CowManagement december 2012 by CRV Uitgeverij/CRV Publishers

V O LU M E 10 N O 8 DE CE MBE R 2012

IN THIS ISSUE

B R E E D IN G

M ILK M A RKETIN G

C O W HEALTH

Genomic sire success and the benefits of using polled bulls

Producing A2 milk to command a premium

Tackling Johneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease, BVD and lameness

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CO NTENT

F E A T U R E S

5 Cow Talk 12 Overalls off: poet 39 Veterinary practice: toe necrosis 45 A voncroft Breeding Information/ Thompsons Nutritional News 47 Business update: milk price 49 NMR Dairy Management News 50 Events and contacts R e p ort 14 Robert and Stephen Jones’ success with breeding polled cattle C o l umn

16 Roger Evans M A N A G E M E N T

24 Pointers on improving your herd’s reproductive performance 40 Heat detection system records how – not how much – cows move

Robert Jones “De-horning results in a considerable growth check” 14

Editor Rachael Porter Winter warmer

his is our final issue of 2012 and we’re already getting excited about 2013 – our 10th anniversary year. But, first things first, we’ve worked hard to bring you a wide selection of useful, interesting and inspiring articles to accompany your breakfast-time cuppa on a cold winter morning. The latest information on tackling Johne’s disease and BVD can be found in our cow health special, which starts on page 29. The former is tougher to tackle than the latter, but there are tools and advice a plenty to help you make 2013 the year that you find out your herd’s status and take control of both. If lameness is high on your agenda, mobility scoring could go a long way to getting your herd’s hoof health back on track. We find out why it may be something that you should resolve to do more regularly in 2013 on page 34. If breeding’s your thing, take a look at our genomic update, which starts on page eight, and our herd report, which features a polled herd that’s enjoying the benefits of breeding ‘horn-free’ cattle and making great strides in bringing polled sires to the market. We also speak to one of just a handful of UK producers who is producing A2 milk for a recently launched milk brand. Find out more about how he does it – and exactly what A2 milk is – on page 18. Roger Evans spreads a little festive cheer on page 16 and ‘Overalls off’ profiles a producer who writes poetry in his quieter times. Here’s to more of those for everyone. See you in 2013!

Main article Genomic update

Milk marketing Producing A2 milk

Special Cow health

Evidence that genomic sires retain NVI levels when daughter proofs become available

Milk is firmly back on the menu thanks to the launch of A2 milk

An update on Johne’s disease and BVD, and tips on how to stop lameness in its tracks

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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C O W

TA L K

Ration with care to get the most from maize The results of the initial analyses of maize silages, carried out by Frank Wright Trouw Nutrition International, show that, on average, crops could feed quite well if diets are carefully formulated and performance is monitored carefully. “Expectations were low for the maize silage crop this year, as growing conditions were extremely variable and often poor with low sunlight and little late summer sunshine,” said the company’s Adam Clay. “Reports from around the country confirm that crop yields are indeed very variable and generally well below normal but, on average, quality has held up reasonably well.” The company’s laboratory has now analysed close to 700 maize silages and, on average, dry matter is lower this year at 29.5% compared to 33.1% in 2011. At 11.2MJ/kg DM, the average ME is only 0.2MJ/kg DM below that of 2011, while average starch content is 27.6%, only 0.9% below 2011. “The headline results are surprisingly

2011- 20122012 2013

min

max

dry matter (%) 33.1 29.5 13.4 51.8 crude protein (%) 8.3 8.5 5 13.7 D-value (%) 71.7 70.8 61.9 77 ME (MJ/kg) 11.4 11.2 9.5 12.3 starch (%) 28.5 27.6 6.1 45.7 NDF (%) 49.4 50.7 38.1 71.6 ADF (%) 22.2 23.4 17.2 34.8 ADL (%) 1.7 2.19 0.05 7.12 RSV 284 283 236 376 PAL (me/kg) 927 1008 494.4 1381.5 FIP (g/kg 0.75) 106.6 101.5 75 131.9 pH 3.9 3.9 3.5 5.9 ash (%) 3.6 3.3 1.7 7.6 MPB (g/kg) 21.5 24.3 13.3 45.1 MPN (g/kg) 54.9 56.7 31.3 96.1 MPE (g/kg) 79.4 77.1 58.4 97.6 lactic acid (g/kg) 50.2 43.8 0.2 92.7 Table 1: Results of initial analysis of 2012 maize silages (Source: FWTNI)

good but, as usual, there is a huge variation in the results seen. This means that it is vital that producers get crops analysed to understand exactly what is in the clamp,” Mr Clay added.

The pride of Scotland The Harvey family, based at Drum Farm in Beeswing, Dumfries, have been crowned this year’s winner of the AgriScot Scottish Dairy Farm of the Year, sponsored by World Wide Sires. Mother Margaret and sons Stuart and John milk 274 Holstein cows and Award winners: from left to right, Stuart, Margaret and John Harvey

share responsibilities in the day-to-day management of the herd to ensure maximum efficiency. They have recently invested in new buildings to improve ventilation and cow comfort. As the milk goes for cheese making, sire selection is based on good conformation to ensure longevity with high yields and quality. The herd’s NMR average 305-day lactation for the year ending September 2012 was 11,917kg at 4.07% butterfat and 3.16% protein. Calving index was 404 days, the average somatic cell count was 113,000cells/ml and 18% of cows are in their fifth or more lactation. “The business has been achieving some phenomenal figures for the past few years so I knew it wouldn’t be long before they gained this recognition,” said NMR’s Laurence Loxam. “NMR is fortunate to have many excellent herds in Scotland and I am looking forward to seeing more of them winning this title in the future,” he added.

Deangate Queenie 9

Friesian long-life winner Deangate Queenie 9th BFE94(8) is the winner of the Friesian category of the 2012 Genus ABS Long Life Cow Competition. The 18 year old is in her 15th lactation, having so far given 126 tonnes of milk. “She has been trouble free and walks to grazing every day,” says her owner John Robotham. Queenie is the dam of Deangate Tarquin (PLI £180) who is one of the top proven bulls in the Friesian breed today. The Deangate herd is owned by John and Connie Robotham from Staffordshire. The current 12-month rolling average for the 100-cow herd is 7,454kg in 305 days at 4.36% fat and 3.40% protein, with a calving interval of 386 days. A high proportion of the herd has been classified EX or VG and many of the cows have completed at least six lactations. “There are many attributes which mean a cow will last longer. She will suit the management system and get in calf easily. And she will be a high producer with good compositional and hygienic milk quality,” adds Genus ABS’ Andrew Rutter.

A date for your diary The NMR/RABDF Gold Cup open day will be hosted by this year’s winner, Mike Miller, on Friday May 31, 2013. Mike and his wife Shan and sons Paul and Steven will be welcoming visitors to see the Shanael Holstein herd on their 336-hectare unit near Evesham, Worcestershire.

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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COW MAN AG E ME N T

COWMANAGEMENT

SEPTEMBER

2012

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A RT I C L E

Study shows that genomically tested bulls retain their NV

Genomic sires maintain Genomic bulls that ‘disappoint’ when they get a breeding value based on daughter information tend to be the focus of a lot of attention. But there are exceptions. A study has shown that, on average, genomic bulls will maintain their breeding values up to the standard. text Inge van Drie

xactly two years ago Dutch and Flemish cattle breeders were iwntroduced to genomic breeding values. In August 2010, Dutch organisation Genetic Evaluation of Sires (GES), which is responsible for publishing the country’s breeding values, revealed its ‘hit parade’ of bulls without daughters. Since then, two years have passed and many cattle breeders have become used to using breeding values of bulls with and without daughters. So it’s time for an interim evaluation: do the genomically-tested bulls live up to their figures? Of the bulls with a genomic breeding value, 505 have also recorded a daughters’ breeding value. So, how do their daughter breeding values of August 2012 relate to their latest genomic breeding value? Commissioned by the GES, which assesses the results of the genomic bulls after every proof run, Gerben de Jong, from the Animal Evaluation Unit team at CRV, has listed all the results.

NVI points First of all, Mr de Jong examined how the bulls performed on average. Table 1 shows the average difference between the genomic breeding values and the daughters’ breeding values. For NVI the bulls dropped by two points on average on the transition from genomic to daughter breeding values, with an increase in the reliability of 23%. “Two NVI points is such a small difference that nobody should worry about that. It indicates that the bulls as a group turn out well. The genomic breeding values of the bulls are not underestimated or overestimated,” says Mr de Jong. That also applies to the other characteristics, such as kilogrammes of milk, longevity and the type breeding values. Again the differences are small. Equally relevant is the matter of whether bulls that are at the top with their genomic breeding value also

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heir NVI levels when daughter proofs become available

ai n their breeding values NVI breeding value with daughter information August 2012

250

Delta Persuader Slotbooms Pilot

Lowlands Fender

200 150

De Biesheuvel Sunrise

100

Wansink Supreme

Ganvo River

0 –50 –100 –150 –150

–100

–50

100

150

200

250

latest NVI genomic breeding value

Figure 1: The breeding value, with daughter information for NVI of 505 bulls offset against the genomic breeding value

remain at the top if the daughters’ breeding value is also known.

Five groups In order to be able to determine that, Mr de Jong plotted a graph for all bulls the daughter values of August 2012 against the latest genomic breeding value (see Figure 1). What did it show? Most points were parallel. “That means that, on average, the bulls that score highly on the basis of genomics, also score highly on the basis of daughters’ breeding values. Bulls do not do extremely badly or suddenly improve dramatically.” The fact that the majority of the bulls that scored highly for genomics also have a high daughterbreeding value can also be seen in Table 2 (on the next page). Mr de Jong divided the 505 bulls up into five groups. Of the bulls that, on the basis of genomics, ended up in group five – or the highest 20% – two thirds also ended up in class five on the basis of daughter information. Another 20% are in group four.

