Unable to find enough workers to carry out the painstaking tasks of milk production, dairy producers in South Dakota hope to tap into a different labor force: unemployed residents of Puerto Rico.

It could be a tonic both for dairy operators and Puerto Rico, where the jobless rate stands at 12 percent but workers are far freer to travel to the U.S. for jobs than immigrants due to the island’s status as a U.S. territory.

South Dakota dairy farms produced 209 million pounds of milk in 2016, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. That’s far less than the more commonly known milk-producing states of California and Wisconsin, but the state’s pilot project to find another labor source is gaining attention.

“If this is successful, this would be a significant success for the U.S. dairy industry, certainly South Dakota’s industry,” said Jaime Castaneda, senior vice president of the National Milk Producers Federation. “So, we are watching it. We are looking at what happens.”

Certain agricultural industries are allowed to hire foreign-born workers seasonally under a visa category, but dairy farms do not qualify because they operate year-round. A study commissioned by the National Milk Producers Federation released in June 2015 concluded immigrant labor accounts for 51 percent of all dairy labor in the U.S.

The proposal from a team of agriculture experts to recruit a labor force from the Caribbean island to work on South Dakota’s dairies would eliminate the need for a visa because Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. Experts from the South Dakota State University Extension hope to bring about 20 workers by September.

They hosted recruiting sessions in November and December in three Puerto Rican communities that are home to dairies and addressed topics such as the farm routine, weather and cost of living. Of the 28 people who attended the sessions, half had an agricultural background. Others were electricians, nurses and construction workers. More sessions are planned for May.

The team is focused on developing a program that would help the workers adjust to life in the Great Plains. Karla Hernandez, an SDSU Extension forage field specialist, said producers in South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin who have hired Puerto Ricans have seen them last only short periods on the job after realizing the demands, pay and the stark differences between the two places.

“Say you have a person from Mexico who gets here, that person will stick around because he has a need to provide for himself and for his family back in Mexico. Now if you get a Puerto Rican and he doesn’t like the job, he can go home very easily because he doesn’t need to wait for any visa or passport,” Hernandez said.

It’s no secret that immigrant labor is crucial at many agricultural enterprises in the U.S. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that about 80 percent of the agricultural labor force is foreign born and over half is unauthorized to work in the U.S.

Castaneda said his organization is not speculating about what the incoming Trump administration might do in terms of immigration. But he said the group will continue to pressure Congress and the administration to approve changes that would allow immigrant dairy workers to stay in the U.S. for at least three years with the option of reapplying after a stay in their home countries.

For those who doubt the need of foreign-born workers on dairy farms, Walt Bones, part owner of the Turner County Dairy and former South Dakota secretary of agriculture, has a succinct answer: U.S.-born workers don’t want to work that hard.

“They’re not hungry enough to improve themselves that they don’t want to work that hard. I think it’s that simple,” said Bones, whose dairy farm has 1,600 cows that are milked three times a day. “It’s not easy work. It’s repetitive, but at the same time, it’s not bad work.”

Gerson Cardona, a Guatemala native, began working on a dairy farm in South Dakota 15 years ago at the age of 15 by milking and washing cows. These days, he cares for days-old calves.

“If one enjoys the job, one can persevere,” Cardona said in Spanish during a break. “If one enjoys working with the animals, then that’s what motivates one to learn more and stay in one place. This (job) is a good source to be able to do something with one’s life.”

Source: Associated Press

Digital dermatitis (DD) is by far the most common hoof lesion found in confinement-housed dairy cattle. DD lesions, resulting from bacterial infection of the skin of the heel and/or interdigital space, develop quickly through the several M-stages illustrated below. After initial infection (M1) of healthy skin (M0), the bacteria rapidly produce the active, strawberry-like and very painful M2 lesion which causes the animal to exhibit lameness. M2 lesions may heal or they may progress to less-painful, scabbed-over M3 or chronic wart-like M4 lesions where the bacteria encyst deep in the skin. Bacteria re-emerging into the surface layers of M4 lesions may reactivate (M4.1), resulting in new, painful M2s.

Digital Dermatitis Infection Dynamics

Prevention of DD focuses on biosecurity, maintaining good barn hygiene and routine foot bathing. Treatment of DD infections is typically only done by hoof trimmers at their infrequent visits—usually by applying antibiotic and bandaging for a few days. But, because new infections can rapidly advance, early detection and treatment is necessary to minimize new outbreaks of active lesions.

Over the past few years, researchers at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine have been working to develop a practical way to routinely identify and treat painful DD lesions in the milking parlour. The first step was to develop a way to accurately detect lesions The solution involved a 50¢ cosmetic mirror glued to a $2 kitchen spatula, sliding this device under the heel of the cow as she stood in the parlour. A headlamp was found to be an effective aid to improving visibility (see photos below).

see: Validation of the M-stage scoring system for digital dermatitis on dairy cows in the milking parlor. J Dairy Sci in press (complete article here)

The next challenge was to determine whether treating lesions in the parlour could be practical and effective. Ten central Alberta herds were visited weekly for 8 weeks. On the first visit, the hind feet of all cows were examined for the presence of DD lesions. Cows with M2 lesions were randomly assigned to treatment with one of four solutions applied with a simple $3 spray bottle (see photo below). Treatments were applied at each subsequent weekly visit after first rinsing the feet with high pressure water.

Results of the study are illustrated in the graph below. Notice that even the saline treatment resulted in progressive decline in the percentage of M2 lesions over 7 weeks, likely due to thoroughly rinsing the feet before treatment. By the end of the trial, the number of lesions in the saline group had decreased to 32% of the number at the start. HoofSol®, HealMax® and tetracycline treatment reduced lesions even further, to 9%, 10% and 13% of their original numbers.

HoofSol® produced a 57% decline in M2 lesions after a single treatment, equal to that of tetracycline, and offering the additional advantage of avoiding any risk of milk antibiotic residues.

The bottom line is this: occasional (1x per week in this study) thorough rinsing of hooves can be an effective way to reduce M2 DD lesions. Additional weekly treatment with an effective antibacterial product can further reduce the prevalence of these painful, lameness-causing lesions.

Source: Dairy Cattle Hoof Health

Dezi, a Lawrence County Holstein, churns out 201 pounds of milk per day, almost three times as much as the average Holstein.

Missouri Holstein Dezi is a moo-ver and a milker.

The Lawrence County cow outperforms most of her regional counterparts, producing just short of three times as much milk per day, says University of Missouri Extension dairy specialist Reagan Bluel.

Dezi, owned by farmer Karl Wilke, churns out 201 pounds of milk per day. That’s the equivalent of about 24 gallons—15 gallons more than the average Holstein.

The 200-pound-plus achievement through peak production is not uncommon in dairy states, but it is rare in Missouri’s Ozark region. “She’s a superstar,” says Bluel.

Dezi’s efforts earned her nomination as the Missouri Holstein Association Cow of the Year. The winner will be named at the Heart of America Expo, Jan. 19-21 in Springfield. More than 500 producers from 15 states plan to attend.

Bluel says Wilke uses solid dairy management practices to achieve outstanding herd performance.  

Wilke is “graze-ing the bar” for other dairy producers by growing and feeding quality forage. “They do a phenomenal job of putting up great forage,” Bluel says.

Wilke feeds Dezi and the rest of the herd corn silage and high-moisture cereal rye bales – 60 percent moisture – and pastures the herd on cereal rye. There is no alfalfa in the Wilke herd diet. Wilke says he quit growing alfalfa after the 2012 drought and bought it for a few years when fertilizer prices increased. He saw some production loss but profits increased.

Wilke also uses the services the Dairy Herd Improvement Association testing and record-keeping.  Bluel also points out that Wilke studies and then amends management based on the results of DHIA tests and records.  

Dezi was born and AI-bred on the Wilke farm. As a first-lactation heifer, she showed promise, Bluel says. The 5-year-old is being flushed to maintain multiple offspring.

A bred heifer is scheduled to freshen this fall to carry on the cow family name. Wilke is eager to see if she will shine among her peers in the 165-head herd. He hopes her genetics will carry on to her progeny. Third-party testing confirms her milk for protein and butterfat quality.

Dezi feeds on partial mixed ration and is turned out to graze on rye. Part of her superb performance may be attributed to rains in the fall of 2015 that created optimum lush pastures.

Advantages of feeding a partial mixed ration (PMR) include more uniformity in nutrients reaching the cow and therefore less disruption of rumen function, Bluel says. Supplementation allows for an improved control of dry matter intake and reduced rumen digestive problems. “When supplementing pasture with PMR, the rumen is prepped for dietary changes to continue to support lactation even when the pasture gets short,” she says.

Research at Penn State University shows that grazing cows supplemented with a PMR had higher milk fat and protein, better body condition and produced 8 pounds more milk per day than those not fed a PMR.

Wilke and his parents moved their dairy operation to Missouri from Wisconsin in 1979. Missouri’s milder climate appealed to them. Wilke family members have been dairy farmers since coming to the United States from Germany in the 1860s.

Wilke family members are strong supporters of MU Extension education. Karl serves as president of the Lawrence County Extension Council. His family donated some of the foundation heifers in the University of Missouri grazing herd.  

Wilke believes in passing along his dairy knowledge to MU Extension 4-H members and others. He provides scholarships for 4-H camp and offers to host dairy judging clinics at his farm. Wilke helps 4-H dairy judging teams prepare for competitions. “He is someone who always asks how he can help others and our activities,” says 4-H youth development specialist Karla Deaver.

Wilke, Bluel and others interested in the southwestern Missouri bovine phenomenon plan to follow Dezi and her offspring.

“You pour your heart and soul into your passion for milk production,” Bluel says. “Day in and day out, there is never a dull moment. Every once in a while, there is the unexpected in the herd. The outlier cow that makes you proud. Those are the moments—those are the cows—that keep you passionate about your love of making milk.”

Source: MU Extension

Most dairy producers will welcome the end of 2016. The variability in weather, forage quality and quantity, and the low milk prices will not be missed. However, what will 2017 offer and what can be done to manage the ups and downs? The one constant is precision feeding as the lifeline for keeping margins in check throughout the year.

