Depending where you live, the last several years have put many pressures on dairy profitability.  Margins are becoming slim to non-existent for some farms in 2012. Previously, one of the positive aspects of dairy farming was that dairy cows are good converters of by-products and low-cost feedstuffs that would otherwise be discarded.  In today’s, challenged marketplace even these feeds are becoming more costly.

It’s Time to Look at Feed Conversion

Now the dairy industry must take a lesson from poultry, swine and beef who focus on feed efficiency in producing eggs, chicken, pork and beef.  It’s time for dairy to focus on the conversion of feed to edible products.

The FE (Feed Efficiency) Formula

FE = Milk or FCM or ECM / dry matter intake

Feed efficiency in the dairy industry has traditionally been measured as some measure of milk production (actual milk, fat-corrected milk (FCM) or energy-corrected milk (ECM) as a ratio to dry matter intake.

The FCR (Feed Conversion Formula)

FCR = dry matter intake / lbs. of milk fat + lbs. of milk protein

The above is a new measure for feed conversion ratio (FCR), which is a measure of the pounds of feed (DM) that it takes to produce 1 pound of milk components.

Feed Efficiency is Not ONLY about FEED!

It would seem obvious that feed related factors would be most important when you set out to increase feed efficiency.  Nutritionists and consultants draw our attention to forage digestibility, feed particle size, protein levels, fat levels, starch levels and certain feed additives that can affect feed efficiency. This is what they know.  This is what we can control.

However, there are factors beyond feed that we can look at such as environmental factors and our own management inputs. Some environmental factors can be more difficult to control than others.  It is difficult to be 100% in charge of the effects of heat stress, average days in milk, lactation number, acidosis and heat stress.  Each one of these will affect feed conversion. But there are other environmental and management factors that we can target in our effort to improve feed conversion.

MANAGING TO MAKE MORE MILK: Do you help or hinder your cows?

Variability in management practices can greatly affect production, components and dry matter intake and, thus, feed efficiency. Researchers point to a survey which was undertaken on 3000 cows in 47 herds that were fed the same diet.  Results show that there was a 27 pound difference in production (i.e. the difference between 47 pounds and 74 pounds of milk), even when fed the same ration.

Cow Comfort Should Not Be the Last Resort

A recent area under consideration for feed efficiency is cow comfort. Cow comfort issues can affect milk production and components, reproduction and general health. While most of the research has shown increases in production with improved cow comfort, generally production or component increases translate into improvements in feed efficiency. There are excellent studies on the effects of stall design on milk production and cow health.

Less Stocking density = More Milk

Too many cows in one area and the number of stalls per cow can have an effect on feed conversion. Cows in crowded conditions tend to eat faster and ruminate less. The larger numbers can directly relate to more pathogen load in the area. More pathogens can be as simple as more teat end exposure to pathogens. In the long term cows can share more serious illness and immune suppression. The previously mentioned Spanish study, attributed a 32 percent of the production variability to stocking density and determined that each 10 percent reduction in cows per stall equaled 1.7 lbs more milk per cow.

Less Lameness = More Milk

Lameness can dramatically affect production, health and reproduction. However, even cows that are mildly lame (cows that walk with shortened strides, an arched back and a slight limp) can have reduced production and feed efficiency.

Researchers have shown even cows with a lameness score of 3 (mildly lame, 1 to 5 scale with 5 being severely lame), can have 3 to 5 lbs less production (greater than 900 lbs per lactation) vs. sound cows (score 1). Key point – Even mild lameness can negatively impact production and feed efficiency.

More Lying time = More Milk

Cows need time to lie down. This priority can consume around 12 hours of a cow`s day and cows will sacrifice eating time for lying time.  The Miner Institute in New York conducted a series of studies that showed an increase of 2 to 3.5 lbs of additional milk for each additional hour of lying time. More rest = More dollars.