Detailed study CRV’s head of breeding Sander de Roos has made a detailed study of the comparison between the genomic breeding values and the daughters’ breeding values. He is pleased with the figures. Mr de Roos refers to Figure 1. “Suppose we had decided only to test bulls with a genomic breeding value of more than 150 NVI. There are about 60 of them or the best 12%. “Subsequently virtually all breeding bulls with daughter breeding values turned out to come

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MA I N

ART I C L E

from this group, such as Pilot, Refiner, Persuader, Tobias, Ormsby and Sunrise.” Mr de Roos also looked into what would have happened if CRV had not used bulls with a genomic breeding value below 100 NVI. “Then we would have missed Fender and Emanuelson. They now score between 160 and 170 NVI and are, therefore, second rank.” The figures may look good, but in practice there are regular discussions about bulls that disappoint on the basis of daughter information. Wansink Supreme is such a bull where the genomic breeding value deviates from the daughter breeding value. The latest genomic breeding value of the Classic son amounted to 156 NVI. His current daughters’ breeding value amounts to 100 NVI.

Bull fathers Supreme therefore dropped by 56 NVI points. “That is a considerable difference but you can’t just say that daughters of Supreme will straight away be worthless cows,” believes Mr de Roos. “His breeding value of 100 NVI is at the same level as the breeding value of breeding bulls that at that time were the most used, such as Olympic, Surprise and Twister.” However, Mr de Roos does advise spreading the use of genomic bulls. “Don’t just concentrate on the one success story, but spread your bets. It’s better to have a couple of daughters from different genomic bulls.” Genomic bulls are also becoming a success as ‘sires of sons’. At the moment 70% of the embryos that CRV produces are sired by genomically-tested bulls, according to Mr de Roos. “The risk that the breeding values of a genomic bull will fall is somewhat greater than with a bull with a daughter breeding value. “From Wansink Supreme, for example, we have tested a number of sons. They do score a bit lower although they are naturally not hopeless. “With Lowlands Fender the use of a genomic bull as bull sire turned out quite well. For example, Camion van de Peul is a result of that.” CRV does have a policy with bulls at the same genetic level of giving preference to a bull with a daughter breeding value. “We are, for example, using Persuader as a bull father and we have also used Danillo.” First of all, according to Mr de Roos, a

c owm a nagement

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characteristic

difference

NVI % reliability NVI kg milk kg fat kg protein longevity (days) total type score frame dairy strength udder feet and legs SCC udder health fertility

–2,2 23,1 –16 0,7 –0,2 –16 –0,6 –0,6 –0,5 –0,4 –0,4 –0,2 –0,2 –0,1

Table 1: Per characteristic the difference between the latest genomic breeding value and the daughters’ breeding value, averaged over 505 bulls (source: GES)

daughter based class NVI 1-20% 21-40% 41-60% 60-80% 81-100%

1 2 3 4 5

genomic based class NVI low high 1 2 3 4 5 55 26 9 10 1

32 31 18 17 4

12 32 32 16 9

3 12 26 40 20

0 1 14 18 67

Table 2: Distribution of 505 bulls that on the basis of genomics belong to different classes and the class to which they belong on the basis of daughters’ breeding values. The lowest 20% of bulls is in group one and the highest 20% in group five.

genomic bull is now also on the sire list of which the grandsire still has no daughters’ breeding value. This concerns the red-and-white De Vrendt Aram, a son of Blom Farm Award (sire Ramos). He scores 242 NVI.

Reliability scores Mr de Roos notes that cattle breeders are sometimes afraid that the breeding values of such bulls will change a lot. “That may be the case, but such a bull really does not score nothing as far as the NVI goes if its daughters produce the milk,’ he says. “It is highly likely that Aram, on the basis of his daughters, will ultimately end up above 200 NVI. That level will not be reached by the majority of the bulls with a daughter breeding value.” He takes the bull Kian as an example. “Kian now scores 140 NVI with reliability of 99%. His breeding value could change a few points at the most, but you can be sure that such a bull will never reach 200 NVI.” l

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O V E R A L L S

Name: Location: Herd size: Hobby:

O F F

Chris Clowes Ashbourne, Derbyshire 230 Writing poetry

Chris Clowes: ‘Writing late at night is very peaceful – with no interruptions’

Poetry, please! text Rachael Porter

hyming couplets are what help Derbyshire-based producer Chris Clowes to wind down after a long day managing his herd. He likes nothing better than a quiet, late evening at his kitchen table with just pen and paper for company. “That’s when I find I’m productive, on those late evenings when you’re waiting up for a cow to calve before you go to bed. There are no interruptions – I write a lot at this time of the day.” He’s always liked to write poetry, but his talent came to light six years ago when he was asked to read a eulogy at his cousin’s funeral. “I didn’t know how to express my feelings, so I put them in a poem.” Chris has become well known locally for his talent and so, when has was invited to a vet conference to talk about his experience of tackling Johne’s disease, he was urged to put pen to paper for the occasion (see below). “I was quite nervous about standing up in front of all those vets, but I was too busy writing the poem to give it much thought. And, on the day of the conference, I just had to get up there and read it out. Everyone seemed to like it – it went down very well.” He says he enjoys sharing his poems with people as much as writing them. “It’s the whole thing really. I’m not thinking or worrying about anything else. Not even Johne’s!”

Ten Commandments, from the Gospel according to Johne’s Thou shalt not bury thy head in the proverbial sand, You need to recognise the problem and take it in hand,

Thou shalt not feed those heifer calves milk straight from the cow, You need to use powder even when funds won’t really allow,

Thou shalt not serve a positive cow to your favourite dairy bull, You’ll serve her to beef, play it safe cuz she’ll probably end up a cull,

Thou shalt not buy in stock from an untested farm, As just one infected animal can do so much harm,

Thou shalt not calve a red tag in the same yard as all the rest, Else those healthy calves that come along may end up with a positive test,

Thou shalt not cull a cow with just one suspicious test, Give her a chance, manage her well, she could be as healthy as some of the rest,

Thou shalt not leave these cows unmarked in case you should forget, Then one calves in a communal place and fills you with regret,

Thou shalt not trust this Johne’s test as like TB it’s not that great, 60% sensitivity is only an average rate, But, above all. . .

Thou shalt not pool colostrum in case you’re stirring up trouble, Making the problem worse and it ending up double

V CE O E TWE M E LATN JAAGNE UMAE RNI T 1 D/ E2 C 2E 0M0 B9 E R

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Thou shalt not lose thy faith in this job that we do so well, Giving in to Johne’s and selling the herd, for me, would be living hell!

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COW MAN AG E ME N T

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H E R D

R E P O RT

Breeding polled milkers – without genetic compromise – is possible Robert and Stephen Jones Breeding polled cattle has taken some of the stress and hassle out of dairy herd management, without compromising herd performance. Number of cows: Number polled: Average yield: Classiﬁed cattle:

Born horn-free It’s one of the most disliked jobs on a dairy unit, but dehorning Usk

could be a thing of the past for many herds with the increasing availability of top-quality polled sires. We spoke to a leading

270 40% 8,500 litres 108VG 29EX

polled breeder to find out more. text Rachael Porter

he smell, the mess, the time and the stress. And no doubt there are many more reasons why producers hate dehorning calves. But for Robert and Stephen Jones it’s a distant memory. Based near Usk, in Monmouthsire in south Wales, the brothers run a 270-cow herd. Their family has been breeding polled cattle for more than 40 years. “My father started it all. He had a Friesian

herd back then and decided to use polled bulls,” explains Robert. “So it’s grown from there and, since we can see the benefits of breeding naturally polled cattle, we’ve continued down that route. Today the herd is predominantly Holstein – 40% of which are naturally polled. The brothers are also milking some Brown Swiss, instigated by Stephen’s interest in the breed, and they are looking into

taking the polled route with these cattle. “We’ve made a start, but it’s just not so easy to get your hands on a polled Brown Swiss bull,” says Robert. He is adamant that polled breeding is the way to go though. “Predominantly for ease of management. “Speak to any vet or producer and they’ll say that disbudding or dehorning calves is one of the most difficult and unpleasant

Less stress: naturally polled calves are easy to pick out in a pen when mixed with those that have been dehorned

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Temperament benefits: Robert says that polled cattle are quieter than their ‘horned’ counterparts

jobs on the farm. And it’s no picnic for the calves either.” He says that it’s easy to spot the polled calves in a pen when mixed with de-horned calves: “They’re noticeably bigger and stronger. I think de-horning really stresses the calf and results in a considerable growth check.” Robert thinks that these calves also grow into quieter cattle, possibly due to them being less stressed as young calves. But also possibly due to genetics. “No one knows, but that’s certainly been my experience while managing both polled and de-horned cattle side by side.”

