CowManagement US november 2013

ED ITION U .S. V O LU M E 5 N O 5 NO VE MBE R 2013

IN THIS ISSUE

M A N A G EM EN T

Proactive strategies help prevent postpartum disease C A LF REA RIN G

Auto feeders improve calf health EN V IRO N M EN T

Reducing greenhouse gases now a worldwide vision CMUS05_Cover.indd 2

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CO NTENTS

FEATURES

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Cow talk Beyond the barn: sailor Lely information CRV breeding information Barenbrug news Agenda FARM REPORTS

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Deep roots sustain Si-Ellen Farms Survival of the fittest in South Africa MANAGEMENT

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Learn more about how milk is priced by checking the milk check

John Dickinson: “You need to command the respect of the sea at all times” 15

Amy Ryan Enjoy the bounty of fall

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he leaves changing and cooler temperatures each day are a reminder that fall is here. The change of weather and also the beautiful fall colors around us signify a busy time of year with most of us in the mist of or almost done with fall harvest season.

This CowManagement features calf rearing and the special section has three articles focused on this topic. The first of these showcases a Texas calf rearing operation and describes the health and economic benefits they see from automatic calf feeders. The next article features recent research regarding growth and performance benefits of providing higher grain diets to young calves. The final article discusses giving pasture grasses a good start.

In the article “Paying it Forward” the importance of transition cow management is highlighted. Namely, the impact of keeping these cows comfort-

able and offering proper nutrition through this period.

Have you ever wondered how you are paid for milk? On page 34, “Matching up your Milk” takes a look at the milk pricing system and helps demonstrate how payments vary around the U.S. Page 10 features Si-Ellen Farms of Jerome, Idaho. The Roth family takes great pride in animal well-being, milk quality and environmental stewardship.

With eight siblings in this partnership, they all share the responsibilities and come together to meet their goal of developing a sustainable business.

This issue also contains an article detailing efforts to reduce the carbon footprint in the EU and the Beyond the Barn column highlights a dairyman who sails many places throughout the year.

We hope everyone had a safe and bountiful harvest and are able to slow down a bit to enjoy the articles in this November issue.

Management Transition cow

Environment Methane gases

Special section Calf rearing

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Proactive strategies help prevent postpartum disease events and resulting losses.

Reducing greenhouse gases is now a worldwide vision.

Higher grain diets optimize growth, rumen development and future performance.

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TA L K

The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association unveils new brand identity The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) has introduced a new logo and brand identity, symbolizing the association’s goal to update and modernize its vision to be the industry-leading source of calf and heifer nutrition, providing industry standards for profitability, performance and leadership that will help members improve the vitality and viability of their individual efforts and that of their business.

The logo and brand identity were approved by the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association board of directors Sept. 30,

and will be integrated throughout membership and marketing efforts as the organization continues to refocus its efforts.

Plans are underway for the 2014 annual conference, themed “Be a ‘Driver’ of Change”. It is set for April 1-3, 2014 in Green Bay, Wis. Conference details and registration will soon be available at www.calfandheifer.org.

For more information or to join DCHA visit: www.calfandheifer.org, phone: (855) 400-3242.

Source: www.calfandheifer.org

NMPF edorses Senate dairy title More than 50 state and national dairy and farm organizations have joined together to urge congressional farm bill conferees to adopt the Senate’s Dairy Security Act (DSA), because it offers farmers the most effective safety net for the future. The groups expressed their support in a joint letter sent to the Senate and House members who will decide the fate of the 2013 farm bill.

Recently, the House leadership named 17 Republicans and 12 Democrats to the conference committee that

will reconcile the respective House and Senate farm bills passed earlier this year. They are joining seven Democratic Senators and five Republicans.

The letter points out that the “Dairy Security Act is specifically designed to offer dairy farmers help when they desperately need it: when margins between farm milk prices and production costs shrink to dangerous levels.

The Dairy Security Act is also designed to limit taxpayers’ liability through its market stabilization mechanism. This

provision will help farm milk prices recover more quickly, while mitigating against prolonged or serious downturns that would otherwise increase government program costs.” The groups said the “DSA is a voluntary program that protects producers and keeps taxpayer costs in check. Contrary to the what DSA’s opponents are saying the plan doesn’t increase retail milk prices, it is designed to keep farm milk prices from staying too low for too long.”

Source: www.nmpf.org

Promote dairy and food science Chobani, Inc., and Cornell University announced a partnership to promote innovation in dairy and food science.

Made possible by a $1.5 million gift from Chobani to the university, the partnership marks an important step in elevating the dairy industry and New York State’s role as a Greek yogurt leader through innovative research and reinforces Chobani’s continued focus on manufacturing and quality.

Along with this partnership, Chobani also named Dr. Alejandro Mazzotta Vice President of Global Quality, Food Safety, and Regulatory Affairs in support of the company’s continued commitment to innovation and quality.

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Mazzotta brings more than two decades of leadership in microbiology, food science and compliance at global packaged goods companies and a respected track record of industry research.

Yogurt, including high-protein greek yogurt, has become an economic powerhouse in upstate New York, where production now accounts for 70 per cent of all Greek yogurt sales.

Chobani’s gift will establish a research and training program that will support graduate student research along with work force development in dairy quality.

Source: www.chobani.com

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Updated Dairy Data Highlights available Need to know the nation’s top 10 milk-producing states? How about Class III milk prices by month going back eight years? Or perhaps you need the top 10 export markets for U.S. dairy products in 2012. All that and more is available in the latest edition of Dairy Data Highlights from the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).

The handy, pocket-size booklet includes 53 tables and 19 graphs filled with national and state milk and dairy production data from the mid-1970s through 2012. Dairy Data Highlights has been published annually by NMPF for more than 60 years. A must for anyone involved in milk production, it is available to NMPF member cooperatives and associate members for $7.50 a copy, or $5 for orders of more than 10 copies. For nonmembers, the cost is $10 for single copies or $7.50 for bulk orders.

Source: www.nmpf.org NMPF offers Dairy Data Highlights

FMD vaccine production now safer

Novel method makes FMD vaccine production safer Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines can be produced safely using a new patent-pending technology developed by USDA scientists.

Microbiologist Elizabeth Rieder with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Foreign Animal Disease Research Unit, designed a technique to make FMD vaccine without the need for virulent virus. She and her colleagues identified a virus DNA sequence that, if removed, makes the FMD virus harmless to animals, but still allows it to grow in cell culture.

The researchers used this DNA sequence to alter the FMD virus, which allowed them to learn more about how the virus functions. They studied how the virus amplifies itself, interacts with host animals, and inhibits the animal’s defense mechanisms.

The technology was used in studies to produce a novel marker FMD vaccine that does not require virulent virus and is safer than traditional vaccine production methods that use naturally occurring FMD virus strains.

Source: www.usda.org

USDA celebrates national Farm to School month Tom Vilsack recently highlighted important strides made in offering healthy, local food to millions of school children through USDA’s Farm to School program. According to USDA’s first Farm to School Census, schools participating in farm to school activities purchased and served over $350 million in local food, with more than half of schools planning to purchase more local foods.

Forty-three percent of public school districts across U.S. reported having an

existing farm to school program, with another 13 percent of districts surveyed committed to launching a farm to school program in the future.

Interest in local products spans the school meal tray, with fruits, vegetables, and milk topping the list of local products offered in schools across the country, while census respondents indicate an interest in local plant-based proteins, grains and flour, and meat and poultry in the future.

Vilsack added that through these

efforts, schools continue to enhance the health of the school food environment, meet the newly implemented meal standards and demonstrate the role local food can play in school meals.

Census results can be found online, at www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census/.

School districts that missed the opportunity earlier in the year to respond can submit information regarding farm to school practices through November 30, 2013. www.usda.gov

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M A I N

A RT I C L E

Proactive strategies help prevent postpar tum

Paying it fo Just because dry cows don’t directly contribute revenue, keep them front and center in your management program. A comfortable resting area and proper nutrition pays off in more milk and less trouble.

by JoDee Sattler

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he best transition cow management is characterized by a well-balanced diet, consumed with minimal intake decline and delivered in a stress-free environment, allowing the cow to express her normal behaviors,” says Robert Van Saun, DVM, Penn State University Extension veterinarian.

While this sounds pretty basic, it’s not easy to achieve. More than 50% of cows experience one or more metabolic or infectious diseases following calving.

Historically, dairy scientists spent considerable time researching the “best” ration for transition cows. Often, trial results contradicted one another and yielded more questions than answers. Thinking a bit outside the box, University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine veterinarians Ken Nordlund and Nigel Cook focused less on nutritional manipulations and more on management practices and cowto-environment interactions. Wisconsin researchers concluded that feed bunkspace, excessive cow pen moves and cow comfort issues played important roles in postpartum disease risk.