Less Time Away from the Pen = More Milk

Minimizing time outside the pen is important to maximize cows’ time for resting, eating and drinking. Time away from the pen for milking can have an effect on production. In an extreme example of this, a study from the University of Nebraska compared the effect of three versus six hours per day away from the pen for milking. When time away from the pen was reduced, second-plus lactation cows gained two additional hours of resting time and 5 lbs of milk and first-lactation heifers gained an additional four hours of rest and 8 lbs of milk.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

These are only a few of the factors that have an impact on our cattle and their production levels. Knowing how to balance the need for resting, drinking, exercise, feeding and general comfort can have as much or more impact on feed efficiency than feed related factors alone. It only makes sense to control what we have some control over.

We have all said at one time or another, “If only we took as good care of ourselves as we do of our cows!” However, we may be a little less precise in our care of newborn calves.  It might mean we need to change our protocols so that these newborns get the same attention to detail as our human babies. 

1. Clear the airway: Remove mucous from around the mouth and nose, assisting the calf to breath.  Inserting a piece of straw into the nasal cavity or pouring some cold water on the calf’s head should initiate a gasping reflex to promote respiration.
2. Dry off the calf:  The dam, if she is well and able, will dry the calf.  If she needs assistance, or if you are moving the calf immediately, you can handle the drying by using a clean, dry towel. The vigorous message provided while drying around the shoulders and neck encourages respiration and helps the calf to regulate its body temperature.  As water evaporates, heat is removed, which can lead the calf vulnerable to chilling. In cold weather provide blankets.
3. Provide Calf Comfort:  Even more than with cows, calf bedding needs to be clean and thick. Thickness is important because the bedding must be thick enough that the newborn is not exposed to all the bacteria underneath.  Take a look at the calving area and you will see that newborn calves do not land in a sterile environment.  The entire area cradles bacteria as well as brand new calves.
4. Feed adequate colostrum.  Once the calf is breathing well, colostrum should be administered. According to DCHA Gold Standards (Colostrum Management), colostrums equaling 10% of body weight should be fed in the first four hours of life.  It not only provides the calf with disease-fighting antibodies, but it also increases the calf’s blood volume and improves blood circulation.
5. Use a colostrometer to evaluate quality.  Cattle managers are well aware of the benefits of good quality colostrum.  The question is, “How do you evaluate your colostrum?” Experience tells us that if it’s yellow and thick … it’s probably good.  But is that true? We can’t wait to see if the calf responds well and yet we may be saving poor quality colostrums based on visual assessment alone. Having a trusted and accurate source is well worth the investment in a colostrometer.
6. Use a meat thermometer. Some sources advise using a meat thermometer to determine if the refrigerator where you store your colostrum is working properly and if your hot water heater is working properly. You can’t just assume because either of these feel cold or hot to the touch that they are working at the most effective temperature. The same attention to detail that you use in cleaning the milk pipelines in the milking parlour needs to be applied to the measureable temperatures that are used in care of your calves.
7. Special Care: Calves from a difficult calving may need to be moved and handled with extra care. Surviving alive may not be enough to guarantee a healthy growing period for that newborn calf. Extra attention will save time, labour and medication if spent wisely in these early hours and days.
8. Clean the calf cart!  Clean the calf pails!  Clean the calf bottle! Clean the esophageal tube!

The Bullvine Bottom Line:

When it comes to raising calves it’s the first little details that pay off in big returns later. See that your calves remain alive and thrive!

Sometimes I wonder if non-farming consumers ever ask themselves how farmers feel about the price of food.

Farmers have to eat too!

Even though I’m a farmer, I am also affected at the grocery store when events such as the largest drought in the last fifty years drives corn prices to record highs.  You don’t have to be much of a food label reader to know that corn finds its way into more than 2500 products on grocery store shelves. Having said that, food corn only represents 1% of the annual corn crop. The corn planted in 2012 represents the largest it’s been in the U.S. since 1937. One might assume that the one percent grown for human consumption may have benefited, depending on local water reserves, from irrigation and therefore will not see higher prices this year. According to industry experts, the value of the corn in both processed foods and non-food products is usually not large enough for the current corn price spike to have much impact on what the consumer pays at the checkout.