Polled benefits Quieter cattle, of course, tend to function better within the herd. Lower stress levels means better fertility, productivity and, of course, profitability. And it seems that he’s not the only producer who’s taken with polled breeding. Interest in the UK is growing, but it’s in Europe – specifically Germany – where it’s really taken off. This may be due to the fact that there is talk of banning the practice of de-horning. “But it’s also perhaps because the penny has dropped over there and word is getting round that you don’t have to breed animals with horn and you can save a lot of time and hassle when rearing heifers,” says Robert. He’s sold a bull to Germany and says that interest in France, Ireland and the UK is increasing. Some of the polled cattle in the Jones’ pedigree Hollysprings Polled Holstein herd, which comprises 108VG and 29EX classified cattle and is currently averaging 8,500 litres at 3.8% butterfat and 3.25% protein, were bought in. The brothers also carry out

ET work in order to ensure that they’re using the best bloodlines. Cow families include Dellia, Tandy, Breeze, Rae and Tina. “Tandy is the best family, in my view, and we also have some polled Dellia cattle, which are also impressive. I think Rae is the most famous cow family that we have in the herd – we bought in some embryos,” explains Robert. “We have embryos available from the two Perk Rae granddaughters, one by Monreal, a Man-O-Man son, and one by Hickorymea Talbot P, who is polled. And semen is available from Hollysprings Polled Rainbow, their homozygous polled brother. His semen has been exported to Ireland, Germany and France.” Homozygous is the key word in polled breeding. If a sire is ‘homozygous polled’ that means that all his calves will be polled.

Swift progress “Some polled bulls are heterozygous – that means that there’s a 50:50 chance that offspring will be polled, so progress towards breeding a polled herd is therefore much slower,” says Robert. He adds that the attraction for many breeders of using a homozygous polled bull is that they know progress towards producing polled heifers will be swift. “It can be quick and it’s possible to make that change in just one generation. And it’s a genetic trait that stays too. If a resulting heifer was crossed with a conventional bull, the chances are that the offspring would still be polled.” Robert and Stephen keep 20 breeding bulls, some of which are sold to breeders or into AI. They also sell semen

from their own bulls. Demand has been growing for the past two years or so. There have never been many polled breeders in the UK – perhaps just eight herds, according to Robert. “But, particularly during the past 12 months or so, some of the UK’s most well-known herds have been showing an interest and using polled sires.” What’s helping is that these sires are comparable with conventional ‘horned’ bulls in terms of their other type and production traits. “Polled sires can compete – the figures are now available to prove it. “Thinking was, a few years ago, that polled cattle were genetically inferior. But that opinion has changed now, thanks to a few good bulls. US-sire Aggravation Lawn Boy is a good example.” There are several polled Holstein bulls available from Avoncroft. These include InSire red polled bull Fasna Asterix P, who has been used on the Jones’ herd. So, would Robert like to see a ban on de-horning in the UK? “No, we need freedom of choice and access to ‘horned’ bloodlines. I certainly don’t think people should be forced to do it. I do, however, think that we’ll see a growing number of herds giving it a go and more polled bulls will become available.” He says that a few years ago it was difficult to find top-quality polled genetics. “There were probably just two or three good sires that were available. But now we’re looking at between 20 and 30 polled bulls. That’s a lot of progress and, again, it is a reflection of increased demand for polled sires. “The key is to have top quality genetics and be polled. That’s what we strive for.” l

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F E W

W O R D S

F R O M

R O G E R

E VA N S

Dutch traders and train drivers – just two of the topics discussed by award-winning columnist and Shropshire-based producer Roger Evans.

Short supplies I

get a lot of phone calls from other dairy farmers. Here’s the first of the day: did I know that there are vast quantities of Irish cheese being stored in the UK, which are owned by Dutch traders? I did, actually, and it’s scary. If a processor tries to get more money for their cheese from a retailer, the retailer will know that this Irish cheese is in store so they will decline the opportunity to buy UK cheese at a higher price and make a phone call to Holland. It’s worrying stuff. I drive a little further on my tractor and the phone rings again. The caller sounds cheerful and I ask why. “Well, the milk price will go up again before Christmas – at least once and probably twice.” “How do you work that out?” He goes on and on about milk supplies being short, spot prices being high and price rises being inevitable. I admire his optimism, but I can’t see it myself. He’s so ‘high’ on his theory that I wonder, idly, if he’s on something else. “What about cheese prices, they reckon there’s a lot of Irish cheese to come out that will undercut UK cheese,” I say. “No problem, the cheese processors are selling all the milk they can on the spot market so cheese will very soon be in short supply and the price will go up accordingly.” He goes off to presumably phone someone else with the good news. Ever the sceptic, I won’t put the price rises on my cash flow just yet. The phone soon rings again. This will be a longer phone call so I stop the tractor. It’s a friend who spends a lot of time on his laptop. Too much, if you ask me, because telling me what he’s found out takes up my time as well. He buys and sells so much stuff on e-Bay that he’s had to fit traffic lights on his yard to cope with all the delivery vans. His pursuit of knowledge is insatiable, so when he hears on the news that lots of trains are being cancelled he needs to know why. And he finds out that it’s because there’s a shortage of drivers. But he’s not content with that. If it was me I’d just go down the pub and tell them there was a shortage of train drivers, someone else would say he couldn’t get a tractor driver, then someone would say anyone can drive a tractor: “But I can’t get anyone to milk my cows.” Then they’d all go quiet but they’d be thinking, with his temper and the money he pays, who’d want to milk his bloody cows anyway. And that would be an end to it. But not my friend, he has to find out what’s involved is driving a train. So it seems you work a 35-hour week for £42,000 a year. You do a week of ‘earlies’, then a week of ‘lates’ and then you get a five-day weekend. And they can’t get enough train drivers! Of course there are things you don’t get. You don’t get an 80-hour week, because you wouldn’t get enough rest. (I already knew that). You don’t get a cake rep in your kitchen asking for a cheque for the previous month’s bill that will really stretch you. And then asking if you can pay anything off the other months you owe for. Train driving is an attractive alternative to dairying. Let your land out, pocket your single farm payment, and to be honest, didn’t you always want to be a train driver anyway? Not for me though. It would be a funny old feeling seeing a train coming towards you on the same track!

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A2 milk producers get celebrity backing

Milk’s back on everyone’s menu What is A2 milk? Who is producing it? And who is going to buy it? We spoke to Muller Wiseman Dairies and an A2 milk producer to find out more. text Rachael Porter

ilk is firmly back on the menu for around 15% of the UK population, thanks to the launch of A2 milk in early October. Well positioned in supermarket chiller cabinets throughout the UK – and with some high-profile celebrity endorsement from Down Under – the ‘milk for the milk intolerant’ is already selling well. No surprise then that Muller Wiseman Dairies’ agricultural affairs manager Pete Nicholson is pleased with progress so far: “We’re close to our anticipated targets and have ample reserves from our milk suppliers to cope with increases in demand,” he says. A2 milk is already a resounding success Down Under. “In Australia it takes 4% of the market by volume, but 6% by value. There will always be a niche market there for A2 and it will never be main stream. But it is a value-added product,” says Mr Nicholson.

Product profile He expects the same to be true here in the UK. A2 Milk UK – the company decided to brand the milk to add further value to the product and prevent under cutting from ‘own brands’ – is currently available in more than 600 stores across the UK – all of Morrisons and Budgens and selected Tesco stores in the south of England. More retailers will come on line throughout the rest of the UK after Christmas. “The joint venture with Australia’s A2 Corporation has given us the product and the brand, and now we have to convince the ‘milk avoiders’ – those that can’t easily digest A1 milk – to give it a try. “We’re urging these consumers to try milk again, initially with newspaper and magazine advertising, as well as a poster

campaign. A TV advertising campaign is scheduled to begin early in 2013 and some celebrity endorsement, from Australian and A2 milk drinker Dannii Minogue, is also serving to raise the product’s profile.” She was in the UK in November and was sponsored to help spread the word. When it does take off, there are more A2 milk producers waiting in the wings. A total of 20 are signed up to supply the company at the moment with 15 already producing A2 milk – around 40,000 litres each day – and the remaining five set to start between now and June 2013. Four of the 15 herds are 100% A2, the rest have a mixture of A2 and A1 cows and heifers and are milking their herds as two separate groups. “There’s a lot of extra hassle and some investment required in producing A2 milk,” adds Mr Nicholson. “We’ve also asked these producers to take a leap of faith and produce something new for a niche market. There’s been an element of risk, so we’ve helped financially with building modifications and testing cattle for the A2 gene. We have also committed to pay producers 2.5ppl more for all A2 milk produced than we do for milk on our standard contracts for the next two years,” he adds.

Producer progress Richard Pilkington is one producer who’s taken the plunge and signed up to produce A2 milk from his 250-cow pedigree herd, based at Hope near Wrexham, in Flintshire. His interest was sparked by press release he saw in December 2011 and further investigation revealed that his unit, which he runs in partnership with his wife Ruth, was in the geographical area where Muller Wiseman Dairies was

looking for possible A2 milk producers. “It was the possibility to increase our income from milk sales that really grabbed me – the dairy was offering a 2.5ppl milk price difference for A2 milk. So we agreed to have our herd tested, to see how many cows were A2 producers,” explains Mr Pilkington. That was back in January and he was delighted when the results came back: “We were surprised and please to learn that 48.5% of our cows were ‘A2’. We were told that the average for most herds is around 30, but we were close to 50%. That was a great start.” He then decided to test his 250 head of young stock – tomorrow’s milkers. “We thought it was important to check them, before we went any further. The score came back at 38%, which was still good despite being 10% lower than the milking herd.” With the herd’s ‘breeding’ already looking promising, Mr Pilkington decided to sign up to the A2 contract. “Once we did this, the dairy released the test results for the individual cows and heifers in the herd so we could group them for milking. We had to split the herd and run it as two groups – A1 and A2. We’re milking 125 A1 and 125 A2 cows.” He also had to invest in a second-hand bulk tank, to ensure that the milk from the two ‘herds’ was kept separate. “I thought that was the least cost option but installation, as well as a compressor and the extra pipe work needed, meant that it ended up being a larger investment than we’d hoped. That said, the dairy gave us some financial help towards that.”