Production Perspective

In 2016 the Penn State dairy herd averaged a gross milk price of $16.84/cwt with an average Class III milk price of $14.87/cwt and a basis of $1.97. The projection for 2017 is a $17.50/cwt Class III milk price. Corn price is ranging between $3 and $4/bushel and soybeans $10/bushel. It appears milk price will improve and feed prices will remain about the same compared to 2016. The one unknown is weather and how that will impact forage quality and quantity. These scenarios are not new and should not be a surprise to anyone working in the dairy industry.  Precision feeding is the one constant that can maintain milk production, control feed costs, and manage forage inventories. All three items are important to maintain a respectable margin so expenses can be paid.

Over the past five years more Pennsylvania dairy producers have embraced precision feeding. This is being confirmed by comparing TMR analysis results with the formulated ration. A close match of nutrient specifications shows the farm is paying attention to feed management. There are some commonalities of farms doing an excellent job with precision feeding. The first is the lactating cow ration contains high amounts of corn silage with other alternative forage sources such as small grain silage.  By balancing for metabolizable protein, the protein percent of the milk cow ration has been greatly reduced to 16 to 17% on a dry matter basis compared to levels observed in the early 2000s of 18 to 19%. This has improved the carbohydrate and protein balance for the cow and in many instances production has improved or been maintained. Progressive producers are routinely monitoring the dry matters of their feeds and adjusting the rations accordingly. They are also managing how crops are harvested and stored to better match the animal group being fed.

Shrink or feed loss can have huge implications especially when yields have been compromised due to weather conditions. Managing feed out from storage and during feeding can make a difference by several weeks on the amount of forage retained in inventory. Management is the key for keeping dairies in business and precision feeding encompasses many aspects related to cropping and feeding management.

 Precision feeding is not only for lactating cows but also for dry cows and heifers. These groups can affect forage inventory, feed costs, and animal performance. They are the future income generators of the operation and precision feeding for these groups can make or break the budget.

 Precision feeding is not only for TMR fed herds. Component feeding can be managed for precision feeding however it may require more attention to details. Grain mixes and protein supplements can be analyzed to compare to the paper formulation. Checking weights of grain scoops and hay/silage bales can help hone in on dry matter intakes. There are feeders available that minimize waste when hay/silage bales are offered free choice. Monitoring animal growth can confirm animals are receiving the correct amounts of feed or that feed space is adequate. If precision feeding is made a priority it can work on any dairy operation regardless of the feeding system or herd size.

Action plan for implementing precision feeding on the dairy operation

Goals

Monitor feed inventory, income over feed costs and ration agreement with the formulated diets on all animal groups on a quarterly basis.

Steps

• Step 1: Monitor feed inventory by determining the amount of forages and/or grains currently stored in all structures. Record the usage of feeds as they are being mixed or utilized. Determine the estimated length of time forage/grain will be available.
• Step 2: Check dry matters on all high moisture ingredients weekly or when necessary. Analyze any forage or grain when changes occur. Adjust all rations accordingly.
• Step 3: Monitor income over feed cost monthly.
• Step 4: Each quarter, or when necessary, sample the TMR and/or complete grain mix to compare to the formulated diet or mix.
• Step 5: Meet with the farm’s advisory team and include discussion on the farm’s inventory and income over feed costs.

Economic perspective

Monitoring must include an economic component to determine if a management strategy is working or not. For the lactating cows income over feed costs is a good way to check that feed costs are in line for the level of milk production. Starting with July’s milk price, income over feed costs was calculated using average intake and production for the last six years from the Penn State dairy herd. The ration contained 63% forage consisting of corn silage, haylage and hay. The concentrate portion included corn grain, candy meal, sugar, canola meal, roasted soybeans, Optigen (Alltech product) and a mineral vitamin mix. All market prices were used.

Also included are the feed costs for dry cows, springing heifers, pregnant heifers and growing heifers. The rations reflect what has been fed to these animal groups at the Penn State dairy herd. All market prices were used.

Income over feed cost using standardized rations and production data from the Penn State dairy herd.

Note: December’s Penn State milk price: $19.18/cwt; feed cost/cow: $5.87; average milk production: 84 lbs.

Feed cost/non-lactating animal/day.

Source: Penn State Extension

A computer programmer says there is a lot of potential for using big data in the dairy industry.

Ben Keating from software developer Milker tells Brownfield the dairy industry already collects a lot of data. He says, “We’re definitely collecting it, and we’re holding onto it, and I think right now, we’re at the moment in time where we are starting to discuss as an industry what we can do and how we can get that data merged together to do more interesting things.”

Keating says existing technology in milking systems, cow activity monitors, and other on-farm systems will quickly evolve to where artificial intelligence capable of deep learning will evaluate many streams of data and predict problems before they happen.

Keating sees the industry moving towards standardized platforms. “Ultimately, it benefits the producers and all businesses involved because holding on and retaining that data and not sharing it really doesn’t do any good to any of the products or companies involved.”

Keating believes the technology he is working on will be as easy to use as a smartphone app, while allowing machines to monitor every aspect of the herd and the business.

Source: Brownfield

Cattle farmers struggling with record corn prices are feeding their cows candy instead. 

That’s right, candy. Cows are being fed chocolate bars, gummy worms, ice cream sprinkles, marshmallows, bits of hard candy and even powdered hot chocolate mix, according to cattle farmers, bovine nutritionists and commodities dealers.

“It has been a practice going on for decades and is a very good way to for producers to reduce feed cost, and to provide less expensive food for consumers,” said Ki Fanning, a livestock nutritionist with Great Plains Livestock Consulting, Inc. in Eagle, Neb.

Feeding candy to cows has become a more popular practice in tandem with the rising price of corn, which has doubled since 2009, fueled by government-subsidized demand for ethanol and this year’s drought.Thrifty and resourceful farmers are tapping into the obscure market for cast-off food ingredients. Cut-rate byproducts of dubious value for human consumption seem to make fine fodder for cows. While corn goes for about $315 a ton, ice-cream sprinkles can be had for as little as $160 a ton.

“As the price of corn has climbed, farmers either sold off their pigs and cattle, or they found alternative feeds,” said Mike Yoder, a dairy farmer in Middlebury, Ind. He feeds his 400 cows bits of candy, hot chocolate mix, crumbled cookies, breakfast cereal, trail mix, dried cranberries, orange peelings and ice cream sprinkles, which are blended into more traditional forms of feed, like hay.

The farmer said that he goes over the feed menu every couple of weeks with a livestock nutritionist who advised him to cap the candy at 3% of a cow’s diet. He said that the sugar in ice cream sprinkles seems to increase milk production by three pounds per cow per day.

Sugar also helps to fatten up beef cattle, according to livestock nutritionist Chuck Hurst, owner of Nutritech, Inc., in Carmen, Idaho, without any ill effects to the cow, or to the person consuming its meat or milk. He said that it’s the sugar in the candy that’s important, and that it provides “the same kind of energy as corn.”

He added that farmers feed their cows a wide assortment of byproducts beyond candy to save money.

“One guy in Montana bought a whole carload of soda crackers as feed,” he said. “He had to hire a guy to open all the boxes of soda crackers.”

Yoder and other farmers buy their feed from brokers like Midwest Ingredients, Inc., of Princeville, Ill., which offers a wide assortment of byproducts, including cherry juice, fish meal, peanut butter, fruit fillings, tapioca and left-over grain from distilleries.

“The buyers of corn, or feed in general, are paying a lot of money so they’re definitely out there shopping around looking for cheaper stuff,” said Eric Johnson of Eagan, Minn., who owns MidWest Feed Ingredient Trading. “People are price conscious and they’re resourceful. Stuff comes up and they hunt it down and try to save a little bit of money.”

But there is a catch — as the demand for candy-feed goes up, so does the price. Yoder said that he has become “more aggressive in bidding for [candy-feed] because of the high price of corn.” But he added that the candy “started getting expensive because other people want it too.”

Yoder said he’s seen the price of sprinkles rise from $160 per ton — which was about half the price of corn — to about $240. But he still buys the candy.

“Any time I can make a change to save two cents or three cents a cow, that makes a difference,” said Yoder. “Farming is a game of inches sometimes, or half-inches. Every little penny you can find to save, you do.”

Source: CNN

The term “sweat equity” is used frequently in discussions of the contributions of an off-farm heir to the value of the family owned business. Sweat equity arises in part when an on-farm heir is paid less than their true opportunity cost to work for the business. The term also arises in situations where the business has grown substantially in value due to the managerial ability and efforts of the on-farm heir. This article describes why sweat equity is commonly used on farms that include multiple generations, and discusses how to measure sweat equity.

Why Does Sweat Equity Occur?

As noted above, sweat equity may arise when an on-farm heir is paid less than their true opportunity cost to work for the business and/or the business has grown substantially due to the abilities and efforts of the on-farm heir. Let us look at these two items one at a time. Suppose a returning family member has the opportunity to work for a local retailer that with benefits would pay them $75,000 per year. The farm is currently not able to match this offer. Instead of a $75,000 salary with benefits, the farm is willing to pay the returning family member a salary and benefit package of $50,000 per year. Benefits are widely defined here and may include; but are not necessarily limited to; insurance, housing, and vehicle use. In this instance, sweat equity can be computed by examining the difference between the agribusiness and farm opportunities.

Sweat equity also occurs when the business has grown substantially, at least partially as a result of, the abilities and efforts of the returning family member. To motivate our discussion, let’s assume that the farm purchased and rented additional land when the family member returned to the farm. Owned land is a major asset of U.S. farms accounting for approximately 84 percent of total assets. The returns to land include operating income and appreciation. To capture appreciation the land would have to be sold. Obviously, this often not feasible or prudent. Sweat equity can be used to capture land value appreciation that occurs when land is purchased to accommodate the returning family member. If the older generations helped purchase the land, not all of the land value appreciation would accrue to the returning family member.

The above discussion assumed that the farm was profitable and could afford to add one or more returning family members. What if the farm is in general not profitable and the farm’s equity decreases instead of increasing with the addition of the family member. In this case, sweat equity may be zero. This is why it is sometimes argued that if a farm cannot afford to fully compensate an individual returning to the farm (i.e., pay the family member his or her full opportunity cost), the farm should not encourage the family member to return to the farm.

How Can We Measure Sweat Equity?

