Diagnostics for Dairying
Jack and Kathy Spah are concerned about the North Dakota
Dairy Diagnostic Program's effect on their farm near Tuttle.
"It takes a lot longer to get the milking done now that the cows are producing
so much milk," Jack explains.
Then he readily admits that "it's not such a bad
problem."
The Spahs joined the program with a different perspective
than most other participants. "We were looking for a way to get out
of dairying," Kathy explains. A team of experts helped them look
for ways to boost income and liquidate their dairy herd. The team
included a farm records specialist, a dairy nutritionist, the field
representative from Cass Clay Creamery and Craig Kleven, the
NDSU extension agent in Kidder County.
"We realized that dairy is what's paying the bills and
keeping us going," Kathy says. Since those initial meetings about a
year ago, the Spahs have boosted milk production from their 50 cows
by an average of 15 to 20 percent. Plans to liquidate the dairy
herd are on hold.
That kind of improvement is not uncommon, says
J.W. Schroeder, extension dairy specialist and director of the program.
The dairy industry is second in gross receipts from animal
agriculture in North Dakota. But a declining agriculture economy,
aging producers and technology were taking a toll. Dairy cow
numbers dropped 3 to 17 percent annually during the last
decade. The state's creameries were running far below capacity.
"While the state was talking about value-added industry,
one such industry, the dairy industry, was very much at
risk," Schroeder says.
With support from the North Dakota Department of
Agriculture, a 1997 North Dakota Dairy Summit addressed those concerns. A task force formed there developed the Dairy Diagnostic
Program in 1998 and asked the NDSU Extension Service to
design and implement it.
The task force included producers, service and support
industries, power utilities, processors, regulatory agencies and
individuals in public service. "These were all segments of North Dakota
communities that had a vested interest in seeing dairying
survive and thrive," Schroeder says.
Tom Risdal, a farm management consultant who
coordinates the program, says producers are hesitant to sign up despite
the program's proven track record. "It takes an admission that you
could do things better. Everyone thinks this is a great program for
their neighbors." There have been 51 producers enrolled in the program.
"You have to be open-minded and willing to try new
things," Jack admits. The Spahs say the team helped them with issues
from feeding issues, buying and selling feed, pasturing and grazing,
to installing automatic door openers in the milking parlor to
alleviate chronic back and shoulder pain for both of them.
The program gives dairy producers access to a broad range
of expertise. "The producers take the lead.
We'll help them bring anyone on board who can help them with their
goals," Schoeder says.
NDSU's involvement also gives producers access to resources
of extension and research staff. Even though extension agent
Kleven doesn't bring much dairy expertise, he offers advice on
grazing, crop production and marketing, all components important to
farm business success.
Although not directly linked to the Dairy Diagnostic
Program, NDSU researchers support the region's dairy industry.
Nutritionist Chung Park developed a widely adopted feeding regimen that
enhances heifer growth and udder development. The strategy
boosts lifetime milk production by up to 15 percent. Park and
Schroeder are now studying how the regimen might improve heifer and
cow health. The information the scientists learned about mammary
cell development also may provide clues to combating human
breast cancer.
Additional research focuses on feeding oilseeds such as
canola and sunflower to lactating cows. Boosting conjugated linolenic
acid (CLA) in milk by feeding oilseeds could give it anti-cancer properties.
"That kind of research helps set the stage for
dairy's future in the state," Schroeder says. "The Dairy Diagnostic Program
helps producers improve their operations right now, and they are the
foundation that the future will be built on."
For more information: J.W. Schroeder,
701-231-7663, jschroed@ndsuext.nodak.edu
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