FEEDING

What are your forage options if stocks are looking short?

HEALTH

Johne’s update: test helps to ID and control

HERD REPORT

Top ranking herd excels on simple grass-based system

VOLUME 9 NO 5 JULY/AUGUST 2011

IN THIS ISSUE

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F E A T U R E S 4 Cow Talk 10 Overalls off: Sweet-pea grower 33 Veterinary practice: Psoroptic mange 37 NMR Dairy Management News 41 Avoncroft Breeding Information/

Thompsons Nutritional News 43 Business: feed update 46 Shows, events and contacts

R E P O R T S 12 Simplicity is key to success for Colin

Luther 44 Producing ‘night milk’ in Germany

C O L U M N 15 Roger Evans

H E A LT H 26 Johne’s disease

M A N A G E M E N T 30 Herd fertility pointers 34 Boost water intake

SpecialFeeding

SeriesFeed efficiency

BreedingReliability

Protein strategies, mixer selection, and cereal crops to boost winter forage stocks17 The effect of non-feed and

management factors on feed efficiency38Confidence in young sires,

selected using genomic data, is growing as reliability increases6

Peter Hufe “Our herd is the only one in Germany that produces ‘night milk’ on a large scale” 44

Be prepared – that’s the theme of this issue. Particularly with regard to buying in winter

feed and managing forage stocks. We’ve the first of our new business-focused bulletins, which takes a close look at feed prices. Our analysts speculate on which direction they think prices are heading and why, and what producers can do to help reduce the impact of market volatility on their businesses.If you’re looking to avoid a winter forage stocks panic, we have some timely tips and pointers on page 17. Bite the bullet and work out exactly how much forage you have. If it’s not enough, it could be time to look at the options for ensiling any cereal crops you have on your farm.Nothing beats a cool, refreshing drink in this heat and your cows are probably drinking a lot at the moment, but could they be drinking more? Read our article on page 34 and look out for the signs that tell you if your cows are well hydrated – whatever the weather. Spotting Johne’s disease isn’t so easy and it’s a complex disease, but NMR has a tried and tested solution. Regular testing can help to identify ‘problem’ cows, which can then be carefully monitored and managed to prevent further spread. Careful management could even lead to your herd being ‘Johne’s free’. See page 26 to find out more.Frisky, not sick, cows are causing problems on Roger Evans’s unit and threatening to sabotage the success of his paddock grazing system. And it’s not just the cows that are being mischievous. Could the future see Roger running a deer farm?

Editor Rachael Porter Forward planning

C O N T E N T

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Producers faced with either a shortage of forage or poor quality grass silage could benefi t from the inclusion of dried lucerne in the diet this winter, according to Dengie Crops’ Trevor Rees.Initial fi rst-cut grass silage analysis suggests that, on average, crops are

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The use of robotic milking systems is growing, as is the demand for sires that will produce heifers and cows to suit this type of milking and management system. Producers using conventional milking parlours need cows with good feet and legs and udders. But when milking via a robot, these qualities are even more important.So CRV has developed a special ‘robot’ ranking for producers looking to breed cows to suit an automatic milking system. This ranking highlights the bulls that are most suitable and the company’s dairy guide contains all the breeding traits, but identifi es those that are most suited to this type of system.

Table 1: Breeding traits in ‘robot’ ranking

trait %

milking speed 26.1udder health 21.7 rear-teat placement 21.7feet & legs 13.0 teat length 8.7 front-teat placement 8.7

CRV’s ‘robot’ indexProducers may fi nd some solace when they open clamps this autumn if the results of the fi rst analysed samples are anything to go by, according to Frank Wright Trouw Nutrition International’s John Allen.“Producers experienced a huge range in weather conditions this silage season,” he says. “However, the results of the fi rst 370 samples analysed this yearshow that, on average, silage quality is encouraging but, as ever, there is a huge range that will present some feeding challenges.”Dr Allen explains that dry matter content and ME levels are similar to previous

Silage quality offers some comfort

good quality but light on quantity and Mr Rees believes that the high digestible fi bre content in dried lucerne will be valuable to help balance diets to promote good rumen health.“Many crops were cut early this year and so fi bre levels will be down. The silage made has a good feed value, but

NDF levels are suppressed. Combined with potentially reduced quantities, it is highly likely that diets will need additional sources of quality structural fi bre to balance higher levels of starch,” he says. “Some producers may be able to make wholecrop, but it is likely that many will cash in by selling cereals.”Lucerne is high-temperature dried and chopped to between 2cm and 4cm, ready for inclusion in mixed rations. “Feeding between 2kg and 4kg per day will improve fi bre levels.“And, unlike straw, it will not signifi cantly reduce nutrient density because the product is 10ME and around 18% protein.”

years and 79% of samples have an ME greater than 11MJ/kgDM. Crude protein content is higher than 2010, which could save up to 1% protein required in the concentrate portion of the ration. But care will be needed to ensure that metabolisable protein requirements are met and that nitrogen and energy supply is correctly balanced.“With higher protein silages it is easy to provide excess rumen nitrogen, which then uses the cow’s energy supply to remove it from the body – effectively reducing milk yield. Diets will need to contain adequate rumen energy sources such as sugars and starches.”

www.global.crv4all.com

C O W T A L K

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The breeding value of an animal is the best possible way to estimate its actual

genetic make up. How reliable this breeding value is indicates how likely it is that the estimated breeding value will match an animal’s actual inherited make up or breeding value.Getting a reliable breeding value involves using information from a range of sources including pedigree details, their performance and that of their descendants, and genomic data (DNA). The more details that are included in the breeding value, the more reliable it is. Reliability can be anything from 1% to 99%.

Heritability roleHeritability also influences reliability and indicates how much information is passed on to the next generation via the genes. Type is highly heritable and, with a limited number of daughters, it is fairly easy to say

text Mathijs van Pelt

With the advent of genomic selection, sires have

arrived at CRV about which we know more than

just their predicted values, but less than for a sire

with a daughter proof. How much can the breeding

value of a genomic sire change? Reliability is one

way of measuring this.

The value of reliabilityGenomic data adds to confiden ce as reliability increases

Leo de Jong: “More diversity is possible with genomic sires”“We use young genomic sires on all our cows,” says Barnkamper Holsteins’ Leo de Jong. With his wife Artje and daughter Linda de Jong he milks 125 cows. “We have faith in genomic selection and there are more genomic sires available, which allows for diverse blood lines,” he says. “We have used O Man and Shottle a lot ourselves, so our opportunities are limited. Genomic sires with

Goldwyn and Planet bloodlines, for example, are easier for us to use.”With genomic sires being less reliable, Leo spreads the risk, “We never use more than ten straws from a sire. You have to allow for the fact that some sires are disappointing. That’s all part of the game.”Sires he has used recently include Explode, Gofast, Observer, Malindo, Atwood and Caliber.

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m a i n a R t i C L e

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precisely what a sire’s genetic make up is. However the non-return percentage at 56 days is largely non-heritable, so a sire needs lots of daughters before it is possible to say with any certainty what its genetic make up is. Figure 1 on the next page shows how a sire’s reliability increases as its groups of daughters also increase but at different degrees of heritability. At a high heritability level of 0.30 for type, for example, a sire with 100 daughters has a reliability of 89%. With a characteristic which is largely non-heritable, like fertility, reliability in that case is just 56%. With daughter groups of a thousand animals or more, type reaches its maximum reliability of 99%, whereas the breeding value fertility is 93% reliable.With large daughter groups, the contribution of pedigree or genomic information is negligible. Breeding value is then based more or less entirely on daughter information.

Breeding values Reliability also indicates how much a breeding value can still change. The predicted breeding value of a sire can change more than once with thousands of daughters in milk. Breeding values can never be more than 99% reliable in practice, so they are not entirely fixed. To illustrate how breeding values can still change, we distinguished between four groups of sires: sires with predicted values, sires with genomic breeding values without daughter information, sires with

The value of reliabilityGenomic data adds to confiden ce as reliability increases

Mathijs van Pelt from CRV’s genetic evaluation team

Gert Kroes: “Older sires have proven themselves”“We use mainly older sires that have proven themselves, like Rafael, Stilist, Canvas, Lightning, Kian and Paramount,” says Gert Kroes, who milks 85 cows. “I like to know what I’m getting. These are sires that have proven their breeding value. You may not get any stars, perhaps, but the chances of one being really disappointing are low too. I think it’s a shame if I rear a heifer for two years to find that she’s disappointing because I used the wrong sire. “With the older sires, I know precisely how

they breed. I look for three points for improvement in the cow, and know just which sires score well there. As well as having proven quality, older sires are often cheaper. When we are milking good daughters of a sire, we use them again, and the daughters are satisfactory again.”There’s one exception Gert has to his breeding rule at present, and that’s Impuls. “This sire is high, and I have a lot of confidence in the sires from Woudhoeve.”

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CM05_Avoncroft MainArticle 7 07-07-2011 10:04:00

test daughters only and the 20 most used bulls in the AI year 2009/2010 with milking daughters. Breeding value may change to a greater or lesser extent, because the volume of data that goes into the breeding value varies from one group to another, as Figure 2 shows. This allows for the average genetic level of the different groups. Young sires with an expectation value or genomic breeding value will score 200 for NVI on average, whereas sires with test sire daughters score 100 for NVI on average and the most used breeding animals score 140 for NVI on average. As more information becomes available to estimate breeding value, reliability increases from 35% for sires with a pedigree index to 91% on average for the breeding animals (see Table 1).

Young siresIt is possible to say with more certainty what the actual breeding value is as reliability increases. How far a breeding value with an established reliability can still change is called ‘spread’. Spread indicates with 68% certainty how much a breeding value could change if reliability increased to 100%, which means the spread amongst young sires is much greater than amongst sires with breeding values based on large groups of descendants.Figure 2 shows what the range is within which the NVI value can change for the four groups of sires. The genomic animal group scores 200 NVI on average: the darker-coloured area around this indicates with 68% certainty what the actual NVI will be. Some sires change more than the spread is, however, so the light-coloured area shows with 95% certainty the range in which the NVI will actually be. With 100 genomic sires with an NVI of 200, we can expect that 68 of these 100 will ultimately have an NVI of between 158 and 242. The average NVI for the group as a whole will be 200.

A sire with a pedigree index only has a 68% chance of the actual breeding value being between 147 and 253 NVI: so adding genomic information means we can say with more certainty what its breeding value will be if this is ultimately 99% reliable. With breeding animals, the range within which the breeding value can vary is much smaller, namely 120-160 NVI, with an average of 140. Although young sire breeding values can change more, the level will ultimately be lower than the current group of breeding animals, as Figure 2 shows. The darker-coloured areas overlap one another closely.