Let’s use an example to illustrate a few key points. The example outlined below was modified using an illustration made by David Goeller from the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In this example, Mom and Dad want to keep the farm in the family. The youngest of three children, Michael, came back to the farm in 1990. Unfortunately, if the farm business was divided into three equal pieces, it would not be of an adequate size to create a viable farm business for Dad, Mom, and Michael. When Michael came back to the family farm in 1990, the fair market value of the business (i.e., owner’s equity) was $420,000. At that time, Mom and Dad agreed that the contribution of each child up to 1990 was equal. Dividing the $420,000 by three results in a contribution of each child of $140,000. Today’s fair market value of the business is $1,680,000. If we divide by three, $560,000 would be left to each child. However, the contributions of the three children have not been equal since 1990. There were very few promises made to Michael when he returned to the farm. However, decisions were made because he came back (e.g., land was rented and purchased). Mom, Dad, and Michael know that his contribution to the family farm has resulted in Michael developing a sizable investment in “sweat equity” in the farm business.

There are two potential dilemmas present in the example outlined above: treating each child fairly and farm equity has increased dramatically. With regard to the first dilemma, Mom and Dad do not want the non-farm heirs to feel that they have been mistreated or slighted. A couple of questions come to mind. If you were divide the farm business into three equal pieces, would each slice by large enough to create a viable business? What about the contribution of the on-fam heir to the growth or success of the business? With regard to the second dilemma, Michael has likely not earned enough since 1990 to pay for the increased value of the land and other assets. For Michael to be successful, both the income the business generates and the market value of the farm assets has to be considered.

Let’s examine one possible resolution of the two dilemmas noted above. After careful consideration, Mom and Dad decided that they would equally divide the 1990 value of the farm business between the three children. They also decided that Michael was responsible for 50 percent of the farm growth since 1990 (value of business grew from $420,000 to $1,680,000 or $1,260,000). Table 1 outlines the resulting equity distribution in the estate plan. At this point, Mom and Dad want to establish procedures for how the equity would be split. The amounts presented will likely be changed to reflect future changes to the farm’s equity position. A couple caveats should be noted. First, it is often difficult to determine how much “sweat equity” contributed to the increase in the value of the business. Second, the level of Michael’s annual compensation is an important consideration when valuing “sweat equity”. If Michael was paid something close to his opportunity cost when he returned to the farm, the computations in table 1 would likely be different.

Source: Farmdoc Daily

At a recent event hosted on Bryn Jones’ farm near Oswestry local farmers heard how AHDB Dairy’s Mastitis Control Plan had helped him to significantly reduce the rate of new clinical mastitis cases and reduce antibiotic use across his 800-cow herd, delivering annual savings of around £57,000. This downward trend is encouraging as the livestock industry works towards achieving a long term reduction in the use of antibiotics.

The joint event organised by AHDB Dairy and Farming Connect farmers looked at a number topics such as ways to reduce new infections, lowering antibiotic use, avoiding inappropriate use, selective dry cow therapy principles, a practical demonstration of the infusion technique, reducing infection pressure and optimising cow immunity.

Speaking at the event Dr James Breen, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Specialist in Cattle Health and Production, said: “Antibiotic use in mastitis control often accounts for the largest proportion of prescriptions in dairy herds, for example recent work from the Netherlands showed nearly 70% of antibiotics were for udder health reasons, and 24% of these for clinical mastitis alone.”

Dr Breen shared the Mastitis Control Plan, which provides a structured approach to mastitis control and provides a diagnosis based on udder health records, enabling farmers to identify and prioritise appropriate interventions. He then introduced Bryn Jones who talked about his experience at Nantgoch.

Bryn Jones commented: “Three years ago we were experiencing a very high rate of clinical mastitis with lots of recurrent cows, costing us money we could ill afford. A member of our local foot group was already using James Breen to help tackle mastitis and Neil Blackburn from Kite encouraged us to do the same.”

From on-farm records, the incidence rate of clinical mastitis averaged close to 70 cases per 100 cows each year, meaning the total cost of mastitis on the farm was around £120,000 every year. Halving this mastitis rate would therefore be expected to recover around £60,000 a year…

Following that initial conversation, Bryn and the team at Nantgoch received several part-funded visits from Dr Breen which helped begin the implementation of the Mastitis Control Plan for the farm. The mastitis and cell count data for Nantgoch clearly highlighted that the majority of new infections were acquired during the dry period, and the Plan identified key actions that would reduce this new infection rate, such as changes to transition cow cubicle accommodation and improved management of the calving cow yard.

Between 2014-15 and 2015-16 there were 256 less cases of mastitis overall. The annual mastitis rate now stood at around 30 cases per 100 cows and farm-specific figures showed that the total cost for mastitis was now around £63,000 – a saving of £57,000 – the vast majority of which came through better control of clinical mastitis.

“We were using less and less mastitis tubes, so I knew cases were coming down. Even so, I was staggered when I saw that we’d cut our costs in half. It shows that if you put the Mastitis Control Plan in place and follow it through, you’ll see the benefit.” Bryn continued.

Source: AHDB

Calves impacted by pneumonia during the first 90 days of life are more likely to experience increased age at first calving, higher incidence of dystocia and greater mortality before first calving.¹

“Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is far too common on dairies,” said Greg Edwards, managing veterinarian, Dairy Technical Services, Zoetis. “Detecting respiratory disease symptoms early in a calf’s life can help prevent chronic infections and lead to better future lifetime productivity.”

Are producers looking for the right signs to know if a calf has contracted BRD? Both the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of California, Davis, offer scoring systems to help determine whether calves are showing clinical signs of respiratory disease, which could include:

• Eye discharge
• Nasal discharge
• Ear droop
• Head tilt
• Cough
• Increased breathing rate
• Elevated temperature
• Slow, reduced or zero milk intake during feeding
• Slow to rise at feeding time
• Slow to lie down after eating

Producers can use either the UW-Madison scoring system or UC Davis scoring system to record their calves’ symptoms on a daily basis to help determine which animals are sick. Early detection and treatment with an antibiotic approved for use in calves, such as DRAXXIN® (tulathromycin) Injectable Solution, may reduce the risk of treatment failure to help get its health back on track.

Take the opportunity to head off the disease before it affects long-term wellness by identifying animals at high risk, such as those experiencing:

• Commingling
• Weaning
• Seasonal temperature change
• Introduction to new animals
• Transportation

Research shows control of BRD during high-risk times can improve dairy heifer growth and performance.²

Vaccinate to help prevent pneumonia. The cost to raise a heifer from birth to freshening can exceed $2,000 per head.³ Does it pay to put a calf’s future at risk before she even has a chance to return her profit as a lactating cow? Producers should work with their veterinarian to set up a vaccination program for young calves. Ask him or her about introducing an intranasal vaccine, such as INFORCE™3 respiratory vaccine, that helps protect against three major viral pathogens that cause pneumonia in dairy calves — bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus and parainfluenza 3 (PI3) virus. Vaccines are an important part of helping the immune system fight off BRD.

Source: Zoetis

Cold weather is not just hard on the people taking care of animals, it can be tough on the animals themselves, said Russ Daly, Professor, SDSU Extension Veterinarian, State Public Health Veterinarian.

“It’s not just our imagination that cold temperatures often bring with them an increase in sick calves; there are physiologic reasons why cold weather increases the risk of respiratory disease such as pneumonia in dairy calves,” Daly said.

He explained that cold weather enhances the growth of certain respiratory germs inside a calf’s nose and upper respiratory tract. “The more bacteria present in the upper respiratory tract, the more likely they’ll reach the lower lung and cause pneumonia,” he said.

Daly added that cold weather also thickens up mucus and impairs the work of the ciliary escalator – the fine hair-like cell structures that sweep bacteria and foreign material from the lower airways up to the throat to be coughed up.

“All these factors increase the risk of pneumonia in calves,” he said.

Proper ventilation providing fresh air to calf barns is important to preventing respiratory diseases – a goal that can conflict with efforts to protect calves from cold temperatures.

To ensure calves are equipped to deal with cold temperatures, along with fresh air, provide deep dry bedding and adequate nutrition.

Because of the increased risk of respiratory disease following cold weather, caretakers need to focus even more of their energy on the calves’ health.

“Early detection and treatment is important to the calf’s immediate health as well as to her long-term production,” Daly said.

He pointed to evidence which suggests dairy cows who were treated more than once for respiratory disease as calves produce 10 percent less milk in their first lactation, and 15 percent in their second lactation.

“These effects on milk production have not been demonstrated in calves only treated once, underlining the importance of effective and timely treatment,” he said.

Heifers that suffered pneumonia as calves are older on average at first calving compared to heifers that did not get sick.

When prevention efforts fail, Daly said early detection and effective treatment of respiratory disease can improve the odds of a calf surviving respiratory disease as well as their productivity as a cow.

“Work with your veterinarian to improve these aspects of your operation, and pay close attention to calves when cold winter temperatures set in,” he said.

Many drugs – available by prescription through veterinarians -have demonstrated effectiveness against respiratory pathogens. Antibiotics labeled for use against Mannheimia, Histophilus and Pasteurella are the most effective in treating calf respiratory disease.

“As there is not a single drug that has proven effective in every situation, antibiotic choice should be guided by veterinary consultation and, if available, bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity results from previous calves,” Daly said.

Using nasal swabs to identify pathogens and guide treatment should be approached with caution, but may provide important information in some cases.

Lung cultures from calves that died of pneumonia may be more useful, but Daly said their representativeness for future calf groups should be considered carefully.

“Pneumonia and other infections caused by Mycoplasma bovis are particularly difficult to treat. Antibiotics labeled for Mycoplasma should be utilized and treatment length may need to be prolonged,” he said.

Identifying Mycoplasma through lab testing is a valuable piece of information that can help with treatment and prognosis.

Supportive care through anti-inflammatory medications, injectable vitamin supplements and oral electrolytes can also prove valuable in helping an ill calf deal with pneumonia.

During outbreaks veterinarians may recommend an intranasal vaccine to enhance the immune response.

Providing extra bedding and calf coats to sick calves will help them maintain their body temperature.

Milk should not be withheld from sick calves, as energy and protein are necessary for them to respond to the infection. “Breaking the required daily feeding into smaller amounts given more frequently may help calves with lung problems “catch their breath” more easily during feeding,” Daly said.

Source: Usagnet

Over 1,600 farmers across the Midwest have signed up for free Revolution Plastics dumpsters on their farms. Plastic is picked up once a month or by appointment, and is recycled into garbage liners that are used nationwide.

