Early Spring Calving 2016

EARLY SPRING CALVING PREPARING FOR CALVING After a good growing season the challenge will be using our forages effectively to produce milk efficiently.

SPRING CALVERS KEY POINTERS............p.3

At Wynnstay we have a range of products and services to maximise efficiency and profitability in your system.

IMPROVE TRANSITION MANAGEMENT............p.4 WYNNSTAY GRAZER COMPOUNDS – BALANCED TO YOUR GRASS.............................p.5 YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT....................................p.6 SPRING CALVING WYNNSTAY PRODUCT RANGE............................p.7 CALF SUNDRIES........p.8

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PRE-DRYING OFF Drying off is here and now is the time to ensure your cows and heifers are in the optimal body condition (BCS 2.75 to 3.25).

Improvements in BCS can be made more efficiently and safer during lactation and at Wynnstay we offer simple custom blends which can be fed alongside forage as a once a day meal or mixed with silage to improve condition score by drying off. For heifers you may want to consider switching to once a day milking in order to support growth and improvements in condition. Correct BCS at calving reduces the risk of calving difficulties, incidence of metabolic diseases and improves fertility and performance in the next lactation.

DRYING OFF Wynnstay can provide all your drying off requirements including an extensive range of trace element boluses for your individual circumstances and a competitive range of internal and external parasite treatments. Effective control of liver fluke is paramount, before the onset of lactation, as compromised liver function can lead to poor lactation performance as well as increasing predisposition to metabolic diseases such as ketosis.

DRY PERIOD Whether you are out-wintering on deferred grazing, roots, corrals or housing your dry cows on forage, one thing is for sure; successful and effective dry period and transition management are essential to ensure a successful lactation and breeding campaign. Whatever your preferences Wynnstay have a range of products and the technical knowledge to help you get it right. High magnesium, zero calcium, high vitamin E concentrate fed from 3 weeks pre-calving will help the cow maintain her condition through the dry period and provide sufficient nutrients to maintain body weight and grow a healthy calf, while the high vitamin E content will help to reduce cell counts later. Wynnstay also offer custom minerals to balance your dry cow diets if your preference is to provide DCAB or DCAD diets. In simple situations where the dry cows are grazed and receive supplementary long forage to maintain rumen muscle tone, the low magnesium levels in grass and the increased risk of milk fever can be addressed through the addition of magnesium chloride flakes to drinking water; or the provision of high magnesium liquid feeds or buckets, all available from Wynnstay.

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SPRING CALVERS - KEY POINTERS • Target grazing covers should be 2,500 – 2,700kg/ha at the beginning of the last round.

• Split the milking platform to provide 60 days grazing.

• Closing cover targets should be between 2,100 and 2,200kg per ha but can be reduced further on early farms or on farms with good winter growth.

• Additional magnesium should be provided in the diet. This can be provided through magnesium chloride in the water supply or by feeding additional concentrate.

• Cows with a Body Condition Score (BCS) of below 4.5 (NZ Scoring System) should either be dried off, milked once a day, or housed.

• Assess feed stocks and prepare budgets for early Winter/ Spring period.

• Consider feeding options for next Spring for calves, transition cows and fresh cows.

• Assess fields on the following basis: • achieve 10t/DM/Ha/year which is the equivalent to 8t of utilised DM • maintained grass quality above 11.5ME all year • produced on average 30kg DM for every kg of N applied • put together a strategy to improve performance of these fields which may include correction of pH, P and K indices, re-seeding and soil aeration • Analyse all forages and formulate an appropriate dry cow diet. Correct dry cow nutrition will reduce the incidents of ketosis, milk fever, retained cleansings and improve fertility.

• Fertility is the biggest profit driver in the system.

Every 1% under the 6 week in calf rate target of 78% is worth £2/cow in lost profit 3

Focus on EARLY SPRING CALVING

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IMPROVE TRANSITION MANAGEMENT Regardless of system, improving transition management will have a significant effect on health, fertility and productivity.

Dairy New Zealand have estimated that poor management of the transition period costs New Zealand farmers in excess of $1.5 billion dollars annually between cow losses and lost productivity.

Grazing cows are no different to any other cow when it comes to transition. Both undergo immune system disruption which can open the door to a plethora of diseases. Over feeding close up cows increases the risk of metabolic diseases. Achieving the correct condition score at calving improves health, fertility and performance.