Daughter provenIf we translate Figure 2 into a practical example of two sires, say the highest breeding sire and the highest genomic sire, these sires can change, as Figure 3 shows. The highest sire with test daughters is Woudhoeve 1042 Impuls with 259 NVI and 82% reliability and the highest sire with genomics is Delta G-Force with 299 NVI and 53% reliability. There is a 68% chance that Impuls will actually have an NVI between 231 and 287 points and G-Force between 254 and 344 (the darker-coloured areas). There is a 95% chance that the NVI will ultimately be between 203 and 315 for Impuls and between 209 and 389 for G-Force. So if things work out well, G-Force will be even better than he is now and better than Impuls. In the worst case, in which the sires turn out lower than estimated, they are both about as good as one another, with an NVI just above 200 points. Even then, both sires are above average in terms of NVI. l

reliability (%) NVI NVI spread

young bulls with pedigree index 35 200 53genomic sires 60 200 42daughter proven sires 80 100 3020 most used daughter proven sires 91 140 20

Table 1: Average NVI, average reliability and NVI spread for four groups of sires

Figure 1: Relationship between number of descendants and breeding value reliability for three heritability levels

Figure 2: Actual NVI expected for four groups of sires with increasing reliability, each based on the current average NVI for the group (black spot). In the dark areas, the result will be 68%, in the dark and light coloured areas 95%.

Figure 3: Actual NVI expected for Woudhoeve 1042 Impuls and Delta G-Force with reliability increasing to maximum in terms of current NVI (black dot). Dark area is 68% certainty, dark and light area is 95%

8

M A I N A R T I C L E

NVI

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 400350

genomicsires

20 siresmost used

daughter provensires

sires withpedigree index

NVI

Woudhoeve1042 Impuls

Delta G-Force

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

number of daughters

relia

bilit

y (%

)

0

20

40

60

80

100

heritability = 0.30heritability = 0.10

heritability = 0.05

10 200 400 600 800 1000

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Muck and meticulous attention to detail are behind the success of world-class sweet pea grower Chris Hill. When

he’s not in the milking parlour pit, you’ll find him in his garden tending some 1,000 sweet pea plants. And he says it’s pure escapism and a world away from his day job of 44 years as herdsman at the 160-cow dairy unit, based at Hampreston Manor Farm, near Wimborne in Dorset.“I’ve always been green fingered and like to grow things. My grandfather grew sweet peas when I was a boy and one year I grew some of my own and it all started from there,” he says. His passion for the flower grew when he visited a local flower show and saw the sweet pea exhibits. “They were all, what we in the business call, ‘cordon’ grown and I’d never seen sweet peas like it.“They were on one long single stem and I wanted to know how they did it so I could try it at home.”Try he did and the following year he entered the sweet pea section at the same show and won!“Five years later, in 1994, I had a pop at the national sweet pea show. It travels around the UK and it was in Salisbury that year, so I thought why not.”Chris won the ‘less than 200 plants’ section on his first outing and has entered the national show every year since then, gradually increasing the number of plants he grows to today’s staggering figure and now entering the open class on a regular basis.The peak of his showing career (so far) was when he won the prize for the best vase in the show – the Clay Cup as it’s called – in 2009. And well deserved it was too – it takes Chris a painstaking eight hours to fill and arrange 12 vases. “It all comes down to attention to detail at this level. The judges are looking for perfection – and so am I.”The perfect sweet pea stem, according to Chris and the professionals, is 500mm in length with four perfectly formed blooms. Each has ‘a standard, four wings and a keel’ and they are evenly spaced along the stem. “Each stem has to be fresh and crisp, of course,” he adds.And his secret to success. “Just time and dedication,” he says, modestly. He spends up to three hours a day on his hobby in the run up to a show and prior to that, it takes a lot of time and a light touch to pinch out the side shoots and tendrils from 1,000 young plants.“It’s not just the well-rotted manure I bring home from the farm – I think all sweet pea growers use that. There is a bit of muck involved, but the rest is my own magic.”

Chris Hill: “The judges are looking for perfection – and so am I”

Life is sweettext Rachael Porter

Name: Chris HillLocation: DorsetNumber of cows: 160Hobby: Champion sweet pea grower

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Simplicity is key to herd’s success

So, just how does a herd jump 25 places in just 12 months to top the

NMR production rankings? Huge investment in a TMR feeding system? Buying in some of the most productive dairy genetics that money can buy? Or a switch to three-times-a-day milking with a foot fi rmly on the concentrate feeding pedal?No, none of these. Just good old fashioned attention to detail, hard

work and dedication. Yes, there have been investments and changes to management during the past few years at Colin Luther’s family run dairy unit, based near Poole in Dorset. But nothing drastic. “This was just the year that all our breeding, husbandry and sheer hard work fi nally came together,” says Colin, who stresses that he and wife Barbara, daughter Jacqui and son Stuart are not chasing yield.

Grazing days: the herd is turned out each year in April and rehoused as late as possible, usually in October

“We’re just aiming to manage the cows the very best we can in terms of cow health and welfare, feeding, fertility and breeding – everything really. Yield seems to follow if you get that all right.”And getting it right they certainly are. The herd average, on a conventional summer grazing based system, is 11,771kg of milk with 853kg of fat and protein and a somatic cell count of well below 100,000 cells/ml.

There’s delight in the detail at one Dorset-based unit. Running a

dairy herd is pure pleasure for the NMR annual production report

Holstein ranking topper Colin Luther. Here he shares some of the

secrets behind his simple system’s success.

text Rachael Porter

Colin LutherA conventional system, managed with a super sharp eye for detail, using grass-based feeding and out-of-parlour feeders to maximise yields.

Number of cows: 90Average yield: 11,771kg of milk Somatic cell count: <100,000 cells/mlAverage cow age: Nine years

Conventional grass-based system tops theNMR production rankings

H E R D R E P O R T

12 C O W M A N A G E M E N T J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 1

Poole, Dorset

CM05_FLuther 12 07-07-2011 16:08:08

“People make the assumption that, with yields like that, cows have to be housed all year round. But we’re proof that they don’t,” says Colin, who turns out the cows as soon as weather and grass conditions allow in April and rehouses in October.He was really surprised to hear that his 90-cow herd had topped the rankings: “We run such a simple system – grazing in the summer and block-fed silage in the winter, topped up with concentrates that are fed to yield.“In my view there’s nothing fancy about what we do – we just do it as well as we possibly can.”

Loose housingThe herd calves all year round, to produce a level supply of milk for buyer Milk Link.And when it comes to breeding, much of the pedigree Foxminster herd’s genetics are down to Colin. The herd was founded in 1963, when it comprised British Friesians, which were bought from pedigree sales in Dorset. Holstein breeding has resulted in today’s impressive herd. The Luthers look for strong, deep bodied cows ‘that can cope with grazing and last in the herd’. “They’re housed in a straw yard – not cubicles. But we still avoid anything that’s too big,” explains Colin. “Type is high on our list – we want good feet, legs

and udders. And then milk, fat and protein – a nice balanced cow.”Their philosophy is paying off. Longevity is good, with the average number of lactations for the herd standing at seven. And they’re cows that also catch the eye – both in the fl esh and on paper – if sales of surplus stock are anything to go by. Between 10 and 12 bulling heifers are sold each year across the UK.

Silage makingGood forage is also the basis for the herd’s success and the Luthers are unusual in that they still make their own silage – using a mower conditioner and a trailed harvester. “I think this makes a big difference to quality – we can cut when we want to go and be fi nished in between 24 and 36 hours,” says Colin, adding that Stuart keeps all the kit in tip-top condition. Growing good forage in the farm is no mean feat either – it’s a ‘tough’ farm with some areas down to heavy yellow clay and others down to pure sand. “We’re just about sea level here and only about three miles from the coast. But we do OK. Again, it’s about attention to detail, knowing the land and knowing the cows.”This level of care extends to feeding. With help from BOCM nutritionist Dave Hunt, and his predecessor Peter Cade, the Luthers make sure that each cow

is fed exactly what it needs. Summer grazing and winter block-cut silage is topped up with concentrates, running at 0.36kg per litre, in the parlour and out-of-parlour feeders. The latter were installed in 2003 and certainly played a role in taking cow yields to the next level, according to Colin. “We feel we’re getting plenty of milk from home-grown forage”.“Before then, we were feeding two big slugs of cake through the parlour and overloading the rumen, which wasn’t good. Little and often is much better for the rumen bugs, the cows and milk yield.”

Individual attentionThe family has also installed a new tandem parlour – replacing an old abreast that served them well for 35 years. “It’s not really made a difference to milk yield, but it’s better for our backs and we’re still able to give each cow individual attention,” adds Colin.“Of course, we like high yielding cows – who doesn’t? And I’d much rather be milking 80 high yielding cows than 100 lower yielders. I admit that I enjoy looking after ‘milky’ cows and get a lot of pleasure from them. And I think the rest of the family feels the same – that’s why we want to look after them properly. We give them our best and they give us their best – what more could we ask for?” l

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CM05_FLuther 13 07-07-2011 10:33:57

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Funny things, cows. Managing cows, which is after all the theme of this magazine, can be funny. There again it can make you cry.

It may have been brought to your attention that we have, this year, moved from grazing set stocked to a strict paddock system. When we were on set stocked, the cows always had access to two large concrete water troughs and the stream that runs the length of the farm. Now that we have electric fences everywhere, they can’t always get to the water troughs and the stream is getting lazy. One of the access points to the grazing area used to be via a small stone bridge over the stream, but I knocked this down year ago and turned it into a ford. When I’ve been fetching the cows home I have noticed that if, say, three cows pause to drink where the stream reaches the ford, they take off all the flow and it actually stops running. They drink a lot when they get to the yard and the stream often runs dry in August anyway. So I buy three big plastic tubs and 750 metres of water pipe and I put the tanks out in appropriate places. We put the biggest tank just next to the ford where they are used to drinking and turn the water on. Plastic tanks can be a bit floppy and we haven’t got the level right and it runs over, so I turn the water off so they will empty it and I can reposition it. I go down the next morning to do this and, although they’ve been on a paddock right next to the tank, they’ve only drunk about a bucket full and they are queuing up at the stream to drink! They do empty the tank over the next 24 hours but only enough for me to swivel it about a bit. Then there’s my paddock grazing. I thought it was going well – plenty of grass, a bit of carefully planned topping, a major offensive against nettles and docks. I was even complimented on how it was all working. We’d bought a new fence unit with a solar panel that seemed to be keeping the cows in OK. Then they started breaking out into ‘tomorrow’s’ grass. This isn’t good. If it keeps on, eventually there will be no ‘tomorrow’s’ grass and we will be back on set stocking. It’s obvious to my experienced eye that whatever cow is breaking out, it is going over the top of the fence, which is more difficult to stop because this usually involves a leap over and the trailing leg brings the fence down. The same eye focuses on the last heifer we had to calve, a Swedish Red that is quite nimble on its feet and which is always with my cows that are out. By now my paddock grazing is seriously challenged, sometimes the end post has been yanked out of the ground. My thoughts turn to the purchase of an air gun (give her a pellet if she goes near the fence), or possibly turning her into a suckler cow. Then one night, in the pub (I always knew there were good reasons to go to the pub) a neighbour says: “There’s eight or nine deer coming out of the woods at night and grazing with your cows.” So now I have to manage cows and deer as well. But have you ever seen an article in this magazine on grazing deer and cows together? No, neither have I.

Award-winning columnist and Shropshire-based

dairy producer Roger Evans has his eye on a leaping

heifer and wonders if his paddock grazing system is

destined to fail.