With corn silage harvest concluded in the Midwest, farmers have packed their silage bags in preparation for another productive year. Once the silage is in front of the cows, however, disposing of the plastic wrapping is a problem farmers have been dealing with for years.
Revolution Plastics, based out of Madison, Wis., now offers farmers the free solution they have been looking for. With 1,600 producers currently enrolled in the program, farmers across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois are receiving free dumpsters to dispose of recyclable plastic.
Ed Nowobielski, who milks 230 cows near Thorp, Wis., saw the opportunity to dispose of his farm’s plastic in an environmentally friendly way and thought he would look into it further.
“I heard about it on the radio when a UW-Extension agent was talking about plastic recycling,” Nowobielski said. “My nutritionist, Maria Meyer, had heard about it through the Dairy Girl Network and emailed a representative while we were out pulling a silage sample from one of the bags.”
Just 15 minutes after sending the email, Nowobielski received a phone call from Revolution Plastics. After answering a few questions about his farm, Nowobielski was enrolled and set to pick up his free dumpster in late September.
Price Murphy, Revolution Plastics Director of Operations, has been a part of the program since its inception in 2014. He said the program was created due to the need in the area and a request from UW-Extension.
“Delta Plastics has been recycling agricultural plastics in the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta area for 10 years,” Murphy said. “Wisconsin farmers could not find an outlet to recycle their plastics. UW-Extension did some research on Delta Plastics in 2014 and asked if we could do something here.”
From there, the Midwest-based Revolution Plastics was born. Prior to the program, paying for costly trash dumpsters or burning plastic were the limited options farmers had to dispose of farm plastics. Going through 30, 9-foot by 250-foot bags a year was generating a high amount of waste and creating a large problem for Nowobielski.
“Our dumpster would get overfilled, so we would burn the excess,” Nowobielski said. “We needed this in this area; this is the solution to a growing problem.”
To sign up for the program, farmers simply need to visit RevolutionPlastics.com or call a representative toll free at (844) 490-7873. While signing up, farmers are asked a series of questions to determine the scope of their operation and the amount of recyclable plastic they generate each year.
Originally, the program was limited to farms producing 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of plastic per year. After the program was launched however, Murphy said it was evident limitations were not necessary.
“Not every farm could realistically figure out how much plastic they were using,” Murphy said. “If farms can fill the dumpsters a few times a year to make up for our expenses, it’s worth it. If there are 20 to 30 farms in an area that we are servicing, it doesn’t hurt us at all.”
The biggest responsibility farmers have is picking up and hauling the dumpster to their farm. Semi-loads of dumpsters are sent to pickup locations after several farmers in an area sign up, at which time Murphy said he contacts farmers to retrieve the dumpsters.
“When we are going to be in their area, a customer service representative will contact the farmer to pick up the dumpster,” Murphy said. “From then on, we handle the disposal and pickup of the plastic.”
Once filled with plastic, the dumpsters are picked up in one of two ways: farmers can get on a scheduled pickup or simply call the number on the dumpster to schedule a pick up. Once scheduled, dumpsters are picked up within a three-day window of time.
Plastic is then baled up and sent to a factory in Arkansas where it is washed and turned into post-consumer resin. The resin is then made into garbage liners that are used by hotels, restaurants, schools and businesses nationwide.
Nowobielski said it is a service farmers need.
“We’ve got to do something,” Nowobielski said. “So many people try to burn plastic, which is illegal. This is the answer to our problems.”
While the dumpsters accept plastic materials such as silage bags, bunker covers and baleage wrap, it is not a receptacle for all plastics. Plastic jugs, barrels, buckets and net wrap are several items that are prohibited in the dumpsters. A complete list of excluded items are available on the Revolution Plastics website and are labeled on the dumpsters themselves.
Murphy said the program benefits everyone involved.
“This is a way to save money and time; it is a win for everyone,” Murphy said. “It is better for the environment and the farm, turning waste into something good rather than filling up a landfill.”
Nowobielski agreed, encouraging farmers to sign up sooner rather than later.
“This is a free service that I cannot say enough good things about,” Nowobielski said. “It’s as easy as it can be to get one; we all should be doing this.”

Source: Dairy Star

Are you using an activity tracker like a Fitbit to move more in the new year?  Whether you’re an intense athlete, a busy mom, a farmer, or even a cow, you’ve got to get those steps in to meet your daily goals!

Wait a minute…a cow? You bet! We caught up with two farm families who joined the “Fitbit craze” and so have their cows!

Becky Akins calls Five Mile Farm in Lisbon, NY home. Becky and her husband Mark work alongside their grown children Ryan and Allison. In addition to the farm’s 500 milking cows, they raise 100 beef cattle a year, produce 150 gallons of maple syrup, and sell 1500 dozen sweet corn. 

That means they are moving a lot! Becky gave us the scoop!

MBTM: When did your family start using Fitbits?

BA: Our family purchased Fitbits in July 2015 as part of a health awareness initiative with AgriMark/Cabot Cheese. We all continue to track our steps and set personal goals. 

MBTM: What’s the average amount of steps taken for a day’s work on the farm?

BA: Ryan and Mark average 14,000 steps daily. Some days they have 5000 steps in before breakfast!

MBTM: So the cows have “Fitbits” too? What’s that all about?

BA: CowManager tags track the amount of time the cows spend eating, ruminating, sleeping, walking, high activity, and the cow’s temperature. This information is sent to a computer and viewed by our family, the herdsmen, veterinarians, and nutritionists.

MBTM: What are the most important things to monitor?

BA: Everything is important. How healthy our cows are is a priority to everyone on the farm. By monitoring daily habits of the cows, we can diagnose problems several days before they visually appear.

MBTM: How many cows have them?

BA: 300 cows have CowManager tags. About a week before a cow is due to have a calf, they receive their tracker.

MBTM: When did you get them for the cows?

BA: In July 2015 we got CowManager tags for our cows. This was the same time we got Fitbits for our family.

The Akins Family uses “earring style” activity trackers for their cows, but just like for people, there are several different activity trackers and styles to choose from!

The Manning Farm in Swanton, Vermont uses trackers that fit on their cow’s ankles! We also caught up with the Manning family to learn about how they track their cow’s activity.

Manning Farms is home to Robert and Sandy Manning their son David, his children Rebecca, Nick, and Oliver, also grandchildren Ryland and Regan. It has been a family operation ever since it began with Robert’s grandfather, Gerald Griswold about a century ago. They have plenty to do with 700 cows (360 of which are milked) and 1,200 acres.

Rebecca Manning Howrigan gave us the scoop!

MBTM: What type of activity trackers do your cows use?

RH: GEA pedometers that fit around the ankle.

MBTM: What is the most important thing to monitor?

RH: It’s all important! We will monitor laying time by cow groups, as well as individual cows. It is very helpful used together with step count on individual cows. As you would expect with people, if a cow isn’t feeling well, she will not be walking as much and will be laying down more. My computer has an algorithm that will alert me when cows reach an “attention” thresh hold. 

Another important data point to look at is, how many times did an individual cow get up and down? I want a cow to eat a good meal and lay down for a lengthy period. If she is constantly up and down, it is a hint that she isn’t feeling well.

MBTM: What’s the average daily step count for your cows?

RH: The average steps for our cows is around 3,000.

See an example of some data from the Manning’s cows:

RH: I got a Fitbit for Christmas!!! On my first day, I had already walked 6,600 steps before 9:00 a.m.! By the end of the day, I had over 20,000 steps! 

Technology is pretty amazing! Will you use it to get moooving in 2017?

Source: Must Be The Milk

I was recently reading an article which reported the cost for days open in a dairy animal to be between $3 and $5. Many factors come into play with determining if an animal becomes pregnant or not, and several of them are beyond our control as dairy producers. However, one of the variables we can control is our A.I. technique. I asked Eric Maynard, GENEX Dairy Education Instructor, to give me the top ten A.I. technique and semen handling mistakes people make.

Overstocking at feed bunks can impact the time budget and behavior of a dairy cow. This occurs if a cow spends longer than 2.5-3.5 hours a day away from the barn. This time budget includes 5 hours for eating, 12-14 hours for lying and resting and 2-3 hours for walking. Disruption of this time budget can occur if a cow has to wait at the feed bunk to eat. The cow will lose time in one of the other areas of her time budget impacting productivity.

The recommended amount of bunk space per cow is 24 inches. Less than 24 inches of bunk space per cow is considered to be overstocking of the feed bunk. When a feed bunk is overstocked, cows will have to wait to eat. While waiting, she is losing time to rest which in turn will decrease milk production. Overstocking at the feed bunk will also make it more likely that a cow will be displaced by another cow due to increased competition.

It is important to understand that cows do not make up for lost feed time. They do not come back to the feed bunk when there are less cows.  Cows will instead eat 25 percent faster and eat larger meals. This will lead to ruminal acidosis, which happens when the pH of the rumen drops drastically for an extended period of time. Acidosis in dairy cows can result in lower milk yields, lower milk fat yield, and sole ulcers.

The design of a dairy free stall barn has an impact on bunk space. In a 4-row free stall barn, bunk space per stall is 24 inches. However, in a 6-row free stall barn, there are 18 inches of bunk space per stall.  This means that if a 6-row free stall barn has more than one cow per stall the negative impacts of feed bunk overstocking will be seen sooner than in a 4 row free stall barn.

Inadequate feed bunk space in the transition cow pen will negatively impact a dairy herd. Michigan State University Extensionrecommends that each transition cow has 30 inches of bunk space and the stalls are only 80 percent stocked. Close-up dry and fresh cows are already predisposed to decreased dry matter intake and a sensitivity to acidosis. In order to have a smooth transition period, it is important to plan ahead and make sure your transition animals have the space they need.

If the feed bunk is overstocked there are ways to decrease some of the negative impacts. Some of these are:

• Develop a long term strategic culling plan to keep the ideal number of animals in each pen.

Add cows to the “Do not breed” list earlier.

