The Vet

“Applying less nitrogen and no sulphur could also affect the protein content of silage, increasing requirements for bought-in protein concentrates during the winterfeeding period. Sulphur addition could raise the silage protein content by as much as 2% points.”

Turning to managing feed costs, she suggested that rather than cutting back on expensive concentrates, farmers should look at where improvements in efficiency can be made.

“Every cow in the milking herd must be able to justify her position. Are there cows over 300 days in milk, that are not in calf? Or are they not producing enough milk to justify their feed and management cost in relation to their milk income? These are the areas that must be looked at to ensure purchased feed is justified and being used efficiently to maximise milk output, as well as ensure that cow condition and hence fertility, does not suffer.”

She warned of some of the problems which could result from cutting concentrates.

“For high yielding Holsteins, the risk is that energy in milk output will still greatly exceed energy consumed, leading to an increase in body condition loss, risk of metabolic diseases and fertility issues, with veterinary intervention required. The effect on fertility will also be felt in the long-term through lower milk output in 12 months’ time.

Lorna suggested that farmers should split the herd and feed less concentrates to lower yielders and rely more on forage, noting that this would be an ideal year to implement a rotational grazing strategy, which is proven to improve grass quality, quantity and thus milk yields compared to a setstocking system.

Farmers are urged to consider whether they have surplus heifers they could sell or beef cattle that could be sold earlier, to save on feed costs and free up space.

“It is possible, that if stocking density is currently high, early drying off or early culling of cows will increase feeding space and lying space for the remaining milking herd, and total milk output may not suffer.”

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder – should it be?

After a time out we now look forward to agricultural shows once more showing off the best livestock that Scotland has to offer. That all important judging process that makes and breaks the dreams of the exhibitors mostly comes down to the opinion of one person on the day, albeit with vast experience of the breed or sector. In this day and age is that the best we can do?

The judge in the ring can only see what is presented in front of him, from which he can tell a lot – the limb conformation that is going to allow correct movement, the size of frame for growth potential, the general balance of appearance for particular breeds, the distribution of musculature on the carcase etc.

We now know so much more about a lot of breeds and individual animals through estimated breeding values (EBV’s). These are measures of heritable traits that will be passed on to offspring. It compares the individuals’ genetics against the genetic base of the breed, highlighting where the individual is better. It gives a guide on such measurables as calving ease relating to birthweight and gestation length, growth rates and carcase equality. Estimates only as heritability of a trait gets modified by management of the animal and the environment it is kept in. Accuracy of these figures can also vary widely as it is based on the amount of performance data available. The choice

By Andy Cant Northvet Veterinary Group

of EBV’s can be tailored to what type of animal you want to breed, e.g., replacement heifer or finished bullock. So, should this not be included in the judging process?

Genomics has taken EBV’s one huge step further. This looks at all the genes made of the animals DNA and maps out the sequence of genes and what they are related to. So, you can find the genotype that gives you the best milk production, (right down to placement of teats on the udder to suit robotic milking machines), or the ultimate steak. The reference genome maps are well developed for the Holstein breed but others such as the Aberdeen Angus are catching up. Genomics can be used to pick out your best performing animals (productivity and resistance to disease) and use them for breeding replacements to speed up the improvement in your herd …. and the production of that show winner!

So how do you match up what the judge can see in the ring with what EBV databases and genomics can tell us – well maybe you don’t have to.

I see a parallel in the veterinary world. Nowadays there are endless diagnostic aids that can pinpoint problems, blood tests, x-rays, scanners etc and it’s easy to think you should jump in and run the tests to get your answer. I often think back to an early experience in my first job which was in Hawick. One of my bosses was Alastair Turnbull, a much-respected equine vet, and I used to go out and assist him on occasion. One day we went to visit a slightly lame horse. I was keen to get the horse out of the stable and trot it up to try and detect which leg was lame. “Andy, Andy, Andy - wait a minute” said Alastair, “lets just stand back and observe over the stable door” After a few minutes watching, Alastair came up with his diagnosis, which turned out to be correct on further examination. He had his own inbuilt database of lame horses, built up over many years, that he had just run the stance of this horse past. “A little more of the art and less of the science” he advised me on the way back to the car.

And so perhaps with judging, all the new-fangled information can be useful and has its place, but you can’t beat the experienced observations of someone who has worked with animals all their lives and can give us a little more of the art and less of the science!