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Unleashing Tomorrow’s Dairy Leaders: Inside the National Dairy Challenge

Tuesday, July 16th, 2024

Learn how the National Dairy Challenge helps create future dairy leaders. Curious about how students, industry experts, and schools work together to improve dairy skills? Keep reading.

The Dairy Challenge is more than a competition; it epitomizes collaboration among industry, academia, and students, ensuring the program remains at the forefront of dairy management practices. Industry professionals serve as mentors, judges, and sponsors, vital to the program’s success.  Participants delve into every facet of dairy farm operations, from feeding and financial strategies to reproductive health and nutrition. This immersive approach equips students with valuable, real-world knowledge. Beyond just a contest, the Dairy Challenge rigorously prepares future leaders in the dairy industry by bridging the gap between academia and industry.  The initiative fosters collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation, enhancing communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and other soft skills. With over 8,000 alumni, the Dairy Challenge significantly shapes the next generation of dairy sector leaders.

“Dairy Challenge is a case study competition where students from universities across North America apply their skills in feeding, nutrition, reproduction, and finance on real farms.” – David Thorbahn, CEO of Select Sires,

The Origins and Evolution of the National Dairy Challenge: From Academic Roots to Dairy Industry Innovation

The National Dairy Challenge’s inception traces its roots to the Business College at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where students were organized into teams to conduct in-depth case studies on various businesses. This approach honed their analytical skills and fostered a competitive spirit. David Thorbahn, a key figure in establishing the Dairy Challenge, saw the potential of this model for the dairy industry, envisioning a structure where the complexities of dairy management could be addressed through real-world applications. 

Thorbahn’s vision led to a dialogue with Linda Hodorff and others, quickly translating into action. The goal was to bridge academia, industry, and practical experience, nurturing future leaders in dairy management. In 2001, a steering committee of various stakeholders was formed, laying the foundational framework for the National Dairy Challenge. 

The first Dairy Challenge occurred in early 2002 at Michigan State University, featuring 14 teams from 12 universities. This inaugural event allowed students to apply their classroom knowledge in natural dairy farm settings, evaluating nutrition, reproduction, and finance areas. 

Since then, the Dairy Challenge has significantly evolved, hosting multiple regional and national contests involving around 600 students annually. This growth reflects its success in creating a robust educational platform, facilitating knowledge exchange, and fostering innovation in dairy management. The Dairy Challenge thrives, driven by visionaries who adapted a business education model into a crucial dairy industry initiative.

Mastering Dairy Management: A Comprehensive and Competitive Academic Endeavor 

The National Dairy Challenge is a rigorous case study competition that mirrors real-world dairy farm management. It provides a hands-on, competitive platform for university students across North America. The competition begins with forming teams, where students with diverse skills and backgrounds come together to conduct thorough farm evaluations. These evaluations comprehensively review the farm’s operations, including feeding and nutrition, reproduction, veterinary medicine, and finance. Students then develop management strategies based on their findings, applying their skills and knowledge to solve real-time problems in the dairy sector. 

Participants analyze dietary regimens, assess breeding programs, evaluate health protocols, and scrutinize farm budgets, ensuring a holistic review of each farm. They work with detailed datasets, including financial summaries and herd performance records, and utilize industry-relevant technologies to analyze data. Direct farm visits deepen their understanding and lead to a synthesis of findings into a cohesive management plan. 

The competition culminates with teams presenting their analyses and recommendations to a panel of industry, academia, and farming judges. This final phase tests their technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and communication skills, creating a vital link between academic learning and professional application. The Dairy Challenge equips participants with well-rounded expertise, preparing them for future leadership roles in the dairy industry.

Beyond the Classroom: Empowering Students with Real-World Dairy Management Expertise

The National Dairy Challenge offers students unparalleled educational benefits through experiential learning that eclipses traditional classroom settings. By engaging in real-world dairy management scenarios, students acquire a deep understanding of agricultural systems and develop practical skills essential for success in the dairy industry. 

A distinctive feature of the Dairy Challenge is its emphasis on practical skills. Students rigorously evaluate diverse aspects of dairy farms—from feeding and nutrition to reproduction and financial management. This hands-on approach imparts theoretical knowledge and ensures students can apply it to solve complex, real-time problems. This comprehensive training leaves students feeling competent and prepared for the challenges of the dairy industry. 

Soft skills are equally emphasized in the Dairy Challenge. Students are grouped into teams and must collaborate efficiently to assess dairy operations and formulate comprehensive management recommendations. This high-pressure environment hones their decision-making abilities and fosters critical, swift thinking under tight timelines. 

The presentation phase requires students to articulate their findings clearly and confidently, enhancing their public speaking and communication skills. Presenting to industry expert panels, they receive invaluable feedback, further refining their ability to convey information effectively and persuasively. 

The National Dairy Challenge bridges academic learning and industry practice, cultivating a well-rounded skill set. This unique blend of practical experience and interpersonal proficiency positions Dairy Challenge participants as highly competent and adaptable professionals prepared to contribute significantly to the dairy industry.

Triad of Excellence: The Collaborative Core Driving the National Dairy Challenge 

At the core of the National Dairy Challenge is a dynamic collaboration among students, industry professionals, and academia. This triad forms the foundation of the program’s success, merging theoretical knowledge with practical expertise. Sponsorship from industry stakeholders is crucial, as it provides financial support and ensures access to cutting-edge dairy technology and practices. These resources enrich the learning experience and keep the program relevant to contemporary industry issues. Sponsors also gain visibility and recognition within the dairy sector, enhancing their brand image and market reach. 

Equally important is the involvement of industry professionals as volunteers. Serving as judges, mentors, and presenters, these volunteers play varied and impactful roles. Judges offer critical evaluation and feedback, mentors guide students through the complexities of real-world dairy management, and presenters share the latest industry developments and technologies. Their involvement is beneficial and integral to the program, as they help cultivate the next generation of dairy leaders. In return, companies gain unique opportunities to network with potential future employees, ensuring the continuity and advancement of the dairy sector.

A Diverse Geographic Expedition: The National Dairy Challenge’s Comprehensive Contest Structure 

The National Dairy Challenge features a robust schedule of regional and national contests designed to cater to a wide geographic diversity and ensure comprehensive participation from universities across North America. 

Each year, four regional contests are hosted: 

  • Northeast Region: Typically held in the fall, bringing together students from universities in the northeastern United States.
  • Southern Region: This event will also be held in the fall and cater to universities and students from the southern United States.
  • Western Region: This region is held early in the year, often around late winter to early spring. The upcoming Western contest is slated to take place in Richmond, Utah.
  • Midwest Region: The event is set for early February, with locations rotating among the Midwestern states. This year’s event will be in Green Bay, Wisconsin, following a previous hosting in Iowa.

The national contest rotates annually among the regions, providing a fresh and varied experience each year. Here are the upcoming locations for the national contests: 

  • 2024: California, offering a diverse dairy landscape on the West Coast.
  • 2025: Florida, presenting students with insights into dairy operations in the southeastern United States.
  • 2026: South Dakota, bringing the event to the heart of the American Midwest.
  • 2027: Michigan State University, a nod to the roots of the Dairy Challenge and celebrating its 25th anniversary.

This rotation ensures that students gain exposure to various dairy management practices and regional dairy challenges, enriching their learning experience and preparing them for diverse careers in the dairy industry.

Firsthand Testimonials: Alumni and Industry Leaders Highlight the Dairy Challenge’s Transformative Impact 

“When I just got out of college, the most valuable experience I had was the Dairy Challenge,” gushed a recent graduate who returned to manage his family’s 5,000-cow dairy in the southwestern United States. The practical knowledge and hands-on experience gained through the Dairy Challenge prepared him for the complexities of modern dairy management, facilitating a smooth transition from academia to real-world application. 

Although not a Dairy Challenge participant, Erin experienced its benefits secondhand. “I’m married to a Dairy Challenge participant, and I’ve seen firsthand the skills that students gain. The teamwork, decision-making, and presentation skills developed are invaluable.” Her company’s involvement in the Dairy Challenge further solidified its importance as they recruited alumni who exemplified these skills, significantly contributing to their operational success. 

From an industry perspective, Dave shared a memorable encounter: “One example was at a 5,000-cow dairy where I asked the son, fresh out of college, about his most valuable college experience. His immediate response was, ‘Dairy Challenge.’ Comments like these make it clear how essential this program is.” This unique form of validation underscores the transformative impact of the Dairy Challenge on participants and the industry’s perception of its value. 

Industry sponsors also echo the profound positive outcomes. Mike Westfall from Farm Credit mentioned, “Sponsoring Dairy Challenge isn’t just about funding; it’s about investing in future leaders. We see firsthand the exceptional talent and passion these students bring.” His remarks highlight the dual benefits of sponsorship—supporting education while securing a pipeline of skilled professionals. 

Numerous participants’ personal growth and career advancements testify to the Dairy Challenge’s unparalleled contribution to the dairy industry. Its influence extends beyond national borders, shaping the future of dairy management with each cohort of newly minted industry leaders.

Global Ripples of Excellence: The Dairy Challenge’s Influence Beyond North America 

The National Dairy Challenge’s approach to hands-on dairy management has revolutionized education in North America and has influenced similar programs globally. A noteworthy example is in China, where a former Dairy Challenge assistant coach initiated a parallel program. Now, 65 Chinese universities participate, embracing the same high standards and collaborative principles. This success highlights the universal appeal and adaptability of the Dairy Challenge model. 

China’s embrace of the Dairy Challenge underscores how academic rigor and industry collaboration can enhance practical skills, setting a precedent for other countries. As interest in replicating this framework grows, international partnerships and knowledge-sharing opportunities expand. Such collaborations promise to elevate dairy education globally and foster a more interconnected industry. 

The National Dairy Challenge has become a global model for experiential dairy education. Its international success showcases its adaptability and the widespread desire for such paradigms, paving the way for future collaborations and potential global educational revolutions in dairy management.

The Evolving Landscape of the National Dairy Challenge: Innovations and Expansions Fueling Future Growth

The trajectory of the National Dairy Challenge promises continuous growth and innovation. The Academy for Younger Students has brought fresh perspectives, helping early-stage talent transition smoothly into the dairy industry. This initiative diversifies participants and enhances the competition’s educational impact. 

The Dairy Challenge Vet Competition exemplifies significant expansion, engaging veterinary students and integrating animal health more closely with dairy productivity. This interdisciplinary approach aligns with industry needs, where comprehensive knowledge is crucial. 

Looking forward, opportunities for further innovation abound. Enhancing data analytics skills through advanced software can better reflect technological advancements in dairy management. Incorporating themes like sustainability practices and low-carbon technologies will make the challenge more relevant and cultivate future-ready dairy professionals. 

International expansion remains a promising avenue, with initial steps taken in markets like China. As global dairy practices evolve, the Dairy Challenge has the potential to collaborate with international institutions, share best practices, and foster a global community of dairy experts. Continuing this spirit of innovation, the Dairy Challenge is set to lead experiential agricultural education for years to come.

Unlocking Opportunities: How to Engage with the National Dairy Challenge Across Different Roles 

Engagement in the National Dairy Challenge offers many opportunities for students, professionals, and industry leaders. Whether you’re a student looking to showcase your dairy management skills, a professional seeking to mentor and recruit top talent, or an industry leader aiming to stay at the forefront of technological advancements, here’s how you can get involved: 

  • For Students: Contact your university’s agriculture or dairy science department to express your interest in participating. Preparation typically involves taking related courses and engaging in farm management activities. Many universities have dedicated coaches who can provide guidance and facilitate your involvement.
  • For Industry Professionals: Volunteer as a mentor or judge during regional or national contests. This hands-on involvement helps shape the dairy industry’s future and allows you to identify and recruit top talent directly.
  • For Industry Leaders and Sponsors: Consider sponsoring the National Dairy Challenge at various levels. Sponsorship can provide significant exposure, networking opportunities, and direct access to student resumes and job fairs. Sponsors often participate in educational presentations, mixers, and other networking events, fostering deeper ties with future industry leaders.
  • For Educators: Facilitate the formation of teams from your institution and integrate Dairy Challenge preparation into your curriculum. Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among dairy science, business, veterinary studies, and agricultural engineering students to help them excel in the competition.

To volunteer or sponsor, contact the Dairy Challenge organizers through their website at dairychallenge.org. For alumni looking to stay engaged, taking the alumni survey via the website can connect you with volunteer opportunities tailored to your interests and expertise. Your involvement benefits the participants and contributes to the sustainability and innovation of the dairy industry.

The Bottom Line

The National Dairy Challenge exemplifies excellence by uniting students, industry professionals, and academics to mold future dairy leaders. This initiative turns academic knowledge into practical expertise through competitive case studies and real-world farm assessments. Regional and national levels provide unique immersive learning opportunities, focusing on soft skills, hands-on experience, and industry-standard technologies, ensuring participants become future leaders. Key elements include the program’s history, the diverse skills it fosters, and its collaborative solid network. Testimonials from alumni and industry veterans highlight its lasting impact, while international expansion shows its broad influence. 

Support from the dairy community—as sponsors, volunteers, or advocates—is essential for its continued success. By contributing your expertise, resources, or time, you invest in the future of dairy agriculture. Let’s champion this initiative to ensure it thrives and inspires the next generation of dairy leaders.

Key Takeaways:

  • The National Dairy Challenge is a case study competition bringing together students from universities across North America to apply skills in feeding, nutrition, reproduction, and finance on real farms.
  • It fosters collaboration among students, industry professionals, and academia to enhance dairy production skills and develop future leaders in the dairy industry.
  • Founded in 2002 at Michigan State University, the program has expanded to include over 600 students annually through regional contests, national contests, and specialized academies.
  • Participants gain comprehensive hands-on experience, analyzing real farms and presenting detailed recommendations, which helps improve their technical and soft skills.
  • The initiative receives significant support from industry sponsors, providing financial backing and volunteer expertise, which in turn helps sponsors recruit top talent.
  • Success stories from alumni and industry leaders highlight the transformative impact of the Dairy Challenge on career trajectories and industry standards.
  • The program’s influence extends globally, with similar initiatives being established in countries like China, demonstrating its international appeal and effectiveness.
  • Ongoing innovations and expansions, including the introduction of robotic milking systems and sustainability practices, keep the Dairy Challenge at the forefront of dairy industry education.