Getting cows back in calf quickly is critical in all block calving situations but as you can see this is significantly affected by transition health.

Sub-clinical hypo-calcaemia along with sub-clinical ketosis are recognised as the main metabolic diseases, however the formers rate of incidence is in most cases underestimated.

Roche et al., 2003 found that 33% of grazing dairy cows in New Zealand were in a hypo-calcaemic state around parturition but only 5% suffered classic clinical milk fever.

Prepare 80/20 nuts from Wynnstay are designed to reduce the risk of SCHC, ketosis and immune system suppression around the point of calving when combined with a balanced forage based diet.

A balanced forage based diet should aim to reduce the potassium level in the diet based on low K forages and straw.

Prepare 80/20 takes care of the rest providing the necessary levels of anionic salts, magnesium, and vitamin D to combat against milk fever as well as selenium and vitamin E to boost the immune system.

Prepare 80/20 is the complete transition cow package for as little as 84p/day during the final three weeks of the transition period.

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Focus on EARLY SPRING CALVING

WYNNSTAY GRAZER COMPOUNDS – BALANCED TO YOUR GRASS With increasing pressure on margins, efficiency has to be a priority going into the next grazing season.

along with the fibre, will reduce the acid load on the rumen, leading to higher production of desirable volatile fatty acids to increase milk solids. As well as using NIS, utilising other quality raw materials to make sure that feeding rates are low.

The materials fed to the cow will make a difference with a quality mineral pack.

Compound feeding on spring calving herds has been reduced over the last 12 months and looks again to be kept to a minimum, however, even at lower feeding rates the selection of compound used can still have a great effect on the bottom line.

There are 3 compounds which will fulfil the needs of the cows through the season:-

Targeting higher milk solids through the grazing season could see a higher milk price going into the second and third rounds when grass quality is at its best and also when cows are at their peak will often see milk solids drop, especially having an effect on milk fat.

EXTRA BALANCED 16

- when a 16% compound is required on deferred grazing of buffer feed silage.

GRAZER 40/13 - formulated with 40% inclusion of NIS is ideally suited to feeding during the second and third rounds and into the autumn. The fibre inclusion from the NIS will boost NDF intakes, and boost overall DMI. When grass protein is at its best there is little need for a higher protein level.

Figure 1 shows the potential NDF intake of cows at grass during the grazing season. This is a reverse mirror image of the typical yearly grass growth rates; as grass growth rates climb, NDF within the grass is reduced. During the spring when cows are on the 2nd/3rd round, the NDF within the grass will drop, although producing higher crude protein and energy and also potentially higher intakes. There is reduced structural fibre within the diet which can lead to scouring, SARA and reduced milk solids.

GRAZER 5/15 - formulated for the mid-summer period when grass NDF’s have risen, there is still a 5% inclusion of NIS to supplement the fibre which also have an alkaline effect on the rumen. This compound is now a 15% protein as grass protein levels drop mid-season.

Depending on your milk processor, increasing milk fat percentage by 0.2% could mean an increase of 0.35ppl, when cows are at their peak, whilst averaging 24 litres this would be an extra income of 8.4p a day. Feeding 3kg of compound through this period would mean that you could be paying £28/t more for your compound and still be having the same margins, however all of this increased margin should be retained.

This can also be said about autumn grass as the structure within the grass falls along with lower dry matter which will lead to lower NDF intakes. During mid-summer NDF levels within the grass rise as grass growth rates slow down; this doesn’t then necessitate the supplementation of fibre required during the spring and autumn.

Wynnstay have formulated a unique grazer compound range to utilise grass to its full potential to increase milk solids and boost margins. NIS (Nutritionally Improved Straw) has now been included at different levels within compounds to balance diets out at grass. NIS has an alkaline affect that,

To boost milk solids, improve efficiency and add to your bottom line speak to a member of Wynnstay’s Dairy Technical Team before the start of the grazing season

THREE COMPOUNDS TO GET THE BEST FROM GRAZED GRASS THIS SUMMER

NDF INTAKE

Fill the fibre gap, boost intakes and maintain solids

DEFERRED

SPRING

SUMMER

AUTUMN

Extra Balance 16

Grazer 40/13

Grazer

Grazer 40/13

5/15

Figure 1.