Gate crashers

15

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Forage options: use cereal crops to prevent a winter feed shortage. Page 22

Wagon preferences: why should you choose a vertical, horizontal or paddle design? Page 20

Protein planning: we offer some timely sourcing and selection pointers. Page 18

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Look at alternative sources and consider forward buying

Despite recent movement in protein feed prices, the high cost

of relying on soya bean meal and rape meal to meet dairy cow protein requirements looks set to continue through the summer and into next winter. According to Trident’s Neil Woolf, the answer lies in combining better value alternatives with careful use of forward buying to both cut protein feed costs and improve margins.“Second guessing the feed ingredient markets and sitting back to wait for protein feed prices to fall further hasn’t paid dividends for the past couple of years, and is unlikely to be the answer this year either,” he explains. “What’s needed is a more structured approach to protein feed buying, plus an open mind to the alternative feed options that can replace soya bean meal in the ration.”

Forward buyingFor any feeds, booking requirements in advance at a known price and for delivery at specifi c times can be hugely benefi cial. Although the

contracts available for under £270/tonne right through until August. The spot price peaked at around £320/tonne in mid January.“Even buying winter requirements as late as August could have saved up to £50/tonne, and with current contracts

It’s time to tackle high protein feed prices head on. So what

options do producers have when sourcing quality protein feed

for dairy rations, while at the same time getting the best value

for money? We spoke to a nutritionist to fi nd out.

text Rachael Porter

Figure 1: Spot prices versus six-month forward contract prices for soya bean meal. For simplicity, prices graphed are for start and middle of each month only to show general trends.

Table 1: Comparative costs of rumen degradable (RDP) and rumen-bypass protein (DUP)

traditional protein mealsprice*

(£/t)RDP value

(p/100g RDP )DUP value

(p/100g DUP)energy content

(MJ ME/kg DM)

Hi-Pro soya bean meal 275 9.7 15.3 14.0rape meal 183 9.2 18.3 11.8better value sources of RDP Spey Syrup (liquid feed) 68 5.4 42.5 14.2 wheat distillers’ moist feed 70 7.6 25.0 14.0better value sources of DUP Soy Pass (rumen-protected soya bean meal) 329 29.9 10.4 13.5 Proto-Tec (heat-treated rape meal) 224 14.5 15.4 12.0 * Prices quoted correct at time of going to press, 29t bulk deliveries Jul.-Oct., on-farm within 50 miles of source, prices will vary

with load sizes and distance from source.

absolute lowest price might not be secured, forward contracts help guard against the risk of unforeseen price rises and guarantee supply. “It’s something that needs to be taken seriously this summer, with the market having risen considerably in the past couple of years. A lot of units that didn’t book early in winter 2010 were also unable to get hold of the feeds that they’d normally use,” Mr Woolf adds.Figure 1 shows how the forward price for November-April delivery of soya bean meal (export) varied in 2010 from March onwards (green line), with winter

Weigh up your protein options

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CM05_SpecialProtStrategies 18 07-07-2011 10:23:17

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rumen-bypass proteins are more cost-effective sources of DUP.”Table 1 shows how the value of these alternative feeds compares against rape meal and soya bean meal. The table also highlights the different energy contents, with the extra energy in Spey Syrup compared to rape meal adding further value to the ration.“This impact of extra energy on overall ration cost is an important point when considering alternative protein feeds,” continues Mr Woolf. “Scottish maize distillers’ feed is a good example, with the high level of energy (15MJ ME/kg DM), as well as 43% of the protein being DUP, also allowing some of the expensive energy feeds in the ration to be replaced.”This is highlighted by the example shown in Table 2, with a 60:40 blend of Scottish maize distillers’ feed and rape meal directly replacing a 50:50 mix of soya bean meal and rolled wheat, for a £41/tonne saving. It means that although

Scottish maize distillers’ feed might not be the best value source of protein alone, reformulating the ration to take full account of the energy supplied will produce substantial cost savings.“An even simpler option is to use a custom blend as a direct substitute for soya bean meal, as shown in Table 3,” Mr Woolf continues. “The example blend includes just 16.5% soya bean meal, and maintains the supply of high quality protein through judicious use of rumen-protected soya bean meal. “The result is a cost saving of around £25/tonne at current prices, and without any reformulation of the ration or extra complication from using additional straights.”

Rumen-bypass proteinAlternatively, if additional DUP supply is the only requirement, such as when feeding high levels of RDP-rich grass or grass silage, then it’s the rumen-bypass proteins that are best value, as highlighted in Table 1. According to Mr Woolf, it’s entirely possible for high yielding dairy herds to be fed no soya bean meal at all, with a very high quality rumen-bypass protein used to supply the necessary DUP at a cost that’s currently 31% less per unit than from soya bean meal. “Research has also shown that replacing soya bean meal in a dairy ration with Soy Pass can increase fat-corrected milk yield by 2.2 litres/cow/day,” he adds. “And similar trial work carried out in Germany produced an average yield response of 1.4kg/cow/day during the fi rst fi ve months of lactation, along with a more persistent lactation curve.“Alternatively, the same yield could be produced using a lower ration crude protein level (to reduce feed costs further), an option proven by research carried out by the University of Nebraska.” l

for November-April delivery of soya bean meal at around £270/tonne delivered, it makes sense to be thinking about a similar strategy this year,” he says. “We’re already seeing some customers booking up to 50% of winter requirements to guard against future price rises.”

Forward planningHowever, better forward planning and greater use of forward contracts is just one option to reduce protein feed costs. As Mr Woolf points out, most dairy producers can also make substantial savings by switching to feeding strategies based on alternative protein feeds.“A lot depends on whether the priority is supplying additional rumen degradable protein (RDP) or rumen-bypass protein, otherwise known as digestible undegraded protein (DUP),” he explains. “The high-protein liquid feed Spey Syrup, for example, is a better value source of RDP than rape meal, while

Table 2: Example cost saving from an alternative protein feed strategy (freshweight basis)

* Prices quoted correct at time of going to press, 29t bulk deliveries Jul.-Oct., on-farm within 50 miles of source, prices will vary with load sizes and distance from source; **Ex-farm price including £10/t for processing.

price*(£/t)

soya bean meal + wheat

Scottish maize distillers’feed + rapemeal

wheat (home-grown, rolled)** 186 50% —Hi-Pro soya bean meal 275 50% —Scottish maize distillers’ feed 195 — 60%rape meal 183 — 40%energy (MJ ME/kg FW) 12.2 12.2crude protein (g CP/kg FW) 290 282DUP (g DUP/kg) 104 104cost (£/t) 231 190saving (£/t) 41

* Prices quoted correct at time of going to press, 29t bulk deliveries Jul.-Oct., on-farm within 50 miles of source, prices will vary with load sizes and distance from source.

Table 3: High protein custom blend formulation (ingredients: 37.5% Soy Pass rumen-protected soya bean meal, 35.0% Scottish maize distillers’ pellets, 16.5% Hi-Pro soya bean meal, 7.0% rapeseed meal, 4.0% urea)

dry matter (%) 88.2energy (MJ ME/kg DM) 13.4crude protein (%) 48.0DUP (%) 17.0cost (£/t)* 250

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CM05_SpecialProtStrategies 19 07-07-2011 10:24:34

If not, it’s usually a machine maintenance issue. Check the sharpness of knives and that there is still a full complement of them. “Or it could be incorrect loading order or an inadequate mixing/chopping time allowed for the fi bre element fi rst before adding other ingredients.”For Mr King, the real benefi t of vertical mixers is in the delivery of high fi bre dry cow diets, as is becoming ever more popular. “While sometimes criticised for their propensity to over process a milking TMR, a vertical wagon will handle dry fi bre, such as straw, really well and chop it down to the required length. That’s vital for good intakes and the success of this type of dry cow regime. Some are achieving 7kg of straw intake within their dry cow TMR.

Horizontal designGood fortune saw Devon-based producer Andrew Reed take delivery of a brand new diet feeder eight years ago. He won a Kuhn mixer in a competition and decided to upgraded the model on offer to a Kuhn Euromix II 1060 with twin horizontal augers and to switch to feeding his 115-cow herd a TMR. “We defi nitely feel we have better feed effi ciency, with the same ration in front of the cow for 24 hours a day,” says Andrew. “But the biggest single benefi t is that we can feed the dry cows appropriately. “They are fed a straw-based diet instead of the round-bale silage, which is good for fertility and health.”

Mixer wagon type should meet your herd’s ration requirements

Mix and match

A ll mixer wagons should do what they’re designed to do –

accurately weigh feed ingredients and produce an evenly mixed ration. So says Somerset-based independent dairy nutritionist Charlie King. “And, in my experience, a good operator is the key to producing a consistent mix, regardless of machine design.”That said, thought does need to be given to choosing the right machine to suit a particular system. “I would describe paddle machines as the most ‘fool proof’, but that, with a skilled operator, the vertical design is the most fl exible and probably the

design I’d go for if I were signing the cheque,” he says.From a nutritional point of view, Mr King adds that silages are becoming more and more digestible, but when combined with high levels of certain types of concentrate, that also creates challenges to rumen health. “So mostly I’m concerned with the mixer’s ability to add fi bre to a mix and to be able to deliver it to the cow at an appropriate amount and length while, at the same time, not over processing the rest of the ingredients within the mix. “Again, with correct operation, all machines should be able to achieve this.

The three different types of mixer wagon – vertical, horizontal

and paddle – all have their places, and loyal advocates, on UK

dairy units. But, if you’re thinking of buying one for the fi rst

time, how do you know which design would best suit your

feeding and management system?

text Rachael Porter

Vertical auger: processes dry materials well Horizontal benefi ts: ideal for mixing grain-rich rations

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Vertical• Mixes by throwing feed in the air• Processes dry materials well – chopping

straw/hay/big bales• Care needed not to over-process but if

managed correctly the most fl exible design

• May not be water tight• Good capacity• Higher horsepower needed versus a

paddle mixer

Horizontal• Single, twin or more augers• Works well with grain mixes• Will process fi bre, but some do not

take whole bales• Can compact feed and over process,

particularly a ‘wetter’ mix• Some designs have ‘dead spots’• Higher horsepower needed and more

fuel usage versus a paddle mixer

Paddle• Cuts feed for processing hay, straw,

silage but much slower compared to a vertical.

• No ‘dead spots’ and water tight• Hard to over-process• Lower horsepower required and less

fuel usage• Simple drive, no gear boxes• Volume will depend on feed bulk

density• Relatively heavy

Key comparisons between mixer types

Milk production currently stands at 8,500kg, 3.9% fat and 3.2% protein, and hopes are high that both output and quality will continue to increase. “I’m glad we made the changes we did,” says Andrew. Today he’s the proud new owner of a low-profi le vertical auger Kuhn 1680. “We’re looking to increase cow numbers to around 200 and will need a feeder with more capacity. I also think we’ll achieve an even lighter ration with this mixing system.

Vertical augerAnd Kuhn’s Duncan McLeish says that vertical mixers are becoming more popular than horizontal mixers because, due to their design. “They come with greater capacity – vital as the national average herd size continues to grow.”