Van Saun says that when cows experience stressful conditions (frequent pen moves), they release stress hormones that induce several metabolic changes, as well as activating immune cells. “Activated immune cells induce the release of chemical messengers (cytokines) from these cells that modify many body responses. Key inflammatory cytokines alter metabolism so that more nutrients are partitioned to maintenance and thus reduce production efficiency.”

Furthermore, inflammatory cytokines cause a reduction in dry matter intake (DMI), a pivotal issue related to transition cow challenges.

Good start yields big dividends Providing a comfortable, spacious dwelling for dry cows may require an investment. Admittedly, financial advisers may question this investment by looking at the cost on a per dry cow basis, which may be $3,000 to $4,000 per animal in the facility. Instead, John Tyson, Penn State agricultural engineer, recommends evaluating the building project across all cows in the dairy operation.

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par tum disease events and resulting losses

it forward Studies show no significant difference in DMI for cows eating through headlocks or at a post and rail

“For every cow in the transition group, there are four other cows in lactation giving more milk because of the facility,” says Tyson. This approach brings the investment down to less than $1,000 per cow. “It’s much easier to pay for a transition cow facility based on milk production and health gains.” Getting cows off to a good start will pay dividends in the next and subsequent lactations.

Well-designed facilities come in a variety of shapes and sizes – from sand-bedded freestalls to bedded packs. Remember the basics: good ventilation, dry, comfortable resting area, liberal access to feed, ample access to water and confident footing. If possible, separate heifers from mature cows.

To ensure adequate feed access, provide 30 inches per cow at the feedbunk – whether it’s headlocks or post and rail.

Studies show no significant difference in DMI for cows eating through headlocks or at a post and rail. With a post and rail, position the neck rail at 48 inches high for Holsteins. “Access to feed is the number one design consideration in transition cow facilities,” says Tyson.

With a freestall design, Tyson recommends a two-row layout to get the best stall to feed space ratio. Due to their “with calf” status, close-up cows require a larger than average stall size. The recommended stall size ranges from 51 to 54 inches wide by 9 feet long, with 54-inch-wide stalls fostering maximum lying time.

According to Jack Rodenburg of Dairy Logix in Woodstock, Canada, hormonal changes prior to calving can trigger relaxed ligaments and tendons in the foot, which increases the chance for a foot injury. This factor solidifies the importance of maximizing lying time and providing sure footing.

Bedded pack fosters comfort With a bedded-pack design (when the pack is kept clean and dry), cows often find a comfort advantage because they can lie down in their most comfortable position. Plus, this surface enhances solid footing. Bedded packs, however, require significant space and bedding. Allow 100 to 120 square feet of resting area per dry cow and 175 to 200 square feet for the freshening pack.

Whether you use a freestall or bedded pack design, be aware of stocking density. An overstocked facility (greater than 80%) can foster fresh cow pneumonia problems. Just like lactating cows, provide excellent ventilation and heat abatement.

Determining the “right size” facility to build can be a challenge. While it can be costly to overbuild, oversize the facility by 25% to 30% to accommodate “calving period bursts.”

When overcrowding occurs, lying time falls and this impedes maximum DMI. The downward spiral begins… postpartum

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A bedded pack can boost cow comfort because cows can lie down in their most comfortable position

disease event(s), reduced milk production and delayed conception.

Not so long ago, experts recommended several pen moves from early dry-off to early post-fresh. This thinking has changed as researchers detected separation stress when cows moved so often. Thus, Rodenburg says to group dry cows by expected time of calving and limit pen moves.

With a two-group dry period strategy, Van Saun says cows need a minimal amount of time (14 to 21 days) being offered a close-up ration. “This is especially critical for first-calf heifers.”

With a one-group, short dry period strategy (45 days), cows may experience health benefits from being offered a close-up type ration during most of the dry period. Regarding dry period length, Van Saun says he’s uncomfortable with dry periods less than 40 days. “I recommend 45- to 60-day dry periods.”

Consider limiting energy intake Like pen changes, researchers have changed their tune regarding transition cow rations. While there’s no one size fits all transition cow ration, it’s generally believed that consistent, properly balanced diets that minimize excess energy intake and ensure adequate available protein will foster healthy early lactation cows that will maximize milk production and breed back quickly.

“Current research suggests that

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limited energy intake (for transition cows) may provide better glucose homeostasis and prevent insulin resistance,” says Van Saun. These factors play a key role in preventing a postpartum health event.

University of Illinois animal science researchers concur that transition cows fed reduced energy diets perform better after calving. Besides higher milk production, cows fed a controlled energy diet became pregnant 10 days faster (157 vs. 167 days) than cows fed a high energy diet. Additionally, Phil Cardoso, DVM, University of Illinois animal scientist, says that cows fed the controlled energy diet lost less body condition and experienced lower disease incidence because they ate more after calving.

Both groups of cows showed reduced energy consumption around calving, due to stress. However, the drop was four times (about 30%) higher in cows fed the high energy diet. The drop was only 7% in cows fed the controlled energy diet. The difference? “Cows fed the controlled energy diet were able to start eating right after calving,” says Cardoso. “We want the cow to eat as much as possible just after calving because then she’s going to be healthier.”

How much should a dry cow eat?

Gabriella Varga, Penn State University animal science professor, says to feed approximately 28 to 32 pounds of dry matter, depending on forage quality, to

NOVE MBER

large-framed cows. “Feeding 28 to 30 pounds (as-fed basis) or 8 to 10 pounds (dry matter basis) of corn silage can provide additional energy from forage, lowers calcium and potassium levels, and improves ration palatability.

Overconditioned dry cows Dry cows fed corn silage at greater than 50% of forage dry matter may become overconditioned and experience more metabolic and reproductive problems.

Feeding low-potassium forages helps prevent milk fever and hypocalcemia. Typically, corn silage is lower in potassium than alfalfa. Test all forages to prevent feeding excess potassium. “Also, do not include buffers in the dry cow diet,” says Varga.

“The sodium has the same effect as potassium in predisposing cows to hypocalcemia. If we can prevent cows from becoming hypocalcemic, we can dramatically reduce the incidences of not only milk fever, but also mastitis, retained placentas and displaced abomasums.”

Bottom line: cow comfort and a cow’s interaction with her environment play key roles in how she successfully avoids a postpartum disease(s). “If cow comfort is deficient on a farm, it may override all the positives relative to feed formulation,” says Van Saun. “Cow comfort must be the foundation of developing best management practices for transition cows.” l

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H E R D

R E P O RT

Attention to milk quality, feed management and the environment rewards dairy with longevity

Si-Ellen The Roth family has a deep heritage in the industry. Their dedicaJerome, Idaho tion to producing a quality product, keeping their cows comfortable and being environmentally friendly has proven successful.

Number of animals: Number of employee: Rolling herd average: Cell rate:

24.000 180 29,500M 3.8F 3.2P 134

T

he Roth family dairying experience began over 92 years ago and Mike Roth of the Si-Ellen Farms says that it all started when his grandparents made the trip from Switzerland to Portland, Ore. in 1921.

“In 1941, my parents, Simon and Mary Ellen, moved to Vancover, Washington to the dairy that our family called home until 1973 when the herd grew to 600 cows,” he says. “By 1995, we were milking 1200 cows on three dairies in Washington and at that time decided to move to Idaho due to greater land availability and lower feed costs.”

Since moving to Idaho, the Roths have expanded three times and now milk on three sites: Si-Ellen, White Clover Dairy, and Red Clover Dairy. There are more than 24,000 total head; 11,050 of which are milk cows, mostly Holsteins with 1,050 Jerseys at Red Clover Dairy.

A family affair Mike and his seven siblings are all partners and oversee various aspects of the business. Three brother-in-laws are also actively involved in the day-to-day operations.

Mike acts as the CEO and his brother, Todd, manages the other two dairies.

Their other brother, Jim, along with brother-in-law, David, oversee the

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Deep roots sustain Si-Ellen Farms Having eight siblings in partnership at Si-Ellen Farms makes the Roth family of Idaho unique in its own right. Add to that their commitment to animal well-being and the environment it’s easy to see their secret to sustaining the family livelihood.

by Amy Ryan

cropping. Tim and Bruce, two more brother-in-laws handle all the cow care, while Judy takes care of calves and milker training.

Lisa works in the on-site laboratory managing various processes, Susie and Denise do the secretarial work and Donna does estate planning. Their father, Simon, passed away in 1999, but Mary Ellen is 90 years-old and still lives on the dairy.

Along with the siblings and relatives mentioned above, the dairy employs around 180 people dependent upon the season.

Quality and quantity The dairies are centered around the Jerome area and located in Magic Valley, which is home to 72 percent of the cows and 56 percent of the dairies in Idaho.

Regardless of the number of cows the Roths have had through the years, their philosophy has always remained the same “Take care of the cows and they take care of you.”