POTENTIAL NDF INTAKE OF COWS AT GRASS 5

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YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT What you put in you get out From an economic and production point of view the optimum age to calve heifers is 24 months. The DairyCo figures are enticing. After all, who wouldn’t want to achieve 25,031 kg total 5 year milk yield vs 8,029 kg for a 32 month old heifer?

See table below.

before weaning (Soberon and Van Amburgh, 2013). What is clear from this research is the positive affect milk intake has in the pre weaning phase on milk production initiated at approximately 2 years of age (Daniels, et al, 2013).

Calves’ feed conversion ratio during the first three weeks of life is a little more than 1:1, at which point they are not ruminating. The first step is to stop treating her like a cow and start thinking of her as the baby she is.

Heifer production and fertility performance at a range of calving ages Calving age (months)

22-23

24-25

26-28

32-36

Pre-calving weight (kg)

591

621

625

769

Calving Assistance (%)

17%

17%

27%

67%

Weight loss post calving (kg)

32

26

6

59

Cows still alive at 5 years (%)

86%

62%

41%

33%

Total 5 year milk yield (kg)

25,031

20,395

16,671

8,029

Time in milk during first 5 years (%)

48%

42%

38%

18%

To capitalise on that all important early feed conversion you must feed a good quality milk replacer with highly digestible ingredients. If you intend getting your calves off to the best start in life, look for a milk replacer with high quality protein sources and good quality oils in such as palm, sunflower and coconut.

Feeding 500g-600g of milk replacer is simply not enough if you want them to grow sufficiently to be ready for first service at 13-15 months. Aim for 900g-1kg of powder a day for maximum performance. Feeding more will also help your calf build a strong immune system which will have significant health benefits

To achieve two year old calving, heifers must be in calf by 15 months of age. This is possible, but Holstein heifers must reach a wither height of 125cm by 13 months of age - the best way to achieve this is to get them off to a quick start in life.

‘…..every gram of growth in excess of 450g/d during the first 63 days of a calves life can mean as much as 4 litres of milk in the first lactation’ (Lifestart). For example an average growth rate of 800g/d vs 450g/d = + 350 g/d. 350 x 4 = 1440 litres more milk in the first lactation.

The road to success Producers spend thousands trying to improve the genetic potential of herds, but producing an embryo that will become a superior calf is money ill spent if you are not prepared to feed that genetic potential. Are we putting too much reliance on letting genetics do all the hard work and forgetting the basics in the meantime?

Put simply, you only get out what you put in!

Metabolic Programming

It is interesting to look at an example from the insect world, which demonstrates how an organism’s genotype can be dramatically influenced through feeding.

‘Metabolic programming is a natural phenomenon that determines how an organism reacts to a given level of nutritional stress or stimulus’ (Patel and Svrinivansan, 2002).

The Honey Bee is an outstanding example: The Queen bee and workers are genetic clones, so the genotype is exactly the same, the only difference between the creations of a Queen or a worker will be a difference in the food they receive during the larval state. The Queen is fed the royal jelly, while workers receive worker’s food. Simply providing a superior diet and feeding a higher quantity at this crucial stage will determine which bee becomes the Queen and which remain as drones. Worker drones are half the size of the Queen and live 2-3months while the queen lives for two years (Leonel, Lifestart).

Feeding and management practices implemented on farm can affect that animal throughout its life. Certain stimuli early in life will change the way the genes are expressed and will change the potential of that animal for life. Providing the calf with intensified feeding early in life can permanently alter that animal’s genetic expression.

If you are going to invest in rearing your own replacements, get it right from day one to reap the rewards in two years’ time. For too long we have been starving our calves, fearing that they will scour when fed too much milk. In Denmark, farmers feed up to 12L of milk a day and have calves tripling their birth weight by 10 weeks old!

How does this apply to dairy calves?

Research at Cornell University showed that, calves fed milk or milk replacer with growth rates of 0.6kg to 0.8kg/d before weaning produced 429 +/- 106kg more milk during first lactation compared with calves fed to gain 0.25 to 0.4kg

Providing your colostrum management is excellent and you are using a top quality milk powder you should have no problems with nutritional scouring, in fact you can expect to rear healthy, strong and growing heifers set to enter your herd at two years old.