•  This will allow cows to complete the lactation without spending money on breeding for an inferior cow.
• Look at your replacement heifer inventory.
  • Many farms have more heifers than they need. They can be sold young or as fresh 2-year-olds.
  •  The decision as to which heifers to sell can be done by looking at health events and genetic potential.
• Feed more times per day and/or add more feed push-ups to the daily routine.
  • This will attract a cow who has not had enough feed intake for the day to get up and eat.
• Add head locks to the feed bunk.
  • Headlocks will limit the number of cows that can eat at one time, but they make it harder for one cow to push another one away from feed.
• Create a first lactation group
  • Older cows will not be able to push the smaller ones away from the feed bunk.
  • The ration can be tailored to help continued growth for those younger cows.

Source: Michigan State University Extension

DAIRYING in the subtropics at Dobies Bight, NSW, Wayne and Paul Clarke know too well the importance of keeping cows comfortable in hot and humid weather. When they installed an automatic milking system (AMS) they entered relatively unchartered territory in terms of keeping cows cool.

A year down the track, they report simple strategies, including shade at the dairy, have been effective while maintaining voluntary cow movement to and from the dairy.

Initial research conducted by FutureDairy PhD student Ashleigh Wildridge suggests that providing shade at an AMS dairy can improve overall cow performance without compromising animal welfare. “The aim of providing shade at the dairy is to improve cow comfort, but we wanted to make sure it didn’t create an unintended risk of lameness from cows standing on concrete for too long,” Ms Wildridge said.

During the summer of 2015/16, Ms Wildridge split the University of Sydney’s AMS herd into two groups, one with access to shade at the dairy holding yard and the other without.

“On average, the cows with access to shade spent 2-3 minutes longer at the holding yard before entering the milking units,” she said. “This did not appear to be long enough to increase the risk of lameness but it was long enough to improve measured indicators of cow comfort and performance.”

Cows with access to shade had reduced respiratory rates, averaging 68 breaths per minute (bpm) compared with 73bpm for the no shade group.

Seeing the results

Shade was also associated with increased intake of concentrate feed and higher milk yield.

Feedback from Australian AMS farmers in hot areas suggests that providing shade at the dairy and around the farm can be managed to improve cow comfort and maintain voluntary cow movement, however the grazing behaviour of AMS cows in hot weather appears to be different to conventional milking systems.

When the Clarke brothers installed four DeLaval VMS units in 2015 they included seven metre by 16m area of shade cloth over the holding yard. The concrete floor was covered with rubber for hoof comfort and small fans were installed at the robots to keep flies away.

Source: Airy Farmer

It seems producers are turning more towards robotics to help fill the gap in the agricultural workforce.

Forster Technik’s calf rail feeding systems are now employed by 12 dairy farms in Ontario.

North American General Manager Jan Ziemerink says not only do the machines help farmers save time, they also provide incredibly precise feedback while they feed either powder or whole milk.

“The machine keeps track of anything the calf drinks. It monitors how much they drink, the drinking speed and all that,” he says.

“All that is sent to a computer or laptop. It’s also saved up in the cloud. The data is always available at all times so we know exactly what each calf drinks and how fast they drink at any time.”

Producers worried about the spread of disease as the feeder moves down the line, Ziemerink adds his units have that covered.

Hot water cycles heat and clean the lines before and after each feeding.

A disinfectant solution is also sprayed on the nipple as the machine moves between calves.

Ziemerink also points out each machine has a text alert feature, which messages the farmer if it detects any problems.

Source: Blackburn News

Weather this time of year can change in a hurry. “So how many of you as dairy producers have heeded the warning and taken the time to prepare for the upcoming winter?”

Barn & Facilities

Let’s start with some basic areas such as in and around the barn. First, take the time to pick up any items from the yard that may become buried under a snow bank or entangled in the snow blower. Next, put up an appropriate snow fence or snow breaks in yards for protection and minimizing drifts in areas where they are not wanted. Consider bringing in any necessary fill or mounding areas that become muddy or troublesome spots in the spring. Take a look at your barn maintenance list noting areas that sometimes get pushed off on the “oh…I’ll do it tomorrow list”. Examples of such are the following:

1. Check curtains on barns to make sure they are operating properly and repair any holes or tears.
2. Check and maintain ventilation fans including tightening belts and keeping blades and louvers clean.
3. Look upward, inspect and repair building roofs and rafters, making sure there is no loose tin or cracked rafters present.
4. Maintain and repair any doors in freestall barns that may not open or close properly.
5. Check and clean barn heaters to make sure they are operating properly.
6. Outside the facilities, do preventative trimming of trees around barns, driveways and fences.

Equipment

It never fails that in winter, Murphy’s Law prevails and equipment will break down or have problems on one of those extremely cold days, making repair work miserable. So what are some things to consider regarding winter equipment maintenance and preparation? First, test and service your generator(s) and make sure there is adequate fuel on hand to run them. Second, winterize and service farm equipment such as tractors, semi’s, skid loaders, pay loaders, feed mixing wagons, manure pumps, etc. Producers will want to take time to check anti-freeze levels, batteries and fuel filters as these items routinely cause issues in cold weather. Third, examine snow blowers or other snow removal equipment and make sure it is in proper working order. Fourth, obtain and store enough fuel (No. 1 Diesel or 50:50 blend) to run equipment for an extended period of time. (A two-week supply is suggested.)

Food & Water

As we move to the basics of sustaining life we think of food, water and shelter. Our livestock have the same needs so let’s examine the feed and water checklist first:

1. Clean and check heating elements in all water drinking fountains.
2. Repair any water fountains or water lines that may be leaking. Ice buildup is a hazard to livestock and humans.
3. Have adequate feed supplies moved in for easy access to the farm. It is recommended to have a two-week supply of purchased feedstuffs.

Animal Shelter & Health

As we examine the shelter and health side, what is necessary to keep the animals healthy and protected on the dairy?

1. Move calf hutches to areas that are easily accessible in the winter and provide wind protection for young livestock.
2. Have a two-week supply of veterinary supplies commonly used on the dairy such as intra-mammary mastitis treatments, antibiotics, electrolytes, calcium solutions, antiseptics, bandages, unused needles, and syringes.
3. Start utilizing calf coats on newborn calves till they are weaned.
4. Provide adequate bedding for all livestock making sure it is deep enough for them to nest in to help maintain body heat.
5. Examine body condition and hair coat of various groups of livestock, adjust rations appropriately for cold weather.
6. Evaluate housing for livestock in open lots, making sure there is adequate wind protection and the ability to get bedding pack built up for them prior to poor weather.

Other Considerations

Lastly some other miscellaneous items to consider include the following:

• Develop a plan with milk haulers and milk buyers for options if milk is unable to be picked up for an extended period of time.
• Partner with neighbors and develop a plan if it is necessary to do your own snow removal on public access roads.

The Bottom Line

Obviously, there may be things that you will need to add to this list as each farm is unique, but it will serve as a starting point. It is my hope that this checklist will help you prepare your dairy for the winter season ahead and be beneficial as you put YOUR winter preparedness plan into action, while simultaneously making those cold winter mornings less stressful.

Source: iGrow

New resources available to help farmers develop safety plans

According to statistics from WorkSafeBC, animals are to blame for one-third (33 per cent) of injuries sustained by workers on dairy farms in the province.

The other top sources of injuries are working surfaces (19 per cent); machines and vehicles (12 per cent); and buildings and structures (nine per cent).

“Dairy farms are one of the most diverse working environments and workplace hazards are not always animal related,” said Tadhg O’Leary, AgSafe agricultural safety advisor. “It’s a farmer’s responsibility to eliminate those hazards by developing a comprehensive workplace safety plan.”

To help farmers create such a plan, WorkSafeBC, AgSafe and the BC Dairy Association have teamed up to create new dairy farming safety resources that aims to strengthen occupational safety within the industry. The new publication Health and Safety for Dairy Farms describes basic health and safety requirements for dairy farm owners and employers. It is accompanied by a related Forms and Checklists document that owners and employers can use as part of their overall health and safety program.

“We’ve seen an increase in the number of work-related deaths and serious injuries in the dairy industry over the last 10 years,” said Doug Pasco, WorkSafeBC agriculture industry specialist. “We hope the new safety resources will help raise awareness about workplace health and safety and help prevent future deaths and serious injuries.”

While the number of time-loss claims in the dairy industry remains stable, during the 10-year period from 2006-15, there were six work-related deaths and 126 serious injuries recorded, according to WorkSafeBC.

This guide was developed using feedback from dairy farmers members about the safety challenges they face.

“Occupational safety is an ongoing concern for B.C. dairy farmers,” said Trevor Hargreaves, BC Dairy Association director of producer relations and communications. “The new guide assists with improving safety awareness and practices, thereby reducing the incidents of serious work-related injury.”

Source: COS-MAG

Specialist dairy producers in Ireland have now become the most cost competitive within the EU with the lowest cash-cost per kg solids base, expert analysis of sector for 2015 has shown.

As the leading producers forged ahead on production in 2015, following the lifting of the cap on output after the abolition of milk quotas on April 1, 2015, the top dairymen proved their ability to capitalise on their operational advantages.

However the positive future for Irish dairymen comes with a warning that the higher cost of land and labour in Ireland, threatens to undermine some of the Irish financial advantage.

Teagasc analysis of performance on specialist dairy farms in Ireland has shown that Irish producers had the lowest cash costs as a percentage of output (77pc), followed by France (83pc), Netherlands (92pc), Germany (99pc), with the highest cash costs as a percentage of output was Denmark (120pc).

But the comparison pointed out that “when total economic costs were considered, the competitive position of the countries examined in the study changed and the competitive advantage of grass based Irish producers deteriorated when all imputed charges for owned resources are taken into consideration”.

They found that “the most significant imputed costs that contributed to the relatively high total economic costs experienced by grass based production in Ireland, was the imputed charge for owned land and labour”.

On a cash costs basis, per unit of milk solids, Ireland had the lowest cash costs per kg of milk solids produced in 2015 (€2.87) followed by Belgium (€2.88), Italy (€3.43),

France (€3.47), Netherlands (€3.61), Germany (€3.71) and Denmark (€4.83).

Source: Independent

Overmilking can damage teat ends and compromise udder health. A simple test can help you determine if you are over or under milking.

Traditionally, the recommendation to dairy producers has been to “milk ALL cows as completely as possible at every milking.” This recommendation has been revised due to recent research and field experience. It is impossible to milk a cow completely dry; there will always be some milk in the udder even after “complete” milk out because she is constantly making milk. 