Summary:

The Dairy Challenge is a program that connects academia and industry by involving students from universities across North America in real-world dairy farm management. Originating from the Business College at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the program has evolved significantly since its inception in 2002. It hosts multiple regional and national contests, involving around 600 students annually. Students form teams and conduct thorough farm evaluations, developing comprehensive management strategies in areas such as feeding, nutrition, reproduction, veterinary medicine, and finance. They analyze dietary regimens, assess breeding programs, health protocols, and scrutinize farm budgets. The competition culminates with teams presenting their analyses and recommendations to a panel of industry, academia, and farming judges, testing their technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and communication skills. The Dairy Challenge offers students unparalleled educational benefits through experiential learning, allowing them to develop practical skills essential for success in the dairy industry. Industry sponsorship provides financial support and access to cutting-edge dairy technology and practices, enriching the learning experience. The National Dairy Challenge promises continuous growth and innovation, with initiatives like the Academy for Younger Students and the Dairy Challenge Vet Competition exemplifying significant expansion.

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Modernized LPI to Focus on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Milkability Enhancements for Canadian Dairy Cows

Monday, July 15th, 2024

Discover how Lactanet’s updated Lifetime Performance Index will enhance dairy cow genetics by focusing on greenhouse gas reduction and milkability. Ready for the change?

The Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) is a pivotal tool in the Canadian dairy industry, aiding producers in breeding top-quality cows. It evaluates various traits like production, health, and fertility to help farmers enhance their herds. As Lactanet gears up to update the LPI early next year, the changes will refine trait weightings, add new subindexes, and introduce a sustainability element. This aims to improve focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing milkability, providing a more comprehensive tool for breeders while maintaining its trusted reliability.

As Brian Van Doormaal, Chief Services Officer at Lactanet, points out, “The expected response is relatively high when you breed for these traits.” His expertise in the field adds credibility to the information, keeping the reader engaged.

Navigating Genetic Selection: Leveraging the LPI to Cultivate Optimal Dairy Herds 

The Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) is a critical tool for dairy producers, enabling precise and foresighted breeding of high-quality cows. Integrating traits like production, health, fertility, and longevity, the LPI provides a comprehensive genetic potential assessment. This holistic approach aids in identifying top performers and making informed breeding decisions tailored to producers’ specific goals, reinforcing the importance of the LPI in the dairy industry. 

One of the LPI’s key strengths is its ability to evaluate traits directly impacting milk production and cow health. Producers can select cows excelling in these areas by analyzing milk yield, fat content, and protein levels, enhancing overall herd productivity. Simultaneously, health and fertility traits are meticulously evaluated, enabling the breeding of robust, resilient cows capable of maintaining peak performance. 

Moreover, the LPI’s detailed sub-indexes for specific traits, such as reproduction and health & welfare, allow producers to focus on particular areas of interest. Whether improving calving ability, reducing disease incidence, or enhancing milking speed and temperament, the LPI provides targeted insights for meaningful genetic improvements. The LPI is a strategic guide that helps dairy producers navigate genetic selection complexities to achieve a balanced and optimized herd. 

Modernizing the Framework: Enhancing the LPI for Contemporary Dairy Farming

The proposed changes to the Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) involve significant updates aimed at modernizing its framework to better reflect current priorities in dairy farming. The Health and Fertility group will be divided into two distinct subgroups: Reproduction, which now includes calving and daughter calving abilities, and Health and Welfare. A new Milkability subgroup will incorporate traits such as milking speed and temperament, which were not previously part of the LPI. 

Another significant update is the inclusion of the Environmental Impact subindex, which initially focused on Holsteins due to available data. This subindex evaluates feed and methane efficiency, addressing the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This change highlights Lactanet’s commitment to sustainability by considering how traits like body maintenance, which correlates with a cow’s stature and environmental footprint, impact feed energy usage. 

These enhancements refine how breeders can utilize the LPI, offering precise tools for selecting traits that align with production, health, sustainability, and overall herd improvement. Despite these adjustments, the new LPI is expected to closely resemble its predecessor, retaining a 98% correlation with the current index.

Subtle Shifts, Significant Impact: Van Doormaal on the Continuity and Enhanced Precision of the Modernized LPI

Brian Van Doormaal, Chief Services Officer for Lactanet, emphasizes the subtle changes in the modernized LPI and their alignment with producers’ objectives. “It’s not the relative weighting that determines how much of an impact breeding for these traits could have,” Van Doormaal explained during the Open Industry Session webinar. “It’s your expected response when you breed for these traits. And in these cases, the expected response is relatively high.” 

Van Doormaal underscores that the modifications will not compromise producers’ ability to concentrate on specific traits. He asserts, “When all the numbers are crunched, and the newly introduced traits are brought into the index, the list of top-rated bulls in the categories will remain largely unchanged today.” 

He reassures that the anticipated consistency in top performers reflects the robustness of the current system. “What I believe we’ll be looking at next April is an LPI that will be 98 percent correlated with today’s LPI,” he noted. This continuity alleviates concerns among breeders about potential disruptions or strategic shifts. 

Moreover, Van Doormaal points to the high expected response rates from breeding for the newly emphasized traits. This outcome is rooted in rigorous data analysis and the integration of new genetic discoveries, enhancing the predictability and efficiency of the breeding process. Thus, while the LPI evolves to include modern considerations, its core principles and effectiveness as a breeding tool remain steadfast.

Collaborative Consultations: Tailoring the LPI to Breed-Specific Genetic Goals 

The consultation process between Lactanet and breed-specific organizations has been extensive and collaborative. Since Brian Van Doormaal’s initial proposal in October 2023, Lactanet engaged with Holstein, Ayrshire, Jersey, and Guernsey representatives to refine the modernized Lifetime Performance Index (LPI). Significant discussions focused on fat versus protein weightings, which vary by breed. For example, Holsteins may prioritize protein due to market demands, while other breeds may emphasize fat based on their production systems or consumer preferences. These consultations highlighted the diverse breed-specific goals within the LPI framework. Additionally, Holsteins addressed reproductive health issues like cystic ovaries, whereas Jerseys focused on balancing durability and production. This collaborative dialogue has been crucial in tailoring the LPI to meet the unique genetic goals of each breed.

Refined Genetic Insights: Expanding to Six Sub-Groups for Comprehensive Dairy Cow Evaluation 

The new index will expand from four to six sub-groups of genetic traits, providing a more nuanced evaluation of dairy cow genetics. The existing Health and Fertility category will now be split into Reproduction and Health and Welfare sub-groups. This change includes specific traits like calving and daughter calving ability, offering a more detailed picture of reproductive performance. 

Introducing the Milkability subgroup will also incorporate milking speed and temperament, which were previously not part of the LPI. By focusing on these practical traits, the modernized LPI aims to provide producers with more comprehensive and actionable genetic information.

Green Genes: Embedding Environmental Impact into Holistic Dairy Cow Selection

The Environmental Impact subindex marks a pivotal moment in genetic selection, highlighting the need for sustainable dairy farming. This subindex, initially for Holsteins, focuses on feed and methane efficiency to reduce the environmental footprint. Extensive data from Holsteins allows for a robust assessment of these traits. This subindex includes body maintenance, linking a cow’s size with its energy use. More giant cows need more energy for maintenance, affecting milk production. Integrating body maintenance ensures a holistic approach, combining efficiency in milk production with environmental responsibility.

Streamlined Insights: The Refined and Accessible LPI for Informed Breeding Decisions 

Modernizing the Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) aims to refine metrics and enhance communication with dairy producers. The updated LPI offers a clearer understanding of a cow’s performance by reconfiguring existing genetic traits into six sub-groups. These subindexes – including Reproduction, Health and Welfare, Milkability, and Environmental Impact – provide specialized insights to guide targeted breeding strategies. For example, breeders looking to enhance milking speed and cow temperament can focus on the Milkability subgroup. Similarly, those interested in sustainability can reference the Environmental Impact subindex for feed and methane efficiency metrics. This structure allows each component to serve as a detailed genetic evaluation tool, aligning with specific breeding goals and operational realities.

Anticipated Outcomes: A Nuanced Yet Stable Transition for Dairy Producers

The revamped Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) promises a smooth transition for dairy producers. Integrating new traits like milk ability and environmental impact with existing core attributes, the modernized LPI offers a comprehensive cow evaluation. Van Doormaal highlights a 98 percent correlation with the current LPI, ensuring minimal changes in top-rated bulls and maintaining confidence in breeding decisions.

Precision in Breeding: Leveraging Relative Breeding Values for Clear Genetic Insights

Each sub-index evaluation will be presented as a “relative breeding value” (RBV), clearly measuring a bull’s genetic potential. The breed average is 500 with a standard deviation of ±100, standardizing trait evaluations for more straightforward interpretation. For instance, Lactanet’s analysis of Canadian Holstein bulls showed that 38.7% had RBVs between 450 and 550, 24% ranged from 350 to 450, and 25% fell between 550 and 650. This RBV system simplifies genetic evaluations and empowers breeders with breed-specific insights.

The Bottom Line

The modernized LPI represents a strategic evolution in dairy cow genetic evaluation, balancing productivity with enhanced health, welfare, and environmental sustainability. The revised LPI offers a more comprehensive tool for breeders by adding traits like calving ability and ecological impact. Consultations have ensured breed-specific needs, such as addressing cystic ovaries in Holsteins, are considered. Introducing relative breeding values makes the LPI user-friendly and effective for informed decisions. This new framework supports continuous herd improvement and aligns with the industry’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As Brian Van Doormaal noted, while rankings may remain unchanged, the updated index promises greater precision and relevance, marking a step forward for the Canadian dairy industry.

Key Takeaways:

  • Emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions with a new Environmental Impact subindex, including feed efficiency and methane efficiency, available initially for Holsteins due to data availability.
  • Division of the Health and Fertility group into separate Reproduction and Health and Welfare sub-groups, adding traits like calving ability and daughter calving ability.
  • Introduction of the Milkability subgroup to encompass milking speed and temperament traits, enhancing cow manageability in dairy operations.
  • Body Maintenance is included in the Environmental Impact subindex to factor in the environmental cost of maintaining a cow’s condition relative to its milk production capacity.
  • The modernized LPI aims to remain highly correlated with the current index, ensuring continuity while incorporating new traits.
  • Lactanet’s consultations with breed-specific organizations ensure the updated LPI will account for the unique genetic goals and concerns of different dairy breeds.
  • The updated LPI framework will streamline use, presenting evaluations as relative breeding values based on a standardized breed average, facilitating easier decision-making for breeders.

Summary:

The proposed modernization of the Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) by Lactanet aims to refine genetic selection for Canadian dairy cows by introducing new sub-groups and traits, emphasizing sustainability through reduced greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced milkability, and maintaining breed-specific goals. Brian Van Doormaal assures that these changes will not impede the core utility of the LPI for breeding high-quality cows, with the expected outcome being a closely correlated index to today’s LPI. Detailed consultations and analyses reveal that while nuanced adjustments will provide more precise breeding values, the top genetic performers will largely remain consistent.

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The Science Behind Happy Cows: Emotional States and Personalities in Dairy Management

Wednesday, June 26th, 2024

Discover how management practices impact the emotions and personalities of dairy animals. Can better welfare lead to higher productivity? Explore the latest research.

The dairy business depends heavily on the welfare of its dairy cows. Good animal welfare and a high quality of life influence their health, productivity, and lifetime. The adage “Happy animals are productive animals” summarizes this connection well. Positive emotional states cause cows to produce more milk, effectively procreate, and improve general farm efficiency.

This paper delves into the crucial relationship between management techniques and dairy cows’ emotional states. Understanding and measuring these states is key to tailoring strategies that create favorable surroundings, thereby enhancing the conditions for animals and the business. The focus is on minimizing negative emotional states from demanding circumstances and maximizing good moods in supportive settings.

“Investing in a farm environment and management techniques that support cows’ positive emotional states is finally an investment in long-term health and productivity.”

We will discuss techniques and scientific developments in the emotional evaluation of dairy cows. Behavioral, cognitive, and physiological markers help us grasp how on-farm settings affect these states. This understanding is crucial for improving animal welfare and building more sustainable and profitable dairy farming operations.

The Evolving Landscape of Animal Emotions and Personalities 

Advances in animal behavioral research are driving a changing awareness of animal emotions and personalities. Once mostly seen from a functional standpoint, animals are now known to have distinct personalities and complicated emotional terrain. These elements greatly influence their behavior, health, and production, so animal welfare and farm efficiency depend on identifying and encouraging pleasant emotional experiences.

Measuring these feelings, however, might provide difficulties. Researchers must depend on indirect techniques because animals cannot express their mental states. Early research concentrated on visible actions, which in context might be deceptive. To help with this, scientists have developed complex behavioral, cognitive, and physiological approaches.

Behavioral tests of emotional states include body language changes such as posture, movement, and facial expression. Cognitive bias studies reveal animal emotional valence and expectancies by showing how they link stimuli with positive or negative consequences. These experiments show that mood reflects decision-making just as human decisions are shaped by optimism or pessimism.

Calves’ anticipatory behaviors—anticipating rewards—provide information on their emotional states and environmental sensitivity. Such assessments highlight the importance of stimuli that boost good mental involvement and lower stress or dissatisfaction.

Like infrared thermography, physiological techniques track variations in body temperature linked with emotional arousal and stress. Decision-making tasks in animals, including goats and chickens, expose preferences and aversions, thus mapping their emotional terrain. These physiological signals provide objective information to complement cognitive and observational results.

Combining these approaches can enhance our understanding of animal emotions and personalities despite measurement challenges. Based on current developments, improved animal welfare and management techniques can create environments where animals can thrive emotionally and physiologically, offering a promising future for dairy farming.

Innovative Methodologies for Gauging Dairy Animal Emotions

Researchers have used creative techniques like cognitive bias tests to determine dairy cows’ emotional states. These experiments show how management decisions, including calf presence or absence, affect cow emotions (Neave et al., 2023; Neave et al., 2024). Presenting animals with conflicting cues allows researchers to deduce whether the animals are in happy or negative moods. Still under research, body language analysis also hints about cows’ emotional well-being based on tail movement and ear placement.