Cow ‘swapping’ He says that the company has also been supportive in helping to source A2 milkers to buy in and add to the A2 herd. “We tell them which cows and heifers we want to buy and they pay for the test to see if they’re A2 before we go ahead and make a deal.” Mr Pilkington has also done some ‘swapping’ – selling A1 cows and heifers and buying in A2 cattle – and he’ll do more in the future. But he stresses that he’s very careful about what he’s buying in – and not just from an A2 milk perspective. “I don’t want to buy in a load of trouble. I’m particularly concerned about Johne’s disease. So I’m very stringent on herd health.” He works closely with his vet, Ben Pedley from Cheshire’s Willows Vet Group, to ensure that his herd’s high health status is protected. “Ben talks to the vendor’s vet

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Select A2 sires for success To breed A2 heifers, producers must use A2 sires on their herd. And there are plenty of bulls to choose from, if you’re looking for your slice of this niche market. “Using only A2 sires does limit the choices of sires available for your herd’s breeding programme,” says Avoncroft’s David Matthews. As the UK distributor for CRV, his company has access to A2 bulls. “To breed high yielding, long lasting and profitable cows, it is important to maintain genetic gain in key production and type traits, and correct for any problems. But, if everything else is equal, then the A2 bull would be a good choice. “It will take about 10 years for producers to convert their herd to A2 through breeding alone, so I can see a market for sales of A2 heifers and cows,” he adds. CRV Ambreed New Zealand tests its sires for their A2 status. “We have more than 30 A2 Holstein bulls. We also have two A2 tested German Brown Swiss bulls from Spermex – Huray, who is the number-one PLI Brown Swiss, and Juleng.” Some well-know and widely used Dutch bulls are A2.

and ensure that the cattle are disease free. We also look at NMR data, for things like cell count and other disease testing reports, such as that for Johne’s disease, to make sure we avoid any trouble. If we’re not happy about an animal, we walk away. “I want to produce as much A2 milk as possible, but not at the expense of herd health.” Breeding his own A2 replacements is preferable and he’s using A2 bulls almost exclusively. “There are thousands of sires

“Himster Grandprix, Delta Canvas and Poos Stadel Classic were all A2 sires, with many daughters milking in the UK. Current A2 sires include Ralma O-Man CF Cricket, Woudhoeve 1042 Impuls and red-and-white sire Aalshorst Pleasure,” says Mr Matthews. A2 bulls from New Zealand include eight Holstein Friesians, including Kalumburu, Delux and Hydraulic, and 14 Jerseys,

including New Zealand’s highest ranking Jerseys Manzello, Murmur, Pioneer and Dominic. “What’s interesting is that these are all high ranking bulls in New Zealand, particularly in terms of selecting animals to turn pasture into profit. We also have a Montbeliarde, Bonsai, and the cross-bred bull Mack, which are both A2.”

Woudhoeve 1042 Impuls is one of the A2 bulls

to choose from and maybe 100 or so are A2, but that’s still a wide range to choose from. So it’s not narrowed our breeding focus,” says Mr Pilkington, who is still very much into type combined with high genetic merit cattle. The herd average stood at 9,300 litres before the recent switch to three-times-aday milking (another bid to increase the milk cheque in the tough economic climate) and cows are currently averaging 31 litres a day, at 3.98% butterfat and 3.17% protein.

Mr Pilkington waved off his first tank of A2 milk on October 8 and is pleased with how things are going so far. “It’s early days and it’s hard work. Managing the herd in two distinct groups does create extra work and the move to three-times-aday milking means that we’re milking for around 12 hours each day. “We’ll get there eventually, through a mixture of home-bred replacements and bought-in stock. And it will get easier as we gradually move to becoming a 100% A2 herd.” l

A2 is aimed at 15% of the population A2 milk is suitable for people who experience digestive problems with conventional A1 milk, but who are not lactose intolerant. Around 20% of the population avoid drinking milk but, according to the National Health Service, only 5% are lactose intolerant. It’s the remaining 15% who the milk is aimed at. “The difference between the two milks is in the amino acid make up of the beta A2 advocate: Dannii Minogue

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casein protein,” explains Muller Wiseman Dairies’ agricultural affairs manager Pete Nicholson. “Weaknesses in the amino acid chain of A1 milk results in some breaking away and forming a chain of seven amino acids, which can cause issues with digestion in some people. “If you go back 1,000s of years, there’s was no A1 milk. But, over time, mutations in the herd mean that A1 has become the norm.”

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Regardless of where they are or the management system in place, too many cows are reproductively challenged

Can you conceive it?

A recent study showed that, during a 10-year period, producers are seeing on average 23 days longer between calving and conception. But there are key areas of management available to all producers to help improve reproductive performance. text Allison Matthews

erformance and efficiency are required of all dairy cows, but expectations dictate that both production and reproduction remain maximised throughout their lifetime. As genetics continue to increase the ability to produce milk, the management of this potential has to compliment the

growth of dairy herds. “Nutritional insufficiency clearly has negative effects on the re-establishment of pregnancy in early lactation,” warns Zinpro Performance Minerals’ Dana Tomlinson. “Often unrecognised are the effects of the immune system on reproductive function and how stress linked to

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lameness and mastitis also impacts on immunity and the re-establishment of normal reproductive cycles,” he says. Cows in negative energy balance suffer with poor reproductive performance. But energy levels are not always the sole culprit. Specific nutrients that act independently of energy balance have been reported to directly and/or indirectly alter reproductive efficiency and fertility. Among these are protein, starch, macro and micro minerals, and fats. “It has been demonstrated that the inclusion of dietary starch may shorten the duration of the negative energy balance, reducing the loss of body condition score in early lactation and allowing the cow to return to normal ovarian activity sooner. However, starch supplements are also reported to reduce oocyte quality, so they may negate any potential benefits from an improved energy balance after calving,” explains Dr Tomlinson. Recent research indicates that cows may have an ideal or optimal target body condition score (BCS) in the early postpartum period at which they can achieve optimal health, fertility and lifetime performance. This study suggests that slightly thinner cows, with a BCS of between 2.5 and three in the pre-partum period, go on to lose less weight in early lactation, which impacts on their ability to withstand the challenges of early lactation by achieving higher dry matter intakes.

High-energy ration Stephen Agnew, Thompsons’ dairy nutritionist, explains that moving from highly digestible first-cut silage to the low digestibility of second cut has resulted in reduced milk yields by more than five litres per cow per day. “In order to tackle the negative energy balance, producers need to be feeding increased levels of a high energy ration to compliment poor quality forages, otherwise the damage to fertility, herd health and overall performance will be exacerbated. “As a consequence of the wet summer, a number of spring calving cows are now in poor body condition. These cows’ condition needs to be addressed at least two months before drying off. If no action is taken,

item

lame cows

control

99 17.5 25.0 85.0 30.8

94 42.6 11.1 92.6 5.4

days to first service first service conception rate (%) ovarian cysts (%) % pregnant 480 days postpartum % culled before any reproductive event

Fertility of 190 cows was evaluated (cows bred under timed insemination were not included in evaluation). Sixty-five cows showed claw lameness within 30 days postpartum. These cows were compared with 130 cows that did not exhibit lameness during the first 150 days of lactation.

Table 1: Effect of lameness during the first 30 days of lactation on reproduction (Melendez et al, 2002)

reproductive parameter

predictive risk of happening for cows scoring > 2 for locomotion

increased days to first service increased days open increased services/conception culled (exit herd)

2.8 x more likely 15.6 x more likely 9.0 x more likely 8.4 x more likely

Table 2: Predictive risk of reduced fertility for cows scoring greater than two on locomotion (Sprecher et al, 1997)

the performance of these cows will be inhibited in the subsequent lactation with poor fertility being a result of this,” adds Mr Agnew. According to a recent UK survey of dairy management practices, 26.3% of cows are culled due to reproductive failure. “Cows that were clinically lame due to a claw disorder in the first 30 days postpartum had a 58.9% decrease in firstservice conception rates, a 125% increase in ovarian cysts and 8.2% decrease in pregnancy rate at 480 days postpartum,” says Dr Tomlinson.

Locomotion scoring “Most notable was that 30.8% of cows that were lame during the first 30 days of lactation were culled prior to recording any reproductive event compared to 5.4% of non-lame cows.” Motivating dairy producers to change management, environmental or nutritional practices to reduce lameness in their herds is difficult as the prevalence and severity of lameness is often underestimated. Mr Agnew identifies locomotion scoring as a simple means of assessing the potential for reproductive failure. “This system categorises cows on a oneto-five scale with one representing normal healthy animals and five as clinically lame,” he says. One study found that cows scoring a three (moderately lame) or greater (sub and clinically lame) were more than two and a half times more likely to have increased days to first service, 15.6 times more likely to have increased days open and nine times more likely to have increased services per conception. In addition, cows scoring

Dana Tomlinson: “There’s a lot of evidence to link health problems with fertility”

three or greater were 8.4 times more likely to be culled.