All cows are housed on dry lots with the exception of White Clover Dairy, which has 2,000 freestalls. The cows at Si-Ellen are milked 3 times a day in two double-36 parlors and a double-50 parlor, while the hospital barn there has a double-8 parlor. The current rolling

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herd average is 29,500 with a 3.8 percent fat and 3.2 percent protein and they run a 134,000 SCC. The Roths are very committed to milk quality and have built an on-farm culture lab to support their aggressive screening efforts for mastitis.

“We are looking to decrease involuntary culls and for us, reducing mastitis is at the top of that list,” says Roth. “All fresh cows that come through the parlor receive the California Mastitis Test (CMT) and any cows that show mastitis are treated. In addition, we culture any new cases of mastitis to responsibly treat and eliminate the problem.”

Si-Ellen is also participating as a trial herd for QScout MLD (milk leukocyte differential), a new on-farm test that detects mastitis in individual quarters before symptoms appear. Roth feels that the test, from Advanced Animal Diagnostics, takes less time and is more accurate than CMT on each animal. He also appreciates the ability to detect and treat mastitis more quickly, but says the machine would generate the need for another employee to manage it on the dairy.

The nutritional program at Si-Ellen is closely managed with the EZFeed program available from DHI-Plus. This

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program monitors the ration, its ingredients, how it is mixed and when it is delivered as well as daily feed weigh backs. The feed is pushed up 24 hours a day to promote maximum dry matter intake.

“We concentrate heavily on feed management as it is the largest expense for our operation – from harvesting and covering forages to monitoring the ration to measuring weigh backs, it is all a top priority,” says Roth. “Each week we have a feeding meeting and show the bar graphs generated for weigh backs.

Any feeder that achieves less than 1.5% refusals receives a bonus.”

When looking specifically at ration ingredients, the Roths own 6,600 acres and rent 400 on which they grow corn silage and rotate alfalfa and wheat. All hay is sampled when it is harvested and it is blended to maintain the ration at 175 to 180 relative feed value. Corn silage is double covered to achieve zero spoilage and silage along with hay is sampled every other week to maintain the desired level of dry matter intake.

The ration itself consists of canola or soybean meal, dry and wet distillers, corn distillers, beet pulp, cottonseed, corn silage, vitamins, minerals and molasses. All ration mixing is done at Si-Ellen and then distributed to the other dairies.

All replacements are also raised on the dairy. Newborn calves are fed pasteurized colostrum at birth and milk twice a day thereafter and raised in wooden calf hutches. They graduate to dry lot housing and a diet of cottonseed, flake corn, flake barley, distillers, mineral and molasses. They are currently calving at 23.7 months of age, but are striving to reach the 23-month calving age to have replacements enter the milking string earlier.

They use many genomic sires in their breeding program and are using sexed semen on the Jersey herd. Additionally, they recently tested their first 50 heifers with Clarified DNA Marker technology to identify young heifers to cull.

Commitment to community The ration is pushed up 24 hours a day to promote maximum dry matter intake

As in any place, the Roths saw the need for environmental welfare when they moved to Idaho and made several

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H E R D

R E P O RT

Si-Ellen Farms is located in Idaho’s Magic Valley

Simon & Mary Ellen Roth established Si-Ellen in 1941

investments in this area, including a composting business, a retaining lake and development of wetlands.

“When we were building and expanding, we took dirt to build our corrals and this left a good spot for us to fill with irrigation water,” says Roth.

“We also cost shared a project with NRCS to develop a wildlife habitat and compost our manure to reduce commercial fertilizer use and our emissions, which in turn reduces our overall carbon footprint.”

They use compost bedding, sell compost and use recycled water to flush their alleys. They also installed energy efficient lighting in the barns.

The Roth family has been recognized with several awards for their achievement in environmental stewardship including the Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year Award from the International Dairy Food Association in 2002 and the Farmer of the Year Award from DairyBusiness WEST earlier this year. Mary Ellen was also inducted in to the Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of Fame.

Ensuring sustainability

Feed storage and management is of utmost importance at Si-Ellen

When asked specifically about challenges facing Si-Ellen, Mike sites the following: learning how to manage employees, being environmentally conscious and looking at the “big picture.”

“When having an operation of this size, there are many factors that you need to consider, like thinking on a larger scale and developing systems that help run our dairy,” he says. “All in all, I see our industry becoming more of a margin industry. You need to show you can perform amongst your peers and have a good plan and history to share with your bankers. Being a team player in your community is also very important.”

Improving herd statistics These challenges have inspired multiple farm goals at Si-Ellen with most of them related to improving margin and profits. First is increasing income over feed costs, which is where EZFeed comes in. Secondly is improving herd statistics like increasing pregnancy

rate, reducing cull rate and reducing age at first calving. Judicious use of antibiotics would also tie to these goals which is being addressed by their dedication to milk quality and trials with QScout.

Next is environmental wellness, which they are continually developing with their compost business, retaining lake and wetlands projects. This project has also shown their commitment to the community.

Moving forward, Mike is focused on furthering these goals to ensure sustainability, while working to incorporate the next generation.

“My siblings and I are the third generation of Roths to be in the dairy industry and none of us would be here if not for the hard work of our parents and grandparents,” he concludes. “It is going to be important for us to work towards transition and find the right place for the next generation, while taking into account the big picture of community and being proactive in keeping our farms clean and environmentally friendly.” l

The nutritional program is closely managed with the EZFeed program to monitor mixing, delivery and weigh backs

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T H E

B A R N

John Dickinson Hudson Falls, N.Y. 1,150 Registered Holsteins Sailing

Sailing: a year-round hobby enjoyed at home and afar

10,000 miles

by JoDee Satler

F

or as long as he can remember, John Dickinson has been sailing on a local lake. A 1970s family vacation to the British Virgin Islands sparked his interest in ocean sailing.

Fast forward about 30 years and Dickinson enrolled in an offshore sailing course with some friends. Following that course, they started chartering bareboats throughout the Caribbean during winters. In 2006, he took the big plunge and purchased his own charter boat, named “Imagine”.

What does it take to operate a yacht? Dickinson says the same physics fundamentals apply to all sailing vessels. He took three off-shore seamanship and navigation courses, along with a U.S. sailings “Safety at Sea” course. Dickinson earned a U.S. Coast Guard 50-ton Inland Captains License.

For four of the last seven winters, Dickinson sailed Imagine to the British Virgin Islands and returned it in the spring. The southern voyage takes three to four weeks to get there and back. His wife, Denise, joins him in the Caribbean and they try to spend an additional three weeks there entertaining guests during the winter.

What’s special about sailing? Dickinson listed his favorites: sunrises and sunsets on the ocean horizon; full moon rising out of the water, reflecting off the sea and illuminating night like day; stillness of the boat slicing through the water, hearing only gurgling along the hull; the roll of the vessel underway when you’re in your berth at night; being overtaken by a pod of porpoises (for as far as you can see), breaching and playing; and the tenacity and intimidation of a major gale during pitch black darkness. Dickinson has logged close to 10,000 blue water miles to witness these wonders. Despite the “glamour,” he realizes sailing’s potential challenges. “You need to command the respect of the sea at all times.”

During summer, Dickinson races most Wednesday nights on Lake George, located close to home. He also makes a few trips to the East Coast. “Farming doesn’t allow much free time during crop season, so sailing time is limited,” he says.

“Sailing offers adventure,” says Dickinson. “I also enjoy the self-sufficiency that is required to complete a several day blue water passage. The people you meet are so interesting. There’s a whole culture of live aboards, sea gypsies, retired folks and young couples raising families. They get by with very little while living off the sea.”

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Reducing greenhouse gases is now a worldwide vision

Getting to the tiniest carbon footprint Altering feeding and breeding to reduce methane production is a hot topic and the focus of on-going projects around the world. New findings and goal driven international projects in the United Kingdom and Europe are leading the way.

by Amy Ryan

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ith a lofty goal of reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020, the European Union (EU) is investing in multiple research projects to measure methane production and reducing its emission through genetic selection and feeding. Current research efforts in the Netherlands by Yvette de Haas, Senior Scientist and Project Leader with Wageningen UR Livestock Research in the Netherlands, have focused on the improvement of resource efficiency through genetics.

“Improved efficiency of livestock is of

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major importance for both the farmer, because he can then reduce his feed costs, and for the urban sector, because the environmental impact is less with lower emitting animals,” says de Haas.

“Ultimately, the aim is that in a couple of years, Dutch farmers can select sires that produce more efficient offspring.”

She continues to say that genetic improvement of livestock is a cost-effective technology, producing permanent and cumulative changes in performance, and should therefore go hand in hand with daily nutritional improvements.

There are a couple of projects in

which de Haas is involved, namely measuring individual methane of dairy cows and assessment of the methane emission of the individual cows at farm level.

De Haas says the purpose of the first project is to measure individual methane emissions of dairy cows in either a concentrate dispenser or a milking robot with a Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) gas analyzer.