Anticipated behavior emphasizes the emotional reality of dairy animals. When awaiting a reward, calves in barren pens exhibit more active behavior than in wealthy settings; this contrasts with their calm reactions in the latter (Neave et al., 2021). This response emphasizes how much the surroundings affect emotional states.

Technologies have enabled techniques such as infrared thermography and decision-making challenges. In pigs (Franchi et al., 2024), infrared thermography tracks variations in body temperature connected to stress and alertness. Tasks related to decision-making, such as those investigated in goats and chickens (Garnham et al., 2022), expose animal preferences for situations that coincide with their emotional well-being.

Understanding the Profound Impact of On-Farm Management on Dairy Animal Emotional Well-Being

They enhance welfare and productivity, which hinges on comprehending how on-farm management impacts the emotions of dairy cows. Cognitive bias tests and body language studies suggest that cows and calves exhibit more pleasant feelings together, while separation induces stress, compromising their health and productivity. This underscores the crucial role of the living environment.

Improved surroundings help with emotional and physical wellness. Calves housed in enriched pens show reduced stress levels, more pleasant emotional states, and more favorable responses to incentives. Studies incorporating infrared thermography and decision-making exercises support animals’ preference for environments that maximize their comfort.

Customizing management to suit specific personalities can further enhance welfare and productivity. For instance, while scared animals might struggle in competitive situations like eating, exploratory animals might adapt well during weaning. Understanding these traits can pave the way for more personalized, efficient management plans.

These findings underscore the importance of considering dairy cows’ emotional and personality aspects. By improving welfare, we can enhance production and health. The adage’ Happy animals are productive’ continues to guide us towards ethical agricultural practices, armed with the knowledge and tools to make a difference.

Exploring the Interplay Between Animal Personality Traits and Management Practices 

Good management techniques depend on an awareness of how personality features affect animal behavior. Curiousness, anxiety, and aggressiveness greatly influence responses to various management situations. Curious dairy calves, for instance, boost their development and health by managing to wean better, adjust faster to new meals, and exhibit less stress.

Under competitive feeding, fearful dairy goats typically avoid the feed bunk, which results in inadequate nutrition. This emphasizes the requirement of stress-free feeding surroundings to provide enough nourishment for shy animals.

Bold dairy cows explore new feeds and regions, enhancing their nutrition and general health. They also graze more and produce more milk.

Understanding these behavioral patterns enables one to customize management strategies to fit personal requirements, thus optimizing comfort, stress reduction, productivity, and welfare enhancement in surroundings.

Insightful Research on Emotional Welfare and Management Strategies 

Neave et al. (2023) used cognitive bias tests to investigate how calf separation affected the emotional well-being of dairy cows. According to the results, cows housed with calves exhibited less stress, more satisfied behavior, and a more positive cognitive bias. This emphasizes the need to keep mother ties to improve the emotional well-being of dairy cows.

Neave et al. (2021) conducted another investigation into calf anticipatory behavior enhanced against barren pens. Calves raised in enriched surroundings exhibited more marked anticipatory behaviors when anticipating benefits and less irritation when such incentives were denied. Improved living arrangements help enhance mental wellness and lower stress in dairy calves.

Studies using decision-making activities and infrared thermography to grasp environmental preferences in dairy cows provided yet more insights. Garnham et al. (2022) and Franchi et al. (2024) showed the efficacy of these techniques in evaluating emotional states in pigs and hens, respectively. Changing these approaches may help optimize dairy farming methods for improved animal well-being.

Studies of personality qualities also clearly affected managerial relationships. According to Neave et al. (2018), more adventurous dairy calves did better around weaning, adjusting rapidly, and displaying faster growth rates. Understanding individual personalities may enhance managerial results.

According to Neave and Zobel (2020), less scared dairy goats were likelier to enter feeding areas under competition, influencing their nutritional intake and health. By considering individual variances, better management strategies to lower competition-related stress may be created.

These studies emphasize how enhancing well-being depends on an awareness of dairy cows’ emotional and personality aspects. Customizing farm settings to fit group and personal requirements may produce more content, better quality, and more efficient dairy herds.

Practical Applications for Dairy Farmers to Enhance Animal Well-Being 

Practical applications for dairy farmers to tailor management practices to meet the individual needs of their animals are essential. These strategies can enhance the emotional well-being of dairy animals and foster a more positive, productive farm environment: 

  • Individual Care: Develop protocols that address specific personality traits. Exploratory calves, for instance, benefit from enriched environments that stimulate curiosity and ease weaning stress.
  • Environmental Enrichment: Provide various enrichments such as different forages, toys, and brushes to promote natural behaviors and reduce boredom.
  • Consistent Rewards: Implement a predictable routine with consistent rewards to develop positive anticipatory behaviors, especially in calves housed in diverse pen types.
  • Temperature Control: Use infrared thermography to monitor and control environmental conditions, ensuring comfort and reduced stress.
  • Behavioral Monitoring: Observe and record behaviors regularly to detect emotional changes. Adjust handling practices based on whether an animal is fearful or aggressive.
  • Feeding Strategies: Adapt feeding based on animal personalities. Provide shy or less dominant goats with alternative feeding times or spaces to reduce stress.
  • Engagement and Training: Use decision-making tasks and gentle handling training to build trust and reduce fearfulness, reinforcing desirable behaviors.

By implementing these strategies, dairy farmers can create an environment that meets individual animal needs, leading to better health, reduced stress, and improved milk production. This commitment supports a thriving and sustainable dairy industry.

The Bottom Line

The paper underlines the need to know and evaluate dairy cows’ emotional states and personalities. Essential instruments to assess emotional well-being under various management settings include behavioral, cognitive, and physiological approaches, including cognitive bias tests, anticipatory behavior analysis, and infrared thermography. We also examined how curiosity, fear, and assertiveness affect production and well-being.

One should invest in knowing these emotional states and personalities. This improves long-term production, health, and animal welfare. The proverb “happy animals are productive animals” underlines the significance of good farm surroundings.

Constant research is vital. Better animal life circumstances and advantages for farmers will be guaranteed by ongoing scientific research and scientifically based solutions.

Key Takeaways:

  • Investing in farm environments that support positive emotional states in dairy animals is crucial for long-term health and productivity.
  • Cognitive bias tests and body language are practical tools for gauging cows’ emotional states under different management conditions.
  • Anticipatory behaviors in calves can indicate their sensitivity to rewards, varying by their housing conditions.
  • Infrared thermography and decision-making tasks provide insights into the environmental preferences of dairy animals.
  • Personality traits such as curiosity, fearfulness, and boldness significantly influence an animal’s response to stressful management practices and overall performance.
  • Tailoring management practices to the individual needs of dairy animals enhances their welfare and productivity.

Summary:

Dairy animal welfare is crucial for their health, productivity, and longevity. Positive emotional states lead to increased milk production, successful reproduction, and improved farm efficiency. Understanding animal emotions and personalities is essential for improving animal welfare and creating sustainable dairy farming systems. Animals’ complex emotional landscapes and unique personalities significantly influence their behavior, health, and productivity. Researchers use indirect methods such as behavioral assessments, cognitive bias tests, anticipatory behaviors, physiological processes, and decision-making tasks to gauge emotions. Innovative methodologies, such as cognitive bias tests and body language analysis, have been employed to gauge emotions and reveal how management conditions impact cows’ emotions. Enriched environments boost physical and mental well-being, with calves in enriched pens showing more positive reactions to rewards, lower stress levels, and higher positive emotional states. Research shows that cows kept with their calves display a more positive cognitive bias, fewer stress signs, and more content behavior. Enriched housing conditions enhance emotional health and reduce stress in dairy calves.

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Categories : Management
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Lactanet to Enhance Lifetime Performance Index for Canadian Dairy Cows: Focus on Sustainability and Milkability by April 2025

Monday, June 24th, 2024

Learn how Lactanet’s new Lifetime Performance Index will boost sustainability and milkability for Canadian dairy cows by April 2025. Are you prepared for the changes?

Envision a dairy sector where efficient cows produce large amounts of milk, contributing to environmental sustainability. Leading genetic testing and data management for dairy cows in Canada, Lactanet is scheduled to update the Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) by April 2025. This upgrade, with its focus on lowering greenhouse gas emissions and raising ‘milkability,’ promises to match productivity to environmental responsibility, instilling hope for a more sustainable future.

Brian Van Doormaal, chief services officer at Lactanet, says, “It’s not the relative weighting that determines how much of an impact breeding for these traits could have.” “This is the expected reaction you get from breeding for these qualities.”

The revised LPI will include new criteria to improve environmental impact and cow behavior. These developments acknowledge that the overall well-being of cattle and sustainable techniques will determine the direction of dairy farming.

Modernizing the Cornerstone: Enhancing the Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) for a Sustainable Future 

Integrating productivity, health, and reproductive characteristics into a single statistic, the Lifetime Performance Index (LPI), has been vital in the Canadian dairy sector. This all-encompassing strategy helps dairy farmers make wise breeding selections by guiding balanced genetic advancements. The LPI ensures general herd production and sustainability by addressing many qualities, preventing overemphasizing any area.

Beyond individual farms, the LPI increases national and global competitiveness by matching industry norms and consumer expectations with breeding goals. This backs up objectives of environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and profitability.

The changing dairy farming environment and the need to handle fresh issues, including environmental implications, drive the suggested LPI changes, including methane emissions and feed efficiency features that fit present ecological targets. Improving characteristics linked to milking speed and temperament satisfies the increasing need for operational effectiveness.

Improved genetic research and data allow more accurate and representative LPI updates. Working with Lactanet and genetic enhancement companies guarantees the index stays relevant across several breeds.

The modifications seek to modernize the LPI, maintaining its value for breeders as they solve current problems and apply fresh scientific discoveries. This strategy will help maintain the Canadian dairy sector’s reputation for quality and inventiveness.

Steering Genetic Excellence: Brian Van Doormaal’s Consultative Leadership

Under the leadership of Brian Van Doormaal, Lactanet’s chief services officer, the consultation process integral to creating the updated LPI is in progress. He has been instrumental in these conversations, ensuring the new LPI structure addresses the diverse genetic aims of various dairy breeds. For Holstein, Ayrshire, Jersey, and Guernsey breeds, he has fostered open communication between Lactanet and genetic improvement groups, emphasizing the importance of their contributions.

Van Doormaal started a thorough consultation by bringing the suggested improvements before the Open Industry Session in October 2023. This prepared the ground for in-depth conversations spanning many months that explored subtleties like the relative weighting of fat against protein in the LPI’s breeding objectives. Every breed has diverse genetic traits and performance criteria, which Van Doormaal has deftly negotiated, bringing various goals and viewpoints.

The updated LPI seeks to capture significant variations between breed-specific genetic targets using this thorough consultation approach. Through close interaction with breed-specific organizations, Van Doormaal guarantees the revised LPI is thorough and catered to every breed’s unique requirements, reflecting an agreement among industry players.

Refining Genetic Precision: Tailoring the Updated LPI to Address Breed-Specific Goals

The revised LPI seeks to meet every dairy breed’s genetic requirements and problems, guaranteeing customized breeding plans for Holstein, Ayrshire, Jersey, and Guernsey cows.

For Holsteins, health concerns, including cystic ovaries and increasing production efficiency, take the front stage. Achieving high milk output without sacrificing health still depends on balancing fat against protein.

Ayrshire breeders prioritize strong milk production and toughness. Given the breed’s usual milk composition, they usually prefer milk solids over protein.

Finding a balance between lifespan and high output is essential for Jerseys. The breed’s abundant butterfat milk prioritizes fat weighing to satisfy market needs.

Guernseys mainly aims to raise milk quality through improved sustainability and health. Discussions on fat vs. protein weightings seek to encourage both, hence preserving the breed’s commercial advantage.

The breed-specific variations emphasize the need for a tailored LPI that addresses each breed’s strengths and problems.

Revolutionizing Genetic Assessment: Expanding the LPI to Enhance Dairy Cow Traits and Sustainability

The current modernization of the Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) marks significant progress in assessing genetic features, raising the index from four to six sub-groups. With an eye on production efficiency and animal welfare, this more precise approach seeks to enhance the breeding and assessment of desired traits in dairy cows.

The updated LPI will separate the present Health and Fertility category into Reproduction and Health and Welfare. While Health and Welfare will focus on general health measures, this move includes important qualities like calving capacity and daughter calving ability under Reproduction.

The new Milkability sub-group—which will now include milking speed and temperamental characteristics—also adds significantly. These qualities directly affect labor efficiency and animal handling; their inclusion addresses a hitherto unknown element of dairy management inside the LPI.

Finally, to address mounting environmental issues, the LPI will incorporate a new Environmental Impact subindex, which was first designed for Holsteins. Reflecting the dairy sector’s emphasis on lowering its environmental impact, this subindex will concentrate on feed and methane efficiency. Research has underlined the critical influence of body maintenance on ecological sustainability, thereby supporting its inclusion.

These modifications improve the LPI’s accuracy and usefulness by matching it with contemporary breeding objectives and ensuring that genetic selection promotes dairy sector sustainability and output.

Pioneering Sustainability: Introducing the Environmental Impact Subindex

As part of its commitment to dairy sector sustainability, the new Environmental Impact subindex is a crucial addition to the revised LPI. This subindex rates body upkeep, methane efficiency, and feed economy, among other essential factors. By measuring a cow’s capacity to turn grain into milk, it helps determine its feed efficiency, thereby reducing its environmental impact. Targeting the decrease of methane emissions per unit of milk produced, methane efficiency addresses a significant contribution to greenhouse gasses. The inclusion of body maintenance in the index underscores the industry’s recognition of its critical influence on ecological sustainability, providing reassurance about its commitment to environmental responsibility.

Since there is enough data for Holsteins, this subindex consists only of them. The subindex will probably be enlarged to cover more breeds as more data about them becomes accessible.

Integrating Behavioral Efficiency: The Pivotal Role of Milkability in Modern Dairy Operations

The new Milkability subindex, which combines previously missing milking speed and temperamental qualities, is one noticeable improvement in the revised Lifetime Performance Index (LPI). These qualities depend on maximizing dairy operations and improving animal care. The subindex lets breeders increase labor efficiency and general herd management by considering milking speed. Faster milking of cows saves time and lessens stress for farm workers and animals, improving the surroundings.