Health challenge Cows with poor feet and legs tend to seek soft, comfortable places to lie down, which in some cases may be wet areas or stalls. When this is combined with the stress of poor locomotion and a compromised immune system, a higher incidence of mastitis can be the end result. As Dr Tomlinson explains, no event is independent and producers must appreciate the interaction of lameness, mastitis and fertility. “The health challenges of these three factors create a ‘cascade of events’, which can dictate herd profitability for a producer. A vast body of evidence supports the premise that nutrition and lameness may significantly impact on the fertility of dairy cattle. “Research has also shown that cows with signs of stress, lameness, mastitis or heat stress have increased day’s open and reduced reproductive efficiency,” adds Dr Tomlinson. l

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Johneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease: testing is vital, but so is drawing up and following a robust action plan. Page 30 BVD update: eradication progress in Scotland and news on schemes for Wales and England. Page 32 Tackling lameness: reasons why you should be regularly mobility scoring your herd. Page 34

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‘Robust’ is the key word when it comes to proper Johne’s disease control programmes

Johne’s control – make it count Leicestershire-based producers Martin and Carol Beaumont and their vet Peter Orpin, from the Park Vet Group, left no stone unturned when it came to controlling Johne’s disease in the Birchbury Holstein herd. Now they are now reaping the benefits of a five-year robust control plan. text Karen Wright

ive years ago Martin Beaumont, from Twycross in Leicestershire, bought in 20 good strong thirdlactation cows as part of his herd expansion plans. These were from a local herd that was being dispersed. But within a year 20% of these cows had ‘crashed’. “I did wonder what I’d bought into the herd,” he says. “I always considered myself a discerning buyer and would never buy from markets. “Local farms seemed a safe option

and allowed us to grow the herd to our targeted 250 cows.” Appreciating the potential dangers of – and damage caused by – disease outbreaks, particularly Johne’s, Martin followed his vet Peter Orpin’s advice and carried out a risk assessment of the herd. “We used the MyHealthyHerd programme to scrutinise the risk of disease entry and spread of Johne’s within our herd and this highlighted, neatly, the likely disease risks for the

Martin and Carol Beaumont and (right) Peter Orpin are following a ‘robust’ plan

herd and provided a logical framework for surveillance and control.”

No Cinderella enterprise Included in the plan was quarterly Herdwise milk testing of all cows and tagging any test positive cattle. Those with two or more positive tests are culled prior to drying off. “The main focus of the initial control plan was to block Johne’s transmission from cow to calf in the maternity areas,” adds Peter. “Infected cows can very easily infect their calves and then the damage is done.” Martin invested in calf hutches and this created increased space for the maternity pens for calving cows. This allowed any infected cows to be penned separately and reduced the risks for all calving cows. Colostrum management has also been fine tuned by using a colostrometer ensuring only the best quality colostrum

Great pride is taken in rearing youngstock

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Reduced disease entry risk Martin has no doubt that their commitment to Johne’s control has paid off. “We have reduced our risk of disease entry from red to amber and of disease spread within the herd from amber to green.” The current status in the herd at Shorn Hill Farm, Twycross is show in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows a fall in the number of red – or heavily infected – cows from 14 red cows in 2009 to five cases in the past 12 months with no red cows in the most recent test. “And there are no red cows in our heifer group either, which is just how it should be.” Beef heifer calves are reared up to 18 months then are sold to a beef herd as recipient mothers for bought-in embryos.

Figure 1: Current status for Johne’s disease at Shorn Hill Farm

“This producer wants cows of known health status and he pays a premium for ours. We typically get £100 above the market rate as he wants Johne’s low-risk heifers. In time our milk buyer Arla/ ASDA may reward milk from herds of known Johne’s disease status.” Premiums aside, the control plan means that Johne’s cows can be managed efficiently. These infected cows can then be removed from the herd to secure the most cost beneficial value.

Martin admits that he had no idea whether there was any Johne’s in the herd pre 2007. “It may have been rumbling around, but any problem was accelerated by purchasing infected cows. “We have completed our herd expansion. The 250 cows are averaging 9,000kg of milk with a calving index of 381 days. Health status is well under control – cows are vaccinated for BVD and calves are tagged and tested at birth. We can now sell surplus heifers with confidence.” l

Figure 2: Incidence of Johne’s disease over time at Shorn Hill 14 12 number infected - no green

is stored. Immediately after a calf is born a bag in thawed out in a warm, rotating water bath and four litres fed to the calf in the first hour of life. “This way we know that the calf is getting high quality colostrum,” says Carol, who has taken calf rearing firmly under her wing. “We used to pool colostrum, but not anymore and we never feed colostrum from an infected cow. Calves from ‘red’ cows are snatched at birth and fed ‘green’ cow colostrum.” After birth, the dam is milked at the next milking and the calf goes into a calf hutch. Providing the dam is Johne’s clear, her colostrum is fed to the calf for the first three days. After that a quality milk replacer is fed twice a day from an automated milk taxi, best described as a motorised trolley with tank holding 200 litres of warm milk . “We take great pride in our youngstock,” adds Martin. “It’s no Cinderella enterprise. We’re confident that they haven’t come into contact with the Johne’s disease bug at any point.”

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Test but no control? No logic in this route Increased awareness of Johne’s disease and screening programmes are good news but Peter Orpin has concerns that in many cases producers are not adopting robust enough control programmes. “Some might just be treating it as a box ticking exercise and others are only partially controlling the disease. Testing is not controlling,” he warns. The most important starting point is getting the detail right with your vet. “Work out how vulnerable the herd is to disease entry and then also to disease

spread within the herd. Link this to Johne’s disease test results and from there the vet can help to develop a robust control plan. Regular screening with robust control in place should, over time, see the Johne’s health status improve.” MyHealthyHerd program includes a comprehensive Johne’s module, which predicts the future prevalence and cross checks the control plan to make sure it is robust and effective. “A low-risk herd will come out as ‘green’

and this will alter the predicted or future prevalence of the herd to Johne’s disease. Conversely, results for a high risk, or ‘red’ herd, may not predict an immediate reduction in prevalence within the herd. However, over time, infection levels should track downwards if robust controls can be maintained. “It’s so important to remember that testing is part of the process and it makes control easier. Risk management and husbandry are the key points,” he adds.

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Make 2013 the year you find out your herd’s BVD status and tackle it, once and for all

What’s your excuse? Three years on, how is Scotland’s BVD eradication scheme progressing? And how close to launch are similar programmes for the rest of the UK’s dairy producers? We spoke to those in the know to find out more. text Rachael Porter

cotland’s BVD eradication programme is entering its third year and, according to vet Richard Booth from the Royal Veterinary College, the scheme is now entering a compulsory stage. “This means that producers who have not voluntarily taken part in the scheme so far now, by law, have to test to ascertain their herd’s BVD status. All Scottish breeding herds have to be screened by February 2013 and other herds that expect to sell animals must have those animals tested within 40 days of birth,” he says. “It’s a way to ensure that those who’ve been reluctant to take part get involved and it’s vital that they do test to determine their herd status if Scotland is going to successfully eradicate this insidious disease.” This compulsory aspect of the scheme was always part of the plan, to include herds that didn’t volunteer during the first phase. The initial tests cost around £30 per herd, although this will vary depending how the tests are carried out, herd size and the number of management groups. Some have been willing to find out their status and take steps to deal with BVD if necessary. There will also be people who are unwilling to take part. That was certainly the case in the Scandinavian schemes. Sweden, Norway and Finland all introduced legislation to ‘mop up’ farms and

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bring them into their eradication programmes And it worked – all three countries are now BVD free. The 2012 phase of the eradication programme focused on getting herds to test for BVD and find out their status. “In spring 2013 producers will be urged to voluntarily disclose the BVD status of their herd, or individual animals, at sales ahead of compulsory declarations coming in in late Autumn 2013,” says NFU Scotland’s animal health policy manager Penny Johnston. “This allows buyers to make an informed choice and is the next vital step in both ensuring that herds that have achieved BVD-free status can remain so.”

Movement restrictions She adds that, in the future, when herds have had a chance to get to grips with BVD, and the number of positive herds has fallen, legislation will be introduced to restrict the movement of animals from herds that do not have a BVD-free status, only allowing the sale of animals that have been individually tested virus free. “That will provide the final impetus for those final few producers who’ve not taken steps to control BVD in their herd to act. The date for implementation of this stage is not set but it is planned as part of the programme.” Looking south of the border, the next step in terms of BVD eradication is to introduce effective schemes across the rest of the UK.

Initial tests, to determine a herd’s BVD status, cost around £30 per herd

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“The Scottish experience shows that producers are willing to take part. Success can also be pretty quick, compared to other diseases. If we were to introduce a programme to control Johne’s disease, we’d be looking at a much longer-term and more complicated project,” says Dr Booth. “The positive aspect of tackling BVD like this is that we have solid, reliable tests that work and we have a greater understanding of the disease – in other words we know how it spreads and we know how to identify carriers and how to contain the disease.” What the UK is still lacking, according to Dr Booth, and what may be preventing some producers from tackling the disease at herd level without the need for a compulsory element or legislation – on a local or national basis – is costbenefit data. “Figures showing the true cost of BVD for infected herds would provide most producers with the impetus to find out their status and, if needs be, tackle the disease. That said, we do have a wealth of anecdotal evidence that’s extremely compelling.” BVD’s profoundly negative impact on herd fertility is well known, as is its effect on calf health. “And we know that when producers begin to get on top of the disease that they see almost immediate improvements in both, which then gives them the impetus to keep going and to continue to work towards eradicating it from their herds,” adds Dr Booth. The cost of BVD should be enough to spur producers into action. University of Reading researchers estimate that the disease costs the beef and dairy industries around £40 million each year. “Yet many individual producers struggle to see how they fit into that data. Past studies and surveys have estimated that,

on average, 65% of herds will be actively infected with BVD. Our research in Somerset has shown that, at any one time, 60% of herds are infected by the virus. So it really is something that most producers should be thinking about, particularly if they’re having problems with calf mortality and poor fertility.”

