Cowmanagement US april 2014

ED ITION U .S. V O LU M E 6 NO 2 APR IL 2014

IN THIS ISSUE

M A N A G EM EN T

Selective dry cow therapy may help reduce antibiotic costs C O W C O M FO RT

Cooling enhances productivity and health status H EA LTH

Research investigates treatment for fatty liver CMUS02_Cover.indd 2

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Pushing toward the future

EXPANDING HORIZONS TOGETHER Commitment to innovation is what makes Lely the world Download the free Layar App

leader in robotic milking. Join the Lely family knowing you are supported by a team constantly looking to

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improve and innovate, ensuring a sustainable, profitable and enjoyable future for your farm.

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innovators in agriculture COW MAN AG E ME N T

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CO NTENTS

FEATURES

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Cow talk Barenbrug news Beyond the barn: blogger Bright CRV breeding information Vet practice: IVF Lely information Shows and events FARM REPORT

12 Kings-Ransom Farm BREEDING

32 New indexes for breeding on farm sustainability FEEDING

26 More milk hidden in forage

Jeff King: “People play a huge role in our success”12

Management Dry cow treatment

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Selective dry cow therapy may help to reduce antibiotic costs.

Amy Ryan Managing for cow health

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pring has finally arrived and we are welcoming it after a long winter. With spring comes the April CowManagement focus on cow health.

Getting cows off to a good start optimizes cow health and performance.

Monitoring and assisting cows during the transition period is critical to preventing metabolic diseases like fatty liver. Recent research has analyzed the connection between glucose levels post calving, its affect on post calving health and effective treatments for glucose deficiencies. On page 18, learn more about reducing metabolic diseases and maximizing post calving cow health.

Nutrition also promotes healthy, productive cows. An article on Wikkerink Farm in Norwich, Ontario, Canada discusses combining a closely monitored grass diet with robotic milking.

This combination has boosted cow performance, namely improved reproduction and milk production.

Special section Cow health

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Another nutrition article highlights the total-tract neutral detergent fiber digestibility (TTNDFD) and how it more adequately addresses the fiber digestibility of forages.

We are all aware of antibiotic costs.

Incorporating selective dry cow therapy versus blanket dry cow therapy may be a way to address rising antibiotic costs and concerns. This management protocol and the results of recent studies are the topic of this issue’s main article.

The April farm report showcases a Holstein herd in New York that excels in breeding and developing great cattle and retail marketing. The King family of Kings-Ransom Farm has developed a name for themselves both inside and outside of the dairy industry with their genetics and King Brothers Dairy delivery service. Their story is on page 10.

Thanks for taking time from your busy spring schedules to enjoy this issue of CowManagement.

Series Phosphorus

Recent research investigates treatment for fatty liver and cooling dry cows.

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Knowing phosphorus content of feed helps reduce costs and environmental impacts.

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C O W

TA L K

Vertellus introduces NiaPro™ Encapsulated Niacin Vertellus has announced its newest product NiaPro™ Encapsulated Niacin, an encapsulated feed-additive form of niacin.

NiaPro Encapsulated Niacin is formulated to control early digestion in the rumen and deliver an effective dose of niacin to the intestine, producing optimal benefits. The coating is durable but digestible and breaks down fully in the intestine.

Niacin has been shown to benefit lactating cows, especially those in the transition period and in heat stress situations.

Research demonstrates that supplemental niacin reduces

Growing corn under plastic

Elanco to acquire Lohmann SE Elanco, the animal health division of Eli Lilly & Company, has announced an agreement to acquire Lohmann SE (Lohmann Animal Health), a privatelyheld company headquartered in Cuxhaven, Germany.

Lohmann Animal Health is a global leader in the supply of poultry vaccines and also markets a range of feed additives. The acquisition will establish Elanco as a global poultry leader, solidify Elanco’s vaccine presence, broaden Elanco’s product offerings and significantly augment Elanco’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities.

The acquisition complements Elanco’s mission to help the global food chain deliver a safe, affordable, sufficient food supply. Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will acquire all assets of Lohmann SE. These assets include a range of vaccines and feed additives, commercial capabilities, and manufacturing sites in Cuxhaven, Germany and Winslow, Maine.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2014, contingent upon clearance from regulatory authorities and other customary closing conditions.

Source: www.elanco.com

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metabolic problems in dairy herds like ketosis and can result in increased milk production and healthier cows.

NiaPro Encapsulated Niacin incorporates proprietary technology to optimally benefit dairy herds.

Vertellus is a reliable, secure supplier of Vitamin B3 products with a global manufacturing base. In business for more than 150 years, Vertellus has a reputation for quality products and customer responsiveness. NiaPro Encapsulated Niacin is now available for purchase through a Vertellus Sales Representative.

Source: www.vertellus.com

APRI L

While growing corn under a plastic film is not a topic among U.S. dairy producers, it is generating interest in the UK. Particularly those in marginal areas who want to manage risk.

With an outlay of $160 per acre, growing corn under plastic is a viable option for producers in more marginal areas of the UK. There are more benefits than simply an earlier harvest.

Plastic is fairly static and comprises about 10% of the UK’s total corn hectarage. As well as serving as insurance against bad weather and a poor harvest, using film can also save on seed costs. Seed rate is reduced from 44,000 to 40,000 seeds per acre.

Using film lengthens the growing period and adds heat units in marginal

areas. Weather is the main variable when growing corn and it is key to success. The soil needs to be between 46°F and 50°F for germination and sowing and growing under plastic means that growers can plant corn in marginal areas three or four weeks earlier than they could without it.

It can be useful in other regions if producers use corn in a crop rotation.

However, plastic systems are not recommended for very exposed windy sites, as the film can get blown off.

Weed control is vital to success. Also, plastic – which creates a greenhouse effect and speeds up crop growth – shortens the growing season while ensuring starch potential is achieved by harvest.

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Got milk? Campaign gets dropped, time for consumers to “Milk Life” Got milk? The simple question that spawned countless parodies and milk mustaches is being sidelined.

Now it’s time for consumers to “Milk Life.”

The Milk Processor Education Program (PEP), the marketing arm for milk processors nationwide, is shelving the popular tagline in favor of a new ad campaign that casts milk as a key ingredient to an active lifestyle. In the first video for the newly launched campaign, people use milk to help them play basketball and rock out in a garage band.

The “Got milk?” slogan originated in 1993 as a rebranding effort for the California Milk Processor Board. The first commercial featured a man with a mouthful of peanut butter screaming “Aaron Burr” during a radio call-in show and desperately lunging for a carton of milk. After the initial ads were a hit in

California, MilkPEP licensed the phrase and launched the popular celebrity posters featuring the slogan in the mid-’90s. Eventually about 300 stars doned the iconic milk mustache in ads.

While the ads proved successful, milk sales overall have been on a steady national decline for decades.

Per-capita consumption of fluid milk and cream fell by 25 percent from 1975 to 2012, according to the USDA. The new “Milk Life” ads attempt to recast milk for a hyper-competitive food and beverage marketplace. The first commercial points out that a glass of milk can have eight grams of protein, likely hoping to encourage people to reach for the milk carton instead of an energy bar in the morning. Ads will be rolled out across television, print and online platforms, as well as in retail stores.

Source: www.time.com

GEA adds to CowScout™ GEA Farm Technologies has added eating time to the CowScout™ activity monitoring system.

CowScout brings convenience and efficiency to herd management. When a cow or heifer has reduced average eating time, the CowScout herd database sends a message to a computer, a mobile device, or both alerting herd managers precisely when a cow has changed eating patterns. CowScout data is transmitted continuously so dairy producers always have the latest information to monitor herd health.

Chris Genal, U.S. national sales manager for milking equipment products at GEA Farm Technologies says that CowScout eating time monitoring is especially beneficial before and after calving, when monitoring intake is vital to a healthy transition period. It provides dairy producers a

simple, accurate and flexible heat detection program with added eating time analysis to monitor eating behaviors and intervene when health challenges arise.

The CowScout activity monitoring system with eating time is fullysupported and installed by GEA Farm Technologies dealers, carrying the WestfaliaSurge product line.

Source: Gea-farmtechnologies.com

Moisture Tracker™ earns an AE50 award The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) presented Digi-Star with an AE50 award for the Moisture Tracker™.

The Moisture Tracker has been deemed one of the year’s most innovative designs in engineering products or systems for the food and agriculture industries. Product Development Manager Chris Horton accepted the award during the ASABE Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference last month.

Companies from around the world submit entries to the annual AE50 competition and up to 50 of the best products are chosen by a panel of international engineering experts. The

judges select products that will best advance engineering for the food and agriculture industries.

The Moisture Tracker is a hand-held, near-infrared (NIR) scanning device that rapidly measures the dry matter and moisture content of animal feeds.

It is also featured in the January/ February 2014 special AE50 issue of ASABE’s magazine Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World.

Source: www.digi-star.com

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M A I N

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Selective dry cow therapy may help

New research may chang For decades, many dairy producers have used blanket dry cow therapy, where every quarter of every cow is treated with antibiotics at dry-off. While this strategy is viewed as a proactive practice, you may want to consider only treating those with an infection.

by JoDee Sattler

W

ith dairy producers keeping a keen eye on costs and prudent use of antibiotics, it may be time to reconsider blanket dry cow therapy (BDCT), which has two primary purposes – cure and prevent mastitis.