Moreover, temperament is crucial as it influences handling and integration into automated milking systems. Calm, cooperative cows enable the effective running of these devices, reducing injuries and improving milk let-downs. Including temperamental features thus emphasizes the significance of animal behavior in contemporary dairy production and promotes methods that increase output and animal welfare.

Transforming Genetic Insights: Lactanet’s Ambitious Approach to an Intuitive Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) 

Lactanet seeks to simplify the Lifetime Performance Index (LPI), increasing its availability and usefulness for breeders. Creating subindices for every collection of genetic features helps the index to become modular and facilitates the concentration on specific features. This method guides breeders through complex genetic material.

The aim is to increase LPI usefulness by using assessments as “relative breeding values,” standardized with a breed average of 500 and a standard deviation of plus or minus 100. This clarity helps to simplify the comparison of the genetic potential of animals within a breed, therefore supporting wise decision-making.

Other subindices, like milk ability and environmental impact, provide more accuracy in genetic improvement. This lets breeders concentrate on specific operational targets, including milking speed or calving capacity.

Ultimately, the updated LPI will be a flexible instrument enabling breeders to maximize their breeding campaigns to satisfy different objectives and goals. This guarantees that the LPI is indispensable for genetic selection in Canadian dairy production.

Embracing Stability and Progress: The Path Forward with the Modernized Lifetime Performance Index (LPI)

A more exacting breeding method is envisaged as the dairy sector prepares for the revised Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) in April 2025. Existing breeding plans will not be disturbed much, with a 98 percent correlation to the present LPI, guaranteeing continuity and dependability. This consistency will help maintain the top-rated bull ranks substantially unaltered. Breeders will have a constant instrument to balance productivity, health, sustainability, and genetics while improving dairy cow features.

The Bottom Line

Optimizing dairy performance and environmental impact will be much advanced with the forthcoming change of the Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) for Canadian dairy cows. The revised LPI set for April 2025 will include additional sub-groups, including Reproduction, Health and Welfare, Milkability, and Environmental Impact, along with improved breed-specific choices and changed trait weighting. Dividing the Health and Fertility categories will help to represent objectives such as milking speed and calving capacity more accurately.

Given data availability, the new Environmental Impact subindex targets greenhouse gas reductions for Holsteins via feed and methane efficiency features. This complements more general sustainability objectives in dairy production. Milking speed and temperament are necessary for effective operations and will be part of the Milkability subgroup.

These developments under Brian Van Doormaal guarantee farmers a scientifically solid and valuable tool. The 98% correlation with the present LPI emphasizes how these improvements improve rather than alter the current system. Maintaining genetic quality, the redesigned LPI seeks to help Canadian dairy producers create more lucrative, environmentally friendly, and efficient herds.

Key Takeaways:

  • The new LPI will emphasize reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing “milkability.”
  • The index will expand from four to six sub-groups of genetic traits.
  • Health and Fertility will be split into Reproduction and Health and Welfare.
  • A new Milkability subgroup will include milking speed and temperament traits.
  • Environmental Impact subindex will focus initially on Holsteins, utilizing feed and methane efficiency data.
  • Body Maintenance will also be part of the Environmental Impact subindex, linking cow stature to environmental impact.
  • The updated LPI aims to simplify usage, with each component group serving as its own subindex.
  • Evaluations will present relative breeding values, set against a breed average with clear standard deviations.
  • The new LPI is expected to be 98 percent correlated with the current index, maintaining continuity in top-rated bulls.

Summary:

Lactanet, a Canadian genetic testing and data management company, is set to update its Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) by April 2025 to align productivity with environmental responsibility and improve cow behavior. The LPI integrates productivity, health, and reproductive characteristics into a single statistic, helping dairy farmers make wise breeding selections and guiding balanced genetic advancements. The proposed changes include methane emissions, feed efficiency features, and improvements linked to milking speed and temperament. The updated LPI will separate the Health and Fertility category into Reproduction and Health and Welfare, including important qualities like calving capacity and daughter calving ability. This flexible instrument will enable breeders to maximize their breeding campaigns to satisfy different objectives and goals, making it indispensable for genetic selection in Canadian dairy production.

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Categories : Genetic Evaluation System
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Harnessing Phytochemicals: Boosting Dairy Cow Health and Performance During the Transition Period

Thursday, June 13th, 2024

Learn how phytochemicals can improve dairy cow health and performance during the transition period. Can plant-based solutions make your herd more productive?

The transition period, spanning three weeks from pre-calving to peak milk production, is a pivotal phase in dairy cows’ lives. It’s a time when their future health, production, and successful reproduction are determined. Dairy producers, well aware of the numerous challenges this period poses, including environmental, nutritional, and physiological aspects, understand that the success of their operation hinges on effectively managing these difficulties. 

Among the main difficulties experienced during the transition period are:

  • Diet and nutrient intake adjustments
  • Environmental stressors like heat or cold stress
  • Changes in housing or pen environments
  • Increased metabolic demands due to the onset of lactation

A smooth transition depends on environmental management and nutrition. Proper forage, focused supplements, and careful environmental control minimize stress and support metabolic and endocrine systems. Dairy farmers always want better results, so knowledge of these elements becomes essential. The transition period marks a make-or-break event rather than only a phase. Good management during this period can result in notable increases in general herd health and milk yield.

Let’s delve into the significant role phytochemicals can play during the transitional phase. These plant-based chemicals, often overlooked, can provide dairy cows with substantial benefits. By harnessing these natural interventions, dairy farmers can equip themselves with the tools to enhance the health, efficiency, and performance of their herds, thereby promoting more sustainable and profitable dairy farming methods.

Mitigating Transition Period Stressors: Keys to Health and Productivity 

During the transition period, dairy cows face a multitude of stressors that can significantly impact their production and overall health. These include pen movements, changes in stocking density, adjustments in ration, and variations in environmental conditions such as heat, cold, ventilation, and bedding. 

Pen movements upset social hierarchies and induce stress that influences the immune system and endocrine function. Regular relocations can change cortisol levels, so influencing general metabolic processes.

Stocking density is quite essential. Overcrowded pens cause resource competition, which raises stress levels and reduces immune system response, increasing cow susceptibility to infections and nutrient absorption problems. 

Essential for meeting nutritional needs, ration adjustments can upset the digestive system if not closely controlled. Diet changes taken suddenly can cause metabolic problems, including acidosis, which reduces nutrient absorption and influences endocrine and immune systems.

Environmental changes, including temperature and variations in ventilation, impact cow physiological states. While cold stress raises energy demands, straining metabolic resources, heat stress reduces feed intake and milk production. Inappropriate bedding and bad ventilation can cause infections and respiratory problems.

These pressures cause a cascade of physiological problems that influence hormone levels vital for metabolic and reproductive processes, making the immune system more susceptible to diseases. Compromised metabolic processes lead to reduced milk yield and poor health effects.

Effective management techniques are not just beneficial, they are crucial. By reducing pen movements, optimizing stocking density, carefully managing ration changes, and controlling environmental conditions, dairy producers can directly influence their cows’ endocrine and immune systems. This control guarantees improved nutrient metabolism and general health during the transition period, empowering dairy producers to steer their herd toward better health and productivity.

Exploring the Wonders of Phytochemicals in Dairy Cattle Health 

Phytochemicals stand out when considering plants for purposes beyond forages. Including essential oils, flavonoids, and tannins, these are known in the dairy world as plant-bioactive components, plant extracts, or photogenic molecules. Herbs with medicinal properties have long been prized: lavender, ginger, and chamomile. Recent studies have focused primarily on the advantages of these phytomolecules for dairy cattle health, especially during the critical transition period.

Balancing Inflammation and Metabolism: Key Strategies for Transitioning Dairy Cows 

The key for dairy cattle experiencing physiological changes is maintaining a balanced inflammatory response and good metabolism throughout the transition period. Unchecked inflammatory reactions can cause metabolic problems that compromise immune system function. This time, marked by calving and the beginning of lactation, biological systems must be finely tuned to produce the best milk.

In this sense, strategically planned dietary programs are vital. By guaranteeing enough nutrient intake and providing the energy, proteins, and minerals required for metabolic activities and tissue repair, they help prevent a negative energy balance and minimize inflammation.

Moreover, thorough management strategies to lower stressors aggravating inflammation and metabolic problems are crucial. Effective practices include minimizing pen movements, optimizing stocking density, and furnishing comfortable environmental conditions, including appropriate ventilation, temperature control, and quality bedding. These steps help the endocrine and immune systems, improving the metabolism of nutrients.

Dairy cows can flourish during the transition period through the synergy between exact nutritional strategies and rigorous management, fostering health, productivity, and good lactations. This method lays a solid basis for their lactation cycle and lowers sensitivity to metabolic and infectious diseases.

Harnessing the Power of Specific Phytochemicals: Antioxidants, Appetite Stimulants, and Metabolic Enhancers

During the transition period, specific phytochemicals have great benefits, especially because of their antioxidant properties, appetite stimulation, and metabolic-boosting action. Thyme, clove, and cinnamon extracts, especially known for their great antioxidant qualities, help lower oxidative stress and support general cow health.

Vanilla and fenugreek extracts show great potential to increase appetite. These extracts increase feed intake, ensuring dairy cows satisfy their dietary needs during the vital transition period.

Capsicum extracts are particularly remarkable for enhancing dairy cow metabolic state. These extracts improve the availability of glucose for milk synthesis, supporting a better energy balance and general metabolic condition.

The Bottom Line

Integrating botanical extracts into herd management plans presents a significant opportunity to enhance cow health and output as the dairy industry evolves. With the growing body of scientific research and field experience, understanding the specific modes of action of these phytochemicals is crucial. By collaborating with your nutritionist, you can develop tailored plans that leverage the benefits of these natural compounds to meet the unique needs of your herd. This collaborative approach not only supports optimal dairy cow health and performance but also contributes to the development of sustainable and efficient dairy farming practices.

Key Takeaways:

Understanding the role of phytochemicals during the transition period can significantly help improve the health and performance of dairy cows. Here are the key takeaways: 

  • Proper forage species, varieties, and management are crucial for building a targeted nutrition program that supports a smooth transition period.
  • Farm management must address various stressors around the transition period, including pen movements, stocking density, ration changes, and environmental changes.
  • Working with springing heifers and cows requires special attention to meet their genetic potential, promoting their health and productivity.
  • The transition period, from 21 days pre-calving to peak milk production, is critical for dairy cows, affecting health, production, and reproduction.
  • Phytochemicals, including essential oils, flavonoids, and tannins, offer potential benefits such as antioxidant properties, appetite stimulation, and metabolic enhancements.
  • Reducing stress, ensuring adequate feed intake, and minimizing negative energy balance are vital goals during the transition period.
  • Research shows that plant extracts like thyme, clove, cinnamon, fenugreek, vanilla, and capsicum have specific roles in improving dairy cow health and performance.
  • Phytomolecules can help better manage glucose allocation in cows, enhancing milk production without negatively impacting their glucose levels.

Summary: The transition from pre-calving to peak milk production is a critical phase for dairy cows, affecting their health, production, and reproduction. Dairy producers must manage various challenges, including diet adjustments, environmental stressors, housing changes, and increased metabolic demands due to lactation. A smooth transition requires proper forage, supplements, and environmental control. Phytochemicals play a significant role in this transition, providing benefits to dairy cows and enhancing their health, efficiency, and performance. Stressors like pen movements, stocking density changes, and environmental conditions can disrupt social hierarchies, increase susceptibility to infections, and affect the digestive system, leading to metabolic problems like acidosis. Effective management techniques and the incorporation of botanical extracts into herd management plans can support optimal health and performance, contributing to sustainable farming practices.

Categories : Nutrition
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How Genetic Variants Impact Reproduction and Disease Traits: Unlocking the Secrets of Holstein Cattle

Tuesday, May 28th, 2024

Explore the pivotal role of genetic variants in Holstein cattle’s reproduction and disease traits. Could these insights pave the way for groundbreaking advancements in dairy farming and cattle health management?

Envision a future where the dairy industry, a pillar of global agriculture, is transformed by the intricate understanding of genetic blueprints. Step into the world of Holstein cattle, the unrivaled champions of dairy production, whose genetic composition holds the promise of elevating yield and health. These iconic black-and-white bovines symbolize milk and the unyielding pursuit of genetic advancement that could propel dairy farming to unprecedented heights. 

At the heart of this genetic endeavor lies the concept of genetic variants, specifically copy number variants (CNVs). These structural changes in the genome, where sections of DNA are duplicated or deleted, can profoundly influence traits such as reproduction and disease resistance in cattle. By meticulously decoding these genomic puzzles, scientists aim to unlock actionable insights that could significantly enhance the robustness and productivity of Holstein cattle.

Understanding CNVs in Holstein cattle is not just about increasing milk production; it’s about ensuring healthier and more resilient herds. This could be a game-changer for farmers worldwide.

Unraveling the Genetic Blueprint: The Surprising Significance of CNVs in Cattle

In recent decades, cattle genetic research has made significant strides in unraveling the intricate fabric of the bovine genome, underscoring its pivotal role in breeding and disease management. Of particular interest are copy number variants (CNVs), which involve duplications or deletions of DNA segments, leading to variations in gene copy numbers. Unlike single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that alter a single base, CNVs affect more substantial genomic regions, thereby significantly impacting gene function and phenotype. 

CNVs are vital in animal breeding and genetics, influencing traits from growth and milk production to disease resistance and reproduction. Understanding CNVs enables researchers to identify genetic markers for selecting animals with desirable characteristics, improving cattle health and productivity. Thus, CNVs offer a valuable toolkit for animal breeding, paving the way for more efficient and sustainable cattle farming.