Steve Jones is farm manager at Cannington-based Bridgwater College and a fan of vertical mixer wagons. He recently trialled seven different mixer wagons – each one for between a week and 10 days – to make sure he purchased the one that would best suit the 230-cow herd’s management system. And he plumped for the Trioliet 2400 Solomix. It was one of four verticals that Mr Jones trialled and he says it produced the best mix – a consistent and open ration – and performed particularly well when it came to mixing the herd’s dry-cow ration. “There’s a lot of straw in it and it’s able to cope with it well and certainly better than the other mixer wagons I tried.”He says that the mixer wagon is also well built – it’s solid and hasn’t given us any problems during the past two years. We

haven’t even changed the blades yet and I know that you have to do that on some models every 12 months.”The Keenan Mech-Fiber wagons utilise a horizontal paddle mixing system. The six angled paddles sweep along the mixing chamber creating a gentle, non-destructive tumbling action, which chops and mixes ingredients. Feed materials are lifted to the top of the chamber before falling down through the paddles, again to ensure end to end even mixing of the diet.

Light-touch mixingThe use of paddle ensures a lower power requirement and lower wear and tear than more aggressive mixing systems making paddle mixers extremely economical to run.The company says that ‘light-touch’ mixing and a sophisticated control systems mean that the ration is delivered at the optimum bulk density, with good distribution of different sized particles.Penrith-based producer Matt Bland, who is building his herd up to 300 milkers, swapped from a vertical tub mixer to a Keenan paddle feeder and believes the gentle mixing approach has considerable benefi ts. “I wanted a mixer than would produce an even and consistent mix – something our old mixer failed to do. And, since changing to the paddle mixer, we have increased yields by more than four litres per cow per day and boosted margins by £1.25 per cow per day,” he says.Charlie King’s ultimate advice to producers looking to invest in a mixer wagon is to ‘try before you buy’. “It’s a huge investment, so the best way to make sure you’re going to be happy with your choice is to trial a few mixer wagons before making a commitment.” l

Paddle power: the most ‘fool proof’ of all the mixer types

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CM05_SpecialMixerwagon 21 07-07-2011 14:50:15

Take a timely look at your winter feed stocks

Focus on forage options

The late spring ‘drought’ means that although fi rst-cut silage

quality was generally good, yield was not in many parts of the UK. And many producers are pinning their winter forage ‘hopes’ on second cut, wholecrop forages and maize.“Not only is there an issue with producing grass silage this year, but also the lack of grazing has meant that many producers are already eating into next winter’s silage stocks,” says Ecosyl’s Shirley Heron.“With drought problems facing other countries worldwide it looks like many producers are facing a double blow of winter forage shortages and high bought-in feed prices. “So if there was ever a year to ensure nothing gets wasted, this is it. It is vitally important that your silage management is up to scratch – both for making it and feeding it,” she warns.

Cereal cropsThis is also a time to consider very carefully what you are going to do if you have cereal crops. You may get a good price for the grain if you sell it, but it is important to think how much it is going to cost to buy it back again? “Luckily the MGA reports that most maize crops are fairing pretty well and growth has taken off due to recent rain. The exception is the eastern side of the country, namely East Anglia, where the crops have suffered due to the extremely dry weather conditions.“Knowing that you have enough forage to last you through the winter may be preferable to the as yet unknown cost of next winter’s bought-in feed,” says Dr Heron. “At least that way you can plan and

budget ahead. If you do decide to keep the crop you will have a number of options about how best to store it.” Assessing stocks and planning for what forage will be needed to last through the winter may prove preferable to the potential cost of bought-in feed and it’s

Harvest hope: rain in June means that cereal crops could offer a useful boost for poor fi rst-cut silage yields and low forage stocks

essential if producers are to remain within budgetary constraints. There are several options for holding on to cereal crops, according to Dr Heron.“If you do decide to keep the crop you will have a number of options. The fi rst decision is dependent on whether you

The weather has played havoc with silage crops this year, with fi rst-cut silage yields well down

on previous years and maize and wheat crops, destined for winter forage use, also looking

somewhat meager. So how can producers bolster forage stock with wholecrop and other feeds?

text Allison Matthews and Rachael Porter

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CM05_SpecialWholecrop 22 07-07-2011 14:28:08

“High moisture grains can be conserved whole or crimped and using a number of different methods, ranging from low pH by fermentation or with acid or high pH after treatment with urea or caustic soda.“There is little loss of yield by taking the grains early and the greener straw has a higher nutritional value and can be ensiled to provide a valuable feed for dry stock,” adds Dr Heron.

Diffi cult seasonBiotal’s Roy Eastlake agrees that conserving cereal crops can help offset the impact of a diffi cult grass silage season.“Producers who are growing cereal crops for ensiling, or who can purchase standing crops, can use cereal forages to help overcome the limitations of fi rst cut. Developments in harvesting and

preservation technology mean that producers have more choice about the stage at which they harvest the crop,” he explains.His advice is to calculate the amount of grass silage in stock and estimate second-cut, if they are yet to take it, and maize yields so they can make a decision about how much wholecrop silage is required.And where they fi nd they are likely to be short of grass silage, he says to make a fermented wholecrop silage to provide suffi cient total forage.He also recommends the use of a crop- specifi c inoculant because the high levels of dry matter puts the forage at risk of heating and moulding during feed out. Later harvested crops should be considered as a forage:concentrate and will require processing or milling, via the forage harvester, to ensure all the grain is utilised by animal. The feed will have a higher starch content, but a lower level of effective fi bre due to the processing of the grain fraction.

Crimped grainThe fi nal option is to harvest as crimped grain, which provides a high energy and moist concentrate. This can replace combined grain in the diet and allow a possible saving in purchased feed. “As the starch in crimped cereals is fermented more slowly than ground or rolled cereals, it can be used to increase cereal inclusion rates in diets without increasing the risk of acidosis,” he adds.The crop is passed though a crimping machine, which breaks open the seed coat to expose the starch, prior to treatment with an inoculant and ensiling. As crimping involves combining crops around three weeks earlier than a conventional harvest, it is important to make a decision to crimp grain as soon as possible.“Fermented wholecrop and crimped cereals need to be ensiled with an inoculant to improve aerobic stability, inhibit the growth of yeasts and moulds, and to reduce heating. “Wholecrop and crimped cereals are very cost-effective on a tonnes of dry matter basis. “And by assessing forage stocks early it will be possible to make the right harvesting decision to produce the most suitable form of conserved cereals, ensuring adequate feed stocks and help control overall feed costs,” he adds. l

are looking for quantity or quality. If bulk forage is the aim you need to conserve it as wholecrop – literally the whole crop – either by fermentation or by adding urea.“There are benefi ts with both and a number of things need to be considered, such as how each feed would suit your system, harvest timing and what you want to sow afterwards. “But if the crop is under-sown you will only be able to ferment it. If you want to bump up the quality a little, without sacrifi cing too much yield, you could cut the crop a little higher to include more grain and less stem,” she says.“If you are lucky enough to have had some rain, and forage bulk is not a big issue, you could go the whole hog and take the grains on their own. “These could either be dry rolled or as high moisture grains, if you combine three or four weeks early.

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CM05_SpecialWholecrop 23 07-07-2011 14:28:26

They may appear cheap but someproducts simply don’t pull their weightin the parlour.

For instance, our post dip ValiantBarrier protects teats for up to 12 hours- long after iodine has stopped working.And in tests it proves to be ten timesmore effective than iodine.

Along with all other products in the range,Valiant Barrier provides an instant killand is effective against a formidablearmy of bacteria*.

If you are ever tempted to economise,just take care. 'Cheap' hygiene productsare unlikely to be has hardworking asyou or Valiant in the parlour.

*Streptococcus uberis, Staphylocococcus aureus, Escherichia coli,Coagulase negative Staphylococci, Prototheca zoopfi, MRSA,

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Vaccine virus

Supported in Europe (Directive 98/8/EC) as a VeterinaryHygiene Biocide used for ‘Teat Disinfection’.

Use biocides safely. Always read the label and product information before use.

www.genusbreeding.co.ukCustomer Services 0870 162 2000

Do your udder care productswork as hard as you in the parlour?

Barrier • Foam-Active • Versatile • Everyday

Valiant Milking Parlour.qxd:RISING FEED A3.qxd 12/1/10 10:12 Page 1

CM04_p24, 25.indd 16 01-06-2011 13:43:43

They may appear cheap but someproducts simply don’t pull their weightin the parlour.

For instance, our post dip ValiantBarrier protects teats for up to 12 hours- long after iodine has stopped working.And in tests it proves to be ten timesmore effective than iodine.

Along with all other products in the range,Valiant Barrier provides an instant killand is effective against a formidablearmy of bacteria*.

If you are ever tempted to economise,just take care. 'Cheap' hygiene productsare unlikely to be has hardworking asyou or Valiant in the parlour.

*Streptococcus uberis, Staphylocococcus aureus, Escherichia coli,Coagulase negative Staphylococci, Prototheca zoopfi, MRSA,

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Vaccine virus

Supported in Europe (Directive 98/8/EC) as a VeterinaryHygiene Biocide used for ‘Teat Disinfection’.

Use biocides safely. Always read the label and product information before use.

www.genusbreeding.co.ukCustomer Services 0870 162 2000

Do your udder care productswork as hard as you in the parlour?

Barrier • Foam-Active • Versatile • Everyday

Valiant Milking Parlour.qxd:RISING FEED A3.qxd 12/1/10 10:12 Page 1

CM04_p24, 25.indd 17 01-06-2011 13:43:53

Johne’s screening puts producers in a position of power and better productivity

Knowledge breeds control

I t’s a hot topic. More producers are waking up to the extent of Johne’s

throughout UK herds and more than 100,000 cows have been screened for Johne’s in the past six months as part of an initiative run through milk buyer, vet and NML workshops.“This has been a great awareness initiative,” says DairyCo vet Karen Lancaster. Many producers have been surprised to find that there are cases in their herds. More than 70% of herds involved in the 30-cow screening tests got results to say that at least one cow in their herd was positive for Johne’s.”Ms Lancaster says this is a great starting point but producers must look at a structured screening approach. “Any producer who has had cows come back positive on their 30 cow screen should seriously consider whole herd testing. And I would advise those with a clear initial test to repeat the targeted 30-cow screen six monthly so that they catch any incoming disease early, while also being very aware of the biosecurity of their herd. The cows to target would be those with disappointing yields, over three years old, chronically lame or with high cell counts.

Practical option“Individual tests on all cows with a milk or blood sample will help to establish the level of disease within the herd. This should be incorporated into a management strategy which involves repeated testing and management changes to begin to control the disease on farm. The ability to carry out Johne’s antibody tests on the milk samples taken for milk recording makes quarterly testing a really practical option.”

“Antibody responses can be intermittent and some cows that are infected may be missed on a single screen. Repeated testing is important to increase the chances of identifying infected animals and give producers and their vets the confidence that a cow coming back with repeated low results really is low,” she says.