According to the National Animal Health Monitoring System, 72 percent of U.S. dairy herds practice BDCT. This practice strives to improve udder health by treating or preventing new intramammary infections.

Yet, dairy industry onlookers are quick to point fingers at dairy producers for overusing antibiotics and blame livestock producers for emerging bacterial antibiotic resistance (see sidebar).

Despite the science mentioned in the sidebar, consumer activism can trump science. For example, Theo Lam, professor in mastitis management and milk quality at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, shared that political pressure in the Netherlands resulted in a governmental decision to eliminate the preventive use of antibiotics, including BDCT. An alternative to BDCT is selective dry cow therapy (SDCT). With this management strategy, dairy producers only administer dry cow therapy to those cows with an intramammary infection.

Production results mixed A few studies have looked at the effectiveness of SDCT. Rajala-Schultz, Torres and DeGraves (2011) evaluated the effect of SDCT on milk yield and somatic cell count (SCC) in four Ohio dairy herds. Researchers categorized cows into two groups (low SCC and high SCC) at dry-off, based on their SCC and clinical mastitis history during the lactation preceding dry-off. Low SCC cows were randomly assigned to receive or not receive intramammary antibiotics at dry-off. Scientists compared milk yield and SCC of the studied cows during the following lactation, considering parity,

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may help to reduce antibiotic costs

hange treatment practices calving season, stage of lactation, previous lactation milk yield and herd.

Milk yield of untreated and treated low SCC cows at dry-off did not differ significantly during the following lactation. Overall, treated low SCC cows had 16 percent lower SCC (about 35,000 cells/ml) than the untreated cows during the following lactation. Rajala-Schultz’s team noted, however, that the SCC effect was variable among the participating herds. Additionally, the impact of treatment, or the lack thereof, on milk yield varied considerably among the studied group.

Because milk production varied so much, the Ohio State researchers feel that treating all cows at dry-off may be beneficial in some herds, whereas in some herds, administering no antibiotic dry cow treatment to healthy cows has no negative impact on milk yield or quality, and would lead to reduced antibiotic use.

“Further studies are needed to identify characteristics of herds where treating all cows routinely at dry-off may be needed for maintaining good udder health and where switching to selective treatment of cows at dryoff would be the optimal approach to achieve the best results,” says Rajala-Schultz.

Trial monitors infection elimination A Canadian SDCT project (Cameron et al., 2014) studied 16 herds. Researchers concluded that SDCT successfully eliminated intramammary infections to the same degree as BDCT. In analyzing the effect of dry cow therapy with respect to curing existing intramammary infections, Halasa et al. (2009) concluded that BDCT with antibiotics provided a 1.78 times higher cure rate as

Animals and humans rely on different antibiotics Eliminating antibiotics to control or prevent infections in livestock may eliminate many livestock operations and drive up costs.

• 28% of all antibiotics sold for animal use in 2010 were ionophores, which have never been approved for use in human medicine.

• 45% of antibiotics sold for animal use are not used in human disease treatment.

Tetracycline represented the largest antibiotics class sold or distributed for animal use in 2010. In human medicine, it represented about one percent of the amount sold (based on weight).

Key human health antibiotics include the cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone classes, representing 24 percent of all human antibiotics sold in 2009.

Combined, these two classes only made up 0.3% of all antibiotics sold for animal health use.

Because the cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone classes are so important to human health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration limits the use of these antibiotic categories in animals – a key strategy to prevent antibiotic resistance in humans.

Source: Dr. Richard Raymond, former undersecretary for food safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (2005-2008)

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Future: evaluate treatment by quarter There’s an opportunity to reduce dry cow antibiotic use even further.

Research is currently looking at selective dry cow therapy by quarter, which means that only infected quarters would be treated – not all four quarters of a cow that has only has one, two or three infected quarters. Infection levels often vary significantly from one quarter to another quarter in the same cow.

Depending on your herd’s SCC level and/or mastitis infection rate, you may want to consider selective dry

compared with no dry cow therapy.

Cure rates were not different when SDCT was used, which had a 1.76 times higher cure rate as compared with no dry cow therapy. However, Halasa et al.

(2009a) found that SDCT was less protective than BDCT. Lam believes the main challenge with SDCT is selection method. SCC and/or mastitis history often play a role in determining whether a cow receives antibiotic therapy at dry-off. Bradley et al. (2010) chose no dry cow therapy for cows in herds with a low bulk milk SCC (<250,000 cells/ml), individual SCC <200,000 cells/ml over the past three months, and no clinical mastitis within that period. Similarly, Huxley et al.

(2002) put cows with individual SCC <200,000 cells/ml and no cases of clinical mastitis during the previous lactation in the “no treatment” group.

Cameron et al. (2014) cultured composite milk samples. If a pathogen was found, that cow received a dry cow antibiotic at dry-off.

Lam says that one obvious way to prevent new intramammary infections (IMI) during the dry period is to use an internal teat sealant on each teat.

Huxley et al. (2002) found value in using internal teat sealants without antibiotics. Bradley et al. (2010) concluded that in high SCC cows, a combination of antibiotics and internal teat sealants has benefits over the use of antibiotics alone. “That could not be proven in low SCC cows, indicating there may be no need to add antibiotics

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cow therapy. Not treating all cows at dry-off reduces the amount of antibiotics used compared with blanket dry cow therapy.

“Whether it’s the potential for antimicrobial resistance, concern for public safety or economic factors,” Henk Hogeveen, associate professor in animal health management at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, told those attending the 2014 National Mastitis Council Annual Meeting, “prudent use of antibiotics should be advocated.” l

to the internal teat sealant,” says Lam. Similarly, Cameron et al. (2014) discovered that internal teat sealants are a good alternative to antibiotics to prevent low SCC cows from becoming infected during the dry period.”

Detect mastitis via quarter Realizing that individual cow SCC and bulk tank SCC cut-offs are somewhat arbitrary, researchers at North Carolina State University took a different approach in cattle selection for SDCT. They used the QScout Milk Leukocyte Differential to determine if a quarter was infected with mastitis.

Cows with one or more infected quarters received antibiotic therapy and an internal teat sealant on each teat at dry-off. Those with no infected quarters only got a teat sealant.

Researchers monitored 300 cows through 150 days into the next lactation. They found no significant difference of mastitis at any time point between the treated and untreated cows. There was no increase in SCC, culture positives by 10 days in milk, no increase in clinical mastitis, and no increase in the mastitis cull rate. In addition, no quarters in the untreated group that were positive by culture at dry-off were positive for the same pathogen at a later point in time.

By treating just the infected cows, this team reduced antibiotic use by 47 percent. This is a sound example of using antibiotics judiciously in food production animals. l

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FORAGE NEWS

Modernize your forage with NutriFiber: it’s what cows want Balance your high-producing cows’ ration with NutriFiber, forages selected for high fiber digestibility to improve your bottom line. Barenbrug developed NutriFiber for today’s modern dairy farmer after a decade of research to provide the highly

digestible effective fiber needed by cows today.

“In both lab tests and on-farm trials, NutriFiber boasted top scores in forage digestibility and milk in the tank,” explained Peter Ballerstedt, PhD, Barenbrug’s forage product manager.

“NutriFiber forages supply higher energy due to their high fiber digestibility.”

NutriFiber forages are ideal for balancing the rations of high-producing dairy cows. Many of today’s typical total mixed ration (TMR) diets designed for maximum milk production are high in non-fiber carbohydrates (starches and sugars) which can lead to sub-acute rumen acidosis. NutriFiber forages increase butter fat, promote rumen health, reduce acidosis, and support higher milk production.

Using the new TTNDFd (total tract neutral detergent fiber digestibility) index, patented by the University of Wisconsin, NutriFiber proves its worth in fiber digestibility compared to other forages. While many forages will measure high in fiber content, TTNDFd takes the analysis a step further to analyze the digestibility of that fiber, and allows equal comparison of fiber digestibility amongst all forages, including corn silage, alfalfa, and grasses.

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

Haas hired as professional forage territory manager Barenbrug USA adds Kade Haas to the Professional Forage team as the new Forage Territory Manager for the Southeast region.

Born and raised in northern Alabama, Haas joins Barenbrug with a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience in the forage industry.

He worked on the launch of Regal Graze Ladino Clover and as a regional agronomist for southern states.

Haas received his undergraduate degree in agronomy and his master’s

degree in agronomy and soils from Auburn University.

Haas states, “Barenbrug has always had an outstanding reputation for exceptional products and outstanding personnel. I am truly honored to be part of this well respected organization.”

A resident of Huntsville, Ala., Haas enjoys spending time with his wife and their two daughters. In his free time he also enjoys team roping and hunting.

Haas can be reached at 256-479-2413 or via email at Khaas@barusa.com

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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B E Y O N D

Name: Location: Herd size: Hobby:

T H E

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Ryan Bright Philadelphia, Tennessee 100 cows Blog writing

Share positive ag messages via blogs

Cows spy on farmer

by JoDee Sattler

M

ost farm youth find themselves drawn to tractors, plants and cattle, and not reading and writing. Yet, Ryan Bright of Hillcrest Dairy Farm was drawn to all of these interests, growing up as a fifth-generation farmer.