Decoding the Genomic Puzzles of Holstein Cattle: A Deep Dive into CNVs and Their Impact on Vital Traits

The study embarked on a fascinating journey into the genetic complexities of Canadian Holstein cattle, with a specific focus on the impact of Copy Number Variants (CNVs) on reproduction and disease traits. The research team meticulously analyzed extensive genomic data, using a substantial sample size of 13,730 cattle genotyped with a 95K SNP panel and 8,467 cattle genotyped with a 50K SNP panel. To ensure accuracy, genome sequence data from 126 animals was also incorporated, leading to the identification and validation of CNVs. This concerted effort mapped 870 high-confidence CNV regions across 12,131 cattle, providing a comprehensive basis for linking CNVRs to critical reproductive and disease traits. 

Advanced genomic techniques were employed to detect and confirm CNVs in Holstein cattle. Intensity signal files with Log R ratio (LRR) and B allele frequency (BAF) data were analyzed. LRR indicates duplications or deletions in the genome. At the same time, BAF distinguishes between heterozygous and homozygous states, which is essential for accurate CNV detection. 

CNV regions frequent in at least 1% of the population were meticulously selected, ensuring only significant CNVs were included. This stringent process led to identifying 870 high-confidence CNVRs, paving the way for associating these CNVs with critical reproduction and disease traits.

Mapping the Genetic Terrain: Exploring 870 High-Confidence CNV Regions in Holstein Cattle

The study unveiled an intricate genetic landscape in Holstein cattle by identifying 870 high-confidence CNV regions (CNVRs) using whole-genome sequence data. Among them, 54 CNVRs with 1% or higher frequencies were selected for in-depth genome-wide association analyses. This targeted approach enhanced the robustness of the findings. 

This analysis revealed four CNVRs significantly associated with key reproductive and disease traits. Notably, two CNVRs were linked to critical reproductive traits: calf survival, first service to conception, and non-return rate. These traits are crucial for dairy farming efficiency and animal welfare. 

Additionally, two CNVRs were associated with metritis and retained placenta, highlighting their role in disease susceptibility. These CNVRs contain genes linked to immune response, cellular signaling, and neuronal development, pointing to a complex interplay of genetic factors. This identification opens doors for future studies, promising genetic improvements and better cattle health.

The Dual Impact of CNVRs: Revolutionizing Reproduction and Disease Resistance in Holstein Cattle

The identified CNVRs significantly impact reproduction and disease traits in Holstein cattle. By targeting specific genomic regions tied to calf survival, first service to conception, non-return rate, metritis, and retained placenta, this study opens doors for targeted genetic improvements. These CNVRs contain genes crucial for various biological processes. For example, immune response genes are vital for developing disease resistance, potentially reducing infections like metritis. Likewise, genes involved in cellular signaling are essential for regulating reproductive efficiency and embryo development. 

Notably, genes associated with neuronal development hint at the involvement of neurological factors in fertility and disease resistance. This underscores the intricate interplay between various biological systems in cattle health and productivity, a fascinating aspect of this research. 

The tangible advantages of these discoveries are significant. Incorporating these CNV-associated genetic markers into breeding programs can enhance selection precision for desirable traits, boosting herd performance. This progress amplifies reproductive success and fortifies disease resilience, leading to robust, high-yielding cattle populations. These insights represent a significant stride in genomics-assisted breeding, promising substantial improvements in the efficiency and sustainability of dairy farming.

The Bottom Line

This study highlights the critical role of CNVRs in shaping essential reproduction and disease traits in Holstein cattle. By examining the genetic details of these CNVRs in a large sample, the research reveals significant links that can enhance calf survival, fertility, and disease resistance. These findings support earlier studies and emphasize the importance of genetic variants in boosting dairy cattle’s health and productivity. 

Understanding these genetic markers offers researchers and breeders key insights for more effective selection strategies, promoting a more substantial, productive Holstein population. As we advance genetic research, the potential to transform dairy cattle breeding becomes clearer, paving the way for healthier herds, improved reproduction, and better disease management.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study analyzed genomic data from 13,730 cattle genotyped with a 95K SNP panel and 8,467 cattle genotyped with a 50K SNP panel.
  • Researchers identified and validated 870 high-confidence CNV regions across 12,131 cattle using whole genome sequence data from 126 animals.
  • A total of 54 CNV regions with significant frequencies (≥1%) were utilized for genome-wide association analysis.
  • Four CNV regions were significantly associated with reproduction and disease traits, highlighting their potential role in these critical areas.
  • Two CNVRs were linked to three key reproductive traits: calf survival, first service to conception, and non-return rate.
  • The remaining two CNVRs were associated with disease traits such as metritis and retained placenta.
  • Genes implicated within these CNVRs are involved in immune response, cellular signaling, and neuronal development, suggesting their importance in disease resistance and reproductive efficiency.
  • Identifying these genetic markers paves the way for improving selection precision, boosting herd performance, and enhancing disease resilience in Holstein cattle.

Summary: A study on the genetic complexities of Canadian Holstein cattle has identified Copy Number Variants (CNVs) that impact reproduction and disease traits. The research team analyzed genomic data from 13,730 cattle genotyped with a 95K SNP panel and 8,467 cattle genotyped with a 50K SNP panel. They identified and validated 870 high-confidence CNV regions across 12,131 cattle. Two CNVRs were linked to critical reproductive traits, such as calf survival, first service to conception, non-return rate, metritis, and retained placenta, which are crucial for dairy farming efficiency and animal welfare. These CNVRs contain genes crucial for biological processes, such as immune response genes for disease resistance, cellular signaling genes for reproductive efficiency and embryo development, and genes associated with neuronal development. Incorporating these CNV-associated genetic markers into breeding programs can enhance selection precision, boost herd performance, and fortify disease resilience, leading to robust, high-yielding cattle populations.

Categories : Genetics
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Best Practices for Achieving Longer Lived More Productive Dairy Cows

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Wednesday, November 26th, 2014

We all wish our cows could meet their potential and live 20 years or longer. However, until we discover the Bovine Fountain of Youth, this remains an elusive dream. Indeed, the average on most dairy farms is only six years. With so much potential, we need to focus on how we can help our cows live long, productive lives.

What Do WE Know About Longevity? Why Aren’t we Using What we Know?

When we develop illnesses, we don’t always have enough information to know what the root cause is.  This isn’t so in dairy farming. Mountains of data have been collected, analyzed and reported but, in general, dairy farmers are not acting up the information. We know what causes involuntary culling. We know what best practices could prevent it.  Unfortunately, the knowing and the implementing are still too far apart.

How Big is the Current Problem with Involuntary Culling?

According to Government of Canada and USDA reports, 30-40% of cows are being culled from herds each year.  Some of this is accounted for because of low production or sales of breeding stock. Those are conscious decisions made for specific reasons.  However, much of the culling is involuntary and is a huge contributor to decreased longevity. The majority of cows are culled because of reproductive problems, poor udder health, lameness and problems with feet and legs. Other illness or injuries also contribute to the high statistics. A culling rate of 40% means that a herd cannot raise enough heifers to meet replacement needs.

What Does this Mean?

High rates of involuntary culling are probably directly correlated to poor levels of animal welfare.  Unfortunately, these health/welfare problems may be indicators of something much more problematic.  The underlying health and welfare problems may be much higher than the rate of culling indicates.  Ito et al reported in 2010 that the actual prevalence of lameness among dairy cows is above 20%.  That percentage is considerably higher than the 2% that are reported as being culled because of feet and leg problems (Government of Canada, 2011). In 2008, 46% of cows in free stalls had hoof lesions (Cramer et al, 2008).  The numbers are similar in the USA.  USDA (2007) reports that four percent were culled for lameness, however an average of 20% to 55% of dairy cows are lame at any one time, depending on the region (Espejo et al, 2006, von Keyserlingk et al, 2013).

Mastitis Has the Same Pattern

In 2011, the Government of Canada reported that about 4% of cows are culled because of mastitis, high SSC or poor udder health. However, Rierkerink et al estimate that mastitis incidence is around 23 cases per 100 cow years.

Who Does A Good Job Of Achieving Longevity?

Best management practices, derived from proven science, are providing some breeders with improved animal welfare and increased profits.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean we can’t help our cows live long, productive lives.  We need to put what we know, into practice to extend their longevity.

Are you meeting these herd composition benchmarks?

  • 1st lactation                  24%
  • 2nd lactation                 20%
  • 3rd lactation                  16%
  • 4th lactation                  12%
  • 5th lactation and later   28%

Best Practices that Ensure Longevity

  1. Calf Management – Protocols to raise health and reduce calf mortality.
  2. Implement Indoor Housing Factors – To reduce lameness, injury, and illness.
  3. Benchmarking of farm performance.
  4. Implement an aggressive reproduction program.
  5. Reducing lameness.
  6. Build dairy producer knowledge.

Calf Management

It might seem unusual to start with calf management when you’re talking about extending the life expectancy of cows.  Many place involuntary culling of cows in the number one slot for how to improve longevity. That seems obvious. However, less obvious, but with perhaps even more impact are the calves that never make it to the milking line. Vasseur et al reported in 2012 that pre-weaning calf mortality rates are high in North America. Mortality rate record keeping, which needs to be dramatically improved and increased, is the first step.  Setting a realistic benchmark is also important.  Unfortunately, the Vasseur study also reported “some farms with mortality rates above 19% did not consider calf mortality to be a problem.”

  • Individual housing may not affect small groups but could reduce mortality among larger groups (more than 7-10 animals).
  • The effect of a calf’s illness on her ability to milk as a cow is, in general, underestimated. Recent research (Soberon et al, 2012) shows the effect of pre-weaning growth rates on later milk yields.
  • Failure to implement well-known and documented best practices is a major reason for the continuing high levels of calf mortality on many farms.

They also noted that in Canada there are significant differences in mortality rates between farms. The differences between the highest quartile of farms and the lowest is significant which is positive in so far as it indicates that, when good management practices are implemented, it is possible to dramatically reduce the problems.

The Role of Housing in Dairy Cattle Longevity

The characteristics of the environment that your cows are house in can have a significant impact on their longevity. Even when you have bred for the best possible feet and leg conformation, it can be compromised if the housing situation itself raises the risk of injuries. Some conclude that pasturing is the answer.  More thoughtful study and design needs to be applied to creating the ideal indoor environment for lactating cows.

One Canadian survey found that nearly 25% of Canadian dairy farms scored lameness results at less than 10%. This is lower than the results reported by some pasture-based dairies, proving that it is definitely possible to do make sustainable improvements.

Five improvements:

  1. Take responsibility: Zero grazing puts the responsibility upon the producer to create housing and provide management that does not negatively impact the dairy animals.
  2. Raise the rail height: Simply by increasing the height of the feed rail at the feed bunk to above 140cms from the floor can greatly reduce the risk of neck injuries. (Zaffino, 2012)
  3. Reduce standing time: Standing on wet, concrete floors has a direct correlation with lameness.
  4. Provide comfortable stalls: Depending on the situation, sand or mattresses have been shown to contribute to reduced instances of lameness.
  5. Sufficient Bedding: Switching to sand bedding requires significant change to buildings. Simply adding more straw or sawdust bedding results in hock lesions falling to 31% from the 80% prevalence that is seen when cows are housed on mattresses and no bedding.

Benchmarking of Farm Performance

More often than not, record keeping has a positive impact. Knowing the exact incidence of lameness, mastitis or other illness help set a target for reducing them. Well-managed dairies are reaping the financial benefits of reducing lameness and raising the welfare of their milking herd.  More training, data collection, and peer sharing is a pro-active and positive way to get the results heading in the right direction.

From Candid Camera to Can-Do Care!

Consciously and conscientiously targeting the reduction of involuntary culling is directly correlated to increased cattle longevity. Ensuring that all possible means – health, housing, and genetics – are being responsibly managed – will have a direct effect on reducing involuntary culling and mortality rates.

Reproduction Must Be Managed Better

Much is written about improving reproduction. At one time, the emphasis was solely placed on heat detection.  However, successful dairy managers are now paying particular attention to reproductive management from birth, through rearing, to transition and milking.  Definitely too many breeders are willing to accept less than the best reproductive performance. The first step is acknowledging that there are reproductive problems that aren’t being solved. This must be followed up by bringing in whatever help you can to build improvements into your repro program.

Lameness is Running Away with the Profits

We expect some degree of slowness, bent backs and hesitant steps in the aging and elderly folks we see around us.  However when our dairy herd is limping, falling down or unable to get up, we are forced, whether we like it or not to cull the animal – regardless of her age.  Lameness is a serious problem which adversely affects milk yield.  Research has shown that high yielding cows are more susceptible to lameness.  Too often, we accept this as one of the outcomes of an intensive focus over the past few decades on dairy production. Even though there are excellent best practices that can be used, too often this area is disregarded at the expense of the dairy operation and the welfare of the animal.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

It takes information to make improvements.  You can’t fix what you don’t acknowledge.  Dairy farmers are recognizing that they are responsible for improving their knowledge and understanding of the factors that impact longevity.  Sharing the statistics and setting benchmarks is next.  Most important, however, is implementing an action plan.

Only when improved record keeping and best practices are acted upon, will we begin to see our dairy herds reach their full lifetime potential.

 

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10 Steps to Increase the Profitability of Your Dairy Herd

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Thursday, November 20th, 2014

The key to profit on a dairy farm is always a combination of steps and in making decisions and in taking actions in the order of their relative importance.

Let’s leave genetics aside and consider how effective management can contribute to profit. The source for this article is the results from the Ontario DHI project called ROF (Return over Feed Costs). It formed the basis for comparison for producer management clubs run for over the five years prior to 2010. I had the opportunity to run a number of these clubs, where the herds ranged from 50 to 2000 cows. The producer club members set goals and openly shared their results and ideas on how to help other club members improve their dairy operations. Participants were able to increase their ROF for their milking cows by $1.00 to $4.50 per cow per day. On average an hundred cow herd increased their return over feed costs by $180 per day or over $65,700 per year.

Ten Proven Profit Builders

In order of their importance to dairy farmers the profit building steps were:

Highest Priority Step

Step 1.: Increase Production Per Cow Per Day
Club members all started by fine tuning their rations which included ration balancing, ration preparation and number of feedings per day. Once production levels increased, they were able to cull low end, problem or non-pregnant cows.  Increases of 7-10 pounds of milk and .3 to .4% fat were common among club members. In the end these producers were able to milk 10% fewer cows. That was significant and resulted in increased production being the #1 profit builder.