Cows that come back with positive results will be classified as ‘red cows’ and ideally these cows should be culled as soon as possible. However in herds with a high number of positive cows this often isn’t practical and precautions must be taken to reduce the risk of spread from these cows.“High risk cows – ‘red’ or ‘amber’ and those that have had at least one positive test – must be separated at calving into a ‘leper colony’ where they will have no contact with the low risk (green) cows or their calves. “And their calves should be snatched at birth and fed colostrums taken from low risk cows only,” Ms Lancaster says. “On most farms the number of risk cows will be small and so managing them separately will not be too onerous, particularly in all-year-round calving herds.”

A positive diagnosis of Johne’s disease need not be as disastrous

as many would believe, if producers are armed with good test

results and a robust management strategy. It is a complex disease

but there are simple and effective ways to reduce the impact it

has on the herd and to prevent cow to calf transmission.

text Karen Wright

H E A L T H

Proactive approach: calves from high risk cows are identified at birth and bred to a beef bull

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John Allwood has taken the ‘bull by the horns’ when it comes to Johne’s disease control on his 350-cow unit near Chester, Cheshire. John is seeing, first hand, that routine screening of milk samples is the route to take. “This gives knowledge and knowledge leads to control,” is his motto.

Cases dropAnd by taking this positive and structured approach he hopes that any cases of the disease will be history within the next two or three years.The Johne’s ‘story’ on his unit started about three years ago. As part of a herd expansion programme John bought in a number of in calf heifers and cows and a few of these have gone down with full blown Johne’s. But John also admits that there may have been some lurking cases of Johne’s in the herd that he wasn’t aware of.“It’s been a steep learning curve for us,” he says. “We asked the right questions when we bought the stock but, of course, without routine screening tests for heifers and their mothers you can’t be 100% sure the animal is ‘clean’.”

A few animals looking below par prompted John, with his vet Rob George from Nantwich Vets, to test for Johne’s through NML’s routine screening programme Herdwise. Every three months a sample of milk – the same one that is used for NMR milk recording – from all milking cows is automatically tested for Johne’s antibodies.“That was the easy bit,” admits John. “The results showed we had about eight cows with Johne’s antibodies. We followed advice and earmarked these ‘red’ cows – literally with a red eartag –

and monitored them through further screening tests. These cows had no clinical signs whatsoever.”

Remove infectionAlthough John knows that even screening tests might not be 100% accurate he and his vet are confident that the tests are a great guide, particularly as a picture builds up for each cow. Unless the cow shows clinical signs, she is kept in the herd. “If she’s not in calf we might put her to a beef bull or cull her. And any red cows that calve are isolated and the calf is given a red tag. Her colostrum isn’t used and we completely spring clean the calving pen to make sure any possible infection is removed.”A dairy replacement with a red tag is bred to a beef bull – as is any bought-in cow or heifer. “We don’t breed any animals to a dairy bull unless we are confident that she is Johne’s free. This way we are breeding Johne’s out of the herd.”Now two years down the line, and with a good record of test results, John feels that they are making good progress. “Johne’s is getting less – there’s no doubt about that. We now have very few, if any, new cases. Johne’s is a huge underlying problem in our herds and I don’t think many producers have really got to grips with it properly. Getting yourself into a position of control isn’t difficult – it’s easy to arrange routine screening and working with the vet means that you can adapt management to make sure ‘red’ or ‘amber’ cows are not a risk to ‘clean’ animals.”John plans to keep using Herdwise screening for at least another two years. “By then I hope we will be Johne’s free, but of course you can never be 100% sure. I should think we will still screen at least a sample of cows perhaps every six months.” l

John Allwood: “There’s no doubt that Johne’s diseases cases are falling”

Karen Lancaster: “Managing high risk cows will not be too onerous”

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CM05_JohnesDisease 27 08-07-2011 13:07:46

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Just how do the UK’s most fertile herds maintain reproductive performance?

Fertility tips from the topFertility was a hot topic at the Large Herds Seminar held in Gloucestershire in July. The UK’s

top herds, in terms of fertility performance, were there and CowManagement looks at two

top performers to uncover practices and priorities.

text Ann Hardy

H E A L T H

Fertility factors: spotting heats, timely AI and regular vet checks are just some of the ingredients for reproductive success

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CM05_Fertility 30 07-07-2011 10:26:58

even when they are running with the beef bull. I don’t think that’s widely practised.”Heat detection is mainly by eye (and the use of Kamars on maiden heifers), and a key to success is an interest in the job, according to Jay.“If you know your job and you are interested you will see them on heat without specifically allocated times,” he says. “Of course, it helps that we are all family labour as owning the business is a big incentive.”

Early identificationWith herd production exceeding 10,000 litres, the Greenwood family’s herd provides clear evidence that production and fertility are not mutually exclusive.And a culmination of the herd’s good fertility, as well as its tight overall management, is a Lifetime Daily Yield of 15.42 litres – one of the best in the business.Herd manager, Simon Waldron says that the early identification of cows not in calf is a cornerstone of good fertility performance. And since the 315-strong Iron Pear Tree herd of Holsteins, which he manages for Adrian White at Townsend Farm near Devizes in Wiltshire, has one of the shortest calving intervals (408 days) among the top fertility herds, his policy is evidently paying off.“We PD from day 31, which I know is really early, but it gives us a head start in looking for negatives,” says Simon. “We can then go on to treat cows with any problems, potentially getting an earlier heat cycle than if we had waited until, say, day 45.”After calving, a voluntary waiting period (VWP) of 42 days is also shorter than many herds, with any cow not seen cycling by this day checked by the vet.Although the herd calves all year round and produces milk to a level profile, Simon still believes that a long calving interval adds costs and says that maintaining VWP at 42 days gives plenty of time to sort problems out.Like every top fertility performer identified for the seminar, this one offers a total mixed ration and pays close attention to its milking herd’s nutrition.“But transition cow management is also critical,” says Simon. “These cows are on a high-straw diet, but we introduce a portion of the milking cow ration 21 days before calving.

“This helps to prepare the rumen, maintains appetite, and is also geared towards an easy calving.”Every cow also receives bottled calcium at soon as she has calved and is offered the milking ration on an ad-lib basis from that time.

Pregnancy rateBoth heat detection and AI have been contracted out, which is more a reflection of tight staff numbers than any underlying problem.“There’s little difference between the herd’s performance for fertility before and since we contracted this out, but we began this at the same time as we introduced three-times-a- day milking, which could potentially have pulled our pregnancy rate down,” he says.Pregnancy rate (the percentage of non-pregnant cows that become pregnant during each 21-day period) is considered by Simon to be the single most important parameter by which to judge the herd’s fertility and his target of 22% is close to being achieved. Getting heifers into the herd at the earliest practical age is another key target, just as it is in each of the top fertility performers, with this herd’s age at first calving currently averaging 25 months.With freedom from infectious diseases also considered paramount, testing and vaccination programmes are in place for IBR, leptospirosis and blue tongue, while any John’s disease carrier is removed from the herd. This herd once again demonstratesthat production and fertility can go hand in hand, with annual performance of around 11,000 litres and a lifetime daily yield of 15.86 litres. l

Jay Greenwood, who farms with his brother and nephews at Boseley

Mill Farm in Westbury-on-Severn in Gloucestershire, says that good fertility is at the heart of his herd’s profitability and is essential for achieving his milk buyer’s high seasonality payment.The family’s 300-cow herd must hit peak production between September and December. They rear heifers to calve by at least two years of age and calve 70% of the herd in July and August.A cross-section of good fertility figures is attributed in part to routine checks from farm vet, Roger Blowey, and his ability to inspire ‘both practically and mentally’.“That enthusiasm can take you on to greater things,” says Jay, whose Boseley herd of Holsteins is one of the top fertility performers in the UK, ranked across several parameters.Practical vet interventions include: post-calving checks to address issues such as metritis; inspection of any cow not served by 70 days post calving; and pregnancy diagnosis, each fortnight, on anything that’s 42 days post service.“This will pick up any cow that’s had an early foetal loss or anything anoestrus,” says Jay. “Some cows may have cystic ovaries and some just seem to get stuck in their cycle for no apparent reason.“These may need a hormonal boost to get them moving again, but the important thing is that they are picked up routinely, every two weeks.”

Well-grown heifersAchieving an age at first calving of 12 days short of two years is attributed to a combination of good heifer rearing and a 13- to 15-month start to service (depending on birth date), with all heifers said to be well grown for their age. Milk powder for ‘longer than the norm’, good grass and ‘no period without any growth’ are all contributory factors.“We have less trouble with heifers calving at 22 months than those calving at 27 months, and they also do better during their first lactation, when they will still continue to grow,” says Jay.“It may seem obvious, but the secret is always to serve them,” he adds. “We buy some £5 semen straws and are happy to use them liberally if we’re not sure if an animal is in heat. “We will also AI all first-calved heifers and inseminate any cow seen bulling,

Tips from the topKey facts from top fertility herds identified at large herds seminar:• All top herds were feeding a TMR

or grazing plus a TMR• Pregnancy rate is said to indicate

the true fertility of a farm• Lowering age at first calving was

described as a ‘money spinner’• A high lifetime daily yield often

went hand in glove with good fertility

• There is no silver bullet!

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CM05_Fertility 31 07-07-2011 10:27:31

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E D H E W I T T

I t’s a relatively unknown disease, but producers should be looking for any signs of psoroptic mange as the year progresses – particularly if

they don’t run a closed herd. The skin disease, which some vets are referring to as cattle scab, is relatively new to Britain. It’s come from Europe and it’s spreading. The fi rst outbreak was recorded in Wales in 2007 and a further 22 cases have been reported both there and in the south west of England – many of them during the past 12 months. The condition has not been diagnosed in Scottish herds, but producers north of the border should still keep watch for it.Psoroptic mange is caused by mites that pierce the skin to feed and cause immense irritation. They can survive for up to 12 days without a host. With the disease now established in Wales and south west England, the Scottish Agricultural College is offering free analysis of suspected cases while Moredun Research Institute researchers are developing a blood test to uncover sub-clinical infection. Cattle may be infected without visible signs so a diagnostic blood test would be a valuable management tool. The intense irritation caused by the feeding mites means cattle rub against anything that offers relief and this results in crusting scabs or bleeding along their back, shoulders and tail head. This has implications for animal health, welfare and productivity. It will certainly impact on milk production and fertility. And, if left untreated, it could lead to septicaemia and death.Treatment of ‘scab’ in cattle is problematic. Experience in Wales suggests the mites are resistant to commonly used products and none are licensed for use in milking dairy cows. So producers should report any suspect cases to their vet who can then take samples to see if the mites are present and check the effi cacy of treatment.

CauseA mite infestation, similar to the sheep scab mite and diffi cult

to differentiate – even under the microscope. It can be spread from animal to animal and also picked up in cattle trailers and at auction marts. The mite can survive for up to 12 days without a host.

SymptomsCattle are irritated and can be seen rubbed against wall, trees and any other surface that scratches their itch. Lesions are severe and appear quickly.

The encyclopaedia Psoroptic mange

Psoroptic mange is relatively new but producers should be vigilant

Cattle-scab alert

They can cover large areas of the body, including their back, shoulders and tail head.