As a University of Tennessee student, Bright took some writing courses. He helped establish the Ag News and Views newspaper on campus and became the first co-editor.

With cows to milk and crops to raise, Bright leads a pretty active farm life with his father, Douglas, and uncle, Edward.

Why did he add blog writing to his “To Do” list? Bright and his wife, Margaret, participated in National Milk Producers Federation’s Young Cooperators program, where they heard speakers discuss social media. “At first, I was skeptical on how I could make an impact,” says Bright. “But, I kept hearing how producers should tell their stories instead of letting others do it. They might not have our best interests in mind.”

Rather than writing an “ordinary blog,” Bright wanted to take a more creative route. He decided on a “secret agent” approach, in which the cows report on the farmer. This blog, Udder Side, is found at: http://udderside.blogspot.com.

In addition to “spying” on the farmer, cows share new information on dairy foods and ag issues. “It’s a great way to step out of the box to talk about an issue from a different perspective,” says Bright. “Also, it gives me free reign to be creative in the presentation – from funny pictures to videos to an interactive, choose-your-own adventure questionnaire.”

While this angle works well, Bright decided to address some subjects from a farmer’s perspective. Thus, he added the Silo Skies blog (http://siloskies.blogspot.com). “It is a traditional farm blog, talking about farm work and issues,” says Bright.

“I enjoy blogging because I enjoy writing,” says Bright. “I consider it a cycle of self-gratification. Here’s a slice of my life; here’s my story that I’m sharing with the world. If it makes a difference in other people’s lives and their view of agriculture, then I’ve done a good job. My goal is to show the positive sides of dairy farming. There are people searching the Internet for information 24/7. If I can be one of the sources they find, instead of those with a negative message, then maybe I can make a difference.”

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Reinvesting in business and people spurs profits for the King family

Success builds on history While many dairy producers multi-task daily, you could say that the family members of Kings-Ransom Farms in Schuylerville, New York are really working to master this art. Along with owning and operating a 950-cow Registered Holstein dairy, the King family runs a delivery service and a cattle sourcing business.

by Amy Ryan

K

ings-Ransom Farm has a long heritage in the dairy industry as it was recognized back in 2008 as a New York State Century Farm. The farm, which is currently a partnership between brothers Jeff King and his wife, Becky, and Jan King and his wife, Pandora, originated when their grandfather began milking cows. Their father continued that tradition. He milked Guernseys until the 1970s, when a freestall barn was constructed and the herd transitioned to 150 Holsteins.

All the Kings have a specific role in the multifaceted operation. Jeff serves

as herd manager for the cattle and oversees CattleSource, while Becky does the accounting for the farm and the marketing for the retail business. Jan manages the crops and the retail business and Pandora, a veterinarian, handles the vet and embryo work on the farm as well as operates her own veterinary practice.

Back to their roots Not only was Jeff and Janâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grandfather a pioneer in the dairy business, he started the retail business. He operated King Brothers Colebrook Dairy, where he served as the milkman to customers

in their area up until the early 1960s.

When Jeff and Jan were looking to expand their business and researched ways to grow in the heavily populated Saratoga area, they came back to those service roots. They looked at their grandfatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delivery trucks and decided to pursue retail product delivery as a venue of business expansion.

In 2010, their trucks hit the road again under the name Kings Brothers Dairy and started delivering bottled milk. In the last four years, that business has grown substantially to include over 200 locally grown products on their website, all which can be ordered for delivery or purchased in their store.

The list of products ranges from their very popular bottled milk to yogurt, cheese and locally grown eggs to pork, fresh salsa, peanut butters and jams.

They carry local seasonal products like strawberries, blueberries and apples.

Along with customer delivery in their area, they deliver products to schools, food service providers and restaurants.

King Brothers Dairy currently employs two full-time truck drivers.

Kings-Ransom Jake Ravvish VG-85

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Kings-Ransom Farm is home to 950 cows

While their milk is bottled off-site, Jeff says they are looking at bringing a bottling plant to the farm in the near future to accommodate growing interest in their product. In 2013, King Brothers Dairy was honored with the Best Delivery Award in the Saratoga Area presented by their local newspaper.

“Operating this retail business gives us a lot of satisfaction due to direct contact with consumers,” says Jeff. “It allows us to have feedback from them and also furthers our personal goals of bringing growth without expansion, while opening avenues for future generations to become involved in the business. Ultimately, it contributes to our goal of improving the standard of living for not only those of us involved, but our employees as well.”

The value of genetics When looking at the dairy side of their business, the King family focuses on breeding cattle that will be profitable for them and those who may purchase them. Jeff says the focus of the KingsRansom breeding program is high production and longevity.

“When choosing sires, we focus on milk, components, health traits and type traits,” Jeff states. “Health traits, udders, feet and legs and capacity make high producing, long lasting cows for our herd and for others. These breeding goals are producing the kind of cows that are valuable genomically and profitable as they enter the herd.”

The Kings have been using genomics to help them achieve their goal of profitable, long-lasting cows. In fact, they are currently using 99 percent genomic bulls and challenge themselves to use the best sires available in this genomic era. Furthermore, they strive

for pedigree variation, which Jeff says can be a bit more challenging with genomics, but their maternal side helps meet that challenge. While they market some of their high genomic females, they also retain those genetics to build the herd.

“Breeding cows and working with good cow families is a passion for me,” Jeff says. “Having a large herd offers more options and the ability to work with different cow families to develop those genetic lines. Some cow families stem back to original purchases that my father made in the 1960s and that influence is very special for us.”

One of those cow families produced Kings-Ransom Iota Drama, a VG-89 Alta-Iota daughter backed by eight generations of homebred Very Good and Excellent dams. This classification score combined with her +2280 gTPI make her appealing. She has been flushed numerous times to higher type genomic sires, red carrier sires and red polled sires to capitalize on her genetic potential.

Pen-Col Mtoto Dima VG-88 is a purchase that developed into a well known dam of sons both domestically and globally. In fact at one time, Dima was the number one dam of sons in A.I. and her sons held the highest net merit average among all bulls in the breed.

According to Jeff, the best attributes of the Dima family are health traits like somatic cell count, daughter pregnancy rate and productive life.

The sire, Co-Op O-Style Oman Just-ET, a grandson of Dima, resulted when the Kings sold O-Style’s dam, Kings-Ransom TM Deva CRI-ET VG-88 to Genex for their nucleus herd and Genex made sons from her. At one time, O-Style was the top Holstein Net Merit sire in the breed and today is number 13 on the proven sire

Kings-Ransom Farm The King family runs a multi-faceted dairy operation focused on genetics and retail business focused on customer service.

Number of cows: Amount of land: Rolling herd average: Classification information:

950 2500 acres 26,734 1023F 823P 76 EX & 229 VG cows

TPI list from Holstein Association USA. He has been a popular sire of daughters and sons alike. Also from this family and a brother to Deva, Kings-Ransom T Domingo currently holds the number 19 spot on the proven sire list.

Number six gTPI heifer sold Dima’s granddaughter by CoyneFarms Dorcy-ET is the most recent standout. Kings-Ransom Dorcy Dextra VG-87 EX-MS is currently the number 16 gTPI cow in the breed. She had a daughter, Kings-Ransom Doorman Dina, that is the number six gTPI heifer in the breed and sold for $200,000 last year. On the male side, a Maurice son from Dextra is +2465 gTPI and will be released from Select Sires in the near future.

Two other sires that carry the Kings’ prefix and exemplify their breeding phi-losophy are Kings-Ransom Erdman CRI, a Planet son from Genex that is the number one Net Merit bull among proven sires and Kings-Ransom B Ruble, a Bolton son from ABS that is currently number three among the breed for pounds of milk.

Jeff and Jan were recognized for their contributions to the industry with the Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder Award presented by the Holstein Association USA.

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Kings-Ransom Iota Drama VG-89

Kings-Ransom Dorcy Dextra VG-87 EX-MS

They also work to manage and improve their income over feed cost (IOFC). Jan oversees the field work for the 2,500 acres used to feed their 950-cow herd. They work with another brother David, a nutritionist, to develop a ration that is rich in home grown forages. When looking specifically at feed varieties, the Kings plant brown midrib (BMR) corn silage and Jeff feels they have reaped great results from it.

The TMR for the milking herd consists of home grown alfalfa haylage and corn, corn meal, canola meal, cotton seed and a custom formulated mineral and protein mix. They also use FeedWatch Feed Management Software to monitor feed mixing and intake. Their cropping and nutrition program have helped the Kings achieve a rolling herd average of 26,734 pounds of milk with 1023 pounds of fat and 823 pounds of protein.

Early adopters of genomics All calves at Kings-Ransom start in hutches and are fed pasteurized milk.

They are fed a custom mixed calf starter of canola meal, corn meal, cottonseed and minerals that is mixed on-farm.