Very Important Steps

Step 2: Improve Feed Intake
Before joining the club, producers seldom were aware of their cows DMI (Dry Matter Intake). Most herds were in the 44-45 lbs range at the start but after fine tuning and changing, most herds were over 50 – 52 lbs DMI. The old saying ‘more feed in – more milk out’ proved to be very true. Many producers increased the forage percent of their diets from 60% to over 80% and saw significant monetary returns to their bottom lines. Almost all producers changed the varieties of alfalfa or corn grown or how they harvested their forages. Three producers that were either increasing their herd sizes or that were needing to replace their haylage storage facilities went to harvesting their alfalfa as dry hay to save on harvesting equipment costs and to give them less rushed schedules at harvest time. These three were all able to achieve the production they required, they required less labor for harvesting and achieved increased profit. Club members often brought their feed advisors to the club meeting and that helped all club members.

Step 3: Enhance Reproduction
Almost every herd changed their heat detection program. Some did it by staff training, or focusing observation on cows 50 – 125 days in milk (which included re-organizing cow groups) and others did it by purchasing heat detection services or equipment. Some herds reduced average days in milk from over 200 to less than 150.  The reduction in average days in milk paid off royally in increased average pounds of milk per cow per day and in reduced number of days in dry pens. Holding club meeting on-farm gave club members ideas on what they should do differently.  Veterinarians or reproduction specialists were used as meeting speakers. It was amazing to see how club members picked up on ways to tweak their home reproduction program. 

Influential Steps

Step 4: Expand Transition Cow Program
It is every producer’s desire to have cows and heifers transition from dry to milking with ease and without problems.  Great success was seen by club members that monitored and recording and implemented a three stage program of far-off, close-up and fresh cow (0 to 21 days) groups.  As farms do not run comparisons of transition programs it is not possible to know exactly their increased profit but the saving on calving problems and getting cows well started into lactation were often mentioned by participants as being very important.

Step 5: Focus on Finances
At every meeting there were discussions on how changes club members had made impacted their bottom lines. Participants saw increased profit by: 1) having their crops custom harvested, thus saving on having to invest in machinery: 2) purchasing feed inputs instead of growing them; and 3) by focusing their capital purchases or improvements on items that they used every day or that helped their staff to do a better job. At some club meetings accountants or bank managers were included as speakers and their outside the industry eyes added greatly to the discussions.

Step 6: Re-Work Heifer Program
About 1/3 of club members did a total re-work of their heifer rearing programs. Major benefits were seen in less illness and calving up to 3 months earlier. Many producers penciled out that they saved as much a $400 for every heifer raised.

Step 7: Enhance Animal Environment
The vast majority of members made changes to their facilities or how they handled their animals. Some went as far are making major facility changes. One matter that received considerable attention was cow comfort including both stall design and cow cooling during hot weather. Producers that monitored there before and after cow comfort saw increases of 5 or more pounds of milk per day and improved pregnancy rates. 

Other Noteworthy Steps

Step 8: Improve Records / Software / Devices
After participating in the club, members often stated that they had not realized how important good records were for being able to improve profitability. All members had kept breeding and production records but, once they started keeping and using feeding records and linking all records to finances, they were very pleasantly surprised to see the increased profit. A note of caution here. Recording is the first step but the information obtained needs to be acted upon.

Step 9: Increase Labor Efficiency
Labor costs can range from 10 to 20% of total farm costs. The club members that changed to having custom operators provide one or more service saw considerable savings in labor costs. They were able to focus their staff on caring for animals. Most participants reported that they personally were able to spend more time managing, planning and spending time with family, once their operation used labor more effectively and more efficiently.

Step 10: Set Aside Time for Planning / Goals
Participants were encouraged to spend one day a month in planning and goal setting. Many frowned on the need to do that in the beginning. However, after seeing how planning and goal setting helped other club members increase their profits, members freely shared their own goals, plans, actions and results.

 

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Of course every farm and farm manager operates differently. But in all cases records and data are needed to make the best possible decisions. The ten profit builders provided here can be used as a guide for dairy farm managers to use to set their priorities and make their plans.  Few managers want to be average and all want to enhance their bottom lines.  Perhaps one club member put it best when he said that, by attaching priorities and using these ten steps, he was able to “ Significantly drive-up his revenue, keep his costs under control and to have a life outside of his farm operation’.

 

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Other posts you might like:

Why you should get rid of the bottom 10%
Is there an Ideal Calving Interval (C.I.)?
Finding the Perfect Balance: How Dairy Farmers Combine Instinct and Data for Better Decisions

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Genomic Testing – Are You Missing Out?

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Thursday, August 21st, 2014

When The Bullvine mentions genomic testing to production oriented breeders, we frequently get the reaction “Oh, that’s just for herds that sell high priced animals. I focus on running a profitable milking operation. I don’t need to spend money on testing my animals.” Well, in fact, that is not an accurate assessment of the benefits available from using this tool at the present time. If you are among those not using genomics, Stop Procrastinating! It is a tool that everyone breeding their herd to improve it genetically should not be without.

Only Very Moderate Uptake – So Far

Currently, there is an 8% uptake of genomic testing of all Holstein heifer calves. The total is less in other breeds. We have barely scratched the surface.  Half a century ago, official milk recording was at the same low level. Today it is recognized as a much-needed toll both on-farm and in the national herd. Obviously the question that breeders need answers to is ‘How will I benefit from genomic testing all my heifer calves?’

Known Benefits

Much has been written about benefits and opportunities available to breeders who are submitting samples for DNA testing. Those range from selecting the best mates for your females, … to parentage verification, … to how to manage your heifer herd, … to deciding which heifers to breed and which ones to cull or implant, … to polled or not polled, …to finding the genetic outlier of an individual mating, …to an aid in marketing heifers in sales.

Just recently Holstein USA and Zetas launched an exciting service called Enlight. Breeders that submit their samples to Zoetis can through Holstein USA’s website summarize and analyze their heifers for their genetic qualities. This is the first, and no doubt other breeds will establish similar services in the future. Breeding to get the genetics that work best for you and then managing them in the best way possible is definitely important.

At the industry level, genomic testing has also proven beneficial. Alta Genetics, a few years ago, working with large herds in the USA, parentage verified all young sire daughters. It was a significant step forward in accuracy of sire proofs so they could guarantee their product to their customers. Companies like Zoetis and Neogen initiated genomic testing services so they could help producers and also as complementary to their other products. A.I companies have been able to restrict their young sires sampled to only top genomically evaluated young sires, thereby saving millions for themselves by not sampling the bottom enders and millions for breeders that did not have to raise, calve in and milk the lower genetic merit daughters of the bottom end bulls. All of these benefits are leading to cost savings in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

However six years into using genomics we are only starting to reap the rewards.

Genomics Will Make the Future Brighter

Breeders often mention that they want sires to use and females in their herd that are superior to what is available today for traits that are difficult or impossible to measure. Here are some thoughts and facts that may help breeders to decide to use genomic testing so they can have animals that are even more profitable than their herd is today. It does however require that genomic testing becomes routine (Read more: Why 84% of Dairy Breeders Will Soon Be Using Genomic Sires!).

Heifers:

Investigation, at the farm level, is being done in beef heifers on growth rates, diets tailored to genotype, immunity to common diseases and age at first estrus. The results of those studies will be able to be applied to dairy heifers since little similar research is being conducted for dairy heifers. Already breeders can test for the genetically inferior heifers, so they do not need to be raised. Up to $500 per heifer in rearing cost could be saved by having the retained heifers calving by 22 months of age.  Remember that it is age at first estrus that is important, for which we have very limited farm data. First breeding depends on a breeding actually occurring.  With heifers genotyped and selected for first estrus significant savings will be possible.

Feed Efficiency:

Two major research projects, one in USA and The Netherlands and one in Australia and New Zealand, will identify the cows that are genetically more efficient at converting their feed to milk. Within a couple of years, we can expect to see reports relating genomic information to feed efficiency.  This type of research is costly and not currently practical at the farm level, but using research herds this investigation is well underway. Reducing feed costs by 5-10% through genetic selection would result in many millions in savings. That is likely to be crucial to the dairy cattle breeding industry as dairy competes to feed a hungry world. (Read more: Feed Efficiency: The Money Saver and 15 Strength Sires That Will Still Fit In Your Stalls)

Inbreeding:

CDCB already makes available the inbreeding level of genomically tested animals based on their genomic results. No doubt further research results will provide numbers associated with inbreeding. Think about it. In the past the inbreeding level for two full sisters, based on pedigree, has been considered the same. However, by using their genomic profiles the level of inbreeding can be much more accurately known for each sister. A recent report from CDN, for the time period 2010 to 2013, shows that inbreeding rates are increasing not decreasing. Even though breeders are aware that inbreeding is a negative to future profit, they continue using fewer sire lines. More in-depth study of presence or absence of genes that negatively affect the viability of our cattle take time. Why do we always expect someone else to take responsibility for the level and rates of inbreeding? (Read more: 6 Steps to Understanding & Managing Inbreeding in Your Herd and Stop Talking About Inbreeding…)

Disease Resistance:

The list is long on diseases that breeders want their animals to be resistant to. Many research projects are underway to relate the genotype to particular types of mastitis, respiratory diseases, wasting diseases and even production limiting diseases like milk fever. CDN and Canadian milk recording agencies have been capturing field data for a number of years now on eight production limiting diseases. In time, the relationships between genetic lines and these diseases will be better-known. So that selection can be carried out to avoid problem bloodlines. When more animals are genomically tested, and bloodlines prone to diseases are identified great steps forward will be able to be made. It takes considerably more than 8% of the population genomically tested to move breeding for disease resistance to reality. (Read more:  Genomics – Opportunity is Knocking)

Reproduction:

Failure to get animals to show good heats, to produce good oocytes and conceive when bred is the leading frustration on most dairy farms. The role that genetics plays in that frustration is now receiving attention by many researchers and organizations. In the past, the capturing of useful data to do genetic analysis relative to reproduction has been a significant problem. The relating of genomic results to reproduction holds out considerable hope. Early embryonic death, haplotypes that negatively impact reproduction, genetic difference between animals for cystic ovaries and many more are all areas of concern for breeders. Once again both genomic and on-farm data are needed to move forward. (Read more: 10 things dairies with great reproduction do right and Are Your Genetics Wasting Feed and Labor?)

Misconception:

I hear breeders say “Genomic indexes are just like production indexes.” However, that is not so. There are genomic indexes for production traits, conformation traits and management traits. Genomics is a dynamic science. It is best if breeders know not only the genomic values for the animals currently in their herds but also their ancestors. To build the genomic history for a herd necessitates that testing start as soon as possible. Genomics is a tool every breeder will benefit from using no matter what their selection goals are. (Read more: Better Decision Making by Using Technology and FACT VS. FANTASY: A Realistic Approach to Sire Selection)

In Another World

Outside the world of dairy cattle but totally related to DNA analysis, there is a study just under way in the United Kingdom, where 100,000 people with cancer or rare diseases are being genotyped to better understand people’s ability to avoid or resist cancer and disease. One of the terms used in the news release was that before there was DNA profiling this work would not have been possible. Relating that back to dairy cattle, if we do not have the DNA information for animals we will be limited in our ability to eliminate deleterious genes from our cattle.

Will Genomic Testing Pay?

The question for breeders appears to have been one of cost – benefit. “What will I get for the fifty dollar cost of doing a low-density test?”  The fact is that, to date, milk producers have not taken the opportunity for more rapid genetic advancement by testing all their heifers. However, the tide is about to change. With new information coming out almost weekly on how the genetic (aka genomic) make-up of an animal relates to profitability, breeders without genomic information on their herd will not be in a position to know which sires to use or how to manage or feed their animals. Genomic testing needs to be viewed as an investment rather than a cost. Invest $50 shortly after birth to save hundreds over the cow’s lifetime.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Every journey requires that a first step be taken. The first step is that breeders submit samples for DNA analysis. Every breeder will benefit by knowing the genomics of their herd. No doubt the cost of testing will come down as more breeders participate.  Future success in dairying will require genomic testing, just as current success depends on capturing and using performance information. Are you prepared for using genomic information to assist in creating your future success in dairying?


The Dairy Breeders No BS Guide to Genomics

 

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Want to learn what it is and what it means to your breeding program?

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Dairy Cattle Genomics: Have we taken it too far?
30 Sires that will produce Feed Efficient Cows
The Top 12 Holstein Genomic Young Sires To Use for Maximum Genetic Gain

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Jersey vs. Holstein – The Debate Continues

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Monday, January 13th, 2014

One of the things that makes the dairy community great is the passion producers have for what they do.  One area that we have found that brings out the most passion is debating which breed is the best.  While there are many ways to look at it, the most logical way is to look at which breed is the most profitable.

Since we first joined this discussion back in May of 2012, (Read more: Holstein vs. Jersey: Which breed is more profitable) there have been many interesting points raised on both sides of this question.  So we here at the Bullvine decided to take a deeper look at this issue and see if we could get more insight into this much debated topic.

Now first let`s be clear.  This is a very lopsided debate because Holsteins are the primary breed on 92% of the farms in North America, and Jersey is only the primary breed on about 3.5%.  But man you have to love the passionately vocal nature of most Jersey breeders.

Feed Conversion

With feed accounting for between 52 and 58 percent of the total cost of production, any significant advantage for either breed is its ability to convert feed into milk solids, especially with the increased costs of feed these days.  While the superior overall production ability of a Holstein vs. a Jersey (Holstein 24,291 lbs of milk 888lbs Fat 3.66 % Fat 765 lbs Protein 3.15 % Protein vs. Jersey  16,997 lbs milk 776 lbs Fat 4.57% Fat 633 lbs Protein 3.73% Protein)  has  long been documented the true numbers lie in how well each breed converts their feed intake into milk and milk solids In a Dairy Science paper they looked at feed intake studies for 4 breed groups: Holstein, Holstein x Jersey, Jersey x Holstein and Jersey, where all cows were fed the same ration, were housed in the same type of pens and were milked together.  The results found that Holstein had the highest intake and the highest production yield.  However, Jersey converted a higher percentage of their intake to production than Holstein did.