“There are not many in the world measuring individual methane emissions on a large scale and this project will enable us to decide on the optimal

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measuring period to get an indicative trait that predicts daily methane emission of a cow,” says de Haas. “In addition, it will unravel the genetic background of this trait and link it to possible indicator traits that are recorded on national basis, like fatty acids in milk, MIR-profiles, feed intake or milk production.”

While this project and its results present exciting opportunities, de Haas states there are some disadvantages to this measurement. Cows are measured while eating concentrates, they are only measured for a couple of short visits per day and they are not measured during lying time and rumination.

These disadvantages present the need for de Haas’ second project.

“In this project we will design, test and validate an assessment method to determine the methane emission of individual dairy cattle at farm house level, which will allow us to determine the methane emission between a large number of cows,” she says. “It aims at developing a proof of principle under practical conditions where individual methane emissions will be measured during a long period each day.”

When asked about her findings thus far, de Haas cites some of the first results shared earlier this summer at the Greenhouse Gases & Animal Agriculture Conference in Dublin, Ireland. Specifically, she says that research has shown using a portable FTIR measuring unit in a milking robot to measure individual cow CH4 emissions gave realistic values and ranges.

Furthermore, the FTIR instrument combined with milking robots or concentrate dispensers may be useful in the future to generate large scale data for genetic evaluation of CH4 (methane) production in dairy cattle.

RuminOmics Another on-going research project regarding the genetic selection of cattle for lower methane production is RuminOmics. This four-year, 7.7 million euro European Union-funded project, is spearheaded by Professor John Wallace, a microbial biochemist with the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

Wallace will be working with 11 partners from the UK, Sweden, Finland, France and Italy to gather data.

“I primarily work on RuminOmics and other projects sponsored by the Scottish government on characterizing ruminal microbial communities in Scottish livestock,” says Wallace. “We believe by understanding the microbiology and the control that the host animal exerts over its gut bugs, we may be able to select for and breed animals with low methane emissions.”

He adds that the RuminOmics project was developed to measure methane and associated parameters in an unprecedentedly large animal set (1,400 dairy cows in all). State-of-the-art technologies will be used to determine the genetic basis of gut microbiology and methane emissions.

According to the most recent RuminOmics E-Newletter, outputs of the project include: • relate animal genome to microbiome, feed efficiency, and methane emissions • determine host-microbe interactions in genetically identical and genetically diverse animals • relate changes in the nutrient supply to the ruminant with the composition and function of the ruminal microbiome, as assessed by methane and N emissions • provide tools and bioinformatics for rapid analysis of phenotypes, microbiomes • create a public metagenomics database • effectively disseminate project technologies and results.

When asked about discoveries to date, Wallace says, “There is a correlation between methane emissions and the size of the community of archaea in the rumen, which means that analysis of rumen digesta samples for archaea can be used as a proxy for estimating methane emissions from individual animals.

Furthermore, numbers of archaea in digesta samples taken at slaughter were a good proxy for samples from live animals.

These samples can be used to predict how much methane the animal produced when it was alive, which

enables the genetic analysis of a large number of animals.”

METHAGENE project While there are multiple projects like those mentioned earlier going on worldwide, tying all this information together in one package and offering comprehensive results is a challenge.

For this reason, de Haas initiated METHAGENE, a project she says will develop an innovative, interdisciplinary, collaborative EU network of experts and interested parties to promote communication between animal breeders, nutritionists, animal physiologists, rumen microbiologists, bio-informaticians and environmental engineers. She chairs the Animal Selection Genetics Genomics Network that brings together scientists worldwide working in this field of research.

“This network is established as it is a relatively new field with many people working in it and we want to bring scientists together and create synergy,” says de Haas. “In order to utilize genetic selection as mitigation strategy, it’s highly desirable to combine these datasets of many countries to produce a database of 10,000-15,000 animals.”

She adds that combining the data already collected under different protocols requires intensive discussions among scientists. More importantly, the developed agreed protocols in a multi-disciplinary approach will allow existing and future data from different countries and collection methods to be combined.

Reduced GHG “Climate change is a growing international concern and it is well established that the release of GHG is a contributing factor,” says de Haas.

“Projects like those referenced earlier are increasing in importance to producers as methane can be considered as a loss/waste/inefficiency, and to reduce a possible future carbon tax.”

Wallace concludes with the simple statement, “A successful inhibition through nutrition and genetics will result in greater feed efficiency, which means dollars and cents to dairy producers worldwide.” l

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THE BENEFITS OF BEDDING WITH SAND! 2013 SAND SOLUTIONS CONFERENCE November 19 & 20 | Bloomington, MN November 19 - System Tours Gar-Lin Dairy, Eyota, MN | Daley Farms, Lewiston, MN

November 20 - Presentations Dr. Nigel Cook, University of Wisconsin–Madison | Curt Gooch, P.E., Cornell University Andrew Wedel, P.E., McLanahan Corporation | Bob Komro, Komro Sales & Service Rob Plank, P.E., McLanahan Corporation | Renee Schrift, McLanahan Corporation A Block Of Rooms Is On Reserve At Bloomington’s Best Western Plus Near Mall Of America And Downtown Minneapolis!

Call Or Email Renee Schrift For More Information 814-695-9807 | rschrift@mclanahan.com

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L E LY I N F O

Optimal calf growth and development The Lely Calm automatic feeder is introduced for its ability to mimic a calf’s natural nursing behavior. The Calm feeder meters out regulated portions throughout the day instead of the dairy business standard of feeding calves once or twice daily.

Small, accurate portions spread over the day substantially enhance the development of the digestive organs of the calf. Feeding and monitoring 60 calves takes only 20 minutes per day with the Calm calf feeder. The Calm calf feeder offers calves an outstanding start, while providing labor savings and additional economic benefits.

The Calm calf feeder is an absolute must for dairy farms that put animal welfare at the top of the priority list.

The key benefits are: • • • • • • • • •

Time saving Increased growth rate Better rumen development Labor flexibility Individual calf management Stable and exact milk temperature Flexible feeding schedules Weaning without stress Suitable for all farm sizes

The Calm feeder saves time

Free producer panel discussion Lely will host an online robotic milking panel discussion featuring dairy producers currently using the technology Wednesday, Nov. 20. The 60-minute webinar will discuss what to do and not to do in robotic milking as producers share their experiences.

Questions will be welcomed throughout the webinar as well as at the end of the presentation.

For more information and to register for this free webinar, please visit http://www.lelylife.com/ november-producer-panel or contact Torie Hardee ( THardee@Lely.com or 641.621.2730)

Meet Allen Johnson, Purina Animal Nutrition To help dairy producers make the switch to robotic milking, Lely offers customers an outstanding FMS (Farm Management Support) team.

Allen Johnson has been a nutritional consultant for Purina Animal Nutrition in northeast Ohio for nearly 20 years. As an adviser, he began working with his first robotic herd two years ago and currently works with multiple Lely robotic herds, specializing in Lely’s FMS program.

Lely’s management program provides extensive information allowing you to make better management decisions sooner. Thanks to the robot, you collect data on milk and animal behavior to track the health of your cows.

When asked about the benefits of Lely’s FMS, Allen said, “The support provided through startup consultants,

as well as the webinar support, is excellent.

Everything from cow movement and management to understanding and utilizing all of the reports are essential components.”

This FMS adviser believes that robotic milking is an option for all dairymen to consider. While not being for every dairy

operation, the system lends itself to a substantial lifestyle change as well as enabling smaller dairies to become extremely competitive by utilizing less labor while providing improved management data. All such transitions are made manageable by the Lely FMS team.

Robotic milking has changed the overall management

For more information on LELY products and services, call 1-866-LELY USA. LELY web address: www.lely.com, LELY email address: usa@lely.com COW MAN AG E ME N T

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Drinking stations provide labor savings and calf health benefits. Page 22 It makes economic sense to give calves the best possible start. Page 24 Higher grain diets optimize growth and rumen development. Page 26

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Drinking stations provide labor savings and calf health benefits

Automatic calf feeders: less labor, better health Automatic calf feeders are an absolute must for any dairy farm that puts animal welfare at the top of its priority list. After all, today’s young heifer calves are tomorrow’s high performance cows, making a well-managed rearing program essential.

by Ben Smink

Richard Clauss, C.A. Russell, Colin Russell

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ichard Clauss is a secondgeneration dairyman from California and has been in the business since 1953. While Richard and his family own and operate a 5,000-head dairy in California, it is the CDFD-Exum Calf Facility in Dalhart, Texas, that their 720 head of youngstock call “home.”

The calf facility is managed by Richard Clauss, son-in-law C.A. Russell, Colin Russell, (an Agricultural Sciences major at Cornell University), and farm manager, Todd Silvera.

“With the changing times we’re in, everyone is looking to be more productive,” says Colin. “Our new facility allows us to do just that.”