“David has developed a custom calf ration and we have seen good results with it,” says Jeff. “While most would shy away from incorporating cottonseed at a young age, we have included it at a low rate and found that it increases digestibility of the starter.”

Calves are moved to group housing at weaning and transitioned to a TMR. Around five months old, they transition to the heifer farm, which is five miles from the home farm. The ration remains similar for these heifers and they are

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introduced to freestalls at this time.

When discussing strategies or technologies that have impacted profitability over the years, Jeff says that while they may not be early adopters of new technologies, they try not to be too far behind. Along with the standard herd management programs like DairyComp, Feed Watch and utilizing BMR Corn Silage, the Kings have also used Embryo Transfer (ET) and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) technologies to advance their genetic population. They were early adopters of genomics and currently test 80 percent of their calves.

Another strategy that Jeff and Jan find very useful is membership in a 15-dairy peer group that meets twice a year to share operational experiences.

“We are members of a peer group that meets every six months or so to share farm parameters with its members,” says Jeff. “In my experience, we can always improve and one of the best ways to do that is share ideas among this group. We really find a lot of value in being a member of it – you can always learn from others.”

Cattlesource The last business piece in the King puzzle is Cattlesource, a venture run mostly by Jeff. During expansion, he was finding cattle for their herd and a college friend asked Jeff for help filling that herd. The cattle Jeff found for his friend’s herd developed nicely and the business blossomed.

Jeff has been operating Cattlesource and says he sources cattle on a somewhat regular basis for different dairymen looking to build their herds.

With multiple businesses running on a daily basis, Jeff says that people play a huge role in their success. They currently have 24 full and part-time employees on the farm and two full time employees with King Brothers Dairy.

Growing business with people “Balance between all three of our business entities can be a challenge and we are perpetually busy,” states Jeff.

“The most important thing for us is to have good people working for and with us to keep everything going smoothly.”

He continues to say that they have been very fortunate to have great staff members that help them immensely. For them, hiring exceptional employees and enabling them to be their best while growing people and expanding their capabilities is a must. This philosophy develops employees dedicated to improving themselves and their business.

This philosophy was truly tested back in 2011 when the King family faced its biggest challenge in its century of farming – the collapse of a 500-cow freestall barn which led to the loss of 95 cattle. Throughout that time and even six to nine months later, Jeff says their staff was challenged daily with numerous tasks and the value of their employees was never more evident.

For this reason, the last goal for their businesses ties to the people part of their operation. “We want to improve the standard of living for everyone involved in our businesses.

Improving profitability that results in more time for family, flexible scheduling and overall improving quality of life for all employees is truly our greatest goal.” l

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CRV

B R EEDIN G

N E W S

Increase efficiency with exciting new releases New release Grand (Mogul x Altaiota) is an efficiency specialist with a Better Life Efficiency score of +8% due to his impressive production at +2200 Milk and wellattached udders at +2.82 UDC and GTPI +2389.

Two sons of CRV bull Hunter join the line-up with high component percents and high efficiency.

Anchorman (Hunter x Goli) will be sure to produce high component milk with +0.10% Fat and +0.05% Protein, and is a high performer on the Better Life indexes ranking +8% for Efficiency and +4% for Health.

Lutron (Hunter x Mac) is an extreme fat producer from well-attached udders at +0.21% and +66 lbs and

+2.67 UDC. He ranks at +4% for Health and +7% for Efficiency.

Jons (Robust x Indiana) will add premium milk and efficiency to any breeding program with his extreme component pounds at +168 lbs combined Fat and Protein and Better Life Efficiency score of +10%. Franchise (Supersire x Die Hard) will sire efficient daughters that have high lifetime production with a Better Life Efficiency score of +8%, PL of +5.6 and +1491 lbs Milk.

Red carrier Nemo P (Dakker x Ideal) is an efficiency expert at +9% Better Life Efficiency with +90 lbs combined Fat and Protein, and positive DPR and PL. CRV’s proven sires continue to impress as they add more milking daughters. Predestine’s (Jetstream x

Toystory) high volume production at +2584 lbs Milk, +2063 TPI and moderate frames will add efficiency to any herd with a Better Life Efficiency score of +8%.

Grand is an efficiency specialist

The right tools for a healthy herd Craftsman (Large x Man O Man) is an all-around sire at +2362 GTPI. He presents a strong balance between health and production with high combined Fat and Protein at +119 lbs, +1.2 DPR and over +2 for UDC and FLC. He shows this balance in his Better Life Health at +5% and Better Life Efficiency at +6%.

Deluxe P (Mitey P x Shottle) will sire fertile, healthy daughters with a Better Life Health score of +8%,

with a SCS of 2.60 and DPR of +0.9.

Returning InSire Pep Boy (Hill x Freddie) is a health superstar with a SCE of 6.4, +6.7 PL, and +2.1 DPR, ranking him at +5% on the Better Life Health index.

Proven sire Atlantic (Ramos x O Man) is the highest bull in the CRV line-up for Better Life Health index at +11% due to his high DPR at +1.9, PL at +3.4 and low SCS at +2.67. Delta Atlantic his daughters will help produce high

quality premium milk with his component percentages at +0.07% Fat and +0.12% Protein.

CRV’s Jersey program continues to excel with the addition of Tuco (Allstar x Tbone) with extreme component percentages at +0.29% Fat and +0.08 Protein. With a PTAT of +1.0, he is sure to sire beautiful, productive daughters.

Returning star, Rawls (Valentino x Matinee) continues to impress with high type at +1.4 PTAT and 220 JPI.

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IN THIS ISSUE

H E A LT H

New diagnostic tool helps to improve milk quality FEEDING

Competition at the feedbunk affects DMI and milk production

BREEDING

The best use of genomic selection in commercial herds CMUS06_Cover.ind

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Research investigates treatment for fatty liver. Page 18

Roger Wikkerink paired technology to achieve optimal herd health. Page 20 Heat stress during the dry period creates a range of problems. Page 22

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Preventing fatty liver may improve health, productivity, reproduction and longevity

Research investigates treatment for fatty liver Most early lactation cows are deficient in glucose. Without adequate glucose, these cows potentially experience a variety of metabolic diseases, which can lead to numerous health challenges. Researchers are exploring assessment and treatment options to prevent these diseases.

by JoDee Sattler

H

ow smoothly a cow transitions from dry to lactating status highly correlates with her future health and productivity success.

The 2008 National Animal Health Monitoring System reports that 16.2 percent of cows permanently removed from a dairy herd go before 50 days in milk. Yet, the early lactation period typically represents a cow’s most profitable period.

Oftentimes, excessive body condition at calving, or excessive weight loss after calving, leads to cow health challenges, including dystocia, retained placenta, metritis, fatty liver, ketosis, milk fever, cystic ovaries, lameness, and mastitis. Up to 50 percent of dairy cows experience fatty liver during the pre-partum/early post-partum period. If left untreated, fatty liver can trigger loss of appetite to general depression, and sometimes even death.

An epidemiological study by Gillund et al. (2001) found that 20 percent of cows in surveyed herds experienced ketosis. Furthermore, cows with a body condition score (BCS) greater than 3.5 at calving

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were 2.5 times more likely to become ketotic.

The story doesn’t end there. Bewley and Schultz (2008) found that ketotic cows lost more body weight than nonketotic cows during early lactation, reducing the likelihood of conception at first insemination by 37 percent.

They concluded that BCS, fatty liver and ketosis play a big role in cattle health and reproductive performance.

Prevention saves money Given these health challenges and ultimately their influence on milk production and profitability, Donald C. Beitz, with Iowa State University’s departments of animal science and biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, says, “It is clear that a preventive for fatty liver would improve health, well-being, productivity, reproduction and average lifetime of cows, which would result in major savings for U.S. dairy farmers.”

Cows in early lactation are approximately 500 grams per day deficient in glucose. With this in mind, Iowa State University researchers tested an intraduodenal infusion of 500 grams of glucose per day for 14 days to prevent

fatty liver. They discontinued this approach because several cows showed signs of hyperexcitability during the last days of glucose infusion.

In the next trial, they used glucagon to increase blood glucose concentrations. Glucagon injections boosted plasma glucose concentrations.

Treatment within 14 days “We determined that intervention with glucagon as a treatment/ prevention of fatty liver is most effective within 14 days after parturition,” says Beitz. The results demonstrated that subcutaneous injections of glucagon 15 milligrams per day, starting at day two postpartum, sufficiently prevents fatty liver, with no known harmful effects on dairy cattle. While this protocol prevented the development of fatty liver, it had no significant effect on ketosis rates. “The potential of glucagon to decrease fatty liver seems greater in cows older than 3.5 years.”

One study (Osman et al., 2008) examined the effects of multiple subcutaneous glucagon injections with or without co-administration of oral glycerol on energy status-related blood metabolites and hormones, during the first two weeks post-calving. Results suggested that glycerol supplementation can be used to improve the effectiveness of glucagon in fatty liver treatment and prevention because of its ability to increase the availability of glucose during the critical transition period.

Orally administered glycerol acts additively when co-administered with glucagon to decrease severity of fatty liver development in early post-partum dairy cows. Glycerol itself had some

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protective effects. With development of the biodiesel industry, glycerol could become a readily available and economical feedstuff that provides a stimulus to glucose synthesis in the transition cow that seems to decrease fatty liver development.