TreatmentThere is resistance to some products and off-license use of other products may be needed to tackle cattle scab. Flypor, for example, has had some success in treating infected cattle. But the advice is to contact your vet, who can confi rm the disease and determine an effective treatment. There can be diffi culties with using some products on dairy cattle due to the milk withdrawal period required.

PreventionNot a problem for closed herds. Take care when buying-in stock – isolate animals for four weeks to make sure they’re not carrying the disease.

Cattle vet Ed Hewitt from the Ayrshire-based Armour Vet Centre, which is part of the XL Vet Group, takes a timely look at health and welfare issues that impact on dairy herds across the UK. In this issue he warns producers

to be on the look out for a serious skin disease.

33

F R O M T H E V E T E R I N A R Y P R A C T I C E

33

to differentiate – even under the microscope. It can be spread from animal to animal and also picked up in cattle trailers and at auction marts. The mite can survive for up to 12 days without a host.

C O W M A N A G E M E N T J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 1

Cattle vet Ed Hewitt from the Ayrshire-based Armour Vet Centre, which is part of the XL Vet Group, takes a timely look at health and welfare issues that impact on dairy herds across the UK. In this issue he warns producers

CM05_vet1 33 07-07-2011 10:20:08

Cool, clean and refreshing – are your cows drinking enough?

Good hydration

Water is probably one of the most undervalued ‘ingredients’ with

regard to successful milk production. Yet high yielding cows (10,000kg) can drink up to 200 litres of water per day in peak lactation. The general rule of thumb is three litres of water to produce one litre of milk. For every kilogramme of dry matter intake is followed by fi ve litres of water, so a lower intake of water will result in lower production results.

Dirty waterCows like to drink large amounts of water at one time. They can drink up to 50% of their daily demand of water in just one session. And cows often drink directly after milking and between feeds. Dutch dairy vet Joep Driessen, who has 15 years of experience advising producers in 45 countries, says that ‘Cow Signals’ can be used to check if water intake is suffi cient.And he’s concerned about water quality, saying that half of the cows in Europe are drinking dirt and faeces.“This is because trough aren’t cleaned regularly and connecting pipes are also full of dirt. On these ‘bad’ units, troughs

were contaminated with too many bacteria and other pollutants. “But the solution is simple. Clean your troughs regularly and as part of a routine – say every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after milking.“Also use a brush to clean them properly, because the slimy rims are where the bacteria grow. “This is how the better farms make sure water intakes are maintained. And this time spent cleaning is paid back in litres milk.”Promar’s Jonathan Hill agrees. He says that troughs should be cleaned thoroughly at least once a week and that tipping troughs should be emptied and cleaned every day. “A cow’s sense of smell is 17 times keener than ours, so they will detect dirty, stale water more easily and this will reduce intakes,” he says. “Clean, fresh water every day is absolutely vital – just a little grain or silage in the trough will put the cows off.”

Good signsMr Driessen says that producers should also look closely at their cows to check if they’re drinking enough water. “Look at

the cows’ coats. Shiny smooth coats are a sign of good water intake. Elastic skin is a good sign – lift up a piece of skin from the side of a cow’s neck and it should pop back in place within half a second. “If the wrinkle stays there after releasing it, it’s a sign of dehydration. What are the eyes telling you? Lively and round eyes are good signs. If the eyes are deep

As summer temperatures sizzle, thoughts turn to water and cow

intakes. But even when the weather’s not warm, water is still one

of vital ingredients to successful milk production. Read on to fi nd

out how you can help to maximise your herd’s intake.

text Rachael Porter

M A N A G E M E N T

Top trough tips• Place the troughs at a height that is also accessible for heifers (not too high!)• Do not place drinking troughs in dead corners• Make sure that the fl oor around the troughs is not slippery• Clean water troughs thoroughly and routinely• Make sure there are no feed particles in water troughs• Control the temperature of the water • Place water troughs close to feeding places• Provide a large water trough per 15 cows• Maximum distance from pasture to drinking trough should be 200 metres.

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CM05_WaterIntake 34 08-07-2011 13:29:15

Maximise intakes: cows should be able

to drink plenty of clean water both comfortably

and quickly

and sunken in the skull it means that this cow did not drink today.”Mr Driessen says he’s seen weak cows and heifers on farms in Scotland and Ireland with very stiff manure. “This was on farms with just one big trough for more than 100 animals. One ‘big mama’ is ruling the place and she likes to spend several hours in front of

the trough, showing everybody that she is the boss. The consequence is that less dominant cows do not get their window to drink as there’s always another cow chasing them away. “The toughest half of the herd will still be OK, but the weakest 50% will suffer. So we advise one trough per 20 cows, or a double-fast drinker per 20 cows. These

must be well spread throughout the cow house.” Mr Driessen urges producers to spend some time watching their cows to see how they behave at the trough. “Are they scared of other cows or stray voltage? Are they looking around before drinking? Are they sniffi ng and not drinking? Are they passing the fi rst drinker and walking to the next one? Are they sticking the tongue in fi rst, to check the water temperature? “And if you hear them making sucking noises, this means there is not enough water pressure or the trough is too small. Can the cows reach the water or is the rim too high? Do they touch the rim of the drinker?”He likes to see wide passages and troughs no higher than 60cm. “I see many that are 110cm high and the cows struggle to drink. Try it yourself – drink water while you push your throat with a fi nger. This is not a good feeling and it makes the cows drink less.” It’s important to understand just how many litres of water cows need. The normal drinking speed of a cow is about 20 litres per minute and so this means that cows like to drink a minimum of 10 times a day for half a minute. The more drinkers you put in, the better chance that your heifers will drink enough water. Cows like a water depth of at least 7cm. And ‘fast drinkers’ need a water fl ow of 20 litres per minute. That requires strong water pressure, a 3cm-wide tube and a large inlet opening in the trough.

Above freezing“Many commercially available troughs are useless, because engineers don’t know much about cows. So check the details and test it with a big bucket: do you get 20 litres per minute? Are they easy to clean? Do they have nice round edges, so there’s no risk of wounding cows? Are they wide enough so a cow can stand straight and drink comfortably? Mr Driessen says not to worry about the temperature. “Just make sure it stays above freezing. First make sure you have clean water. “Second make sure you have enough drinkers, Thirdly: check the pressure so they will be always full. “Then, if you have these major three things right, you can start to worry about the ideal temperature of around 17°C. And remember that cows drink more in winter time when you supply warm water.” l

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CM05_WaterIntake 35 08-07-2011 13:29:34

CM01_p10.indd 9 27-01-2011 10:16:57

LDY’s: the good get betterThe Lifetime Daily Yield (LDY) value published by NMR for all cows is increasingly used as a benchmark that reflects high performance cows. To get a good score a cow needs to produce average or higher yields, have very few days off sick and get back in calf on time. “It’s a great reflection of healthy, fertile and productive cows - the sort of cows we’re all striving to have in our herds,” says NMR’s Ben Bartlett.“It appears that the top 40% of herds

Table 1: LDY average for NMR herds split into percentiles May 2011compared with May 2010

Top 100 tonnersAnother group of NMR cows has hit the 100 tonne marker this month. Here’s the top three ranked on lifetime daily yield.1 Newroddige Shooting Jolene

achieved 112,826kg of milk and had a LDY of 29.85kg. She is in Mallaber Partners’ herd, Park Farm, Drakelow, Staffordhsire.

2 304 from Shutt and Mansell’s herd, Flash Brook Manor, Newport, Shropshire. This cow yielded 100,442kg of milk with a LDY of 28.95kg.

3 367 from B and MJ Richard’s herd, Court Farm, Gastard, Wiltshire, She gave 100,773kg of milk with a LDY of 28.41kg.

Top of the breedLast month NMR published its latest Annual Production Report for the year ending September 2010. Although the Holsteins represent 91% of all NMR recorded lactations, the Jerseys, Ayrshires, Friesians, Shorthorns and Guernseys make up a significant 7.2% of lactations.The top Jersey herd, with a yield of 7,977kg and 736kg of fat and protein, belongs to the Mahons from Norfolk. Top of the Ayrshires, with 9,024kg of milk and 682kg of fat and protein is run by the Tinkers from Yorkshire and the top Friesian herd is from Nerewater Farm, Cumbria with a yield of 8,638kg of milk and 643kg of fat and protein.The Martels Guernsey herd yielded 7,961kg and 721kg of fat and protein and John Hayward’s Nottinghamshire-based herd gave 8,409kg of milk and 633kg of fat and protein to take top places in their respective breeds. Full results are available to all NMR customers and can be accessed from the NMR website.

Gold Cup open dayAround 850 visitors – mainly producers and including delegations from New Zealand, Belgium, Beijing and Ireland – made their way to the NMR/RABDF Gold Cup open day on June 29. Hosted by the 2010 Cup winners, Michael and Chris King from Iron Acton near Bristol, visitors saw at first hand the management system for the 600 Holsteins. This includes 325 cows in the milking herd and followers. During the past five years cow numbers

1-10 14.59 14.7211-20 13.26 13.3721-30 12.57 12.6331-40 11.98 12.0041-50 11.47 11.4251-60 10.93 10.8561-70 10.30 10.1471-80 9.54 9.3481-90 8.54 8.2291-100 6.28 6.23

May ’10 May ’11

High LDY cows have fewer days off sick

are improving LDY this year whereas the bottom 60% shows a drop in values,” says Mr Bartlett. “Also when we look at production, the average annual yield for a 200-cow herd in the top 10% is 1.075m litres compared with 0.454m litres for a 200-cow herd in the bottom 10%. In general, those herds with a higher LDY will be the more efficient and more profitable herds.”To keep track of LDY all NMR customers can view their performance through the Herd Companion option ‘Lifetime Yield Monitor’. It is possible here to see herd LDY by lactation and year-on-year trends as well as individual cow results.

have increased by 25% and the Kings have recently completed a £98k investment in improved housing and new slurry handling facilities. Of particular interest to visitors was the new heat detection system in operation in the heifer unit where NMR Silent Herdsman collars are used and 3-D movement is detected 24/7 so that heats are picked up accurately and heifers can be served on time, targeting a calving age of two years.

Silent Herdsman collars on heifers at Iron Action

Lifetime Yield Average (litres per day)banding

percentiles

For more information on NMR products and services contact customer services, 0844 7255567,NMR web address: www.nmr.co.uk, NMR email address: customerservices@nmr.co.uk

D A I R Y M A N A G E M E N T N E W S

37c o w m a n a g e m e n T J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 1

CM05_NMRnews 37 08-07-2011 13:30:45

Trough space, cow comfort, access to water – it’s a long list...

The ‘X’ factors

The cow’s environment and how she is managed can have a signifi cant

impact on feed effi ciency and attention to detail in these areas can have a major bearing on how cows perform.“Working with Dairy Excellence customers we fi nd that small management changes can have a large impact,” says Promar’s Paul Henderson.“Just think about time, If cows are kept away from feed too long, the opportunity to increase intakes is being missed. You need to encourage cows to eat and then lie down. Keeping them cooped up in the

collecting yard away from feed will reduce feed effi ciency.“As a guide we advise clients to look at a ‘turn’ time – the interval between being taken from housing to be milked and then back again – of no more than an hour. Any longer and you will affect performance. If turn time is longer than this it will pay to look at group sizes and cow fl ow,” he says.