Overmilking is a matter of concern because it may affect teat condition and udder health. In the past, it was believed that all milk needed to be removed from the udder to maximize milk yield. However, breeding for high milk yields has provided cows with a high alveolar capacity. Due to this, cows are more efficient as milk producers.

Overmilking starts when the milk flow to the teat cistern is less than the flow out of the teat canal. Mouthpiece chamber vacuum typically increases during overmilking and fluctuations become larger. If the vacuum in the teat cistern is higher than beneath the teat end for short periods of time, the reverse pressure gradients across the teat canal may increase bacterial invasion of the teat cistern. Reverse pressure gradients occur only during milking of empty teats (Rasmussen et al., 1994), and overmilking will therefore increase the possibility of bacteria entering the teat. Teat end health is also greatly affected by overmilking. Hyperkeratosis of the teat is often experienced in herds with long unit on times. 

Hyperkeratosis means excessive keratin growth. It is a thickening of the skin that lines the teat canal and the external orifice. Producers often notice a wart-like structure or rough spots at the end of the teat. This can be a result of poor milking management and long unit on times. Cows that experience these effects are often seen to have an increase in somatic cell count. This is due to the inability to thoroughly clean teat ends with hyperkeratosis, leaving bacteria behind to enter the teat canal during milking. 

As you can see, overmilking and prolonged unit attachment can greatly affect your herd’s udder health. How do you test if you are overmilking? There is a very simple way to do so that can be done by anyone on the farm. The strip yield test looks at overall completeness of milking. It can be done two different ways, by hand or with a unit. I prefer to do this evaluation by hand, but your preference may differ. 

To accomplish the test, immediately after milking, hand strip each quarter for 15 seconds, collecting the milk in a container. I use a plastic measuring cup. A properly milked cow should have about one cup of milk left in the udder, if there is more or less, then a milk out problem may exist on your farm. 

Performing this test with a milking unit requires a little more precision. A milking meter is required to perform the test using this method. To do so, the milking unit must be reattached within 30 seconds of automatic removal and downward pressure applied. Continue applying pressure for 15 seconds before removing the unit. Record the amount of milk that was harvested using this method. Once again, about one cup of milk should be left in the udder. 

If you discover that a problem exists on your farm with over or under milking, there are a number of different factors that can attribute to this. It is important to properly maintain your milking machines to reach optimum performance. If automatic detachers are being used, adjustment for timely removal of the milking unit can be critical to help reduce unit on time. If your farm is manually detaching the unit, employees need to be aware of the issue that is occurring and be more consistent in removing the unit as soon as “end of milking” is reached for each animal. It is important to look at your overall milking routine and have timely unit attachment and proper let down, quiet cow handling and timely unit adjustment, and proper alignment. 

In conclusion, a few simple steps on your farm to prevent overmilking can help decrease your overall herd somatic cell count. Routinely perform a strip yield test on your farm to be sure units are being removed in a timely manner and make proper adjustments as needed to reach optimum udder health. 

Source: PennState Extension

Farmers speak frequently about the volatility in the dairy industry and how it is affecting their profit margins, especially milk and feed price fluctuations, which have become more marked as we move into a global marketplace.

While farmers cannot control these global fluctuations, the solution is to concentrate on the factors that are within their control and to start with those that will have most effect. Fertility can be a good place to start as pregnancies drive profits, improving milk sales and calf income while potentially helping reduce costs.

According to James Woods, of Genus ABS, many farmers would be well advised to start by considering how they monitor fertility, and whether the measures used allow them to achieve high level performance.

At present many farmers are still relying on calving interval as the main measure of reproductive performance, however this has a number of pitfalls that make it an inappropriate measure of performance. Firstly it is very historic and looks at performance over the past year rather than performance now. How does an extending calving interval help you identify risk factors and take action when the problems will be many months old?

“If you want to improve performance you need to use measures that are timely and active, giving a current position and allowing action to be taken as required. Encouragingly an increasing number of farmers state they are moving to using 21 day pregnancy rate to track and manage fertility. The 21 day pregnancy rate gives a true picture of fertility of eligible animals and encourages prompt management action as required.”

Performance is monitored using 21 day pregnancy rate which is calculated as the number of cows pregnant out of the number of cow days eligible to become pregnant in a 21 day period. In so doing it reflects changes in both heat detection and submission rates. Being time specific it allows proactive decision making to address any fall in performance.

For larger herds RMS has proven invaluable regarding fertility performance. This involves a highly trained technician walking the cows every day, chalking them and inseminating them at the optimum time. Farmers can be sceptical about this service but James Woods points out that “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”.

He quoted an example of herds recently new to RMS which were monitored across the UK, which had a total of 6778 cows. In the six months before starting on RMS the herds were averaging a 13% pregnancy rate but following use of the service for 6 months they increased this to 19%, creating nearly twice as many pregnancies in the process. The average pregnancy rate in Northern Irleand is 13% so there is lots of opportunity for herds to improve profit margins and performance through better fertility.

James went on to outline the advantages of improved fertility performance:

Increased milk sales per cow/year – getting cows in calf more quickly means there is a higher proportion of fresh calved cows in the herd and fewer stale milkers. This has the effect of increasing annual milk production and consequently income.

Better feed efficiency – cows in early lactation use feed more efficiently leading to more cost-effective milk production.

Increased calf crop – more calvings means more calves and on RMS the sires are specifically selected for each individual cow which means better performing animals coming into the herd and the opportunity to sell any extras at a much higher value.

More planned culls – with more cows getting in calf, fewer will be sold barren. This means more cows can be selected for culling for management reasons such as production, with less being culled merely because they fail to get in calf.

Professional service – every day from a trained technician.

Achieving and maintaining high levels of fertility can have a significant impact in reducing the consequences of volatility by ensuring a constant supply of fresh calved cows and more calvings per year. And evidence shows that by taking a planned approach to getting cows back in calf, it is possible to improve high levels of reproductive performance.

Source: Farming Life

Unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous tractors and other technologies will continue to emerge as producers meet world food needs in the near and distant future, according to experts.

Those experts believe technology will continue to emerge and make possible giant leaps throughout the next decade as agriculture industries and producers work to meet world food needs in 2050.

Presentations at the 2016 Texas Plant Protection Association addressed the theme of this year’s conference: Advanced Technologies for Texas Agriculture. From smartphone apps to unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as UAVs, speakers said there are big changes in how food and fiber is going to be produced.

Bob Avant, program director for Texas A&M AgriLife Research corporate relations, provided an overview of farming in the next 10 years. He said the “10,000-pound gorilla” agriculture faces is feeding 9 billion people by 2050.

“It’s going to affect agriculture greatly in terms of food supply,” he said. “We are going to have to increase protein production plus protect how much we waste in terms of spoilage and portions on the the table.”

He said farmers in the future will continue to rely on data to make decisions. He said larger farms will be more efficient “because the equipment is getting more expensive. We will likely see more sharing or partnering on equipment use and systems.”

That’s because the price tags on autonomous tractors and related equipment will continue to be more expensive to own, though farmers will utilize the ability to push a button and have an autonomous tractor with a grain buggy pull right up beside a harvester when needed.

Precision applications such as planters, sprayers and strip-till cropping systems will play an even bigger role in the next 10 years. He predicts farmers will go from big iron to small iron, in other words using less horsepower tractors as farmers continue to switch to strip till methods rather than conventional disking that requires large equipment.

Technology and new information will help producers increase per-acre yields while reducing the use of natural resources like water, Avant said.

“Ten years ago we were dealing with sorghum lodging, two-bale cotton to the acre and yield variance on corn,” Avant said. “Nowadays corn is much more drought tolerant, we’re seeing 100 bushels to the acre, and three to four bales of cotton to the acre is expected. And it’s not just the equipment, crop genetics are going to be another exciting thing 10 years from now.”

He said soil health and cover crops will be two important areas to watch over the next 10 years.

“There will be a total systems approach to how we farm,” he said.

Texas A&M AgriLife currently has more than 40 scientists involved in a UAV project that is evaluating soils, plant stress, insects, and weeds as well as developing decision support aids for farmers and ranchers. Avant said the program is the largest in the U.S.

“We can take data collected from a UAV and measure plant height, other aspects of plant health and other characteristics far more than just measuring predictive production yields,” he said.

These experiments are taking place at the Texas A&M Farm near College Station as well as Corpus Christi and Weslaco.

Avant said the average farmer might not go out and spend thousands of dollars on UAV equipment, but they they may see value in the information the technology would make available to them.

“I don’t think a farmer will want to become a GIS expert,” he said. “Will there be a farmer that wants to know what’s going on in the field and how to remedy it? Yes, there will be some that will go out and spend the money on a simple UAV system. But the remedies will be beyond the scope of farmers because of the sophistication of information. Farmers will likely rely more on crop consultants to translate that information.”

The big data collected from UAVs and other sophisticated machinery will lead to dashboard systems, hubs of information that will integrate all facets of crop production concurrently going on in the field, Avant said.

The conference technology theme drew more than 300 attendees consisting of agricultural producers, industry representatives, as well as Extension and research scientists.

Source: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service 

If American farmers do not cool their non-lactating dairy cows, they stand to lose a collective $810 million a year, a significant blow to their financial well-being, a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study shows. Albert De Vries, seen in the photo above, an associate professor in the UF/IFAS animal sciences department, led the study.

If American farmers do not cool their non-lactating dairy cows, they stand to lose a collective $810 million a year, a significant blow to their financial well-being, a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study shows.

These cows, known to farmers and scientists as “dry cows,” do not produce milk because they’re in the last two months of their nine-month pregnancy. Farmers stop milking cows during those two months, and the cow responds by going dry – no longer producing milk. The cow needs the dry period to grow the last two months of the calf and get her mammary system and body ready to produce more milk again after the next calf is born, said UF/IFAS animal sciences associate professor Albert De Vries.

Bear in mind, many farmers do keep their dry cows cool, De Vries said. Farmers cool their cows by frequently sprinkling water on the cow’s back and using fans to blow air on them. But De Vries and doctoral student Fernanda Ferreira wanted to find out the costs of not cooling dry cows.

In the study, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, De Vries and Ferreira examined farm climate data in New York state, California and Wisconsin. They determined how many days per year a dry cow in each state would suffer from heat stress if it’s not kept cool regularly. From there, they calculated how many dry cows would suffer from heat stress in a year in the U.S. and multiplied that with the economic loss per dry cow as a result of suffering from heat stress in their dry periods.