Beitz notes that some cows develop fatty liver before day two postpartum. Pre-partum, subcutaneousinjected glucagon may decrease the accumulation of lipid in the liver of post-partum dairy cows. Administering glucagon (15 milligrams per day) for several days pre-partum in a limited number of cows was effective in preventing fatty liver during the early post-partum period. Determining which cows need glucagon pre-partum warrants further study.

On-farm application a ways off

Cows in early lactation are approximately 500 grams per day deficient in glucose

“Application of the glucagon treatment results is expected to decrease the incidence of fatty liver and related periparturient diseases, and increase dairy cattle health, productivity, reproduction, lifetime and well-being,” says Beitz.

Unfortunately, practical, on-farm application of this potential health- and profit-enhancing tool is not currently available in the United States.

What are the next steps before onfarm application can become reality?

Beitz says, “Practical implementation of the validated approach will require further development of noninvasive techniques, such as ultrasonography, for diagnosis of fatty liver, and a slow-release formulation for delivering glucagon (similar to commercial bovine somatotropin).”

Research associating ultrasound images of liver with fat content determination of biopsied liver samples strongly suggests that ultrasound technology has the potential to detect fatty liver and estimate the condition’s severity. Ongoing research uses a more sensitive technology to evaluate the ultrasonograms and associate images with liver lipid content. “Our goal is to develop a practical procedure to use ultrasonography for detecting and determining the severity of bovine fatty liver in dairy cows,” says Beitz. l

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A well planned diet and robot technology creates a dynamic duo

Grass gets a robotic assist Wikkerink Farm’s incorporation of high quality forages promotes herd health and high quality milk. They paired new technology to achieve optimal herd health, high quality milk and more time for family.

by Ben Smink Roger and Julie Wikkerink

R

obotic milking isn’t rocket science; it all comes down to excellent cow management. The difference between a successful robotic milking outcome and a failure is what the producer chooses to put into it. Technology in farming can create efficiency and profitability, but the components of the farm ‘pre-robot’ still exist and must be managed correctly to achieve optimal results.

Sand-bedded free stall barn Wikkerink Farm, managed by Roger and Julie Wikkerink and family, understand this concept first hand. Shortly after moving to Norwich, Ontario in 2002, Roger and Julie chose to make the transition to robots. “I started farming with my dad in 1987 on our family farm of 22 years in Vancouver

Island, British Columbia. Julie and I married in 1998, and made the move to Norwich, Ontario in 2002. We moved the cows and equipment, and built a new sand-bedded free stall barn with the entire herd under one roof. This is when we began robotic milking with a Lely A2. At that time, we were seeking new technology that offered greater flexibility for our family. We chose Lely because they were the leaders in the field then, and I think they still are today,” Roger says.

Roger and Julie’s decision to opt for robotic milking proved to be a good move for their operation. The flexibility they were looking for to have time with their family has been met, and they’ve also seen the robot assist in achieving other goals. “We are satisfied with a high level of production with a minimum amount of labor,” Roger says. He also mentioned the herd’s udder health has

The sand-bedded free stall barn was built in 2002

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improved as a result of the robot.

“Multiple milkings per cow per day is great for udder health.”

However, while some things have changed at Wikkerink Farm due to the robot, certain input elements such as nutrition have remained unchanged.

“We’ve always believed cows should make milk from forages (mainly grass) not from grain (high starch diets) to stay healthy for multiple lactations. High quality forage is the most economical way to increase profitability,” Roger says.

Feeding high quality grass The high-forage diet the Wikkerinks feed their herd consists of high quality grass from Barenbrug Seed Company and corn silage. “Feeding lots of high quality grass has certainly helped with cow (rumen) health, reproduction and longevity, as well as increased components,” Roger explains.

Quality grass benefits cow health

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The Wikkerink family has achieved the science of ‘input’ for their herd, and through milking with the Lely Astronaut robotic milking system they are able to get more production through increased milkings.

What is more important is the fact that they are able to better monitor the health of their herd on a per cow basis.

Through using Lely’s T4C software program and activity monitoring collars, Roger and Julie can identify a health issue in their herd right away.

More time for family Some have the misconception that to embrace new technology, all old ways must be left behind. The Wikkerink’s story is a prime example of how traditional principles, paired with new technology, can achieve optimal herd health, high quality milk and more time for family. l

Wikkerink installed a Lely Astronaut A2 in 2002

Cows can do what they want, when they want Results show it: – Yearly 305 DIM yield: 23,898 lb (10,840 kg) – Solids: 4.02% fat 3.33% protein – Lifetime production 112,420 lb (50,993 kg) – Cull rate 17%, age at culling 70 months – Herd age 4.58 years (55 months) – Herd Classification: 8 multiple Excellent, 4 Excellent, 26 Very Good, 28 Good Plus, 7 Good – Two Holstein Canada Master Breeder awards 1994 and 2010.

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Mind dry cows when it comes to cooling

Cooling enhances productivity, health status

Cool all your cows during warm weather

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Heat stress during the dry period creates a range of profit-

7 days shorter than that of CL cows. This shorter dry period (46 vs. 39 days) contributed to HS cows giving birth to lighter calves than CL cows.

robbing problems from lower calf birth weights to reduced immunity and less milk production. It’s a wonder why heat

Birth weight: 17 pounds less

abatement is overlooked for dry cows.

by JoDee Sattler

I

t’s been a cold and snowy winter throughout much of the United States, yet sultry weather conditions lurk ahead. Now is a good time to think about heat stress relief.

It’s fairly common for U.S. dairy producers to provide heat abatement for lactating cows when the thermometer surpasses 70 degrees Fahrenheit (F). The 2007 National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Dairy Study, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, showed that 74.3 percent of all dairy operations provided fans for the lactating herd, whereas only 36 percent provided fans for dry cows. Twenty percent of U.S. dairy farms provided sprinklers to lactating cows to relieve heat stress, yet only 4.6 percent of dry cows benefited from cooling via sprinklers.

From increased milk production to improved reproductive performance, heat abatement for milking cows offers several ways to get a return on your fixed and variable costs related to cooling lactating cows. It’s a wonder why heat abatement is overlooked for dry cows.

Through three consecutive trials (do Amaral et al., 2009, do Amaral et al.,

2010, do Amaral et al., 2011), University of Florida researchers evaluated the effects of heat stress (HS) abatement prepartum for HS and cooled (CL) cows.

Both groups experienced the same daily photoperiod of 14 hours of light and 10 hours of dark. Automatic fans and sprinklers alleviated heat stress for CL cows when the ambient temperature exceeded 70° F. Fans and sprinklers were on for 2 minutes, every 5 minutes. These cows also had access to shade. The HS cows only had access to shade to reduce their heat discomfort.

When cows started showing signs of calving, they were moved to an adjacent sand-bedded pen, equipped with shade and water. After parturition, both HS and CL cows were housed in the same sand-bedded, freestall barn, which included fans and sprinklers that automatically turned on when the ambient temperature reached 70° F. What were the results? Rectal temperatures were taken in the morning and afternoon, with no significant difference in morning rectal temperatures. In the afternoon, the HS cows’ rectal temperatures averaged 0.8° F. more than the CL cows. In addition, HS cows had greater respiration rates – 78 vs. 56 breaths per minute.

The HS cows experienced a dry period

Figure 1: Serum IgG goes down with heat stress

Figure 2: Less milk with dry period heat stress

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7

11 14 18 21 days of age

25 28

45 40 35 30 25 20 15

heat stress

cooling

50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15

heat stress

cooling

Monteiro et al., 2012 Tao et al., 2012 Tao et al., 2011 do Amaral et al, 2011 do Amaral et al, 2009 Adin et al., 2009 Avendano-Reyes et al., 2006 Wolfenson et al., 1988 Collier et al., 1982b

1

heat stress

Just like cooled lactating cows, cows that had fans and sprinklers during the dry period produced more milk than those that only had access to shade during the dry period. While production increases varied among the three studies (20.5 pounds of 3.5% fat-corrected milk [FCM] per day, Amaral et al., 2009; 10.3 pounds FCM, Amaral et al., 2010; and 11.02 pounds FCM, Tao et al., 2011), do Amaral says 14 more pounds FCM per day during the first 30 weeks of lactation is a realistic expectation for cows cooled during the dry period compared with those only provided shade.

“Across studies, we see persistent increases of 8 pounds more milk for the entire lactation,” says Geoffrey Dahl, University of Florida animal sciences

calf birth weight, kg

cooling

Cooling helps milk production

Figure 3: Heat stress decreases calf birth weights

Tao et al., 2012b Thompson et al., 2012b Tao et al., 2011 do Amaral et, 2011 do Amaral et, 2009 Adin et al., 2009 Avendano-Reyes et al., 2006 Wolfenson et al., 1988 Collier et al., 1982b

3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

milk production, kg/d

total lgG (mg/dl)

Remember the dry cows

How much lighter? It depended on the degree of heat stress. In one experiment, calves from HS cows were 28.7 pounds (42%) lighter than calves from CL cows.