Stocking rateTransition cow management also has an impact on feed effi ciency during the next lactation and it is vital to get cows settled quickly. Mr Henderson likes to see dry and fresh calved cows housed at a reduced stocking rate – ideally 80% of

There are many aspects of herd management that can infl uence

feed conversion effi ciency (FCE) and here, in the fourth article

in our series, we take a closer look at the effect of non-feed and

extra management factors.

text Rachael Porter

capacity. “Feed is always available and cows can eat and easily fi nd a cubicle to lie in. It will also minimise stress, which has a negative impact on feed intakes and effi ciency.“Water access is always important and we advise a minimum of 50mm of trough space per cow. At this time of year ventilation is also a major concern as cows start to succumb to heat stress as soon as the temperature exceeds 16°C and so keeping them cool can have its benefi ts,” he adds.Genus ABS’s John Cook believes that trough access is probably the biggest building design factor affecting feed effi ciency. “When trough space is limited, cows tend to slug feed and eat

Topic 1: What is FCE and why is it so important?Topic 2: Breeding for FCETopic 3: Health and FCE – a holistic approachTopic 4: Non-feed and management factorsTopic 5: ‘Chemical’ and ‘physical’ ration factors

F E E D E F F I C I E N C Y S E R I E S

Improving feed conversion effi ciencyHere, in the fourth of a series of articles looking at feed conversion effi ciency, we explain why the parameter is set to become increasingly important for UK dairy businesses and how it can be improved.

Comfort is key to maximising yieldStaffordshire-based producers Philip and Matthew Smith have seen, fi rst hand, the benefi ts of a focus on cow comfort. The Smith’s run a 250-cow herd at Lower Castle Hayes near Tutbury. “To get milk from cows you have to get everything right – the breeding, the management, the diet and the environment. You need to tick every box,” says Philip Smith.“Cows had been housed in a dairy building erected in the mid 1970s with two groups either side of a central feed passage. Watching the cows we came to the conclusion it was holding them back. The cubicles were inadequate and poorly designed and the ventilation was far from ideal. Feed access was reasonable, but we had to regularly push the feed up, and we were seeing leg injuries and neck sores.

“There is plenty of access to water and we have fi tted tipping troughs so that water is always fresh.”The cows are fed twice a day using a Keenan Mech-Fiber 360 fi tted with the PACE management technology, which manages the physical presentation and

Philip and Matthew Smith

“We decided we needed a building that would allow the cows to perform to their potential and correct those things that prevented this happening.”The new unit became operational in 2007 and consists of two 55-metre-long sheds, each with 125 cubicles. The building is an open-ridged cantilever design and the top 50cm of Yorkshire boarding have been removed to improve air fl ow.Each side of the building houses 119 cows because this reduces stocking density and also fi ts exactly with the parlour, which reduces turn time.“We went for feed troughs to improve access and raised the trough fl oor so cows can reach the feed easily. We have had no problems with neck sores. The cantilever design means the feed is kept dry,” Mr Smith adds.

38 V E E T E E L T J A N U A R I 1 / 2 2 0 0 938 C O W M A N A G E M E N T J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 1

CM05-seriesFeedEfficiency4 38 07-07-2011 10:31:14

abnormally large meals,” he explains. “This results in large swings in rumen pH. A cow who slug feeds one day gives herself acidosis, feels poorly and eats less the next day. Then she feels better and slug feeds again because of the shortage of trough space.“If adequate trough space is provided this roller coaster of temporary acidosis and reduced feed efficiency, which manifests itself as variable dung consistency, can be avoided.”According to Richard Simpson from Kingshay, the target for a typical Holstein should be at least 70cm of trough space per cow, with feed pushed up regularly during the day. “Neck callouses are an indicator that there is a problem with the feed barrier. The feeding surface should be smooth and raised 15cm above the standing area to encourage higher intakes. Mr Simpson also points out the

chemical components of the ration and allows Philip and Matthew to keep close tabs on diet presentation and feed efficiency.“The new building has improved cow comfort and feed access significantly,” says Keenan’s Rob Watkins. “Combined with the consistent delivery of a diet with optimum physical presentation, this has resulted in improved rumen health and increased feed efficiency.“Feed efficiency had been around 1.3kg of milk/kg DMI, but has been consistently above 1.4 and peaked at 1.57. The combination of the well-presented diet and excellent facilities is certainly allowing Philip and Matthew’s cow to express their potential and they are well on target for a 10,000-litre average.”

importance of good cubicle design on feed efficiency. He explains that cows should, ideally, lie down for 14 hours a day and this means providing adequate numbers of well designed and comfortable cubicles.

Blood flow“When a cow is lying down blood flow to the udder is increased and this results in higher yields. “Every extra hour a cow lies down can increase yields by one litre – a clear example of how cow comfort affects feed efficiency. “Common problems include cubicles that are too small and uncomfortable beds. So watch out for rubbed and damaged hocks and cows standing half in cubicles,” says Mr Simpson. “A detailed analysis, such as that provided by the HowsMyHerd service, can help identify areas for improvement.” l

Heads down: ensuring that there’s enough trough space is vital to maximise intakes

39C O W M A N A G E M E N T j u L Y / a u g u s t 2 0 1 1 39

CM05-seriesFeedEfficiency4 39 07-07-2011 10:31:32

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Dutch O Man sons dominate rankingsAs they do worldwide, O Man sons dominate the index rankings in the Netherlands – the list is full of them. And each one of them has something special to offer. Take Cricket (mgs. Durham) for instance, who excels with 112 total score and somatic cell count –35, or Goli (mgs. BW Marshall) who combines

The outcross factor plays an important role in the popularity of red-and-white bulls, as producers look to introduce new bloodlines into their herds.Delta Fidelity makes his presence felt with his unique +227kg of milk, +19.3kg +0.13% of fat, +20.87kg +0.16% of protein, £172 PLI and fi nal score of 108 with 112 for feet and legs. His genetic infl uence is growing constantly as he has become one of the most used sires of sons in the world since October 2009.

Making a global impact

Different pedigreeAmid the O Mans, several high-ranking bulls can be found that have a different pedigree, such as Beekmanshoeve Bertil (Willis x Jocko). For producers looking to avoid inbreeding, Bertil has become a champion for consistency with very attractive production +274kg of milk, +15.5kg +0.06% protein, +20.9kg +0.15% fat, £156 PLI and good conformation, including 106 for both fi nal score and udder.

Topspeed Kodak is a high production all-round calving ease bull who excels for longevity. He is almost 672 days above average.New release Delta Lilac breeds +673kg of milk, which he inherits from his sire Canvas – still is the highest protein sire in the world. Lilac combines this with outstanding type, scoring 109 for udders and 108 for feet and legs.For further details of all bulls available from Avoncroft, freephone 0800 7831880.

Delta Fidelity: the most used bull across the Dutch national herd

£181 PLI with 109 total score and Fiction (mgs. Ronald) who has outstanding frames and dairy strength, and all are easy calving.Timmer Tyson (mgs. Novalis) is a real ‘grassland’ O Man with a £219 PLI. He adds no less than +0.34% fat and +0.17% protein, giving his offspring percentages in the ranges of 5.3% fat

Timmer Tyson daughter Geesje 4268Impuls daughter Hendrikje 72

and almost 4% protein. These are Jersey like numbers. Sexed semen is available from Tyson priced at £22 per straw.The great all-rounder Impuls stands out with +598kg of milk, +28.2kg +0.06% of fat, +25.9kg +0.08% of protein, £214 PLI. He owes his high longevity of +538 extra days to his maternal grandsire, Jesther.

Beekmanshoeve Bertil daughter Cato 417: 3.01 in 305 days, 10,578kg milk, 3.68% fat, 3.71% protein

B R E E D I N G I N F O R M A T I O N

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CM05_AvoncroftNews 41 07-07-2011 09:59:39

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Tel: 01772-785252www.farmplus.co.uk

Book your advertisement now!Deadline for reservation: August 22Call: Julia Hughes, 01249 467224

AUGUST 30 PREVIEW DAIRYEVENT & LIVESTOCKSHOW

CM05_p42.indd 42 07-07-2011 15:49:41

reasoning? Well, the US crop isn’t looking promising. The major growing areas have been hit by rain and some growers haven’t finished planting yet. An extended growing season could leave it susceptible to frost this year. “And some areas have also been hit by flooding,” adds Mr Black.Paul Rooke from the Agricultural Industries Confederation says that there are still a lot of variables that could come into play, particularly at this time of the year.

Economic crisisAnd it’s difficult to say for certain which way feed prices will go. “There’s always an element of ‘who knows’. And there are always world events that come into play,” he says.The economic crisis in Greece, for example, is having an effect on prices at the moment. Most of the world’s financial institutions have agricultural commodities as part of their investment portfolios and markets can therefore be affected by non-agricultural issues.“Global supplies of wheat, maize and soya are still tight, particularly when you compare them to those of a decade ago – global wheat stocks are predicted to be around 15 million tonnes down on two years ago.” Wheat futures have dropped again – buy now for delivery in November and you’re looking at £160/tonne. Looking for delivery in January 2012, you’ll be paying £165. But both prices are some way off the £200/tonne which was being paid just a couple of months ago. That’s quite a drop in just a few weeks.Mr Rooke’s advice for producers is to consider forward buying to reduce the impact that such volatility can have on their costs.

There’s some good news for producers, for the moment at least, going

forward with regard to wheat prices. Things are looking good, for now, with some downward pressure on the market due to export levels from Russia and the Ukraine. A turn around compared to 2010, when Russia and the Ukraine declared a freeze on exports due to a poor harvest. This closed door is behind the high prices seen in 2010 and much of 2011. The resumption of exports from these significant growers, coupled with what’s expected to be a bumper US harvest, means that dairy producers can relax a little for now, despite the dry spring experienced in many parts of the UK. “But things may be very different in a month or two. Prices may have dropped off, but we’re not out of the woods yet,” says KW’s feed market guru Gregor Black.Soya is a completely different story, according to Mr Black. “My advice is to finish buying in feed for the summer now. There has been significant pressure on the EU to move its soya and it’s been keen to sell it. So prices have been fair.“But this supply is drying up and producers should be looking the buy for the next year – possibly forward buying up until October 2012 while prices are still on the lower side – as I believe that there’s going to be upward pressure on prices,” says Mr Black. His

Wheat prices have fallen a little, but will this continue?