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Focus on EARLY SPRING CALVING

SPRING CALVING DRY COWS Dry Tec 80/20 nuts Prepare 80/20 nuts

Minpot Mag Premier Hi-Mag Mag Chloride Flakes

- zero calcium; high magnesium pre-calving nut (feed 1-3kgs/hd/day) - semi-DCAB 28% protein nut for feeding at 2-3kgs where grass or silage is high in potassium.

Negates need for use of mag chloride flakes - molassed magnesium bucket - high quality, high magnesium powdered free-access mineral - 12% magnesium for adding to drinking water

GRAZER COMPOUNDS EXTRA BALANCED 16 Grazer 40/13 Grazer 5/15

- 16% protein when on deferred grazing or buffer feeding silage -1 3% protein, 40% NIS, ideally suited to feeding during the second and third rounds and into autumn - 15% protein, 5% NIS for mid-summer period when grass NDF’s have risen. Supplements fibre and also has an alkaline effect on the rumen

CALF MILK POWDERS For once-a-day, twice-a-day & machine feeding - high quality protein, fats & oils, instant, highly digestible All British made – supporting British Dairy Farmers Rich Cream LifeStart approved - 35% skim, Greenline gut enhancer, Protimax, high Vit E, LifeStart compliant Bloom - Whey, Greenline gut enhancer, Protimax, high vitamin E Turbo Heifer LifeStart approved - High protein, whey - for accelerated heifer rearing Greenline, high Vit E, LifeStart compliant Thrive - Whey, Greenline gut enhancer, Protimax Enerlac - Whey, Gardion gut enhancer Stellar - Whey, high Vit E , Gardion gut enhancer

CALF MILK POWDER FEEDING MACHINES Volac ad-lib - available to rent or buy Holm & Laue or Urban computerised feeders - built to order Forster Technik feeder - built to order Heatwave Milk Warmer - ad lib feeder for under £400

CALF MILK FEEDING - OTHER Wyedale milk mixers & milk trolley Milk Taxi - can also be used for pasteurising & drenching Milk Shuttle Milk Bar trailed feeder CALF STARTER FEEDS Start ‘n’ Wean nuts & pellets - 25kg bags, 500kg tote bags, bulk - for feeding from 3 days to 10-12 weeks. High starch & now including NIS for healthier calves with up to an extra 10% DLWG Super Krunch + AlfAlfa coarse mix - 25kg bags - with AlfAlfa - for feeding from 3 days to 10-12 weeks Heifer Grazer 16 nuts - bulk - from 10-12 weeks onwards

CALF SUNDRIES Calf coats Speedy-feeder ideal for feeding colostrum Stomach bags 10% Strong Iodine (in spirit) for navels Milk warmer (electric wand to warm up cold milk) Multi-buckets & teated buckets Spare teats Thermometers Teat bar units ‘Recovery’ ringworm spray

Liquid paraffin Probiotics Lignocaine Glucose Whisks Dehorners ‘Septicleanse’ purple spray Colostrometer Wynnstay Colostrum Management Kit to test & store your own colostrum

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Please contact our specialists for more information:

DAIRY NUTRITIONISTS Steve Brown - Ruminant Feeds Product Manager M: 07774 855026 E: steve.brown@wynnstay.co.uk

@sirbilly55

Rebecca Richards - Calf Specialist M: 07881 093633 E: rebecca.richards@wynnstay.co.uk

@richardscalf1

DAIRY TECHNICAL SERVICES TEAM Dr Huw McConochie - Head of Dairy Technical Services M: 07771 740857 E: huw.mcconochie@wynnstay.co.uk

@HuwMcConochie

Iwan Vaughan - Dairy Specialist M: 07990 578548 E: iwan.vaughan@wynnstay.co.uk

@maesmochnant

Thomas Stephenson - North England M: 07469 851 607 E: thomas.stephenson@wynnstay.co.uk

William Astley - Mid and North Wales and Staffordshire M: 07502 311 181 E: will.astley@wynnstay.co.uk

Mark Price - Midlands M: 07876 824 314 E: mark.price@wynnstay.co.uk

@m_priceo

Stuart Miles - South Wales M: 07788 310 254 E: stuart.miles@wynnstay.co.uk

@stuartmiles

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