Knowledge-transfer campaign Rural Development Programme for England funding has just been obtained in England, to support a knowledge transfer campaign on BVD up to March 2014. This is being managed by AHDB (DairyCo/Eblex), working with commercial vets and others in the cattle industry. A cross-sector working group has been set up to guide this campaign, and to help formulate plans for a more sustained BVD control initiative beyond March 2014. Similar discussions are going on in Wales, recognising the need for a complementary approach between such close trading neighbours. It is calculated that on average BVD infection costs cattle producers – beef and dairy – around £37/cow/year. So an average 130-cow dairy herd could benefit by £4,800 per year. With that figure in mind, producers should be willing participants and many are already working with their vet to rid their herds of the disease. Testing is readily available, cost effective and it works. It’s relatively easy to identify and cull PI animals and to introduce a vaccination policy where necessary. Many producers are also tightening up their biosecurity measures, particularly when buying in stock. But introducing a national scheme, with legislation, will help to ensure that their efforts are not in vain. l

NML launches PCR service for BVD screening NML has launched a new bulk milk BVD qPCR service that can offer producers, via their vets, a simple and easy method to detect BVD virus in the bulktank. “Antibody testing on a routine basis is useful for many herds to show if the herd has been exposed to virus”, says NML Healthcheck manager Steve West. “But we know that vaccine response can make interpretation difficult, so by bringing in the complimentary service qPCR that can identify and quantify the actual virus, we have a more

comprehensive system that will provide vetswith much more information about the BVD status of a milking herd”. NML’s BVD qPCR service is offered on both an ad hoc basis and a quarterly basis. The service is aimed at vets to assist them in supporting their clients with an initial surveillance package. The test is carried out on milk samples already held by NML for payment purposes. There is no need for additional sampling.

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C O W

H E A LT H

S P E C I A L

Early intervention is key to preventing lameness

A trim in time... We set out to dispel some of the myths and misconceptions about mobility scoring. Could they be creating a barrier between your herd and tip-top hoof health? text Rachael Porter

C OWM ANAGEMENT

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ptake of regular mobility scoring is disappointing, according to vets and researchers, despite overwhelming evidence that highlights the benefits of lifting cows feet and correcting minor locomotion problems before they develop into serious lameness cases. So why aren’t more producers getting to grips with it and reaping the benefits that a spring in their cows’ steps can bring? “There are several reasons, most of them extremely complex,” says Bristol vet School’s Becky Whay, a specialist hoof health researcher who jointly led the work that then allowed DairyCo’s Healthy Feet Programme to be developed. “Not least is that producers are extremely time poor and many see it as yet another task that they just simply can’t squeeze into their already packed working day. It may not be the mobility scoring itself that they are concerned about, but moreover the time that then has to be allocated to lift the feet and treat cows with less than ideal locomotion. “And these producers don’t usually have the set up or the facilities to easily lift and trim cows’ feet – or the correct skill set.” She says that some may have also become disillusioned from picking up cows’ feet and not being able to see why she’s scored one or two on the mobility scale, rather than zero. “In a third of cases, the problem is bruising and that can’t be easily seen. There’s not the gratification that you get when you lift the feet of an extremely lame cow, find a stone or a lesion and treat and trim the feet, and then see the cow walk away with an improved gait.”

Mobility scoring Dr Whay says that other producers say that they already mobility score their cows every day, by watching them carefully as they walk into the parlour, for example. “And I don’t doubt that they do, but it’s not part of a formal routine so there’s every chance that even if a cow with less than perfect mobility is spotted that she won’t be looked at. She could easily be forgotten about. Doing it this way won’t necessarily trigger the next action that’s required. “Mobility scoring is very much about preempting lameness. Remember early treatment is not only less costly, it’s also more effective.” Ideally, she’d like to see herds – particularly black-and-white herds that are statistically more prone to lameness problems – being mobility scored every fortnight. “But if that was too much in terms of labour, I’d still be happy with

Programme’s progress Just 16 months since its launch, DairyCo’s Healthy Feet Programme is now running on 180 dairy units. A total of 98 mentors – vets and licenced hooftrimmers – have been trained to help producers understand the risk factors on farm. Around 43,000 cows are benefiting from the scheme. The levy-funded organisation also provides mobility scoring DVDs, score sheets and laminated cards to aid mobility scoring and lesion

monthly. Even bi-monthly or quarterly is better than not at all.” West Sussex-based vet Rob Drysdale, from the Westpoint Veterinary Group, agrees that fortnightly scoring would be the gold standard. His practice already has several clients, totalling 6,500 cows, that are monitored and managed for mobility, from Kent to Dumfries and down into Cornwall. That said, he says he’d like to see more herds doing it. A typical comment he gets from producers is ‘I don’t need to do it – I can see when a cow is lame.’ But he says that that misses the point completely.

Cost saving Mobility scoring isn’t about picking up cows that are obviously lame – those that score three on the DairyCo scale, which runs from zero for a cow that walks completely normally to three for a cow that’s obviously lame. “We’re looking to identify cows before they become obviously lame, thereby avoiding the costs and losses associated with that.” He says that picking up the feet of cows that score one (walking normally but with a suspicion of possible lameness) and score two (not walking normally) gives producers a head start on lameness. They can deal with a possible problem before it starts. “To trim and rebalance a cow’s feet could save between £200 and £300. The cost of a typical case of sole ulcer is £380. You only need to avoid, or even catch early, one or two cases to make it a financially viable exercise. “And remember that loses can begin to occur – in terms of milk production and fertility – often well before a cow presents itself as truly lame.” Some producers have learned about the huge benefits of mobility scoring – both in economic and welfare terms – the hard way. Mr Drysdale is currently working

identification for producers who want to assess their own herds. All resources are available for download or can be ordered via www. dairyco.org.uk/healthyfeet. “Early detection is vital, so we’re encouraging producers to do that – either themselves or through taking part in the programme,” says DairyCo’s R&D manager Jenny Gibbons. “Prompt treatment is important to prevent cows from becoming lame.”

with one herd that had just 49% mobility. “Toe necrosis – one of the nastiest stages of lameness – was found in 30 cows and most will have to be culled as it was in the chronic stage. Regular mobility scoring could have picked up a problem much sooner and the repercussions of poor track maintenance and the wet summer would have been much less severe.” After just six weeks of mobility scoring and treating problem cows’ mobility in this herd has increased to 59% and daily milk yields have also increased by two litres a cow. “We’ve introduced regular foot bathing and trimming, as well as fortnightly scoring to pick up any problems quickly, and it’s working well. “The herd manager feels back in control and they’ll soon be in a position where they don’t have any cows that score three on the scale. Mobility scoring means that very rarely will you see anything other than ones and twos.”

Targeted advice Mr Drysdale says that those clients that are on a contract for mobility scoring would be paying around £10 per head per year. “And that’s for a specialist vet and targeted advice. We don’t just score the cows and leave you to get on with it. A list of ‘musts’, ‘shoulds’ and ‘coulds’ is provided and some of the things that need to be changed can be relatively inexpensive. “Whatever it costs, mobility scoring is about so much more than investing in hoof health anyway. It’s very much about avoiding production diseases and extending the life and increasing the productivity of your herd,” he adds. “It is literally a ‘bottom up’ investment. Look after your cows’ feet and you’re a long way towards them looking after you and your business.” l

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01-12-2011 13:07:55

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ccoow wmmaannaaggeemmeenntt os c ep tt o ebm er b /e n r o2 v0 e0 m 9 b e r

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F R O M

T H E

V E T E R I N A RY

B E N

P R A C T I C E

S A P S F O R D

Vet Ben Sapsford, from the Cumbria-based XLVet Westmorland Vet Group, shares some timely tips on disease prevention and tackling health problems in dairy herds. Here he takes a closer look at a hoof problem that’s being seen in an increasing number of herds this winter.

Speed is vital to tackle a serious – and smelly – problem

Stop the rot! L

ameness is a serious issue in some herds this winter, not helped by a wet summer and tougher than usual conditions underfoot. Toe necrosis is also being seen for the first time in some herds. It’s relatively unusual, but it’s nasty and an extremely challenging condition to tackle. Of the few cases seen so far this year, most have started with white-line disease. Infection then gets in and tracks down and along into the foot – right into the claw and the toe. Infected feet smell foul and closer inspection will reveal blackened, rotting tissue with infection deep down in the pedal bone. It’s vital to call out the vet to deal with this. It’s extremely painful and tricky to treat and it has to be done quickly and carefully. All the infected, rotten tissue in the foot, including any bone, has to be removed to leave an open and relatively clean lesion. A local anaesthetic is required, as well as an intensive course of antibiotics to stop the infection from tracking any further. This could also help to reduce the chance of the infected toe from having to be amputated. Successful treatment depends on how early the condition is caught. Intensive and prompt action is vital to avoid toe amputation, but that’s often the outcome. In many cases the best course of action is to amputate the digit under regional anaesthesia Prevention is as it is with all lameness issues – it’s all about management and the environment. Reducing the chance of white-line disease, sole ulcers and other hoof lesions is the best way to avoid toe necrosis. These conditions are the precursors that allow the infection to get into the foot in the first place.

The encyclopaedia Toe necrosis Cause The cause of toe necrosis is a bacterial infection that enters the foot through a hoof lesion, such as white-line disease or sole ulcer.

Symptoms Severe lameness, particularly after treatment for a lesion that doesn’t show improvement, often with a foul smell. Look for deep infection, possibly tracking down as deep as the pedal bone.