Currently, Exum Calf Facility utilizes 12 Lely Calm automatic calf feeders which supply milk to calves

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six times per day, requiring just two staffed employees.

Throughout the day, the automatic calf feeders supply the correct portion and concentration of feed more frequently resembling the natural feeding behavior of the calf. They also substantially enhance the development and the digestive organs of the calves.

Other key benefits include: • Time saving • Increased growth rate • Better rumen development • Labor flexibility • Individual calf management • Stable and exact milk temperature • Flexible feeding schedules • Weaning without stress • Suitable for all farm sizes Individual calf hutches have historically been the preferred management system in the dairy industry for pre-weaned calves. Highly labor intensive, this method takes significant time and attention on the feeding and cleaning up after individual calves. To reduce and reallocate labor to manage calf health and performance on a more efficient and flexible schedule, automatic calf feeders were introduced.

Labor savings Labor availability and quality remain a challenge on dairy farms. Automatic calf feeders pay for themselves by means

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Automatic calf feeders supply the correct portion and concentration of feed spread over the day, resembling the natural behavior of the calf

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Currently, Exum Calf Facility utilizes 12 Lely Calm automatic calf feeders which supply milk to calves six times per day

Improvement of overall calf health and farm management Adequate attention and feeding are important for calves to get through the first days of life and automatic calf feeders can greatly improve their chances.

According to 74% of Lely Calm users, calf health status improved when compared to traditional feeding systems.

of healthier calves, increased growth, decreased milk replacer consumption and labor savings. These days, feeding and monitoring 60 calves takes just 20 minutes a day with calf drinking stations and when well-managed, these systems can greatly benefit calves, employees and the overall success of farms.

“The investment in labor savings, as well as mitigating effects on the environment, is going to pay off in the long run,” says C.A. C.A. reports that modern facilities such as Exum Calf Ranch take care of two of the toughest challenges in Texas, the weather and labor. Soon, the ranch will have a facility that houses 1,800 animals ranging from zero to six months in age and just four workers will easily manage tasks such as cleaning and feeding.

Improved calf health and growth factors:

Better farm and calf management factors:

• Smaller, more frequent meals.

• Consistency in feeding.

• Increased activity and social stimulation.

• Weaning without stress.

• Reduced time and labor needs by as much as half.

• Increased labor flexibility.

• Public image of calves with greater freedom is more positive.

• More time for calf performance monitoring.

One of the largest savings of feeding systems is the reduction of time for milk preparation and the actual feeding of the milk. Automatic calf feeders, such as the Lely Calm, work from a central unit which prepares the milk and distributes it to a drinking station where the calf receives her portion.

Each of the 12 calf feeders at Exum Calf Ranch in Dalhart services two pens which are also equipped with modern technologies such as radiant heat in the floors, a fresh water flume which runs through the middle of the pens, curtains and fans, as well as three different weather stations; all of which are to ensure optimum animal welfare and adequate air flow through the barn.

“When you look at labor issues, environmental issues, things like that, automation just makes things simpler,”

says Todd. “It’s a lot of technology, but it’s simpler.”

Natural conditions for calves Research shows that group housing also enhances the calves’ immunity to diseases and that scour incidences were more serious and occurred more frequently among individually housed animals. Cows are social animals and in group housing the social aspects can be beneficial to teaching each other. It prepares them better for their introduction to the herd.

Todd reports an average 1.67 growth rate on the farm to date; a standard he says they are very happy with. “Working with automatic feeders, the calves are friendlier and more social with each other,” says Todd. “The calves love it, but the workers are even happier.” l

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How is a dairy cow like a field of grass? Both require the best start to achieve their lifetime potential

Fast start yields best results Today’s calves are tomorrow’s herd, so it makes economic sense to give them the best possible start. A productive stand of grass or pasture requires the best start, too.

Skimping at establishment will limit its yield potential.

by Peter Ballerstedt

Tomorrow’s herd

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n September I had the opportunity visit with Graham Kerr, the Pasture Systems Manager with New Zealand AgriSeeds. He taught me a great deal about dairy farming in New

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But there are fundamental similarities, too. One similarity is that sustainability requires profitability. “Production is vanity, profit is sanity,” Kerr stated.

Just as getting calves off to a good start is a key to a successful dairy herd, proper pasture renovation is of critical importance to the profitability of a dairy.

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Zealand and gave me the opportunity to visit several dairies. There are, of course, different challenges and opportunities facing dairy farmers in New Zealand and the United States.

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The heifer replacement calf is likely the most genetically valuable animal in a dairy herd. Today’s calves are tomorrow’s herd, so it makes economic sense to give them the best possible

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start in life by using the best calf rearing techniques and top quality feeds. Management shortcomings can cause damage that will last the life of the animal. Damage done prior to weaning can seldom, if ever, be recovered meaning a poor weanling becomes a poor heifer replacement, and a poor heifer turns into a poor cow.

A productive stand of grass requires the best start, too. Skimping on inputs at establishment can produce outright establishment failures at worst, or create problems that can last the life of the stand and limit its yield potential.

Just as the best genetics are selected for the dairy herd, so should the best forage genetics and traits. “Just as dairy farmers identify and cull the ‘tail end’ of their herd to improve herd performance, here you do the same thing with pasture, looking to cull the tail end of poor performing paddocks to lift pasture performance,” Kerr states.

Failure to adjust the soil pH or improve

Seed failure or seedling failure? Pictures from the same field demonstrate the importance of proper soil compaction

Checklist to help you achieve a successful planting • Identify poor fields and paddocks • Correct reasons for poor performance • Soil test (6-12 months in advance) and correct soil fertility • Choose appropriate sowing date • If using a contractor, book them early • Check for pests • Choose correct forage cultivar and seed mix • Choose appropriate renewal method (full-tillage, no-tillage) • Spray out paddock prior to cultivation or direct drilling • If cultivating, prepare a good seedbed • Use correct sowing rate and technique • Control weeds in early establishment • Graze (or mow) early to promote tillering • Avoid pugging (compacting) and over-grazing new pastures, or cutting below four inches

the field’s soil fertility is the same as not properly feeding your calves.

Failure to fully suppress the existing vegetation with cultivation and/or appropriate herbicide(s) can restrict the establishment and growth of your grass crop due to competition. Failure to correct drainage, compaction, or management practices prior to planting will mean that you’ll soon have the same conditions that lead you to renew the field. Perennial grasses are not perpetual, but they can remain highly productive for several years.

Expensive seeding failures

Properly done, dairy pasture renewal can pay large dividends

In total renovation, full-cultivation situations, a frequent cause of establishment problems is the farmer’s failure to adequately prepare the seedbed (see picture in the box). The seeds of grasses and clovers are much smaller than other crops, such as corn

or soybeans. Seeding depth and seed-tosoil contact are critical for a good start.

A properly prepared seedbed is fine, firm and level. Kerr offers this advice, “Can you ride your bicycle across the field? If not, roll it again!” Remember, “Well sown is half grown!” Frequent causes of no-till renovation failures are: incorrect seeding depth, poor seed-tosoil contact, competition from existing vegetation, and pests such as slugs, etc.

Properly done, dairy pasture renewal can pay large dividends. Kerr cites an example where a $ 250 per acre cost of renewal produces a $ 1,500 return (U.S. dollars) over a five year period.

While the cost of rearing a good or bad heifer may be the same, seeding failures are hugely expensive. Work on pasture-based dairies has demonstrated that the cost of the lost feed can be four times more than the additional seed and planting costs. l

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Higher grain calf diets can help create better, more productive cows

More grain, more gain

Young calves can be very efficient at converting grain

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Optimizing calf nutrition at a young age can lead to younger age at first calving and increased production after entering the milking string. A good way to maximize rate of gain and feed efficiency is offering higher grain diets to young calves.

Best amounts to feed

by Amy Ryan

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any producers focus on feeding forages and low-cost byproducts to replacements as they feel these items represent the lowest input feed costs.

However, according to some recent research, feeding higher grain diets offers the opportunity to more quickly develop the rumen, increase weight gain, create larger frames and improve performance post calving.

Jill Davidson is Manager of Dairy Research at the Purina Animal Nutrition Center in Gray Summit, Missouri.

Their research program is committed to understanding the nutritional requirements of animals based on life stage. The last five years, she has been involved with various trials evaluating higher grain diets in young calves.

“Providing the right nutrients at the right time is a very important principle in raising replacements,” Davidson says. “This includes milk during the first four to six weeks of life followed by a good calf starter as early as day three. Supporting development with the proper nutrition will lead to better performance later and even additional milk production in the first lactation.”

She continues to say that young calves can be very efficient at converting grain and that ensuring steady intake during key transition phases is important. Davidson states that it is not uncommon for calves to sometimes “stall” in growth during these critical times. For example, this may happen when weaned from milk or milk replacer, are moved from individual pens to group housing or are changed from a grain diet to a full forage diet.