Thus, the $810 million loss would be the cost of lost opportunity or the economic cost of milk not produced if all 9.3 million American dairy cows were too hot when they were dry, De Vries said. Many dairy farmers do cool their dry cows; consequently, the real loss from not cooling dry cows is less than $810 million. Researchers do not know how much less.

“But still, many farmers often ignore cooling dry cows, not realizing that dry cows under heat stress produce less milk later,” De Vries said.

“Farmers and scientists have often assumed that dry cows do not suffer from heat stress, but we have learned now that they do produce less milk after calving,” De Vries said. “There are more effects from the heat stress when the cow is dry, such as lower immunity. Also, the calves that are born from others that had heat stress the last two months of their pregnancy don’t do as well when they grow up.”

Source: University of Florida

The use of deep straw bedding and calf jackets, as well as providing extra calories during cold temperatures, will result in healthier calves and improved gains.

It is time to change to winter bedding, bring out the calf jackets, and consider an extra feeding to provide calves extra protection from low temperatures.

A calf is born with only two to four percent of body weight as fat, which will not last long if she is forced to burn fat for heat production. Burning body fat for heat can lead to lower growth rates, compromised immune status, and even death. The need for straw bedding at this time of the year to provide warmth for young calves is true both in barns and in hutches. Unless the calf barn has supplemental heat, it should be well-ventilated but without drafts on the calf. It should also be within five degrees of outside temperatures, necessitating the use of straw bedding and calf jackets.

If you normally use shavings as calf bedding during summer, it is now time to switch to straw bedding to help keep calves warm. Michigan State University Extension recommends using straw bedding when temperatures are in the 40s or below. Straw bedding is ideal when daytime highs or nighttime lows are below the thermo-neutral zone for a young calf. A newborn Holstein calf has to burn energy to keep herself warm when temperatures are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If there is draft, wet bedding, or an immune system challenge, then the critical temperature is higher.

Straw is the best choice of bedding to provide thermal insulation for the young calf. Straw should be bedded deep enough for the calf to nestle in. This traps warm air around the calf, which will help maintain body heat. For winter months, the straw should be deep enough that when the calf is lying down its legs are generally not visible. A drawback to straw is that it tends to hold moisture, so it is important to add fresh bedding regularly and consider a layer of shavings underneath the straw to draw the moisture away from the calf. Moisture exceeding 20 percent is too high. If you kneel with all your weight in the calf bedding, any moisture on your pants indicates the bedding is too wet.

Calf jackets are another way to protect calves from losing excess body heat. The more heat a calf loses to the environment, the more calories need to be consumed in order for the calf to stay warm. The use of deep straw bedding and calf jackets during low temperatures will help young calves stay warm, resulting in improved average daily gains and immune status.

A good rule of thumb: For every 10 degrees Fahrenheit below freezing (32 F), the calf should get 10 percent more milk to meet its needs. This means that if it is 0 F outside, the calf should consume 32 percent more milk. If you normally feed 3 quarts twice a day, then adding a third feeding of at least 1.9 quarts would best meet the calves’ needs. You can add more volume to the two current feedings (feed 4 quarts at each feeding), however the calf would benefit most from a separate feeding even if the feedings are spread equally throughout the day. Be careful in adding extra powder to the same volume of feeding, as too high of solids (18 percent and above) will cause diarrhea. Also, avoid adding extra fat to the milk which can depress starter intake, potentially decreasing overall caloric intake.

When caring for calves in cold climates, the use of deep straw bedding, calf jackets, and providing extra calories during cold temperatures is necessary and will result in healthier calves and improved gains.

Source: MSU Extension

Now that corn harvest is complete, producers hopefully can look forward to having quality silage that is stable and well protected. The next steps are to monitor and maintain the integrity of the plastic covering (or bag silos, or bale wrap) and manage feedout to prevent heating and spoilage.

“Aerobic spoilage is one of the main causes of losses in silage production,” explains Bob Charley, Ph.D., Forage Products Manager, Lallemand Animal Nutrition. “The enemy of high-quality silage is oxygen, and opening new silage for feedout re-introduces oxygen into the silage mass. Even if producers have done everything right up to this point, there can still be significant losses at feedout without proper management practices.”

During feedout, exposure to oxygen allows spoilage yeasts to become active again, which then starts the process of aerobic spoilage, causing the silage to heat, driving dry matter and nutrient losses and potentially leading to mold growth, severe spoilage and mycotoxin production. Losses can be as high as 30 to 40 percent of silage dry matter (DM),1 and the most highly digestible forage nutrients are lost first.

To help prevent these losses, producers should use best feedout management practices, such as:

1.Avoid removing the plastic cover too far ahead of feeding;

2.Keep the face as flat and tight as possible;

3.Feed out at a rate fast enough to avoid heating;

4.Do not leave silage sitting in loose piles to compost;

5.Minimize time between taking silage from the face and mixing in the ration;

6.Discard all spoiled or moldy silage; and

7.Use an inoculant that is research-proven to prevent heating and spoilage at ensiling.

Using an inoculant containing the high dose-rate Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 can help improve the aerobic stability of silage. Silage inoculated with L. buchneri 40788 will be more resistant to heating and spoilage by reducing yeast levels, which are the main drivers of instability. L. buchneri 40788, applied at 400,000 CFU per gram of silage or 600,000 CFU per gram of high-moisture corn (HMC), is the only inoculant bacteria strain reviewed by the FDA and allowed to claim improved aerobic stability.

“Using these strategies as part of your overall silage management program can help minimize yeast growth and help you to retain more valuable nutrients for feeding and help increase profitability,” Dr. Charley says.

Despite low commodity prices, Ohio farmers can stay in the black in 2017 — but they will need to tighten their belts and slash expenses, said Barry Ward, agricultural economist at The Ohio State University.

“Farmers need to reevaluate all of their inputs in general, and focus on those things that give a clear ROI (return on investment) when corn is bringing $3.50 to $4 per bushel,” said Ward, who works for Ohio State University Extension, the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

Ward’s nine strategies:

1. Reevaluate crop production inputs such as prophylactic fungicide applications and specialty fertility products.
2. Forgo phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, if soil tests show there’s enough in the ground for the coming crop.
3. Review and adjust nitrogen rates and application timing.
4. Re-evaluate seed technology. “Seeds with fewer GMO traits are usually less expensive,” Ward said. “But this will require more management time — you may have more weed pressure, more insect pressure. You need to weigh the pros and cons — and if you’ve done some on-farm evaluation, you will know what works and is worth the investment.”
5. Eliminate excess equipment and re-evaluate equipment sizing. “The secondary markets are soft, so it’s not the best time to sell excess equipment. If there is a true need for equipment, this would be the time to buy,” he said.
6. Renegotiate cash leases. “The economics of the past three years have cried for a lowering of cash leases, but they have held up because of equity positions on behalf of farmers and landowners’ property taxes,” Ward said. “Landowners need to understand that margins have declined and lease prices need to come down.”
7. Consider more do-it-yourself repair and services, including spraying, soil sampling and equipment repair.
8. Evaluate farm yield ratios with price ratios when determining crop mix.
9. Re-examine family living expenses. “It’s not easy to do,” Ward said, “but family living expenses need to ratchet back to pre-2006 levels.” According to Illinois Farm Business Farm Management data, family expenses were $85 per acre in 2006, compared with $110 per acre in 2015.

Source: Ohio State University

Preventing Digital Dermatitis (DD) infection pre-calving and minimising body condition score loss post-calving are a must to ensure optimum foot health in an animal’s first lactation and beyond.

Speaking at a recent AHDB Dairy Calf to Calving (C2C) meeting at Blackmarsh Farm, Sherborne, AHDB Dairy’s dairy senior scientist, Jenny Gibbons said now was a good time to think about controlling DD over the winter housing period.

She explained: “Digital Dermatitis is a painful condition and if you’ve got it in your heifers, you’ve got to control it. The stress of calving means that it will get worse and the heifers can be an infection pressure for the rest of the milking herd. A University of Wisconsin study found that heifers that calved in with DD were also 55% less likely to conceive to first service and produced 334kg less milk in the first 305 days of lactation.”

To control DD, Dr Gibbons recommended implementing a control program for in-calf heifers, which focused on picking up the early signs of the disease.

“Before a control program can be implemented, a reliable method of detecting DD in heifers is needed. Heifers affected with DD can easily be spotted by the way they behave. For example, they walk “on their toes” to take weight of their heel,” she added.

Dr Gibbons advised walking through in-calf heifers and visually assessing for heel lesions. Feet with early signs of the disease should then be cleaned, dried and treated with a topical spray. Infection pressure should also be reduced by minimising contact with slurry, by making sure stocking rates are correct to prevent slurry pooling.

“If you’ve got signs of Digital Dermatitis in the heifer, the most effective way to prevent new lesions is to run the heifers through a footbath. But make sure it’s deep enough to cover the whole hoof and clean enough so that the disinfectant is effective,” she explained.

As part of the C2C initiative, farmer meeting are being run on various host farms across the country with the aim of bringing the latest research and best practice to farmers, improving calf survival and increasing the number of heifers making it into first lactation. The growth, health and nutrition of 10 heifers on each of 13 host farms are also being monitored every three months.

At the recent event in Dorset, Dr Gibbons also emphasised the importance of minimising body condition score loss in both cows and heifers post-calving. This is essential, as a Nottingham University study found that animals that lost back fat post-calving or had low back fat thickness, were more likely to develop sole ulcers or sole haemorrhages. This was due to the fact these cows also lost fat in the ‘fat pad’ or digital cushion in the foot, which acts as a protective layer under the pedal bone.

Dr Gibbons explained: “At calving, ligaments in the foot relax so there is potential for the pedal bone to sink and cause pinching or bruising, which can later develop into sole ulcers or bruising. At the same time, when a heifer calves, she is only 90% of mature body weight so the fat pad is not fully formed anyway, so there is increased risk.”

To limit the risk of lameness, focus should be placed on minimising body condition loss and social stress around calving. Where a separate heifer group is not being used, this could involve moving heifers in groups of twos or threes at the end of the day when things are quieter. This will give her time to find a place to eat and lie. Plenty of feed space is also vital to drive feed intakes.