Another experiment showed a 12-pound (12.6%) difference, whereas another experiment showed a 10.7-pound (11.6%) difference. Across the three experiments, the difference was 17 pounds.

“The magnitude and response a herd can experience from cooling its dry cows is directly related to the heat (intensity and load) experienced that year,” says Bruno do Amaral, dairy nutritionist with Purina Animal Nutrition. “The difference between years makes a difference in the response you get.”

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Cooling dry cows will help them successfully transition into lactation

professor. “It is clear that dry cows that are cooled produce more milk in the next lactation.”

Israel Flamenbaum, a dairy consultant and retired from the State of Israel’s Ministry, concurs with the Florida researchers. He says cooling dry cows during the summer increases cows’ milk production level in the subsequent lactation – about 11 pounds per day. “This increase comes mainly from increasing cows’ ‘milk production peak’.”

Provide relief throughout Remember, cows need heat stress relief during the entire dry period to achieve a higher level of production.

According to Urdaz et al., 2006, cows cooled for only the final portion of the dry period responded with lower milk production relative to studies where dry cows were cooled the entire dry period.

That’s where the production differences ended, however. No differences were observed between treatments in the percentage or yield of protein in milk. Postpartum feed efficiency did not differ between

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treatments. Similarly, average body weight, body condition score, dry matter intake (DMI; as a percent of body weight) were the same between HS and CL cows.

The two groups experienced similar DMI at 14, 28 and 42 days postpartum.

Cool cows to boost immunity Beyond lower milk production and calf birth weights, research also showed that HS cows had impaired immune function. Immune cells isolated from cows that were cooled showed a greater ability to kill bacteria and fight off infections at 20 days postpartum.

Neutrophils, the first line of defense of the animal, did not function well in HS cows. The HS cows had reduced ability to kill bacteria compared with CL cows.

Bottom line: heat stress (during the dry period) compromises cows’ ability to fight infection, putting them at higher risk for disease compared with cows that are cooled when dry.

Along with lactating cow health, milk production and calf birth weight, heat stress plays a role in mammary epithelial cell proliferation (creation of new cells).

During the dry period, udder cells recover from the previous lactation and

prepare for the next. This is when old milk secretory cells are replaced with new cells that support milk production in the next lactation. “Heat stress during this important time of cell turnover can dramatically impact transition into the subsequent lactation,” says Dahl.

The Tao et al., 2011 study, conducted at the University of Florida Dairy Research Unit, Hague, Fla., included collecting mammary samples from HS and CL cows during the dry period and into early lactation. Relative to HS cows, researchers saw an increase in the proliferation of mammary cells in CL cows during the transition into lactation, indicating greater capacity for milk synthesis. “Cooled cows have a greater net gain in secretory capacity during the dry period and that is expressed as higher milk yield,” says do Amaral.

“Be sure to include every animal on your dairy when considering heat stress abatement strategies,” says Craig Thomas, Michigan State University dairy extension educator. “Heat stress affects not only high producing milk cows but also dry cows, heifers and calves.”

Don’t neglect your dry cows this summer. Provide heat abatement to dry and lactating cows. Offering cooling strategies to dry cows will help them transition into lactation and improve their innate and acquired immune system. “Heat stress abatement during the dry period is a promising management strategy to support transition to lactation – and even into mid-lactation,” says do Amaral. l

Cooling dry cows helps prevent: • Shorter gestation length • Decreased calf birth weights • Diminished milk production in subsequent lactation • Decreased immunoglobulin absorption by the calf • Decreased milk production • Reduced fertility • Decreased ability to fight infection • Reduced mammary epithelial cell proliferation

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F R O M

T H E

V E T E R I N A R I A N

N A T E

P R A C T I C E

D O R S H O R S T

Dr. Nathan Dorshorst owns and operates GenOvations, Inc. in Lodi, Wisc. There, he and his staff specialize in advanced reproductive work with numerous clients. In this particular column, he discusses the advantages and disadvantages of IVF along with its application in commercial herds.

Advanced reproductive systems beneficial on all dairies

IVF goes commercial W

ith an IVF (in-vitro fertilization) program on a large dairy, a genetically superior donor could potentially produce dozens or even more than 50 female calves within one year.

Large dairies have a strategic advantage when it comes to implementing advanced reproductive systems. Not only are the systems, infrastructure, employee base, and other resources in place, but they have a nearly endless supply of recipients â&#x20AC;&#x201C; typically the greatest bottleneck encountered with IVF. It is possible for large dairies to use advanced reproductive programs to improve their own genetic base and milk production efficiency while becoming major suppliers of genetic seed stock. As advanced reproductive systems become more efficient, conventional systems of animal breeding such as artificial insemination could fade. In the future, IVF and genomics may become the most efficient process in dairy cattle breeding. We might be making breeding decisions from a catalog of embryos instead of semen.

With IVF, unfertilized eggs, called oocytes, are recovered directly from the ovary of the donor by an ultrasound guided follicular aspiration system. Oocytes are then taken to a laboratory to be matured, fertilized, and cultured in an incubator. On the eighth day after aspirating the donor, the embryos come out of the incubator and are ready for transfer into synchronized recipients.

While IVF is a useful tool for animals suffering from chronic infertility, it is no longer used exclusively for these donors. In fact, the vast majority of IVF sessions today are

performed on reproductively sound individuals to maximize the rate of genetic progress. It allows for the greatest rate of genetic advancement over the shortest period of time while using multiple sires at each session. Aspiration intervals typically occur at least twice as frequently as flushing intervals, which can translate into twice as many calves per donor per year with more genetic diversity. The greater numbers and diversity improves the probability of creating the next genetic outlier.

Additionally, we can perform this procedure on pregnant donors during the first, and well into the second trimester.

Donors can be bred back while still harvesting oocytes and generating new pregnancies. Finally, should hormone usage be restricted or banned, IVF procedures can be performed without hormone injections with excellent results.

On the other hand, IVF is technically challenging to perform and collections must occur in a controlled environment with excellent donor restraint and temperature conditions. Also, IVF embryos are more fragile to work with than conventional embryos which can mean lower pregnancy rates (especially if frozen). It is noteworthy that the industry has made great strides in improving the freezing characteristics of IVF embryos.

While at first glance, IVF costs are a disadvantage (typically twice the cost of conventional flushing), when you evaluate the cost per pregnancy over time and the rate of genetic progress this quickly becomes a moot point.

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F E E D I N G

A new tool now reveals the full picture on fiber digestibility

More milk hidden in forage Nutrition often seems to be one of those age-old arts where most things are already figured out. But, the patented TTNDFD test shows that what we thought we knew about fiber doesn’t always matter to the modern dairy cow.

by Lucas Sjostrom

would agree, and others would disagree, making it a struggle to make a connection between some of our labbased in vitro measurements and what the cattle are actually doing.”

Goeser should know, as it was through his graduate work at the University of Wisconsin that the patented test came to fruition. Rock River Laboratory is currently the only lab in the world licensed to run the test.

TTNDFD combines four pieces of information, funnels them through a rumen model, and provides one number for use by nutritionists and farmers – and that number can be compared across all forage types, whether you are testing corn silage, alfalfa, or even grasses. This number describes the fiber digestibility percentage an 85-pound-of-milk-perday cow could utilize.

Use it every time

T

he most significant nutritional development in recent history might be the invention of the TTNDFD test (total-tract neutral detergent fiber digestibility,) developed at the University of Wisconsin by dairy scientist, David Combs. TTNDFD is described as “RFQ (relative feed quality) on steroids” by John Goeser, the director of animal nutrition and research, innovation at Rock River

Laboratory, Watertown, Wis. “One thing that’s really appealing to us in what Dr. Combs has developed through TTNDFD is a fair amount of work validating, within cows, the labbased approach,” Goeser explains. “It seems to be very accurate and wellrelated to what animal performance actually is. That’s a slight deviation from historic fiber digestibility measures, where in some cases cattle

TTNDFD is only $4 more than the typical fiber forage analysis, so Goeser recommends using it in place of the older tests.

“This would be an analysis I would recommend across the board,” Goeser explains. “It’s going to be absolutely critical for high-performing cattle and fresh cows to have the information to identify where the opportunities are, and where the best quality feeds fit in

Grasses like soft leaf fescue might not be typical in U.S. TMRs, but the new TTNDFD test shows that they could be

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the ration for those two groups, while allocating the lower-quality feeds to the later lactation cattle or dry cows.”

The inventor behind the process, Combs, explains that the reason it took so many years to develop this test was the need for NIR (near infrared reflectance) testing to quickly analyze the forage and some outside the box thinking from his team.

Solve the mystery of NDF It is important to reiterate that TTNDFD is not just more precise information. It actually can help to solve the mystery of why some forages with similar NDF figures feed differently from each other. Because it develops one number that can be used across forage types, what we thought we knew about corn silage, alfalfa, and grass, may no longer be true.

“When you look at alfalfa and grasses, there isn’t much starch in those. So fiber digestibility, using TTNDFD, becomes extremely important to track because alfalfa and grasses can be tremendously variable in their totaltract fiber digestibility,” Combs says, noting that some varieties will consistently score higher than others.