In one specific study, Davidson looked at calves in the 12 to 24 weeks old range. Calves were fed grain at four, six, eight, ten, twelve pounds and ad libitum. They were also offered hay ad

and ad libitum hay. Specifically, they gained 70 pounds or 17 percent more weight, grew 3 percent more in height, 10 percent more in length, showed a +.6 pounds better average daily gain and optimized feed-to-gain better.

libitum. Overall, the results showed the calves fed eight, ten and twelve pounds of grain outgained their counterparts.

“At higher concentrate feeding levels, calves showed greater rumen development along with greater surface area and more developed rumen papillae, which lead to better nutrient absorption,” Davidson says. “A better developed rumen will not only help younger heifers utilize forage-based diets, it will also improve their performance as mature cows.”

Better rumen development Based on this study results and other industry studies, Davidson describes the role of grain in rumen development: • Ingestion of grain is a key element in rumen development and this development begins as soon as calves start consuming calf starter • Grain provides carbohydrates digested by microbes for the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) • The production of VFAs, and butyrate in particular, is critical to the development of rumen papillae On the other hand, she says the impact of hay on rumen development differs. Namely, hay offered at 12 weeks of age appears to improve the muscle wall of the rumen, but does not provide adequate concentrations of VFAs to simulate rumen papillae growth. It is important to have both increased rumen papillae growth and development of the muscle wall. After offering hay from 12 to 24 weeks of age, muscle wall thickness was increased, however animals fed greater grain also had rumen papillae surface area.

Overall, this study found that at 24 weeks, calves fed 10 pounds of AmpliCalf grain offered with ad libitum hay outgrew calves fed four pounds of grain

Research done by Purdue University examined feeding higher grain diets to calves starting at 18 weeks of age. In this study, 78 Holsteins were “treated” for two months on various grain mixes different in composition, but the same in protein and energy levels. Tana Dennis, a third-year doctoral student, oversaw the trial and offered the results at the 2013 ADSA Meetings. Dennis’ research uses practical feeding trials to focus on post-weaning heifer and rumen development.

“The purpose of this particular study was to determine the appropriate ratio of grain to forage and uncover how rapidly young heifers can respond to ration changes during their transition periods,” says Dennis. “The trial yielded somewhat anticipated results, but also uncovered interesting facts regarding input costs and feed efficiency.”

The first group was considered high grain and offered an 80 percent grain/20 percent hay diet (80-20); the second group was offered a 60 percent grain/40 percent hay diet (60-40) and the third group was offered a 40 percent grain/60 percent hay diet (40-60). When the treatment phase ended at 26 weeks of age, calves went onto a “common” diet consisting of 40 percent grain and 60 percent hay for another two months.

Hay offered during the treatment period was 16.5 percent crude protein, while hay fed during the common diet phase was 12.7 percent crude protein.

Body weight measurements were taken every two weeks. Frame measurements and body condition scores were taken monthly. Pen intake (housed five or six to a pen) were also assessed weekly by weighing feed refusals.

When looking at specific gain and frame results of this study, calves on the 80-20 diet were 30 pounds heavier than those on the 60-40 diet and 60 pounds heavier than those on the 40-60 diet. In addition, heifers fed both the

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Offer diets that optimize growth and development at a young age

80-20 and 60-40 diets were taller at the withers at the conclusion of both the treatment and common diet phases. Finally, calves on the 80-20 diet gained body condition, calves on the 40-60 diet lost body condition and calves on the 60-40 grain diet maintained the same body condition following the treatment phase.

The Purdue study also evaluated feed efficiency throughout the trial and found it improved when higher amounts of grain were fed. In general, Dennis says that the 80 and 60 percent grain groups showed good feed efficiency, whereas the 40 percent grain group was not as good during the treatment phase. Things changed in the common diet phase.

“An interesting variation in intake occurred when all animals were transitioned to the common diet,” states Dennis. “At the conclusion of the treatment phase, the 80-20 group was consuming 3.4 percent of their body weight on a daily basis, while the 40-60 group was consuming 2.8 percent of their body

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weight. Two weeks after switching to the common diet, the 80-20 group dropped to 2.6 percent while the 40-60 group peaked at 3.3 percent at the end of the trial. Overall, this says higher grain diets are more efficient, but can impact intake when changing diets.”

There was also a significant difference in cost per pound of gain among the groups. Namely, the 60 percent group was at about $0.80 or below per pound of gain and the other two groups were above $0.80 (80-20 diet) or above $1.00 (40-60 diet). Thus, the 60 percent grain diet group was the most cost effective.

Based on trial findings, Dennis feels feeding a higher grain diet is a viable option for producers as it develops the rumen and frame more quickly, meaning greater feed efficiency.

However, she says that the rumen environment is very delicate postweaning and recommends feeding the middle grain diet (60-40) to present less of a dramatic change in the rumen.

Davidson and Dennis agree that calves need to be fed the right feed at the right time and management on a dairyfarm is crucial to optimizing their

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potential in the near future. “Good calf nutrition and development starts with management and consider-ing factors like bunk space availability and how they will transition into the next stage of life,” says Davidson. “Overall, the diet needs to be balanced and still include effective fiber; adequate bunk space is needed to avoid slug feeding; and rumination must be seen in young calves. Then feeding to optimal potential can become a reality.”

Overconditioning heifers Dennis says that it is important to develop a transition program that minimizes stressors during movement and also avoid overconditioning heifers.

“A gradual transition to a new diet and paying close attention to the quality of forages (more digestible, higher protein) offered at a young age is critical,” Dennis concludes. “Overall, producers should consider that young animals are still in a rapid stage of growth and offering diets that optimize growth and development early on and minimize fat gain later in the heifer stage is most advantageous.” l

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CRV

B R EEDIN G

N E W S

David Wilson joins CRV Pennsylvania native, David Wilson, has joined the CRV USA team in the role of Breeding Program Manager. In this role, he will be responsible for contracting A.I. sires, building relationships with producers across the country, managing bull movement, and helping create a stronger worldwide sire portfolio for CRV with a focus on U.S. indices. David will be based out of CRV’s U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisc., but will work with breeders all across the country.

David has been active in the U.S. dairy industry from the start on his family’s registered Holstein and Brown Swiss farm. A member of the winning judging team at World Dairy Expo in 2007, several years’ experience as a genetic consultant in the A.I. industry, and over a year as a U.S. Holstein Association Classifier makes David a perfect fit for this position. “I look forward to building on an already strong program,”

New CRV website

states David. “The opportunity to work closely with producers immediately drew me to this position.”

“David has a diverse background in the dairy industry, and he will use this knowledge to continually develop the U.S. breeding program”, remarked Brett Haines, Managing Director of CRV USA. “David understands the industry and will help to improve CRV’s communication with dairy breeders and producers.”

On November 1, CRV launched a newly renovated website showcasing Genetics with a Purpose and our commitment to building herds for higher premiums. The new website features a blog, as well as an easy to navigate sire directory. Also featured on the new website are pages where dairy producers can learn more about premium milk production and how CRV’s Genetics with a Purpose can help them build a long-lasting, profitable herd.

For the latest information on products, news, and events, please check out our new website. The website can still be found at www. crv4all.us.

A successful 2013 World Dairy Expo for CRV The 2013 World Dairy Expo was an event to remember for everyone at CRV. This year at WDE, CRV USA was host to several foreign visitors, unveiled “Genetics with a Purpose”, and greatly enjoyed meeting new friends at our trade show booth.

World Dairy Expo is a gathering of dairy enthusiasts from all over the world. Representatives from the Netherlands, Canada, and New Zealand traveled to the “Center of the Dairy Universe” to join us for the event. CRV USA representatives from New York, Washington, and Wisconsin also made the journey for the world’s greatest dairy show.

“Genetics with a Purpose” took center stage this year at World Dairy Expo for CRV. At CRV, we strive to help producers develop herds for higher fat, proteins, and premiums by listening to

the specific goals of the dairyman.

Like always at our trade show booth, CRV’s goal is to meet and enlighten new friends as to what CRV does and how CRV can help producers create long-lasting herds with a focus on long-

term performance, and profitability.

This year we met many fellow dairy industry friends and were able to offer them the chance to meet and speak with some of CRV’s great people.

The CRV show booth at the World Dairy Expo

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The Ter Hofte family emigrated to South Africa and may move to Botswana

Survival of the fittest Extreme rainfall or drought, cows that die from snake bites, and a huge variation in milk price. Dairying in South Africa is not like running a farm in Europe, according to the Ter Hofte family. The family now milks 1,250 cows, but is once more looking further afield. Neighboring country Botswana beckons.

by Inge van Drie

30

T

he rain has made large holes in the gravel road that leads to the farm of Rob, Erica, Engbert, and Tes ter Hofte.