So, if the impact is small, why is the forecast for food prices to rise 4.5 per cent?

Regardless of individual items, the USDA projects overall food prices in the U.S. will rise three to four per cent in 2013. That’s more than the inflation rate but food prices have been running ahead of inflation for the last few years. The Wall Street Journal calculates that the impact of the drought will be “not that much,” or $32.76 for the year for the average U.S. consumer. Sylvain Charlebois, the project lead of the University of Guelph’s Food Retail Price Index, told CBC News that he does not expect the U.S. drought to have a significant impact on food prices in Canada. He forecasts food prices will increase by no more than 4.5 per cent in 2013, and only a fraction of that can be attributable to the drought.

Farmers Grow Corn.  Farmers Buy Corn.

Recently, Statistics Canada released its latest crop production forecast. In contrast to what’s happening in the U.S., corn production in Canada is expected to increase 9.5 per cent from 2011. Nevertheless, the U.S. situation will have quite an impact on Canadian agriculture. Because nearly 43 per cent of U.S. corn goes to feed cows, pigs, chickens and even farmed fish, that is where the price increase is likely to be felt most. In Ontario, which grows about three-quarters of Canada’s corn, 50-55 per cent of the crop is used as animal feed.

About 12 per cent of U.S. corn gets exported and Canada is a big buyer. Last year, another 10 per cent of U.S. corn went into “other products,” while the remaining seven per cent was surplus.

Data shows that “Canada is by far the top buyer” for the other-products category which includes corn flour, starch, malt and worked grains.

First Increases will be in dairy and eggs

Dairy and egg prices should be the first to see an increase from the higher input costs. Beef and pork prices are actually forecast to drop initially. That’s because producers are expected to send some animals to market earlier than they would have otherwise, to reduce costs. In the short term, the extra supply will put downward pressure on meat prices and then smaller herds will mean less supply.

Corn in the Tank

After animal feed, the next largest share of U.S. corn ends ups as ethanol, which gets blended into the gasoline sold at the pumps. To encourage energy efficiency and renewable fuels, governments have mandated a minimum amount of renewable fuels being blended with gasoline. These laws have led to a progressively larger share of the corn harvest ending up as fuel. In Canada the federal government has set the average minimum content for renewable fuels at 5 per cent. In Saskatchewan, the mandate is 7.5 per cent; it is 8.5 per cent in Manitoba. The U.S. now has a 10-per-cent mandate for the amount of ethanol that has to be added to gasoline.

In the U.S., the National Corn Growers Association says 38 per cent of the country’s corn crop is destined for ethanol. But since those same cobs get made into both ethanol and animal feed, in the form of distillers’ grains, they do the math to end up with 29 per cent of the corn crop getting used for ethanol, and add nine points to what’s used for animal feed. In Canada, about 30 per cent of the corn crop is grown for ethanol, or about 20 per cent, after accounting for distillers’ grains.

When it comes to the price of ethanol, government subsidies and other factors that mean the end cost is not a simple equation based on input costs. Ethanol futures prices are up about 19 per cent since the start of the year. Corn prices, on the other hand, fell through the first half of the year but have spiked sharply since then, resulting in a price increase for corn of about 35 per cent so far this year. It is nearly twice that for ethanol.  A surplus of ethanol has probably helped to keep its prices low and, with ethanol prices still below those of gasoline, analysts expect the increase in corn prices for consumers buying blended gas at the pump will be insignificant.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

When all is said and done, a bad crop year has wide-ranging ripples that can hit the farmer at multiple touch points.  The farmer feels the negative effects twice at the farm, as a corn producer and corn consumer, and again as the consumer at the checkout.  And so perhaps the original question needs to be changed, “Why don’t non-farming consumers recognize that farmers are consumers too?”

Driving a tractor is not most people’s idea of a good time. However, the fresh air, the great views and bird watching make it well above time in an airplane, subway or car. Our three children, all experienced with the previous three, feel that any ride, which surpasses three hours at a time, can be described as “cruel, but not unusual, punishment”.