“Some of the early results we see in a current trial push against common knowledge,” says.

Combs.

“We harvested tall fescue last year and got a

John Goeser: “The TTNDFD test is critical for high-performing cattle”

David Combs: “A typical cow digests just 45 to 47 percent of the fiber that she eats”

forage test that most dairymen wouldn’t be impressed with – it was almost 60% NDF. But we’re incorporating it into some rations with alfalfa and corn silage, pulling in 10-12 pounds of the 60% NDF silage, and up to this point we’re holding milk production and feed intake. The only way to explain that is the fiber digestibility of the grasses is so much higher that of the alfalfa and corn.”

“TTNDFD opens new opportunities for thinking about grasses, especially those bred for their high fiber digestibility. It not only gives you nutritional flexibility, it also gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of nutrient management on farm, and ways to increase tonnage and yield,” “A typical cow digests just 45 to 47 percent of the fiber that she eats,”

Combs continues. “With that as a benchmark, we know that every two to three units increase in fiber digestibility equates to a pound of energy from fiber for milk production. If we can improve a diet that’s 44% TTNDFD to 47%, we would expect at least a pound of additional milk production.”

Starch still important But, both Combs and Goeser reiterate that fiber is only part of the package; we need to pay attention to starch too.

But for the fiber side of the equation, the new TTNDFD test can provide you and your nutritionist with a new tool for ration configuration.

For more information, talk to your nutritionist about using TTNDFD through your forage analysis, or take a look at www.rockriverlab.com. I

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P H O S P H O R U S

S E R I E S

Phosphorus overfeeding proves costly

Turning off the phosporus spigot Series on phosphorus While it is commonly fed to assist with reproduction, overfeeding of phosphorus can negatively affect budgets and the environment. This article will discuss the best ways to feed phosphorus..

Recent research studying the bioavailability of phosphorus opens doors to improved dairy cattle rations and offers a key to better nutrient management plans across the board. This article, the first in a series, will discuss feeding phosphorus.

Part 1: Feeding Part 2: Monitoring Part 3: Recycling

by Amy Ryan

R

esearch has shown that only 27 percent of the phosphorus a cow consumes ends up in the milk carton, meaning that more than two-thirds is excreted in manure and must be accounted for in nutrient management.

Anything that can be done to not overfeed phosphorus is more cost effective on-farm, and less detrimental to the environment.

Katherine Knowlton understands. She is a teacher and dairy researcher at

Virginia Tech who owns a small herd of Jersey cattle and has a strong interest in improving the viability of the dairy and livestock industries. Phosphorus based nutrient management plans and precision feeding of phosphorus are the primary focus of her research.

Knowlton’s most recent project “Prediction of Bioavailability of Phosphorus for Dairy Cattle” takes an integrated approach of research and extension to enhance feed management

practices in an effort to more effectively utilize phosphorus in the diet and reduce phosphorus overfeeding. She worked with numerous individuals on this project including colleagues at Virginia Tech and Joe Harrison, a livestock nutrient management specialist at Washington State University (WSU), who conducts training sessions about phosphorous and whole farm nutrient management.

Overfeeding is common Harrison says the most common sources of phosphorus lie in standard feed ingredients like corn, soybean meal and forages. Byproduct feeds such as distillers grains, corn gluten meal and cottonseed contain high protein and phosphorus levels. A big challenge for producers is that byproduct feeds which can be high in phosphorus are usually less expensive as protein sources.

When looking specifically at the nutrient requirements, Knowlton says the current requirements for dairy cattle (NRC) for phosphorus is about 0.34 to 0.38% of diet dry matter, but the P content of rations in the field typically averages 0.45% of the diet, 20-40 percent greater than the defined requirement.

“Phosphorous is often overfed to dairy Only 27 percent of the phosphorus consumed by cows ends up in their milk

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Knowlton: “We need a better understanding of phosphorus in feed and its digestibility”

Harrison: “Test forages and work with your nutritionist to best utilize phosphorus”

cattle because high phosphorus diets are commonly believed to improve reproductive performance,” says Knowlton.

“While phosphorus deficiency has been shown to impair fertility, there is no data to suggest benefit to increased phosphorus feeding. In fact, one study indicates depressed milk yield when phosphorus was fed at 40 percent over NRC requirements compared to cows fed at the NRC requirement.”

Knowlton says the tendency to overfeed phosphorus has created the need to develop a more thorough understanding of the available phosphorus in feed, accurately gauge how phosphorus is fed and its digestive capacity. She adds that the current system of predicting P supply from feedstuffs does little to accommodate the increased use of highly variable, high P byproduct feeds.

“Our research group has hypothesized that the chemical forms of phosphorus in feed influence absorption of dietary phosphorus, and that an improved understanding of these factors will enable diet formulation that more closely match animal phosphorus requirements,” says Knowlton. “The overall goal of our research is to develop refinements in assessment of phosphorus supply and requirements that can be used to more accurately align dietary phosphorus supply with the phosphorus requirements of the cow.”

Measurements and results Knowlton states this group developed reliable, robust, and low cost methods to measure phytate in digestion tracts and feces to support research focused on phytate digestibility and subsequent excretion in manure. This method was then used to investigate the disappearance of phytate phosphorus (Pp) from the large intestine of heifers and the digestion of dietary phytate by cows.

The data collected during this project were then used to achieve two objectives.

The first was to evaluate a previously published model of P digestion (Hill et al.) including regulation of absorption and recycling of absorbed rumen P. “The data were adequate to fully parametrize this model and found that it does not exhibit any apparent bias and is a good representation of the observed

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P H O S P H O R U S

S E R I E S

Phosphorus is often overfed because high phosphorus diets are believed to improve reproduction

data,” says Knowlton. “Furthermore, we conducted a global sensitivity analysis which identified the level of sensitivity of model predictions to inputs which will provide guidance in establishing minimum phosphorus requirements.”

The aforementioned model was then used for the second objective of deriving bio-availability (rate at which it enters the bloodstream and is circulated to organs or tissues) estimates for inorganic, non-phytate organic, and phyate phosphorus.

“These resulting bio-availabilities were used to generate predictions of overall phosphorus availability for a variety of the major ingredients used in dairy rations,” states Knowlton. “These coefficients are consistent in form with the NRC 2001 model and thus can be used directly in that application for field formulation problems.”

Knowlton cites these key findings from the modeling work: • Phytate degradation rates are stimulated at high dietary phytate concentrations and down-regulated when dietary phytate concentrations are low; • Phytate degradation in the rumen is high under normal feeding conditions and there is not much additional gain achieved by feeding phytase; • Non-phytate organic forms of phosphorus are very poorly degraded in the small intestine, but they are degraded

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in the rumen and large intestine; • Absorption of inorganic phosphorus from the small intestine is tightly regulated to maintain blood phosphorus in a narrow range, meaning poor absorption is largely a function of low absorbed phosphorus needs as reflected by adequate blood phosphorus concentrations; • A large proportion of absorbed phosphorus is recycled to the rumen; • Very little absorbed P is excreted in urine.

“Overall, the results of this project provide a more precise description of phosphorus digestion in cows which will lead to greater user confidence when the system is incorporated into feed management software,” says Knowlton.

“This will allow refined phosphorus feeding practices to improve efficiency of nutrient utilization and reduce environmental impact of dairy farms, and hence maintaining sustainability of animal agriculture.”

Industry utilization So what does this mean for dairy farmers? This is where Harrison has focused his efforts. In training sessions, he discusses how this new information affects nutrient management and showcases Whole Farm Balance Nutrient Education Tool (WFBNET) that he developed to help dairy farmers develop their own on-farm nutrient management program.

This tool is available on the WSU website.

“The take home message for producers is two-fold,” says Harrison. “First nutrient testing of forages on-farm is important to pinpoint phosphorus levels and since estimates on the bioavailability values are different than the NRC 2001 requirements, it is critical to work with your nutritionist to closely monitor phosphorus in the diet and utilize it efficiently. You also need to understand the big picture of how these numbers fit into your nutrient management plan.”

Harrison has also spoke at nutrition conferences around North America about the importance of improving P efficiency and requirements.

For Knowlton, updating requirements is also a priority. “The next step is incorporation of our phosphorus digestion and metabolism model into the next NRC model. That new NRC is expected to begin in the next year and our results are at the perfect stage (peerreviewed, published, and gaining attention through our outreach efforts) to be incorporated.”

A limited resource Harrison says that phosphorus is a limited resource and needs to be utilized wisely and efficiently in rations.

“As a limited resource, it is important to know how much phosphorus is being fed and that it is efficiently used in the cow,” he says. “The best way to do this is getting current forage nutrient values for feed stuffs and using the new bioavailability values.”

Knowlton concurs and adds, “The first step is to analyze your forages and commodity feeds for their phosphorus content being sure to ask for wet chemistry analysis. Then, account for the phosphorus in your base feeds before you begin adding byproducts or supplements. If you are in a land limited situation, you may actually want to discriminate against those feeds because they will increase manure P, increasing your manure hauling bill.”