Treatment Speed is important to limit the spread of infection. Rotten, infected tissue and bone must be removed under local anaesthetic by a vet and then the clean and open wound must be treated with antibiotic and packed to keep it clean and dry. If healing is poor – sometimes the result, if infection is caught late – then complete toe amputation may be the outcome.

Prevention Treat lesions promptly and thoroughly and keep a close eye on treated cows to monitor their recovery.

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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M A N A G E M E N T

Heat detection in heifers is very important – heifers are fitted with heat detection collars at 13 months

Gold Cup winning herd steps out with new heat detection system

Something in the way she moves All cow and heifer movements in the North Yorkshire based Miresdale herd are now monitored through the farm’s new heat detection service. By recording how cows move, not how much they move, submission rates have improved by 20% and pregnancy diagnosis results are looking equally promising. text Karen Wright

he NMR/RABDF Gold Cup winning Miresdale herd has worn pedometers for eight years. But the system was wearing out and producer Geoff Spence was looking to replace it. “We’d increased

herd size to 400 cows and we want to increase it further so needed a robust and easy-to-use system that helps our management and doesn’t add to the workload.”

Keen to keep up with technology, he looked at the new systems now on the market. “Technology moves on, but I knew what I wanted a system to do,” says Geoff. “It needed to be hard-wearing, reliable and accessible by the whole team – and good value for money.” “After doing our research we came down in favour of NMR’s Silent Herdsman, mainly because it was reliably tested and was already working well on large and small units. And I liked the predicted sixto-nine year battery life in the processor on the collar, which means it would last around the lifetime of the cow. So if we get to the stage of a collar per cow there will be no maintenance or hassle of changing batteries. With a 400-plus herd this is very attractive.” To start with, Geoff bought 100 collars in March 2012 and put them on all newly calved cows as well as 13-month-old heifers. One Silent Herdsman antenna was fitted in the centre of the cubicle housing and this picks up cow movements within 100 metres, which offers plenty of coverage for the whole building.

Strong signals Another antenna was then fitted in the heifer shed with a booster across the

c V co Eo EwTwm Em EaLanTna jagan ge emumeaenrnti t s1 d e/ pecembe 2t 2 em 0 0b9e rr 22 00 01 92

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yard. This relays a signal back to the office PC and has a span of up to three kilometres so, in this case, it is well within reach of the farm office. The herd is high yielding, producing on average 10,600kg on twice-a-day milking. Calving is all year round with a current calving interval of 389 days. Geoff and his herdsman John France hope to trim a few days off this. Through careful management and feeding, they aim to serve cows around 45 days after calving. “There’s no point in waiting. If she’s fit and well then she’s served,” adds John. “But we do need to make sure heat detection is accurate.”

Heifer heats The same importance is placed on picking up heifer heats. “We look to serve heifers at 14 or 15 months old so they calve into the herd at two years old. On top of this, we are using sexed semen on the heifers so it’s even more important that oestrus detection is accurate.” Growth in herd size at Lowfields Farm, Brompton, has been from home-bred heifers and, by using sexed semen, this will continue and it will also keep providing some surplus heifers for sale. “One of our biggest challenges is breeding good cows that suit our system and enable us to run a tight ship,” admits Geoff. “And our staff is our greatest asset. It’s important to have a herdsman that understands cattle breeding and knows the cows and families within the herd. John is a great asset to us here and he is taking responsibility nowadays for most of the breeding decisions.”

John France: “We get regular updates on the office PC and on our mobile phones”

While Geoff is not in favour of leaving a computer to make breeding decisions for the herd, he is not ‘anti’ electronic systems or technological developments that will improve herd management and complement the team’s work.

Movement pattern “This is where a heat detection system comes into its own. It works 24/7 and, in the case of Silent Herdsman, it tells us when a cow’s movement pattern has changed. This is far more accurate than just telling us if she’s walked more or less on any one day. “Also, it doesn’t mean to say we don’t walk round the cows and record bullings. We do this regularly between 3.30am to 9.30pm, but the Silent Herdsman system is an extra pair of eyes and

Geoff Spence: “I like the six to nine year battery life in the Silent Herdsman processors”

works even more hours than we do.” Geoff and John will pop into the farm office regularly to get updates on heat activity from the touch screen PC. Silent Herdsman updates the list every two hours. But when they are out and about, or even away from the farm, they can access this list using their iPhones, or from an email address that is programmed into the system. “If I am away I can look at the list of cows showing signs of heat on my phone and then talk to John about breeding plans. We do our own AI so we can make sure we serve cows at the best time and don’t miss any.” So how successful has the system been so far? “It’s still quite early days,” says Geoff. “But what I do know is that it’s picking up 98% of heats or cystic cows. With our previous device that figure was closer to 70%.” Average calving to first service is currently 45 days – well ahead of industry benchmarks. The level of subsequent services, within the targeted 18 to 24 days, is 39%, again ahead of the industry average. Only 5% of the herd currently has a service interval greater than 50 days. The herd is due to move into a new house later in December and Geoff hopes that more space will also play a part in improving fertility performance. “It’s already on target but there’s always scope to improve — we’d like to knock a few days off the calving interval and increase the rolling 35% success rate to first service. Many factors play a part here but I am confident that improved cow comfort combined with Silent Herdsman will allow us to move up a gear.” l

co cw ow mm an aa ng a eg m e m e ne tn ts edpetce emmb be err 2 20 00 19 2

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DECEMBER

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BREEDING INFORMATION

Delta Refiner The American Art-Acres Tex B cow family proves its worth once again with another successful high ranking bull to follow Delta Paramount with Delta Refiner. Refiner’s dam is a high producing daughter of Swamo Delta Jordan (Novalis x Jabot), a fitness and longevity specialist who died prematurely. Refiner’s sire, Manager, is a German Mtoto son from the Prelude Spottie family who also has high breeding values for fitness and longevity. Refiner combines an O Man-free outcross pedigree with a high-ranking

index level and the udder and feet and leg qualities of the Tex B family. Refiner will sire strong daughters that have plenty of width and length. Wide and sloping rumps complement good udders with –20 somatic cell count and a high score of 107 for udder health. His daughters have great feet and legs with excellent locomotion and a high rating of 107 for hoof health. With a calving ease figure of 108 his calves are easily born. Production is 500+kg of milk, 36+kg of fat and protein with a PLI of £152. Refiner is priced at £20 per straw.

Refiner daughter B Griet 114

Refiner daughter Bessie

The Fleckvieh breed – strength and dairyness The Fleckvieh breed is one of Europe’s oldest breeds and Fleckvieh cows are being bred all over the world today. The most important Fleckvieh populations are in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. CRV’s Fleckvieh breeding programme uses all these populations. The 2013 CRV Fleckvieh Global catalogue is now available from Avoncroft. For your copy call: 0800 7831880.

Crossbreeding with 50:50 bulls There are extra production benefits to be obtained from crossbreeding and this tendency of a cross-bred individual to show qualities superior to those of both parents is called heterosis, or

hybrid vigour. Many producers express an interest in cross-bred bulls, and those who use cross-bred sires will maintain approximately half of the hybrid vigour experienced in a first-cross animal. In addition to heterosis for milk production, cross-bred dams exhibit heterosis for fertility – about 1.5% higher non-return rate. Avoncroft have a selection of crossbred bulls.

Woeste Polder Reladon

Woeste Polder Reladon Newfailand Mr Frosty

50% Montbeliarde (Redon), 31% Holstein Friesian (Fitlist) and 12% Brown Swiss 6% MRI. Reladon is a young cross-bred bull, from a good productive and sustainable cow family, with more than 11,000 first inseminations in the Netherlands Reladon has remarkably high conception rates.

Mack 50% Jersey (Manhatten), 50% Holstein Friesian (Paladium). New Zealand proven (195 daughters production, 47 daughters Type). CRV Ambreed’s number-one cross-bred sire Mack is the complete package.

Great production comes from daughters that are much liked in the dairy, with high fertility and longevity ratings, and come in a moderate-sized tidy package with very good udders.

Newfailand Mr Frosty 50% British Friesian (Raleigh), 50% Holstein (Balance). UK proven with more than 3,000 milking daughters now, Mr Frosty needs no introduction. Frosty’s are milky with low somatic cell counts, great chest width, wide rumps and low pins and good teat length.

Doneen Marleen Hugo Collins Royal Hugo x Galtee Merci (56% Holstein, 44% Friesian). Marleen Hugo is a popular bull in Ireland with more than 8,600 daughters. He is the best of Ireland and New Zealand breeding leaving mediumsized strong durable cows with great udders, width of muzzle, chest and rump. He really excels for percentage of fat and protein. For further details of all cross-bred bulls available call 0800 7831880.