However, if your farm life is typical and you are constantly fielding questions about equipment repairs, early or late pregnancies and the latest scientific breakthrough, a little motorized time can actually be a gift. You can get things done on a tractor assuming it is raking, hauling, or lifting in the prescribed and expected manner. Later today, I will get to test the following theories.

Rake Hay While the Sun Shines: Of course you can’t read a book or a magazine while driving a tractor, but there’s nothing stopping you from writing one.  This self-imposed separation from papers, to-do-lists and yes, cows, milking and feeding, is a great space to develop that talent you don’t have enough time for.  What about singing?  No problem with the right key — being “pitchy” sounds perfect on a farm. Reframe what is important in your life from the highpoint of the tractor seat. Seeing the big picture is much easier – literally – from the top of a hill or from the back 40.  Admiring your handiwork (leg and tractor work) from afar gives an entirely different prospective than when you’re on hands and knees figuring out why that fencer isn’t working.

Cruising Right Along: Think about it!  No one can interrupt you.  This is the time to focus on that problem that is harder to solve than the perfectly straight rows you’re managing at the moment especially with no phone calls to interrupt you.  Seriously?  You have your phone with you on the tractor? That is just wrong. This is time for thinking outside the inbox. With a two to three hour window with no family or other work responsibilities weighing on you, you can put all your creative thought processes to solving those big picture problems.  When will you take your next real vacation? It should not involve heavy equipment.  Where will you go?  Again – it should not involve animals. Oh well, perhaps a zoo.  No feeding the animals.  Well…Marineland could make that more enjoyable. The point is everyone needs time to revive and refresh.  Away from the chaos.

Counting Your Blessings: If nothing else, tractor time gives you pause to consider the great things that being a dairy farmer brings to your life.  There go your neighbours down the road to their office jobs, traffic jams and stress-filled eight-hour days.  Granted your days are often double that but you have fresh air (mostly) and job satisfaction on a daily basis.  They’re going golfing you say? Seriously.  If putting small objects into small containers was really so satisfying, everyone would pay money to milk cows for you! Think about it. You’ve got tractor time.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

When, as far as the eye can see, you are the only one working in your field today, who needs anything more?

Disclaimer: No small animals were harmed (or run over) in the pondering of this article.

A picture is worth a thousand words and, thanks to YouTube, almost every new trend, scandalous leader and singing idol can be viewed after the tapping of a few keys. Today we are linking you to a cattle related video that deals with disease with TB in badgers. Before you raise your stop sign, keep an open mind for a minute. After all it could be TB in Canadian or American deer or wild bison. It could be brucellosis. After watching this 2011 film entitled, “Mayday at Heolfawr Cross” we hope you don’t remain on the fence, even though that is the final view we have of Dai Bevan as we see the destruction of his life’s work raising Longhorn cattle in Wales? Another stop sign? Longhorns are not Holsteins! Wales is not Canada or the US. Take a few minutes to see if there is anything to learn or, at the very least, who is to blame?

Oops! There’s the first mistake. If we decide that laying blame is the only outcome we seek, then there will never be a different ending to this sad story.

Ignore the problem or point the finger of blame

It’s hard not to feel empathy for Dai Bevan when he quietly acknowledges, “I am absolutely not in control of the situation.” Faced with the agonizing loss of his cattle who, though “not friends” are the individuals he cared for primarily all his life, he does get angry at those he feels caused this outcome “They are denying gravity. The world isn’t round it is flat. Why is a cow’s life so much less than a wild animal’s?” He asks the question and his veterinarian neighbours, also affected by TB, express their frustration. “We know what needs to be done, but politics is standing in the way.” They feel helpless.

Excuses, Blame and Status Quo

One video can’t possibly provide the full details of what has led to this situation. Of course, we see it through the filters of our own North American experience, which may only be arms length from such problems. Although this deals with wild animal vectors, we did experience the same agonizing decisions, finger-pointing and loss of animals and income, when we were in the negative spotlight of BSE. We could have said and did say the same words as Dai Bevan, “I don’t like that there’s nothing I can do.” But is that the final word?