However, diet formulation is just the start of this process. The next article in this series will look at methods to monitor the overfeeding of this limited resource. l

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L E LY I N F O

High tech cow tag advantages

The Lely Pura steam cleaner benefits udder health and improves milk quality

Cleaning teat cups with steam boosts milk quality You can expect improved milk quality and udder health using the Lely Pura steam cleaner. When used together on Lely Robotic milking machines, dairy farmers are experiencing reduced somatic cell counts and better animal performance.

Lely Pura liners are shown to have a beneficial effect on udder health.

A research survey compared the differences between 500 dairy farms in the Netherlands. The results showed those farms using Lely Pura averaged 183,000 SCC compared to 198,000 SCC for farms not using the Lely Pura.

When it comes to cleaning, teat liners cleaned with Lely Pura contained fewer bacteria than those that underwent regular backflush without cleaning (not using Lely Pura). This means that on “Pura farms,” cows are exposed to fewer bacteria during milking because the liners cleaned with Lely Pura contained 10 times fewer bacteria, based on additional research findings by the Lely FMS (Farm Management Support) department.

Our ongoing research helps us create the best products to support you in your effort to produce milk of the highest quality and maintain your cows in peak performance.

Effective cleaning with Lely brushes Did you know? The precise arm movements of the Lely brush system provide approximately 40% more effective cleaning and stimulation of the cow’s udder compared to conventional methods. The pretreatment udder brush is proven to be the most successful system in terms of animal welfare, hygiene, milk quality and optimal stimulation characteristics.

Changes in rumination are the earliest warning signs of potential cow health problems. Lely offers the Lely Qwes-H collar mounted cow identification and activity sensor, and the Lely Qwes-HR tag with an acceleration sensor, specially tuned rumination microphone, microprocessor, and memory sensor to help monitor all the important aspects of animal health.

The earlier you can obtain information about a potential health problem, the cheaper it is to deal with and rumination activity can provide early insight into cow health. Rumen sounds and vocalizations are monitored and analyzed with the Lely Qwes-HR ear tags while the Lely Qwes-H system measures cow activity, duration and intensity.

Both systems monitor cows’ activity in two hour time blocks to provide a highly accurate high-resolution view on an individual cow’s behavior. An activity index is used to watch for changes in behavior.

Changes in behavior are often indications of health status or estrous cycle phases. The system therefore allows you to manage both health and reproductive parameters.

Advantages of the cow tag include: • Insemination at correct time • Optimal reproduction • Reduce calving interval • Earliest signs about potential health problems

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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B R E E D I N G

Using new indexes will allow your herd to think about farm sustainability

Profit is long-term

Your most efficient or healthiest cows may not be the ones that stand out in your herd

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Breeding decisions are individual, but indexes can provide general guidelines that promote progress for an industry.

No matter your breeding philosophy, two new indexes could change what you consider the best cow in your herd.

by Lucas Sjostrom

E

very once in a while a new term enters the dairy genetics industry that changes thinking forever. Before data was collected so universally on dairy cattle, we used phenotypes (how cows and bulls physically looked) to decide on the next generation. Then indexes like the Holstein Association USA’s Type-Production Index (TPI) came along with Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) data to help quantify looks and milk components in the late 1960s.

USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) made a monumental shift by adding traits that represented longevity in 1994 through the Net Merit Index (NM$). Both TPI and NM$ continue frequent updates as demands and progress continues.

Two new indexes, Better Life Health and Better Life Efficiency, could narrow the field further for dairy producers.

Improving on the two U.S. indexes, the Better Life indexes help with breeding values relating to health traits (Health) and feed intake through maintenance and lifetime production (Efficiency).

Although the two indexes are separate, they can work in tandem to improve your herd. Both are based on a percentage, with 10 percent Better Life Efficiency meaning the bull would be 10 percent more efficient than the population average. Likewise, a bull with 10 percent Better Life Health would be 10 percent more healthy than the population average.

Crossing the ocean The indexes have made inroads in Europe, and now CRV is bringing them to the U.S. Tim Fargo has spent more than two decades of his career in dairy genetics.

Fargo joined CRV four years ago as an

area sales manager in New York’s Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties, and sees the kind of cows the Better Life Health index can find.

“Think about that healthy cow that has a very good udder and can navigate, with high components,” Fargo says, noting she may not be your best producer. “In every herd I go to, people have that healthy cow. The problem is, that healthy cow doesn’t cause any trouble and doesn’t get recognized.

Unless we bring the healthy cows to attention, they wouldn’t get noticed.”

Long-term, he sees indexes like the pair of Better Life tools available for every manager.

In Europe, breeders like Harrie and Hans Janssen, of Groesbeek, Holland, know their favorite cow. It’s Gerda 183, a cow that doesn’t immediately stand out. “She isn’t tall, but is very correctly built and that is what we like to breed.

She calved easily for the first time before her second birthday and always had a calving interval 12 months in subsequent lactations,” according Hans Janssen. Her 305-day milk yield shows an increase from nearly 18,000 pounds of milk as a heifer to more than 22,000 pounds in her second lactation and more than 25,000 pounds in her third.

Her protein content averaged 3.72 percent, somatic cell count has never been over 100,000 and has no udder or hoof problems.

Gerda 183 is the type of cow Fargo is talking about. “I think it’s certainly something that everyone can use as we move forward,” Fargo explains. “It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re talking about, everything in this world is based on efficiency. If we can incorporate building more efficient cows with our milk components and everything else genetics has to offer, it

Hans Janssen: “We like to breed medium sized, healthy and fertile cows’’

will build a stronger cow for the future.”

But, that doesn’t mean it’s one-size fits all. Fargo relays, “And you can always customize it for your herd, depending on what components you’re looking for.”

Feed-to-milk is efficiency Melissa Leatherman, a product specialist and Jersey sire procurer with CRV working from Washington state, agrees with many producers who say cows that last longest make the most money. Leatherman has spent her career in the A.I. industry, focusing on herds of more than 3,000 cows.

“If you’re asking ‘How much milk can I make on this amount of feed?’”

Leatherman says, “That’s where the Better Life Efficiency index comes in.”

While you could use the index as your entire breeding chart, Leatherman suggests using it as one part of your program. “I suggest using it as another tool. Everyone has specific things they have as goals for their herd. There are a ton of bulls out there, and everyone has a different one in mind. With each instrument to narrow your list of bulls, you’re getting a more defined goal.

Leatherman explains, “When Net Merit came out, that was a little more longevity than TPI was. People started setting limits based on NMI, and now I think the Better Life Efficiency index will be the next tool that people use.” l

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C O N TA C T S

SHOWS AND EVENTS April 15-16: April 18: April 19: April 22-24: May 15-16: May 18-21: May 19-23: May 27-30 :

Comfort is rule number one for a healthy cow Picture: Harrie van Leeuwen

C O N TA C T S

June 6-7: June 7: June 11-12: June 22-26: June 25-28: June 25-28: July 20-24: July 22-26: Aug. 4-6:

Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference, Grand Wayne Center, Fort Wayne, IN Midwest Spring Red & White Show, Jefferson, WI Midwest Spring National Show, Jefferson, WI High Temperature Short Time (HTST) Pasteurizer Workshop, Cornell University, NY Western Spring National Holstein Show, Richmond, UT Alltech International Symposium – Lexington, KY ICAR 39th Biennial Session 2014 and Interbull Session, Berlin, Germany 27th ADSA Discover Conference – Strategies for improving US Dairy Cattle Welfare, Itasca, IL Dairy Producers of New Mexico Conference, Ruidoso, NM Central Plains Holstein Show, Brookings, SD 4-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference, Dubuque, IA 12th International Colloquium on Paratuberculosis Parma, Italy National Holstein Convention, Dubuque, IA AJCA and NAJ Annual Meetings, Alexandria, VA ADSA-ASAS JAM 2014, Kansas City, MO 50th Anniversary National Red & White Convention, Elkhorn, WI National Mastitis Council Regional Meeting 2014, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

Cow Management is published six times per year by CRV Publishing

Editorial team Chief editor Jaap van der Knaap Contributing writers Nate Dorshorst, Amy Ryan, JoDee Sattler, Lucas Sjostrom, Ben Smink Editing, design and production CRV Publishing

Chief editor’s address 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

COMING UP

C a l f rear in g an d p h o sp h o r u s ser ies July – In our calf rearing special we will take a special look at calf health and best practices. We will also continue with our phosphorus series and showcase a dairy operation with an impressive number of lifetime production awards.

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

Illustrations/pictures Photographs by CRV Publishing Photography, Nate Dorshorst (25), UW-Madison Photo (27), Holstein Association USA (12,13,14) Michelle Martin (34), Rick Mooney (30)

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.

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The Highly Digestible Effective Fiber for Dairy Rations

www.NutriFiber.info 速

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BREEDING FOR HEALTH IS NOW EASIER BETTER LIFE HEALTH AND BETTER LIFE EFFICIENCY: NEW BREEDING INDEXES FROM CRV Using these new indexes, you will be able to breed specifically for an efficiency, easy-to-manage herd of cows that stay healthy as they age.

The Better Life Health and Better Life Efficiency indexes provide an at a glance look to know which bulls score well for health and efficiency.

To learn more about the Better Life Health and Better Life Efficiency indexes, visit our website at www.crv4all.us

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