic drugs found on dairy operations must comply with the PMO's drug labeling and storage requirements. If these do not comply, they are unapproved drugs and should not be stored on farms or used to treat dairy animals. If labeled properly, homeopathic drugs are subject to the same storage requirements as any other drug.
Drug Packaging: FDA has received complaints about products labeled for oral, topical or other routes of administration that are packaged for injection or udder infusion. Examples include aloe vera products labeled for intra mammary infusion, propionic and whey blend products labeled for oral use yet packaged in syringes with sterile diluent in vials with udder infusion cannulas, and alcohol pads or packaged in sterile vials closed with a metal ring and rubber injection stopper. Products intended for oral or topical administration should not be packaged to facilitate injection or udder infusion. Such drugs will be considered to be misbranded if they do not contain directions for their packaged use.
Source: Food and Drug Administration Memorandum M-1-92-10 (addendum), April 7, 1997
Vol. 7, No. 3 -- July 1997
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,
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