Who’s Healthy? Who’s Sick?

The point that is touched on only briefly in this video, is that the badgers are hosting and perhaps suffering from TB. In North America deer are contracting the disease, as are wild bison. The end result is not just death for the cattle but also for the carrier. A good point is made that the general public has a fuzzy, sometimes fairy-tale view of wildlife from their far-from-the-farm vantage point. But at the end of the day, disease is disease. Ignored disease is deadly, whether it’s carried by wildlife, cattle or the person you meet for coffee today.

Timely Testing

We all would like to think we have our personal (and farm) health protocols working properly but how often do you hear that a friend or family member has just received bad news from a health test and that they are facing a dire prognosis. There is nothing timely about a vet visit that ends with the disposal of an entire herd of cattle.

Prevention or Cure?

In the film the veterinarian points out that there has been awareness that TB has been present in the longhorn and other breeds for years. Of course, it became personal when it affected his own herd. We can’t bury our heads in clouds of hopefulness that it won’t become personal. Even if it isn’t our own herd of cattle, it affects sales, loss of genetic material, financial costs and the image of an entire country, industry and each farmer. As we heard on the video it’s time to stand up and say “The buck stops here!”

Priorities or Partnerships?

You can’t watch the video without having a response to it. Evan Bevan acknowledges that we all enjoy “hours at times watching badgers playing and rolling down banks. The difference is they’re healthy (i.e. non-lethal) badgers.” We all have a stake in healthy wildlife as well as healthy livestock. It is discouraging that conservationists “take the view that (badgers) are an absolute priority (over cattle) rather than a partnership. The two have to exist together.” A solution has to be found that doesn’t lose both wildlife and the animals that provide food for our tables.

Teamwork

North Americans are well-aware of the term Bio-Security. It may have had an impact on your farm already. It isn’t the fault or responsibility of someone else. Each one of us is responsible for the health status that affects our farm, our cattle, and our family. You need to be hyper-vigilant. This starts with awareness of risks. Get in touch with OMAFRA or Department of Agriculture and find out for yourself what current risks may be present in your area. We have had unusual weather which affects our crops and cows. It affects the wildlife population as well. What impact could it have on you? What input have you had from your farm team? Be proactive not reactive because, as a nutritionist recently told me, “Reaction means dead cows!”

THE BULLVINE BOTTOM LINE

When it comes to diseases that could wipe out your entire herd, you absolutely MUST know the answer to the question, “Where do you sit?” Hint #1: The answer cannot be “On the fence!” Hint #2: The answer cannot be “Wait and see!” If you wait, it’s too late!

Is spending every possible minute on farm work the best thing for your dairy business?

Is there room on your farm for work-life balance?

It seems logical that the more work you put into something, the more you will get out of it, right? If you work 80 hrs a week, you will surely make more money and be more successful than those less ambitious folks who are only investing 40 hours. That may be true for a certain amount of time but, eventually, it can actually have a negative effect on your cattle business and, even worse, on your life and those around you. Here are a few tips to help prevent the farm from taking over your life.