Item

Holstein

HJ

JH

Jersey
Intake

9,813

9,309

9,487

7,969
Growth

669 (6.8%)

599 (6.4%)

496 (5.2%)

334 (4.2%)
Maintenance

2,666 (27.25)

2,468 (26.5%)

2,425 (25.6%)

2,085 (26.2)
Pregnancy

27 (0.3%)

32 (0.3%)

33 (0.3%)

21 (0.3%)
Production

5,968 (60.8%)

6,057 (65.1%)

6,162 (65.0%)

5,259 (66.0%)

The bottom line result of this research was that Jerseys were 6% better at converting intake into production.  That may not seem that significant until you factor in that feed costs are 52-58% of total costs.  That difference represents a 3.3% increase in profitability.  One thing is for sure, feed efficiency is certainly one area that we need to have more supporting research in order to develop genetic indices.

Milk Price

One of the key factors determining which breed is better depends on where you market your milk.  Certain pricing models favor fluid milk production while others favor component production.  Fluid markets certainly favor Holstein while component markets favor Jerseys.  Pennsylvania researchers used a farm level income and policy simulator (FLIPSIM) model to predict farm performance under fluid pricing or component pricing in Pennsylvania.  Under fluid pricing, a high producing (13,961 pounds) 60-cow Jersey herd could expect a net cash income of $32,300 versus $63,100 for a high producing (20,600 pounds) Holstein herd.  Under component pricing, the same Jersey herd would increase in net cash income to $55,400 versus $61,100 for the Holstein herd.  Under component pricing, a Jersey herd could expect an increase of about $23,000, while the Holstein herd would decline slightly.  Combine that with the increased feed efficiency of the Jersey’s mentioned above and, depending on the pricing model in your area, Jerseys would become a more profitable option.  Especially when you factor in the less volatile milk solids market as compared to fluid milk pricing.

Reproduction

For years Jerseys have enjoyed the reputation of being far superior to Holstein.  However, increased attention to this area by many producers may have changed or at least narrowed the gap.  This is certainly an area that many breeders are paying attention to, specifically the scores for Conception Rate (CR), Daughter Pregnancy Rate (DPR) and Calving Interval (CI).  The Days to First Breeding (DFB) declined for Holsteins from 92 d in 1996 to 85 d in 2007.  A similar trend was not observed for Jerseys, possibly because synchronized breeding is more common in Holstein herds than in Jersey herds.  As far as conception rates are concerned, Jerseys still have a slight edge over Holsteins.  But that trend is also changing.  As Holsteins have gone from 2.5 NB (Number of Breedings per lactation) in 1996 to 2.6 in 2007, while Jersey’s have gone from 2.2 in 1996 to 2.4 in 2007.

Now one area that I often hear comments from producers about is the value of the resulting calves.  Specifically that drop bull calves that will be sold for beef.  One of the great strategies I have seen employed by many Jersey and even top Holstein herds is to breed the bottom 10% of their herd to a beef sire.  As they know they will not be needing the resulting females or males from these animals the value of using a beef sire, typically more than compensates for the Holstein versus Jersey drop calf price.  Another management or reproduction tool that many producers are using is sexed semen which allows them to greatly decrease the number of female calves needed for replacements.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Holstein and Jersey cows both have their advantages and disadvantages.  Holsteins are larger and have higher salvage value than Jerseys.  Jerseys tend to be more efficient and typically have fewer reproductive challenges. Each have an advantage under milk pricing that favors their particular productive strengths.  The first area you need to look at for what breed is better for you, is the milk pricing model in your area.  If it is a fluid market, then typically Holstein would be more advantageous. If the price model favors component pricing, then you would typically be better off milking Jerseys.  After looking at the price model, you certainly need to adjust your management to maximize the reproduction and feed efficiency for the breed you have chosen.  Even your housing set up could be better suited for one breed over the other.  While I am sure the Jersey versus Holstein debate will go on for years to come, there are certain new trends that may be contrary to previous beliefs and new feed efficiency information that are opening many producers’ eyes.

 

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Are Your Genetics Wasting Feed and Labor?

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Thursday, October 10th, 2013

Throughout my education and my career in livestock improvement I have heard learned people say ‘the fields of nutrition, reproduction, management and genetics are independent of each other’. As recently as last week I had a nutritionist tell me that what geneticists do is secondary to what a nutritionist can do when it comes to on-farm profit. Well today I wish to challenge that theory of no inter-relationships.

Although I do not want to get into a back-and-forth between genetics and other disciplines, the purpose for this article is to challenge our thinking and see if there are in fact ways that genetics can be complimentary to nutrition, reproduction and management. It takes all disciplines working collaboratively to enhance on-farm profits thereby providing consumers with the dairy products they wish to consume.

If a stranger walked into your facilities and told you that you are wasting 20% of the feedstuffs you produce or that 20% of your daily labor could be eliminated would you throw them off the farm? Or would you stop and listen and consider taking action? If that stranger was your genetic supplier would you continue to consider their advice or would you scoff at them saying that “the genetics you use can not reduce your costs or increase your revenue”.

The following are areas that have a genetic component to them that deserve consideration:

Reproduction

Heifers not calving before 24 months or cows with an extra month or two in the dry pens each lactation take feed and labor at the rate of $2 to $4 (avg $3) per day. A heifer that does not calve until 27 months and takes an extra 45 days per lactation in the dry pen has costs an unnecessary $675 by the time she starts her fourth lactation at 69 months of age. By that time that heifer should be half way thru her fourth lactation. She not only costs an extra $675 but has lost $3000 in milk and progeny revenue by 69 months of age. The dollars lost add up quickly.

Genetically consider using only sires that are well above average for DPR  +1.0 / DF 105, cull heifers and cows with below average fertility ratings either their genetic rating or actual performance, and do not use bulls or retain females that are below 100 for Body Conditioning Score. If you are buying embryos or replacement females be sure to look at the genetic fertility ratings. Making excuses for buying below average animals or embryos is false economy. Another factor that is not a genetic rating, but has a direct bearing on reproduction is Sire Conception Rating. Remember that for each 21 days (one cycle) a female is open it costs $63 and that does not consider increased semen and insemination costs.

Productive Life / Herd Life

Improving just one year of herd life, from a herd average of three to four lactations, can markedly improve the revenue a cow will generate in her lifetime. An extra 26,000 pound or 12,000 kgs per cow per lifetime also reduces the number of heifers that need to be raised or purchased.  In a 300 milking cow herd the total of added revenue and reduced heifer costs can be as much as $300 net per cow per year. As heifer rearing is no longer a major profit centre, like it once was, why incur the feed and labor costs of extra heifers?

Using sires that are at least PL +4.5 or HL 110 is strongly recommended. Females should not be retained for breeding or replacement or purchased as embryos where the cow family members do not make it to third lactation.

Production

The volume of fat and protein produced by each cow each day is a key factor for revenue generation (Read more: Is too much water milking your profits? and 5 things you must consider when breeding for milk production). When that can be done with a lesser volume of water it means less strain on the cow and less water to transport to the milk processor. High output of components means fewer cows needing to be fed and milked to produce a given quantity of fat and protein.  If daily yields are only moderate then feed is wasted feeding too many cows. At the processor more concentrated milk means less water needs to be removed and disposed of. It is a win–win for both the producer and the processor.

To achieve high fat plus protein yields requires that the sires used need to be ranked high genetically for total solids yield. In sire proofs that equates to bulls with 90 kgs fat + protein in Canada and 75 lbs in the USA. Cows should be culled for low total fat + protein yields per day not on volume of milk produced. When purchasing embryos make sure that the genetic merit for fat + protein yield is high.

Udder Health

On a continual basis the requirement for the maximum number of somatic cells in milk is lowered. It is estimated that each case of mastitis costs at least $300 in lost production and drugs. Add to that the extra labor required and the total cost, to all dairy farmers, associated with mastitis is huge.  Sometimes we forgive cows and bulls with poor SCS rating because they have a high rating for a single other trait. That is false economy when you factor in the cost of feed, labour and lost milk revenue. We need to be paying more attention to milk quality in the future than we have in the past.

Animals above 3.00 for SCS should not be used in your breeding program. Better still would be to aim for using bulls that are 2.80 and lower for SCS.  Of note is the fact that as of December 2013 CDN will be producing sire indexes for Mastitis Resistance (Read more: Official Genetic Evaluation for Mastitis Resistance).

Calving Ease

Producers have placed emphasis on calving ease over the past decade. It is now at the point where concern relative to calving difficulty is only mentioned for first calving heifers. Labor is saved with unassisted calvings. As well the dam and calf both get off to better starts. Less drug usage and quicker breeding back of the dam add up to major dollars saved no matter what the herd size.

Bulls receive indexes for both the ease with which their calves are born and for the ease with which their daughters give birth. It is advised to not use bulls that are rated below average for both direct and maternal calving ease.

Other Factors

  • Feet and Legs: Cows without mobility problems save on labor, lost feed and lost revenue.  Use sires that are average or above average for both heel depth and rear legs rear view. Calves and heifers with feet and leg problems seldom get better with age. (Read more: Cow Mobility: One Step Forward or Two Steps Back?)
  • Feed Conversion: In all livestock there are genetic differences in the ability to convert feed to end product. As yet we do not know those genetic differences in dairy cattle but we will know them in time. (Read more: Feed Efficiency: The Money Saver and 30 Sires that will produce Feed Efficient Cows) In is a fact that big cows, producing similar volumes to a medium sized cow, can not be as efficient as they must eat feed to maintain their larger body mass. Some (New Zealand, Ireland, NMS formula,…) already have a negative weighting for body size in their total index formula In the future breeders need to be prepared to select for feed efficiency and likely re-think the ideal cow size. Stay tuned. Research is already underway on feed conversion in dairy cattle.
  • Milking Speed: Slow milking cows were once tolerated in tie stall barns even though they required more labor. Now with parlour, rotary and even robotic systems, cows that slow down the parlour process or that mean fewer cows per robot are not tolerated. Sire indexes for milking speed are available on all bulls in Canada and are often available from bull studs in other countries. Avoid using bulls that leave slow milkers.
  • Polled: Labor required and animal set backs after dehorning are negatives at the farm level. For consumers animal treatment/care is often a concern that may affect milk product consumption. Polled is not just trendy it will be the norm in the future. (Read more: Why Is Everyone So Horny For Polled?, From the Sidelines to the Headlines, Polled is Going Mainline! and Polled Genetics: Way of the Future or Passing Fad?),  Genetic tests are now available that accurate identify animals as homozygous or heterozygous for polled. With each passing month the genetic merit for top polled animals for total merit (TPI, LPI NM$,..) is increasing. Producers need to decide when they will start to breed for polled.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Every discipline is important to improving on-farm profits. Research at CDN showed that improved genetics accounted for, at least, 40% of the increase in on-farm profitability. Genetics can help reduce the two biggest on-farm cost – feed and labor.  As well it can help drive up revenue per cow. Conclusion: Genetics can save on feed and labor costs. And Genetics can help generate more profit.

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Other posts you might like:

Dairy Improvement Services: Which ones are worth investing in?
Prepping calves for successful group feeding - Robotics conference
50 Sires that will Produce Feed Efficient Cows

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Better Decision Making by Using Technology

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Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

At an ever increasing rate new equipment and information becomes available that dairy farmers can use to advance the way in which they manage their herds. The early adopters often go out on a limb and install systems on their farms that they hope will make their operations more profitable. Making better decisions or having information that gives advance notice of potential cow problems is critical to increased herd profit.
ML - Herd_navigator_analyse_unit_and_cows_-_9675

New on the Scene

Recently the Bullvine took the opportunity to get close-in on a new piece of equipment by visiting two reference farms. This equipment is called Herd Navigator™ (HN), a product of DeLaval/FOSS, and it has just completed verification in Canada using four Ontario dairy farms. It had been developed, field tested and implemented in Europe and at the present time it is being installed commercially in additional farms in Canada.

In brief what it does is take milk samples from selected cows on selected days and, based on the analysis of the milk, provides reports for herd managers to use. As one would expect, this requires equipment for sampling (a sampler and a sorter) and testing (on-farm mini lab), computer software and linkage to the herd management software used on the farm by the herd manager, the nutritionist or the veterinarian.

VMSFullCow[1]Designed as the next tool for top herds

The focus of HN is cows in robotic and parlour herds from calving to being pregnant again. (Read more: Robotic Milking: More than just automation it’s a new style of herd managment) Nancy Charlton DVM (Nutrition & Herd Management Specialist, DeLaval Canada) started her explanation and demonstration of HN by saying that “…. lets start with the basics. A herd must have an effective cow and heifer transition program. That is a well proven fact. HN is then a tool to make very good managers even better at their job.”  That made me want to listen even harder to Dr Charlton as she very adeptly went through the various procedures and reports for HN.

CHARLTON Pictures 027Multi-Purpose Tool

HN takes a milk sample at prescribed times and provides information on four areas important to herd management and profitability. Users of the HN™ system set up Standard Operating Procedures for all four areas, reproduction, mastitis, ketosis and urea level in the milk. When results for metabolic conditions exceed owner determined levels an alarm sounds (more correctly a report is generated) notifying the herdsman. Acting before a cow becomes a problem means less cost, more production and more profit.

It is a well known fact that managing REPRODUCTION takes detailed recording, considerable staff time, is a significant expense and reduces the average revenue per cow per year. For the time period starting 30 days before the voluntary waiting period until 55 days pregnant progesterone levels are monitored on critical days. Herd managers have access to detailed reports including: changes in progesterone levels; heats and the best time to breed; prolonged post partum anestrous; follicular cysts; luteal cysts; potential pregnancy; and early embryonic loss or abortion.

Life for herd managers would be much simpler if MASTITIS did not occur. But that would be a perfect world. HN uses the milk sample to measure the enzyme Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) which is released into the milk in an affected quarter during inflammation. Increasing LDH levels are highly correlated with the increased presence of somatic cells and the early stage of subclinical mastitis.  The herd manager can choose to monitor the situation or to treat the cow immediately. At the very least the manager can look the cow up and make a visual or hands-on assessment. The creators of HN see using LDH as a more accurate way of determining the presence of mastitis. The frequency of testing cows for LDH is recommended as once per day for the first thirty days of lactation and after that it depends on the cow’s history and the herd’s standard operating practice.