In just one day six and a half inches of rain was more than the road system could cope with. “Even the milk tanker got stuck on the farm yesterday,� says Engbert.

A day later the stress has evaporated and the young farmer seems to have everything under control again. He is

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Engbert and Tes Ter Hofte In the 1990s the Dutch Ter Hofte family bought a dairy farm in South Africa. Today they are milking 1,250 cows.

Humansdorp

South Africa

Number of cows: Amount of land: Annual milkproduction Herd average:

1,250 940 acres 1.8 million gallon/year 2,645 lb per 220 lb body weight

used to the fact that his days do not turn out as he had expected.

“South Africa is not like the Netherlands or the UK, where everything usually goes according to plan. Here you have to be flexible and be able to change plans quickly. The politics, the climate – anything can change at any time.”

The family, who originally came from the Netherlands, have 1,250 cows, which produce 1.8 million gallons of milk each year and are split between two units.

Some are based at Splendora, a tenanted unit with 380 hectares (940 acres) of cultivable land. “We prefer to invest as little as possible in land and buildings.

We primarily invest the money in the cows,” says Engbert. “Here at Splendora we have a hi-tech farm and Soetfontein is our low-cost farm.”

Crossbreeding The difference is clear to see. A simple, 20-year-old swing-over milking parlor is used at Soetfontein – there’s no place here for electronics. But at Splendora the cows wear pedometers and pass twice a day through a 60-stall outdoor rotary that has, among other things, a weighing device.

“Cows that, in a short space of time, lose 10% of their body weight or 20% of their milk production are automatically separated, just like cows with very high or low activity.”

On average the cows weigh about 500kg (1,100 lb), as shown by the measurement in the milking parlor.

Engbert is pleased with this as he dislikes heavy cows. He does not express his milk production in kilogrammes (pounds) per cow but in kilogrammes (pounds) of milk per 100kg (pounds) body weight. On average his cows produce 1,200kg (2,645 lb) per 100kg (220 lb) body weight. The best South African farms produce 1,400kg (3,086 lb).

A long line of cows is walking towards the milking parlor. Brown, white, black and red – the herd is a mixture of colours. The Ter Hoftes practice rotational crossbreeding: Holsteins x Jersey x Swedish red and white x red Holstein. “Holsteins are excellent milking cows, but they are too big and they cannot walk very well. We can’t have that on our farm. Every day our cows walk a long way.”

The Ter Hoftes select all-around bulls with extra protein. “We supply our milk to a cheese factory. The contents contribute two thirds to the milk price and the volume one third.”

The milk price varies greatly. “In winter 2011 we saw 33ppl. That is the highest we have ever had. But in 2012 we got 22ppl.”

Extreme drought The Ter Hofte family does not have a government safety net. And the weather doesn’t always help. “In 2009 and 2010 we had to cope with extreme drought.

They were difficult years. Here there are many units with 1,000 cows. You need these numbers, particularly at a time when margins are low, just to be able to carry on. In South Africa during the past few years hundreds of farms have given up. It really is survival of the fittest.”

For producers, cash flow is the most important part of business management.

“In a very bad year we can always slaughter the lower end of the herd. That immediately provides funds and we then hardly have to buy any more feed. In principle we can survive just on grass.”

Engbert skillfully maneuvers his pickup truck over the many holes in the road. The nearest village is 60km (37 miles) away, but the cattle breeder is

Milking time: 250 cows pass through the parlor per hour

now on the way to his second farm, Soetfontein, for the daily inspection. It is 12km (~7 miles) away from the other farm. Every month some of the cows also travel this route. “If the cows are in the second half of their lactation and their production drops below 15 or 20kg (~33-44 lb) of milk, they go to Soetfontein.”

The cows take between three and four hours to travel the 12km (~7 miles) journey. “The Jerseys go in front, then the crossbreeds and the Holsteins bring up the rear.”

Owing to the fact that they walk a lot hooves rarely have to be trimmed. “The claws wear away themselves. Out of 1,250 cows we never have more than three or four cows that are lame,” says Engbert.

Hoof health may be very good but the

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Waiting for the milking parlor

Buffering feeding: the cows are fed extra forage, depending on grass growth

herd certainly has trouble with other health problems. Fertility, for example, is one of the key reasons why cows leave the herd. “We culled 10% of the herd in 2012 due to poor fertility. We inseminate cows only until they’re producing 15kg of milk.”

In 2012 3.4% of the cows on the farm died – one third at calving, one third due to ticks, and another third due to snake bites and other accidents. “We would wish for 2%, but that’s difficult here. We select strictly by calving ease. The cows also regularly pass through a spray tunnel to control ticks. If we didn’t do that we would lose a lot more cows.”

The family is also meticulous with regard to udder health. On the hi-tech farm Engbert keeps a careful watch on the conductivity of the milk, at Soetfontein all the cows undergo a CMT test every week.

You would search in vain for a cowshed here – the cows do not have a roof over their heads on either unit.

They have access to grassland 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. After 12 hours the cattle are given a new area to graze the herd.

They’re put out to pasture with 2,500kg (~5,550 lb) dry matter in front of them and graze it down to 1,500kg (~3,306 lb) dry matter. “The cows eat 14kg (~30 lb) dry matter per day – 7kg (~15 lb) in the morning and 7kg (~15 lb) in the evening,” says Engbert.

Tropical grass The sward consists of a mixture of rye grass and kikuyu, a tropical grass from Kenya. It only grows at high temperatures. From May – autumn – it is too cold for kikuyu and so rye grass is better.

Producers try to limit artificial fertilizer use as much as possible. The standard in South Africa is 35kg (~77 lb) nitrogen per tonne of harvested product, but in dairying the norm is between 10 and 15kg (~22-33 lb). “That is also shrewd from an economic point of view. Nitrogen is extremely expensive,” says Engbert, who every year, on irrigated land, produces around 20 tonnes of dry matter per hectare (2.2 acres).

The family makes as little silage as possible. “It costs a lot of money and

the feed is not good quality. We prefer to buy alfalfa.”

Buying in feed is considered a major purchase. By keeping a close watch on the market and buying at the right time, producers try to keep their costs down. “You can gain a lot by buying carefully. We buy all feed components separately, although that can mean that the ration varies somewhat.”

Although the family is happy to farm in South Africa, it is also looking further afield. There are advanced plans to start dairying in neighbouring Botswana.

“In that way we spread the risk. In Botswana the politics are different to that in South Africa. The government there welcomes dairy producers with open arms. At the moment Botswana produces just one tanker load of milk per day and the dairies buy their milk from South Africa.”

A grass system is not an option in Botswana. The climate is too dry for cattle to graze. “We want to build a cubicle house and feed the cows a TMR all year round. If that all goes ahead, we won’t expand further here.” l

Grass based: the cows go out to pasture 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

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COW MAN AG E ME N T

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Learn more about how milk is priced

Matching up milk checks If you look into your milk check, you’ll find it’s not so much of an illusion as it is simply complicated. These prices have always depended on things you’re probably very familiar with: butterfat and skim. But that all changed in 2000.

by Lucas Sjostrom

F

our of our ten Federal Milk Orders still price milk using only two components to create a uniform price. These are our major Class I (fluid milk) markets that include Arizona, Appalachian, Florida, and the Southeast Orders. These “fluid orders” simply multiply the butterfat and skim shipped by each handler and multiply it by each farms’ value.

But, based on milk and farms, odds are you’re in one of the other six orders or California. In these regions we’ve been using multiple component pricing (MCP) since the year 2000. These six federal orders, and California’s state order, price each hundredweight of milk according to class. In other words, when you ship your milk to a plant, imagine that truck immediately being split in four (or five in California) pieces, all uniquely different products that arrive at the plant. In areas not in our 10 federal orders or the California orders, the price is typically based off the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Why are we doing this?

This may seem crazy. When you sell corn, as long as it’s an approved variety of “yellow #2 dent corn,” you’ll receive the commodity price at the local market.

Since the framework of our current order system was invented, the orders have received many updates. The year 2000 brought us multiple component

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pricing, as already mentioned, and consolidated the orders from 37 to 11.

The western order was voted out in 2004, so now we have 10 federal orders and the California state-run order.

Classifying milk Back to the classes; you may already know we have four classes for milk (Class I), soft products (Class II), hard cheeses (Class III), and powder and butter (Class IV). Obviously all of these end-uses have different values, and obviously all of these products’ prices change continually. The Federal Milk Order in your area is tasked with determining these prices, and enforcing the minimum prices for each class and component each month. Here are the basic formulas for each class: Class I – fluid. The Class I price is simply the fluid skim value and the fluid butterfat value, multiplied by the pounds shipped of each. This price is used in four of our 10 orders.

Class II – soft products. Class II price is simply the Class II nonfat solids value and the Class II butterfat value both multiplied by their price per pound.