Feed prices and predictionsWhat factors have been influencing wheat and soya prices? And

what can producers expect to pay for feed later this year and

early next? We spoke to two leading analysts to find out more.

text Rachael Porter

price paid in for delivery in

Nov. 2011for delivery in

March 2012

June 2011 £177 £182May 2011 £187 £190April 2011 £171 £175March 2011 £160 £164

Table 1: Average UK futures feed wheat prices per tonne

c o w m a n a g e m e n T J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 1 43434343

b U S i n e S S U p d A T e f e e d

CM05_BusinessUpdateFeed 43 08-07-2011 13:37:50

Peter Hufe: “We treat our cows as if they’re marathon runners”

Mid-night milking

The greyish-white buildings of the Milchgut Kolochau unit, close to the

east German town of the same name, show up in stark contrast against the bright blue sky. The former state farm, which was built in the 1930s, is one of the fi ve largest in the German state of Brandenburg with 1,500 cows and a milk quota of 12.3 million litres. There are 34 staff working at the unit. “That means that we have one member of staff for every 50 cows,” says manager Peter Hufe, who has been in charge of the herd since 1995. “That sounds a lot, but on this farm the work is a continuous process. We work a lot in shifts and work to set protocols.” In the full, six-row cubicle stalls the cows are divided into six groups according to their stage of lactation. The animals are milked in groups and walk to the milking parlour via the central corridor.

Marathon runnersThe rolling annual average yield per cow is 9,615 litres and a key aim of management is a high life time production per cow, which at 28,000kg of milk at the unit is above the average

For the Milchgut Kolochau herd, high lifetime production

is essential and this is achieved through the use of modern

genomically tested bulls, as well as older bloodlines. And, at night,

all the lights in the cow house are turned out to aid the production

of special ‘night milk’.

text Jorieke van Cappellen

Germany

F A R M R E P O R T

Calves are housed in groupsPeter Hufe

Kolochau dairy farm Milchgut Farm in Germany produces between 1,000kg and 2,000kg of ‘night milk’ each day, and it contains a high percentage of the hormone melatonin.

Manager: Peter HufeHerd size: 1,500Unit size: 2,150 hectaresMilk quota: 12.3 million litres at 4.05% fat

and 3.25% proteinMilk production: 32.8kg of milk/cow/day

Kolochau

of the 25 best farms in Brandenburg (approximately 26,500kg). It is a remarkable achievement, which Peter says is mainly down to the management. “We regard our cows as marathon runners,” he says. “In my view, a high fi rst-lactation yield is not something to strive for and we don’t push the cows to achieve it. We prefer to have a problem-free lactation, so that we can get the cow in calf again easily.” Because the cows are not overstretched the lifetime of the cows at Kolochau Milchgut is fi ve months longer than the German average, with a higher life time production. “We have a low replacement rate of less than 25%, compared to 30% on other farms,” he adds.

Night milkingThe herd is milked twice a day in a 32-point rotary parlour that runs for most of the day. Milking continues through the night, although in a rather unusual way. “In the evening all the lights are turned out in the cow house and the milking parlour and it is completely dark,” says Peter. With just red LED lights for reference, staff milk

the cows in the depths of the night. A portion of the milk produced during the night goes directly into a separate milk tank. “Our herd is the only one in Germany that produces so-called ‘night milk’ on a large scale,” he says, explaining the somewhat secretive way of milking. “Night milk contains a higher proportion of the natural hormone melatonin.” The hormone, produced naturally by humans and mammals, controls the sleep-wake rhythm and helps to ensure a good night’s sleep. “Past the age of 25, human production of melatonin decreases and night milk can help to top up the melatonin level and contribute to better and deeper sleep.”The unit became involved in the ‘night milk’ marketing concept in 2003. But simply switching off the light is not enough to produce night milk. The ratio between daylight and dark must be carefully controlled. So during bad weather lights are switched on in the cow house during the day to mimic daylight. “You must also milk the right cows,” says Peter. “The melatonin content can be ascertained in milk samples and can differ enormously from cow to cow.”Stress, whatever the cause, is also disastrous. “We feed a fi bre-rich ration, in which we try to keep the proportion of maize below 25%, and alongside that we keep the day and night rhythm as constant as possible. “By careful tuning you can increase the melatonin content in milk 14 fold.” The farm milks a permanent specially chosen group of quiet cows, because the milk melatonin content is highest in calm cows.

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CM05-Night milking 44 07-07-2011 14:26:07

Alongside bulls such as Shottle, Goldwyn and O Man, the herd is also served with semen from bulls from the past. “On the farm we now have 50 daughters of the bull Bote, which was born in 1976. And there are more than 90 animals with Cocalica Oraginator Rex as sire, and he was born in 1972.”

Old geneticsThe herd also includes daughters of Trailor (1989) and Orlo (1989). “That isn’t to say that we find modern bulls are not good enough. On the contrary, we inseminate all maiden heifers with genomic bulls,” says Peter. “But with old

The herd supplies between 1,000 and 2,000 litres of night milk per night. The milk is freeze dried in a regional milk factory, packed in a suitable black milk pack, and sold at 25 euro per 192g box at the pharmacy and on the Internet. But do you really sleep better after drinking night milk? Although scientific studies have been carried out, for the moment Hufe can’t confirm the benefits of night milk. “But despite a somewhat bumpy start, we aren’t dissatisfied with the sales of it,” he adds.The herd is not only unique in the production of night milk – Peter also has his own vision of cattle breeding.

bulls we try as far as possible to keep a variety of blood lines in our herd. The current bulls that, up to the fourth generation, have no O Man, Goldwyn, Shottle or, for example, Jocko blood, are rare and can be counted on the fingers of one hand.” Peter says that the cows with an ‘old’ sire perform just as well as far as production or type is concerned than those with a relatively young sire. “Old bulls fit in with our current breeding programme because they are often strong and healthy. And that sits well with our vision of the cow as a marathon runner.” l

The herd’s ration is fed in small passageways

Traditional housing: the 1,500-strong herd is based in a typical cubicle shed

Night milk is sold in dry-power form There are special lights to facilitate night milking

45c o w m a n a g e m e n t J u l y / a u g u s t 2 0 1 1

CM05-Night milking 45 07-07-2011 14:26:26

Dairy Event specia l

September (August 30) – Read our Dairy Event preview and the final part of our series on increasing feed efficiency. We’ll also feature a round up of this year’s NMR/RABDF Gold Cup finalists.

C O M I N G U P

Summer has arrived: time to enjoysome sunshinePicture: Harrie van Leeuwen

CowManagement is published eight times per year by CRV Holding BV

Editorial teamChief Editor Jaap van der Knaap Editor Rachael PorterPhone 01394 270587E-mail rachael.porter@virgin.netEditing, design and production VeeteeltContributing writers Jorieke van Cappellen, Roger Evans, Ann Hardy, Allison Matthews, David Matthews, Mathijs van Pelt and Karen WrightPublisher Rochus Kingmans

Chief editor’s addressP.O. Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, The NetherlandsPhone 0031 26 38 98 821. Fax 0031 26 38 98 839E-mail cm.office@crv4all.com internet www.cowmanagement.net

SubscriptionsCowManagement is available free of charge to customers of NMR, Avoncroft and Thompsons.If you think you are eligible, please contact:National Milk Records, Customer Services, Skipton Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 4LG. Phone 0870 1622547E-mail customerservices@NMR.co.ukwww.isubscribe.co.uk

AdvertisementsJulia Hughes, NMR. Phone 01249 467224Willem Gemmink, Froukje VisserP.O. Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, The Netherlands, Fax 0031 26 38 98 824E-mail willem.gemmink@crv4all.com

Illustrations/picturesPhotographs by Veeteelt Photography, Geoff Pagotto (page 10) and Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (page 33) .

DisclaimerCowManagement does not necessarily share the views expressed by contributors. No responsibility is accepted for the claims made by advertisers. No responsibility can be accepted by CRV Holding BV for the opinions expressed by contributors. Whilst every effort is made to obtain reliable and accurate information, liability cannot be accepted for errors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher.

Printer Classic PrintingPhone 01452 731539ISSN 1570-5641

A D V E R T I S E R S ’ I N D E X

ADF .............................................................9Alta ...........................................................36Avoncroft/Thomspons ...............................47Batchelor Enterprises ..................................29Bekina-CowManagement ..........................14Biotal .........................................................11Boehringer Ingelheim .................................48Boer, De ....................................................28Cowcare Systems .......................................40Enviro Systems ...........................................40Farmplus ....................................................42Genus ..................................................24, 25Keenan ......................................................16Lallemand ....................................................5

Lely ...........................................................29Micron Bio-Systems ...................................42NMR ...........................................................2RE buildings ...............................................16Regent .......................................................16Semex .......................................................32Spermex ....................................................28Spinder ......................................................42Trioliet .......................................................28Vervaeke ...................................................29

July 12-14: Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate, North YorkshireJuly 18-21: Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells, Powys July 19: LKL open day, W. Rogerson and Sons, Game Farm, Singleton, Poulton-le-Fylde, LancsSeptember 6-7: Dairy Event and Livestock Show, NEC, BirminghamSeptember 13-16: Space, Rennes (France)October 4-8: World Dairy Expo, Madison (United States)October 5: The Dairy Show, Shepton Mallet, SomersetOctober 18: Welsh Dairy Show, Nantyci Showground, CarmarthenNovember 4-13: Royal Winter Fair, Toronto (Canada)November 16: Agriscot, Edinburgh, ScotlandDecember 8: Northern Ireland Winter Fair, Balmoral Showground, Belfast (N Ireland)

C O N T A C T S

46

C O N TA C T S

c O w m a N a g e m e N t J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 1

S H O W S A N D E V E N T S

CM05_contacts 46 08-07-2011 11:49:08

Milk +119kg Fat +16.3kg +0.15%Protein +12.1kg +0.10%

PLI £156 PIN £31

HO No. 1269HB No. 63000399745212

Kevin x Stadel x Ronald

Avoncroft Freephone 0800 7831880

Linear Trait Profile Breeding values source: GES, April 2011

62 Daughters in 54 Herds 93% Rel.

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Frame

Dairy Strength

Udder

Feet & Legs

Final Score

100 104 108 112969288

100 104 108 112969288

100

102

106

105

105

Tall

Wide

Deep

Sharp

Excellent

Low

Excellent

Excellent

Sickled

Steep

Excellent

Strong

Close

Long

Shallow

High

Close

Strong

Stature

Chest Width

Body Depth

Angularity

Condition Score

Rump Angle

Rump Width

Rear Legs, Rear View

Rear Leg Set

Foot Angle

Locomotion

Fore Udder Attachment

Front Teat Placement

Teat Length

Udder Depth

Rear Udder Height

Central Ligament

Rear Teat Placement

99

99

100

101

102

99

98

102

101

100

103

104

103

106

102

107

101

103

Kodak's are the complete package with high production and exceptional longevity of +672 days. They are not delicate little cows; they have enough weight and depth of chest with good udders and excellent locomotion. With his outstanding functional traits including low cell counts, hoof and udder health health with very easy calving Kodak produces cows that suit the times.

Price £18

• Very easy calving 111

• Exceptional longevity +672 days

• High %s and low SCC (-12)

Calving Ease LongevityUdder Health Somatic Cell CountTemperamentMilking Speed

111 Easy +672 days-12103101106

Production Interbull, April 2011

139 Daughters in 119 Herds 78% Rel.

Availableas

SexedSemenSiryX

Kodak daughter, Marietje 104

Kodak daughter, Elza 105 Alger Meekma

Alger Meekma

Avoncroft Kodak Advert June 11 new.ai 06/07/2011 09:00:34

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