The metabolic disease KETOSIS can be a thief of profit for cows by causing the loss of milk, lowering peak milk yield and cost of treatment. HN monitors the concentration of ketone bodies in a cow’ milks early in lactation. Measurements start on day four of lactation and continue until readings indicate there is a small chance of ketosis occurring. It is significant that HN reports on subclinical ketosis. Thus alerting the herd manager to take action before full blown ketosis occurs, either by altering the fresh cows diet or by treating the cow. Recent research indicates that subclinical ketosis is much more prevalent than dairymen are aware of. Potentially all herds are losing production due to subclinical ketosis and do not know it.

The final area that HN monitors is the UREA level in the milk a cow produces. This is similar to the MUN (milk urea nitrogen) service offered by CANWEST DHI but does not require that the owner wait until a milk recording test day.  As yet this part of HN may not get as much use as the three previously mentioned areas. It is important to know if protein level in the diet are too high, just right or too low. Over feeding protein, the expensive part of the ration, costs money while under feeding means a cow’s potential is not being achieved and other feed ingredients are not being fully utilized. From what I heard when speaking with the two herd owners, that I visited, this area has yet to be ‘discovered’ for use by HN owners.

In summary these four areas give herd managers the opportunity to increase the profitability of their herds from just a milk sample.

Information Provided

At any time the herd manager can go to his computer and call up any reports. HN is definitely designed for larger herds that manage cows by groups. It provides information so that individual cows within the groups can have their current problem addressed. Only problem cows need to receive the attention of the herdsman.

Sytse Heeg of Heegstee Farms commented “I only need to give my attention to cows with problems. It would not be possible for my wife and me to manage without HN. We have 110 cows milking on two robots, all the young stock and our family to attend to every day and also the field work during the summer time. We do have assistance from my father part time and a summer student.  I am so much more in control of my herd than I was before HN. And I am getting the results (profit) I wanted to get. Already 4 kgs more milk per cow per day with cows back in-calf as well as very low levels of mastitis and ketosis. In non-busy times it is even possible for us to take a vacation. But don’t forget I can remotely watch what is happening back home.”

At Elmwold Farms (Buchner Families), Jennifer is responsible for searching out the details from their 170 cow 3x herd that on the day I visited were producing, on average,  2.8 kgs (6.2 pounds) of fat & protein per day. When I visited Jennifer was on vacation so father (Chris) and brothers ( Greg and Derek) and cousin (Kevin), over a cold ice tea in the shade on a very hot summer day, described the many ways that their farm uses HN to better manage their herd. Chris Buchner provided the details.  “Our herd is focused on efficient high fat plus protein yield. That is what we are paid for kgs of fat and protein sold off-farm. But it is more than that. We were having too many cows on holidays, aka in the dry pens, too much of the time. We calve the vast majority of our heifers before two years of age so we give a bit of a break in having them calve back but the herd average calving interval is 12.6 – 12.8 months. We are running a 24% pregnancy rate, we average 2.2 inseminations per pregnancy, our reproductive cull rate has gone from 28% down to 22%, the vast majority of our cows are pregnant by 120 days into lactation and using the urea numbers we have been able to lower our TMR from 18 to 17% protein. We purchased HN to improve our daily management of cows by focusing on cows outside the norm and to use our facilities to their maximum. We will soon build additional cow housing and will give more attention to our fresh cows with one pen for fresh heifers only as we already know that they get pushed out of the feed bunk by older cows in the fresh group. We looked at using pedometers but after seeing how much more HN could do we made the decision to purchase it. We are very happy we decided to go this route. Our family operation is growing and I am proud to say that the next generation is keen to be profitable dairy farmers.”

Cost Benefit

Top notch herd managers always want to know the cost benefit of any input, service or tool. The DeLaval website suggest that using HN a herd can increase revenue by $330 US$ (250 euros) per cow per year with annual material costs of 130 US$ per cow and an equipment cost of 500 US$ per cow for a two hundred cow herd. All of these numbers do not include the savings in feed for fewer cows (milking and dry) as well as the need for less housing facilities. Definitely it does require that a herd be of sufficient size to justify the initial cost of the equipment.

Another thing about the HN system is that it  does all the work and testing thus allowing the herd manager to avoid the time to search out cows and do cow side testing. And, best of all, it does it before there is a problem not after the fact.

Muhieddine Labban (Automated Milking Systems Manager at DeLaval) sees the benefits in these ways “I like to call it return on investment with the results being: 1) accurate feeding – lower cost and waste; 2) lower cull rate; 3) lower use of antibiotics; 4) higher production per cow; 5) more effective use of the herd veterinarian; 6) higher pregnancy rate; 7) fewer inseminations lowering costs and semen used; 8) less herd manager frustration; 9) more family time for the dairy producer; and last but not least 10) the use of technology which will encourage the next generation to be dairy farmers”. An impressive list for every herd managers to consider.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

For breeders looking to manage better and increase their per cow profit, more attention to cows needing individual attention is an avenue to pursue. It definitely does pay to have cows reach peak production, avoid mastitis and get back in calf as quickly as possible. Knowing the facts to base decisions on is the way to go.

 

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Other posts you might like:

Robots, Digital or Real People?
Jersey vs. Holstein – The Debate Continues
10 Steps to Increase the Profitability of Your Dairy Herd

 

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FACT VS. FANTASY: A Realistic Approach to Sire Selection

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Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

How often do you select a mating sire for the reasons you typically cull animals, as opposed to what your perceived ideal cow looks like?  Further to our discussion about what the Perfect Holstein Cow looks like we here at the Bullvine started to ask ourselves, “How often do we choose our matings based on what we think the perfect cow looks like? vs. what our true management needs are?” Far too often sire selection is based on the fantasy of breeding that next great show cow or VG-89-2YR instead of facts needed to breed that low maintenance cow that will stay in your herd for many lactations and produce high quantities of milk.  Do your sire selections overlook your management needs?

Speedy Selection. Long-Lasting Problems

Discernment is the hardest part of sire selection.  Seeing your herd for what it is and what its genetic needs are is step one.  Step two is choosing what will work for you almost three years from now when the daughters of the sires you use today will be entering the milking string.  The old adage was “breed for type and feed for production.”  But how many breeding stock animals have you sold recently based solely on conformation?  How many will you be selling in three years based on their type?  What are the revenue sources for your farm now and in the future?  If your answer is “We get our revenue from the milk cheque from as few cows as possible and with as much profit per cow as possible” then selecting for type could mean that your sire selection is out of alignment with your management needs.

How Can You Tell If You Are You Out of Sync?

One place to determine where your herd has issues is to look at the reasons for and the frequency of culling. Every cow that leaves your herd for any reason other than a profitable sale is an indicator of the issues that could be arising from sire selection that is out of alignment with what is going on in your herd.

The Bullvine found the following information on milking age females that are removed from herds:

  • Over 35% of cows in a herd are replaced annually. That is costly!
  • The top known reasons for culling or removing cows are:
    • Infertility  / reproduction                    23.1%
    • Sold for dairy purposes                       21.4%
    • Mastitis                                               13.8%
    • Feet and Legs                                        9.6%
    • Low production                                     7.6%
    • Total    75.5%
  • The other known reasons for culling or removing cows are:
    • Injury               10.0%
    • Sickness           7.0%
    • Old Age           2.4%
    • Diseases          1.8%
    • Bad Temperament      0.9%
    • Difficult Calving          0.9%
    • Conformation 0.9%
    • Slow Milker                 0.6%
    • Total    24.5%

Are You Breeding to Spend Money or Are you Breeding to Make Money?

You may be comfortable with your culling rate especially if it isn’t too far off “normal”. However when you look closely at the cows that remain in your herd how “needy” are they?  Staff time, vet calls, hoof trimming, semen, drugs, supplies, extra time in the dry cow pen and removing cows from herds before they reach maturity – these all add up to significant dollars down the drain.  Therefore, anything that can be done in sire selection to minimize these costs goes right to improving the financial bottom line.  All unbudgeted costs mean less profit. If an animal is culled early, it does not matter where she placed at the local show or that her sire was a popular bull that left fancy udders.  If he also left poor feet and low fertility, that costs you money.

A More Realistic Approach: Breed for the Bottom Line Not Just the Top Number

Often top bulls for total index are put forward to breeders for their use, without regard for the bull’s limiting factors.  The Bullvine doesn’t support that approach.  We recommendation that minimum sire selection values be set for the reasons cows are culled so that sires used in a herd don’t create new problems while the breeder tries to solve the current ones.

Here are the Bullvine we recommend the following requirements bulls should meet to be considered for use by bottom line focused breeders:

  • In Canada
    • Lifetime Profit Index   > +2000*
    • Daughter Fertility          > 100
    • Somatic Cell Score         < 2.90
    • Feet & Legs                      > +5
  • In USA
    • Total Performance Index        > 2000*
    • Daughter Pregnancy Rate          > 1.0
    • Somatic Cell Score                    < 2.90
    • Feet & Legs Composite               > 1.0

* A high minimum value has been set for both LPI and TPI to address the removal of cows for low production and so animals sold for dairy purposes can be in demand for their milk producing ability.

THE BULLVINE BOTTOM LINE

Every dairy breeder wants a superior herd and wants to eliminate the daily annoyances, costs and loss of valuable cows due to infertility, mastitis and feet problems and low production. Breeders should choose the best sires that correct the actual problems that they face in their herd instead of chasing a fantasy that has nothing to do with their reality.

The Dairy Breeders No BS Guide to Genomics

 

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Want to learn what it is and what it means to your breeding program?

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Other posts you might like:

Breeding for Longevity: Don't believe the hype - It’s more than just high type
Who Said You Can't Breed For Higher Fertility?
12 Outcross Sires to Help Control Inbreeding

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Are You Going To Make a Profit This Year?

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Tuesday, August 14th, 2012

Every day during this summer of 2012 dairy breeders are reading about or personally experiencing the challenges of feeding their dairy herd.  The articles in the press deal with the cost of corn and soybeans as well as the quantity and quality for forages preserved or available for purchase.  Since the cost of feed to produce a pound or kilogram of milk is usually 55 to 60% of the cost of production, feeding the dairy herd is extremely important.

In a recent article the Bullvine addressed key factors that contribute to profit on farm ( read Why Dairy Farmers Need To Know Their Key Performance Indicators).  However, for many dedicated North American dairy cattle farmers the immediate challenge is to implement steps that will contribute to or assist with profitability until we have another crop-growing season.  The following ideas are offered based on the results I saw from working with success farms participating in dairy farm management clubs.

A Check List for Managing

  1. Know your facts
    A saying often herd is “If you don’t measure, you can’t manage.”  So taking time to review the details on your last milk cheque, your current feed bills, your daily feed fed and the information for the past two years from your DHI printouts or from your farm management software reports, all are key to getting started.  Also critical to taking positive steps is the farm manager’s attitude to problem solving on farm.  Yes prices received and prices paid are important but most frequently they are mainly outside individual manager’s control.
  2. Output per Cow
    Simply put farms producing over 5 pounds or 2.3 kgs of fat plus protein per cow per day return between 25 to 40% more profit per cow per day than farms producing 4 pounds or 1.8 kgs per cow per day.  Filling the bulk tank with 100 cows producing 55 pounds (25 kgs) or 79 cows producing 70 pounds (32 kgs) is what this equates to.  Those extra 21 mouths to feed are paramount to profit.  Moving the lower producing cows to dry pens, selling below average producers for meat or buying of bringing in, take care to protect biosecurity (read more Biosecurity – How Safe Is Your Dairy or Biosecurity: Control What’s Coming In, Going Out Or Going Around), animal about to calve or recently fresh are all steps that will move the herd to more profit per milking cow per day.
  3. Dry Matter Intake (DMI)
    Average DMI of at least 50 pounds (23 kgs) of feed are achievable.  Herds with DMI’s over 55 pounds (25 kgs) make 15 to 25% more profit per cow per day than herds with a DMI of less than 44 pounds (20 kgs).  However, feed intake averages and profit per cow per day are not achieved by feeding the average cow.  Keys to achieving desired levels of DMI and profit are caring and grouping of cows and heifers three weeks before and after calving, feeding the highest quality forage to the cows producing the most milk and not overfeeding cows later in lactation in any year not just when feeds are in short supply or high in price.
  4. Feed Quality
    Without feed testing or knowing the quality of feeds, be it home grown or purchased feeds, decisions and corrective actions cannot be taken.  Managing for profit and using feed resources wisely depend knowing the products you are working with.
  5. The Heifer Herd
    Managing for profit is greatly influenced by how the heifer herd is feed and managed.  Not raising all heifer calves, feeding heifers according to their needs (high quality feed to heifers in their first three months), using milk replacer instead of keeping extra cows so calves can get be feed whole milk and breeding heifers to calve by 24 months of age all need re-consideration in times of tight feed supply, lower quality feeds, and expensive feedstuffs.  Having 0.7 or 1.1 heifers per milking cow can significantly affect profit through feed cost, labour costs and overhead costs. (read 10 Ways Cool Calves Beat The Heat)
  6. Manage Reproduction
    In times of high costs, lack of plentiful feed supply and pressure on the time to manage, managers take steps (often inadvertently) not to check as often for heats or eliminate regular visits by the herd reproduction specialists.  Current estimates run between $75 to $110 for every heat that a cow or heifer is either not bred on or does not conceive on.  Of course that cost is a function of taking more feed, more labour, more animals on-farm and more time to manage.
  7. The Basics are Important
    We all know how nice it is to have fresh air to breathe, our climate controlled and a fresh glass of clean water.  Well animals are no different.  Clean waterers, lack of manure build-up near animals and clean air all lead to high performance by dairy cattle.  Documented and delivered herd protocols are important and can be neglected in times of stress including when feedstuffs are in short supply.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Success in business very often is associated with managing to be ahead of challenges rather than in reaction to circumstances.  Profits on dairy farms depend on providing the crucial trinity, feed, environment and genetics.  Doing only two of the three is not sufficient.

Other posts you might like:

Is it Time to Quit Dairy Farming?
How Montbéliarde and Viking Red Crossbreds Stack Up Against Holsteins in High-Performance Herds
It`s NOT WHO YOU KNOW but WHO KNOWS YOUR COWS

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