Class III – cheese. The Class III price is the Class III protein value, the Class III other solids value, and the Class III butterfat value, all multiplied by their price per pound.

Class IV – butterfat and whey. Class IV

NOVE MBE R

is the Class IV nonfat solids value and the Class IV butterfat value multiplied by their price per pound.

Within the federal pricing structure are other things you’ve likely heard of like somatic cell count adjustments in Classes II, III, and IV, advanced pricing, “higher-of,” and make allowances.

There’s also somatic cell count and the producer price differential. All of those things are important, but they usually aren’t as important as the prices themselves, and vary monthly by order.

Farmer Brown’s milk We won’t worry about the formulas to decide each price (that’s the federal orders’ job), but we’ll try to unravel the classes for you with an example.

Farmer Brown ships 1,000 pounds of milk to his local Anytown Creamery.

There are several other handlers like Anytown in Farmer Brown’s Federal Milk Order. They all make different products, but all still need to meet the minimum prices set by the order.

The local order is, by chance, split equally by classification this month, with 25 percent utilization in each class.

So Farmer Brown’s 1,000 pounds are split by 4, but then split again based on the pricing. This is how it might shake out in one of the multiple component pricing orders (see table 1).

As you can see, the minimum milk check Farmer Brown will receive is $180 dollars for his 1,000 pounds of milk.

You can likely also understand that if the plant were utilizing more Class I as a percentage, the milk check to its producers would likely be higher.

To put some real numbers behind what we’re trying to explain, table 2 represents the class utilization and prices paid in each order in 2012. As you can see, the higher the Class I utilization, the higher the uniform price was in the order. For ease of understanding, we’ve left out the PPDs for each area. California has a different class system, so we’ve shown the appropriate classes in each column under the federal orders.

Understanding why you’re paid in the manner you are can help you set goals for production, your breeding program, and ultimately your farm’s profitability. l

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pounds

rate ($/cwt)

value

250 250 250 250

$20.00 $19.00 $17.00 $16.00

$50 $47.50 $42.50 $40.00 $180.00

Class I Class II Class III Class IV minimum paid to Farmer Brown

Table 1: Federal orders and California order utilization of milk classes

Table 2: Milk prices in 2012 for different classes

2012

Class I

Class II

Class III

Class IV

uniform price

Florida (FMMO 6) Southeast (FMMO 7) Appalachian (FMMO 5) Northeast (FMMO 1) Southwest (FMMO 126) Mideast (FMMO 33) Arizona (FMMO 131) Upper Midwest (FMMO 30) Central (FMMO 32) PaciďŹ c Northwest (FMMO 124) ALL FMMOs California state order

84% 9% 66% 10% 68% 15% 40% 26% 43% 12% 37% 19% 31% 9% 12% 5% 36% 13% 33% 8% 36% 14% 13% 8% Class 1 Class 2 & 3

2% 16% 8% 24% 33% 30% 25% 79% 34% 29% 39% 43% Class 4b

5% 8% 10% 11% 13% 13% 36% 3% 17% 31% 12% 35% Class 4a

$21.95 $20.03 $19.69 $18.62 $18.22 $17.54 $17,51 $17.36 $17.21 $17.09 $18.05 $16.58

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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NEW CONVERTIBLE AND HIGH DOME NURSERIES NEW CONVERTIBLE FOR INDOOR USE

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Visit www.polydome.com for more details.

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E 5 NO 3 JUNE 2013 EDITION U.S. VOLUM

email:Dan@polydome.com

Our new CowManagement 2014 brochure with new themes and publication dates is now available!

Would you like to make reservations for your advertisement in CowManagement, don’t hesitate and book now! Please contact our advertisement team:

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SERVIN G US DAIRY FARME RS

IN THIS ISSUE

HOUSING

Fastidious management key to successful compost-bedded pack ENERGY

Three producers share their experiences with solar energy REPRODUCTION

Evaluation of new reproductive

tools 03-06-13 09:33

Tom Bock Phone: 952-905-3210 E-mail: tom.bock@bock-assoc.com

SERVIN G US DAIRY FARME RS

Lindsay Boelter Phone: 952-905-3204 E-mail: lindsay.boelter@bock-assoc.com

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FORAGE NEWS

NutriFiber forages are ideal components for balancing the rations of high-producing dairy cows

NutriFiber: the highly digestible forage fiber for dairy rations NutriFiber was developed by Barenbrug for today’s modern dairy farmer. It provides the highly digestible effective fiber needed by cows today. NutriFiber forages are ideal components for balancing the rations of high-producing dairy cows.

Typically, total mixed ration (TMR) diets that are designed for maximum milk production are high in non fiber carbohydrates (starches and sugars) which can lead to sub-acute

rumen acidosis. NutriFiber forages help increase butter fat, promote rumen health, reduce acidosis, and support higher milk production Nearly 10 years of research have gone into the development of NutriFiber technology. NutriFiber has been tested and proven in university research trials and on progressive dairy farms around the world.

All fiber is not created equal. Unlike many fiber sources, NutriFiber is highly digestible. The total tract neutral

detergent fiber digestibility (TTNDFd) index developed at the University of Wisconsin, permits comparisons of fiber analyses from different forages.

The TTNDFd provides better predictions of milk production from fiber analysis and shows that NutriFiber forages supply higher energy due to their high fiber digestibility.

For more information on how to add NutriFiber to your dairy rations and to learn more about NutriFiber today please visit www.NutriFiber.info

The best forages come from the best seed Barenbrug Research is responsible for breeding and releasing forage varieties with unique traits.

These varieties provide much-needed solutions for forage agriculture in the United States. To breed such varieties, we screen millions of plants in different environments.

Our worldwide collection trips identify plants with very interesting characteristics and traits that create excitement and potential. However, we never forget our cardinal rule: Every new variety must make enough

seed to be profitable for the seed growers and economical for the end-user.

Our research department has set in place rigorous selection schemes to breed varieties with good seed yield.

Evaluation of forage yield, winter hardiness, persistence is done at our multiple satellite locations. Our main objective at our research center in Albany, Oregon, is the selection of promising varieties for seed production.

Barenbrug screens millions of plants in different environments

For more information on BARENBRUG products and services contact customer services: Tel. 800.547.4101 BARENBRUG web address: www.barusa.com • BARENBRUG email address: info@barusa.com COW MAN AG E ME N T

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C O N TA C T S

SHOWS AND EVENTS November 1-10: November 6-8: November 9-22: November 7-8: November 12-13: November 21: December 3-5: December 7:

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto, Canada Dairyland Initiative Workshops, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Madison, WI North American International Livestock Exposition, Louisville, KY Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council Annual meeting, Indianapolis, IN Pennsylvania Dairy Cattle Nutrition Workshop, Grantville, PA International Dairy Nutrition Symposium 2013: Feed efficiency in dairy cattle, Wageningen, the Netherlands Basic Dairy Science & Sanitation Workship, Ithaca, NY Holland Holstein Show, IJsselhallen, Zwolle (the Netherlands)

2014 January 13-15: January 26-28: February 17-19:

Curious calf, waiting for feeding time Picture: Becky Mills

March 3-7: April 11-14:

40th annual Southern Dairy Conference, Atlanta, GA National Mastitis Council 53rd Annual Meeting, Ft. Worth, TX Dairy Genetics Workshop: Advancing Dairy Cattle Genetics – Genomics and Beyond.

DoubleTree by Hilton, Tempe, AZ 2nd IDF Symposium on Microstructure of Dairy Products and 5th IDF Symposium on Science and Technology of Fermented Milk, Melbourne, Australia New York Dairy Carousel, Syracuse, NY

C O N TA C T S Cow Management is published six times per year by CRV Publishing

Editorial team

COMING UP

Chief editor Jaap van der Knaap Contributing writers Peter Ballerstedt, Kayla Dolan, Inge van Drie, Amy Ryan, JoDee Sattler, Lucas Sjostrom, Ben Smink Editing, design and production CRV Publishing

R a t i o n s an d ear ly m ast it is d et ect io n

Chief editor’s address

December – Our December issue will feature feeding and rations. A hint: feeding frequency and providing enough bunk space are important to maintain feed intake. And, we’re also going to take a look at new, early mastitis detection.

P.O. Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem The Netherlands Phone 0031 26 38 98 829 Fax 0031 26 38 98 839 E-mail veeteelt@crv4all.com

Subscriptions Cow Management is available free of charge to customers of CRV, 2324 American Lane, Madison, WI 53704.

If you want to ask for a subscription or to cancel a subscription send an e-mail to info@crv4all.us

Advertisements Bock & Associates, Inc.: Tom Bock and Lindsay Boelter Phone 952-905-3210 E-mail tom.bock@bock-assoc.com

Illustrations/pictures Photographs by CRV Publishing Photography, Si- Ellen (10-12), Rick Mooney ( 34).

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.

Printer Schumann Printers Inc.

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