1. Where Have All the Weekends Gone?
   Time was that farmers were the only ones tied down 24-7. Everyone else at least had weekends off. However the ongoing crises in the global economy and unreal lifestyle expectations have many people on a never-ending treadmill. Burn out no longer is that brush fire your mother started with her annual spring fence row cleanup. Today farmers have been joined by countless others who consider themselves to be tied to their job. The iPad, smart phones and other technological advances have expanded the working day until many are unable to distinguish between “ON” and “OFF”.
2. You CAN Miss a Milking
   Observers of the modern day farm family have noticed that the younger generations do not have as much trouble getting away from the farm. They are more willing than their parents to take some personal time. We’ve all heard the stories of Dad or Grand-Dad (or Grandma too!) who “never missed a milking in forty years! It was a point of pride. Then, lo and behold, one day it happened that they did not make it to the barn. Surprisingly, the world didn’t actually stop turning. We can learn from their experience and, provided it isn’t a life-ending interruption, recognize that there’s no real harm done. Trusting someone else with chores is a good team building exercise. Continuity is a great thing but passing the baton to someone else builds pride, commitment and teamwork.
3. Back Away from the Barn
   There is always work to be done on a farm. Mother Nature sees to that. It is up to you to find the time to be with others. Yes, this could mean working on the farm together but spouses or family members who work off the farm will appreciate it if you schedule your days in such a way that you can share some free time, when you both are not working. Sometimes farmers cheat on this and call all those community, sports and hobby commitments as “free” time. Having said that, even these are better than no time away from the farm at all.
4. Keep the Cows out of your living room, kitchen and bedroom!
   It’s too easy to pull out the laptop while sitting and watching TV in the living room or catch up on emails at the kitchen table. Oops I’ll just take one more call before putting out the light. This can turn the entire house into your barn office and can easily lead to a never-ending stream of excuses for doing just one more minute.. one more … one more! That big sign on your barn or at the end of the lane announces to the world that you are endlessly accessible for sales calls, fix-it advice or even a neighbourly chat. All good in their own time and space, but not every incoming call needs to rise to the top of your priority list.
5. Preserve Your Private Time
   Whatever time you establish as your time, make sure you don’t give it up. Let everyone know that there is a particular time that represents your time off. You will be more relaxed and the benefits to those around you will make everyone work to protect your personal time. The further removed from cattle breeding, the more your hobby will give you a boost. Take lessons to enhance one of your artistic talents, become a marathoner learn ham radio operation. The possibilities are endless.
6. Are You Having Fun Yet?
   Granted raising animals, planting gardens and, even, building and repairing things are considered hobbies by some people. It isn’t what you’re doing that defines the hobby but whether or not it is a break from your daily routine. Many have taken up golfing and enjoy the opportunity to clear their heads for three or four hours. Fresh air, relaxation and time with friends and family – that’s not a “must do” but a “want to”. This is a grey area for those who love their chosen field and garden. The measure of a great hobby is that you come back to farm work refreshed.
7. Don’t feel guilty
   Anyone descended from a long line of farmers has experienced the guilt when they take time away from the farm. You can always spot the farmers at vacation resorts or tourist towns. They’re the ones who are up at 5 a:m walking. Sure they’ll tell you they’re enjoying the sunrise or working up an appetite for breakfast but, just as often, they are feeling like fish out of water and not just a little bit guilty about the lazy beginning to each day. It’s okay not to work. Not working is actually beneficial. It gives you the ability to recharge and clear your mind. When you start to feel that guilt, immediately remind yourself that you need to separate from work and recharge so that you’re ready to go when you get back to work the next day or next week.
8. Know when to stop
   There will always be barn checks, field work and repairs. Do you know when to stop working? Spend the entire evening not thinking about bills to pay, getting ready for a barn meeting or the drainage problem in the back forty. Leave that for tomorrow. You will do a better job of it in the morning. Stop and smell the flowers. It is important that you do this for yourself and, also, that you respect the time of the other farm suppliers you work with. Everyone does a better job when they are rested. Does it really make that big a difference if you call at 10 at night or early the next morning?
9. Have a “Cow Free” Time
   It is hard not to share your passion for cows and, over time, the people you socialize with either share that passion or are interested in it because of their friendship with you. In farm families it can be quite easy to talk cows all the time. When you get into this habit you are cutting yourself off from being stimulated by something non-farm related. Actively seek out how other occupations are dealing with innovation, technology or whatever is the equivalent of the breakthrough of genomics. It is never a waste of time to hear about and be inspired by someone else’s passion for their work.
10. Make time to accomplish non-farm related goals
    While it isn’t unreasonable to plan to farm well into your sunset years, it can be rewarding to establish non-farm goals as well. What you want to establish are your own choices. At the end of the day you want your options to be open and not to feel forced to either work when you don’t want to or to suddenly be forced to give up what has been your single focus in life. Farm – Life balance is the goal.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

If you learn how to turn your Farm Off, you will also learn how to turn your LIFE on! Strive for balance in all things!