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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FLV

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CM08_p46.indd 46

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DECEMBER

2 0 1 2

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b u s i n e s s up d a t e MI L K P RICE

Price-rise facts and figures Producer muscle is helping to drive up milk prices – so is a short supply We take a look at what’s behind UK farm-gate milk prices and at what producers can expect to be paid as we move into 2013. text Rachael Porter

ower to the people – and certainly milk producers. August and September’s protests and blockades have had a huge positive effect on milk price, according to the Farm Consultancy Group’s Charles Holt. “It’s not that the buyers are concerned about the plight of producers, after one of the wettest summers on record and with the cost of production still creeping up. I think the increased milk price now being paid to many producers – with more coming on stream in December – is predominantly political, with a small ‘p’.” He says that the processors and buyers were experiencing considerable disruption during the blockades: “If the price remained low then those problems were going to escalate and some buyers were genuinely concerned that, if they were seen to be out on a limb and refusing to budge on price, they’d become the focus of more protests. So, once one buyer increased their price, the rest followed.” It’s certainly a feather in the cap for ‘squeezed’ producers, but the price rise has also been buoyed by the fact that – globally as well as in the UK – milk is in short supply. “We’ve had an extremely wet summer, which is continuing to impact on production due to poor winter forage quality. Estimates are that production is down 6.5% compared to October 2011. In contrast, US and Australian herds have been hit by

drought. And demand for milk and dairy produce in China is continuing to increase,” explains Mr Holt. “All these factors have made it a little ‘easier’ for processors and buyers to pay more for milk in the UK. They can’t ignore the basic rules of supply and demand.” He adds that he can see milk price continuing to creeping up in the short term. Promar International’s Tim Harper agrees. “We’ve just seen the end of a round of milk price increases and a minor one has just started, with Muller Wiseman offering an extra 0.5ppl as of December 1 and an additional 1ppl in February. Arla has also just announced a further increase for both member and non-member suppliers,” he says. “So yes, signs are that prices could continue to increase a little in the next few months.” He adds that the UK milk price is higher than that being paid in other European countries at the moment – that’s not been the case for a while. “I think some credit for that can be attributed to the protests, but liquid supplies are also tight. Some UK cheese making dairies are selling milk on the spot market and importing Irish Cheddar to make the most of the stronger milk price.” Useful websites to visit to keep abreast of the dairy trade and milk prices include: www.globaldairytrade.info and www.dairyco. net/datum

Table 1: Top and bottom five UK monthly milk prices for September 2012 (source: DairyCo 2012)

buyer

annual average milk price

top five Dairy Crest M&S – Profile Dairy Crest M&S – Variable Dairy Crest Waitrose Robert Wiseman Dairies Sainsbury Dairy Crest Sainsburys – Profile

32.24ppl 32.16ppl 31.05ppl 30.31ppl 30.18ppl

bottom five First Milk Balancing Liquid Saputo – Seasonal First Milk Cheese Joseph Heler First Milk Liquid

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annual average milk price

buyer

d e ce m b e r

25.94ppl 25.92ppl 25.88ppl 25.82ppl 25.78ppl

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DAIRY MANAGEMENT NEWS

Silent Herdsman goes ‘remote’ Producers can now have heat detection information sent to their mobile phone, iPad or any tablet PC thanks to new developments in NMR’s Silent Herdsman heat detection system. “Producers using Silent Herdsman typically pick up vital information on heats or particular problems related to fertility on the touch screen PC in the dairy and this works very well,” says NMR’s Jonathan Davies. “But even better is the ability to pick up this information on their mobile phone or, in fact, any device that has internet access. “It means that staff can be off site or on another part of the unit and still have access to the information. It’s also possible for the breeding consultant to access the latest data.” Silent Herdsman 2.7 brings big advances in communications. Data picked up on the farm PC from cow collars can be relayed through the Internet to smartphones, tablets and, with authority, third-party computers. Up to three people can be e-mailed with live alerts of cows when they are on heat

and the information will be updated every 20 minutes, 24/7. New reports have also been added to the latest Silent Herdsman including service history, and service, PD and expected calving dates. All users of Silent Herdsman will receive the updated version and all newly installed systems will include version 2.7. Latest heat detection information can be received on smartphones

NML carries antibiotic kits National Milk Laboratories (NML) has signed an exclusive agreement to distribute Delvotest BLF antibiotic testing kits to milk buyers, milk NML distribution network also distributes DSM’s Delvotest antibiotic testing kits

haulage companies and vets in Britain. Developed by global test kit manufacturer DSM, the antibiotic kits are used to detect traces of betalactam, the main antibiotic used to treat cattle. It is a rapid test and economical, taking only five minutes in a Delvotest incubator that can be carried out in the tanker or used in the depot or vet laboratory. Contaminated samples change colour. “The Delvotest BLF kit has European accreditation giving confidence to users,” says NML product manager Sam Fewings. “And thanks to the stream-lined ordering and distribution system, the kits are a cost-effective choice for milk buyers, haulage companies and vets.” NML’s well-established transport network throughout Britain already supplies depots with testing equipment and collects milk samples for testing for payment purposes.

High scores for NML labs Both NML laboratories at Four Ashes in the West Midlands and Hillington in Scotland have scored highly in the recent round on proficiency tests for detecting the MAP virus. This is the Johne’s causing virus that is detected through the NML Johne’s screening programme to detect a presence of the disease. “The ring test compares results on blood and milk tests from more than 20 laboratories, mainly in Europe,” says NML director Ben Bartlett. “NML labs performed very well in both the milk and blood sera schemes, confirming the accuracy of our testing procedure. We take part in international ring tests regularly to demonstrate the competence of our lab tests and services and we are consistently performing exceedingly well. “This should give our customers – vets and producers – great confidence in the testing programmes offered by NML.”

High fliers September’s list of NMR recorded cows that have achieved 100 tonnes of milk is now published on the NMR website. Here’s the top three ranked on lifetime daily yield (LDY). 1. T N Beeston’s cow 110 from Market Drayton, Shropshire, yielded 103,253kg of milk in eight lactations and has a LDY of 28.23kg/day. 2. The Goodman’s Mattiscombe Likable Dawn from Kingsbridge, Devon, has produced 101,250kg of milk in seven lactations and has an LDY of 27.85kg/day. 3. J & J Salter’s A Bombay Jackie from Attleborough, Norfolk, has produced 101,118kg in seven lactations and has an LDY of 27.42kg/day.

For more information on NMR products and services contact customer services, 0844 7255567, NMR web address: www.nmr.co.uk, NMR email address: customerservices@nmr.co.uk COW MAN AG E ME N T

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C O N TA C T S

SHOWS AND EVENTS December 8: December 13:

The photographer is more interesting than tucking into the daily ration Picture: Kristina Waterschoot

2013 January 2-4: January 10-13: January 21-23: February 23March 3: March 1-2: March 6 May 31: June 12-13: July 3-4:

Holland Holstein Show, Zwolle (The Netherlands) Royal Ulster Winter Fair, King’s Hall Complex, Belfast (N. Ireland)

The Oxford Farming Conference, The Examinations School, Oxford Agriflanders, Gent (Belgium) British Cattle Conference, Telford Golf and Spa Hotel, Shropshire SIA, Paris (France) European Holstein and Red Holstein Championship, Fribourg (Switzerland) Agro Nord Show, Aars (Denmark) NMR/RABDF Gold Cup open day at Shanael Holsteins, near Evesham, Worcestershire German national show, Oldenburg (Germany) Livestock Event, Birmingham

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX C O N TA C T S

AB Vista......................................................42 ALH Genetics..............................................13 Alta............................................................26 Ambic.........................................................42 Avoncroft/Thompson...................................2 Batchelor Enterprises Ltd...............................7 Bekina........................................................27 Biotal..........................................................11 Birdgard......................................................44 Boehringer-Ingelheim.................................52 Boumatic....................................................46 Cogent.......................................................43 CosyCalf.....................................................22 CowCare Systems.......................................48 Cow Comfort.............................................44 CowManagement.................................22, 44 Crossgates..................................................37 CRV..............................................................6 De Boer Housing Systems Ltd.................7, 42 Deosan.......................................................37

CowManagement is published eight times per year by CRV Holding BV

Editorial team Chief Editor Jaap van der Knaap Editor Rachael Porter Phone 01394 270587 E-mail rachael.porter@virgin.net Editing, design and production Veeteelt Contributing writers Inge van Drie, Roger Evans, Allison Matthews, David Matthews and Karen Wright Publisher Rochus Kingmans

Chief editor’s address P.O. Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, The Netherlands Phone 0031 26 38 98 821. Fax 0031 26 38 98 839 E-mail cm.office@crv4all.com internet www.cowmanagement.net

Subscriptions CowManagement is available free of charge to customers of NMR, Avoncroft and Thompsons. If you think you are eligible, please contact: National Milk Records, Customer Services, Skipton Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 4LG. Phone 0870 1622547 E-mail customerservices@NMR.co.uk www.isubscribe.co.uk

DP Agri.............................................4, 28, 48 Enviro Systems............................................44 Farmplus.....................................................37 FiveF.............................................................7 Fullwood....................................................17 KI De Toekomst..........................................46 Lallemand...................................................21 Micron Bio-Systems....................................28 Moore Concrete.........................................37 Nedap..........................................................4 NMR....................................................36, 51 Semex........................................................23 Spermex.....................................................27 Spinder.......................................................37 Teemore Engineering Ltd............................22 Trident Feeds..............................................13 VDK...........................................................42 Vervaeke....................................................44 Vétoquinol..................................................38 Attachment: Schippers UK

Advertisements Julia Hughes, NMR. Phone 01249 467224 Willem Gemmink, Froukje Visser P.O. Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, The Netherlands, Fax 0031 26 38 98 824 E-mail willem.gemmink@crv4all.com

Illustrations/pictures Photographs by Veeteelt Photography, Chris Spence (12), Becky Matthews (14) and Nick Bell (39).

Disclaimer CowManagement does not necessarily share the views expressed by contributors. No responsibility is accepted for the claims made by advertisers. No responsibility can be accepted by CRV Holding BV for the opinions expressed by contributors. Whilst every effort is made to obtain reliable and accurate information, liability cannot be accepted for errors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher.

COMING UP

M a i z e sp ecial January (January 15th) – In 2013’s first issue we’ll feature our annual maize special. Also there will be a refresher article on handling and thawing bull semen and this issue contains news on the latest bull proofs.

Printer Classic Printing Phone 01452 731539 ISSN 1570-5641

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