Source: AHDB Dairy

Let’s face it – hiring a new team member can be an exhausting process. Spending time sorting through candidates to identify real talent vs. “half-hearted” talent is a tough process. Many managers have had to “settle” on a slightly-less-than-desired candidate due to time pressures or lack of solid candidates. So, there is never a guarantee that you will not end up getting burned after hiring a new employee.

As leaders, we should always make it a priority to keep quality talent along the journey. But sometimes, for various reasons, good employees quit and if you are not paying attention, these situations can surprise you and leave you in a pinch.

By being aware of these four warning signs, you can spot employees who are considering a departure before they have made up their minds. 

Personal Crises
Employees have personal lives too, and leaders should never forget that fact. If something happens in one aspect of their lives, chances are it’s going to affect another aspect of their life. For example, if an employee is going through a nasty divorce, lost a loved one recently, or is suffering from a health issue, these events will often cause one to rethink priorities which could result in evaluating career options. Usually, effective leaders can spot this change within employees on a personal level with their staff. Asking them how they are doing and showing genuine empathy with them in times of need will go a long way.

Blowing through Leave Time
If your employee is using an excessive amount of sick, vacation, or personal time at the beginning of the year, chances are they are doing so to get rid of it before they quit. These days do not come cheap, so using them all within a short time frame does not really make sense – unless they have a good reason. Often, such employees have already made up their decision to leave, so there’s little you can do to stop them. Still, it’s worth a try if you want to keep them.

Disengaged Attitude/Work Ethic
Disengaged staff usually “give up” on their job and it shows in many ways, but you will especially notice it in their attitudes and work ethic. For example, such employees will suddenly stop providing suggested improvements, be noticeably less chipper than usual, or suddenly become much less engaging with other team members and with you as the leader. Often such behavior is brought on by personal stress and can be a result of change within the company. An idea to consider here is a change of the employee’s role or responsibilities – especially if you think you can reinvigorate their commitment to the organization.

Physically or Verbally Expressing Unhappiness
If employees are telling you and/or others how unhappy they are at work, chances are they are nearly out the door. As such feelings of unhappiness grow, they get difficult to hide. These people express their feelings in the break room or on social media, giving you, as the leader, a chance to address the situation and explore ways to resolve matters.

There is always a way to keep quality talent and agree on a path forward. However, if the leader discerns that an employee has already mentally “checked out,” asking them to leave sooner rather than later could be the best option – for everyone.

Source: Cattle Network

Agriculture is at the start of a digital revolution, and to advance it will need to embrace and understand the increasing amount of data that is being collected, writes Chris Harris.

Speaking at the National Farm Management Conference in London, organised by the Institute of Agricultural Management, Mark Suthern, the head of agriculture at Barclays, said that the industry in the UK is facing a number of head winds, including the challenges of exchange rates, farm gate prices, customer confidence and political and public relations campaigns including the current debate about the exit of the EU from the EU.

However, he said that the modern farmer is having to adopt skills of a computer scientist and digital engineer and biotechnology, advances in biometrics and powerful computers play an increasingly more important role in farming.

“The farmer needs to understand the data,” Mr Suthern said.

He added that to become world class, farming needs to adopt a proactive focus and it needs to bring new people into the sector.

And he called on the UK farming sector to communicate to the public to tell consumers about the important role it plays in the economy.

“We need to explain the importance of agriculture to the UK economy and the importance of food to the UK economy,” Mr Suthern said.

Jane King, the chief executive of the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board said that a world class farming industry needs to be inspired by and competing with the best.

This she said, was the vision of the AHDB and she called on the industry to focus on what the UK farming industry’s competitors are doing and doing well to improve its own competitiveness.

She said the aim of the AHDB is to make British agriculture more competitive and resilient and to accelerate innovation and productivity through research and knowledge exchange.

She said the AHDB needs to help the industry to understand and deliver what consumers will trust and buy both at home and internationally.

Mrs King said that this will mean adapting and also developing new products.

She added that UK agriculture is also facing a consumption challenge.

“The UK consumer base is growing, which is exciting for us,” she said.

However, Mrs King told the conference that while the consumer base is growing eating patterns for many core products, except poultry are declining and she said that consumer behaviour is shaping the retail landscape, in particular through top up shopping.

She added that the rising middle class both in Europe and in Asia presents an opportunity for UK agriculture and Brexit will see a more liberal trading environment.

“We should be excited by the opportunity. We need to be ready and we need to be fitter quicker,” she said.

Agricultural productivity needs to keep pace with the competition, and while there
will be more consolidation in the industry and the supply chain will change, there will be a need for more technology skills to grow the opportunities that will be presented.

She told the conference that through benchmarking and having access to the best science and sharing knowledge UK agriculture will be able to take advantage of the opportunities on offer.

However, she added that the best farmers were concentrating on the details and making marginal improvements over a wide spectrum.

“It is attainable and reachable for everyday farmers. It’s about marginal gain,” she said.

Richard Tiffin, the chief scientific officer at Agrimetrics and professor of applied economics at Reading University showed how new developments are staring to make more and more data available, understandable and useful to the agricultural sector.

He said that a new data platform is being developed by the Agrimetrics – an Agritech Centre of Excellence founded by the University of Reading, Rothamsted Research and NIAB, to help farmers produce food more efficiently and to better respond to food consumers changing needs.

Prof Tiffin, said: “The food system is facing unprecedented challenges as a result of demographic and climate change.

“At the same time, in some cases, the system’s foundations – its primary producers are under increasing economic pressure.

“Many of these challenges can be characterised as being able to better meet the demands of consumers for more, increasingly healthy food.

“However, the growing complexity of the food system means that it is often hard for farmers to understand the demands of the ultimate consumer as well as making the system more vulnerable to unexpected shocks.

“Agrimetrics is building a data platform that will make it easier to access and use data. In this way data can become the currency which enhances knowledge of the system we are all part of. Farmers can be reconnected to consumers, they’ll be able to better meet their needs and procure a larger share of the value in food.”

Martin Dyke, the business development director at AB Agri and John McCurdy the company‘s head of Agri Data Services said that the UK agricultural food supply chains will need to improve their performance to simply stand still and by connecting supply chains from origin, supplier, producer, processor to consumer will help unlock duplicated and non-value adding costs while helping target innovation investment.

They said that leveraging data and technology can accelerate the alignment and the connections between individual parts of the supply chain and help realise these benefits.

However, a threat is being posed by the blind pursuit of Big Data with no real vision for how this might be practically used and applied on farm.

They said that more attention should be given to the interpretation of data to create real insight; the use of this insight to enable smarter decision making and perhaps most importantly, the application and implementation of appropriate actions taken on farm.

“The bottom line – if it’s too time consuming or complicated it won’t get used; there needs to be some alignment in the supply chain between the value delivered by these technologies and the cost of implementation,” said Mr Dyke.

Mr McCurdy added: “If you can’t act on what the data is telling us, then it is useless.”

He said there are plenty of technology and data capture systems but they need to be able to talk to each other to profit the farmer.

Ed Salt, the managing director at Delamere Dairy told the conference that the success of his company has come through investing in people and building a map to attain the “big goals”.

He said it is essential to develop a culture where people can excel and he said for his company management had been a question of stewardship rather than leadership to ensure that everyone who works for the company is profitable.

He said that if a market is attractive, “be prepared for competition” and he added that entrepreneurial companies should not be afraid of changing what most people believe is the norm.

The importance of the role and personality pf the manager to move the modern agricultural business forward was also emphasised by Ekkehard Herrmann, a farmer and manager of co-op farms in eastern Germany and Neil Adams, Agri-food business consultant at Promar International.

Mr Adams said: “There’s more to managing a successful dairy business than monitoring cash flows, planning the breeding strategy and winter feeding regime.

“Interpersonal sensitivity, personal flexibility and emotional resilience are equally important according to a recent Promar study of 65 producers in England and Wales that focused on leadership and leader capabilities within their dairy farming businesses and the influence of their emotional intelligence.

“It concluded that those with the highest level of emotional and social competence made £739 profit per cow compared with £366 for the average and those in the lowest group, £117.

“Those more likely to run more profitable farms were farmers with staff or family teams who had a people oriented personal style combined with a decisive command role.”

Source: The Pig Site

Milking robots at a New South Wales Mid North Coast dairy are contributing to an increase in milk production of 25 per cent over the last 12 months, according to Manning Valley dairy farmer Adrian Drury.

But as well as improved efficiencies and a happier healthier herd, the innovative milking technology has delivered a new dilemma facing manufacturers across the board.

Who will train the technicians to program and service the growing number of automated technologies?

“It’s revolutionised the way we do farming, but with that, it’s meant that we need a different breed of worker,” Mr Drury said.

Designers of electrical trades courses from the Newcastle campus of TAFE NSW are working on a solution to the problem, common across the manufacturing sector.

However, it is good news for apprentices who are getting exposure to real world problems and cutting edge technology.

Robotic dairy is like ‘sophisticated traffic control system’

On the surface, Drury Farm looks like any other — a herd of 430 milking cows heading to the milking shed, nestled in the Manning Valley.

But robots built by Sweden’s DeLaval are revolutionising milk production, effectively enabling the dairy cows to turn up at any time of the day or night for milking.

Many of the components of the dairy are familiar: cows are still identified by numbered ear tags, and suction cups attached to a cow’s teats convey milk to large temperature-controlled vats, awaiting collection by milk tankers.

But, at the Drury’s farm, an automated system works like a sophisticated traffic control system.

It decides whether to allow a cow into the dairy for milking or send it back out to pastures, based on the cow’s milking permissions, set by the farmer.

Pointing to a pie chart on a computer display, Mr Drury demonstrated access to real-time data, which helped farm workers plan their day strategically.

“The red cows are the cows that need attention in the next couple of hours,” he said.

“The green portion is the dry cows, and the yellow is the number of cows that need to be milked in the next six hours.”

He said other benefits of the system were real-time snapshots about the herd status, manual selection of cows for express lane milking, a holding function for specific cows at the dairy after milking, and an alert delivery and data via mobile devices.

“When there’s a problem with the cow, it sends us that signal — to our mobile phones,” Mr Drury said.

With a price tag of around $2 million, which Mr Drury said ws comparable to building a traditional rotary-style dairy, the Drury’s system is one of an estimated 50 in operation around Australia.

TAFE NSW adapting to industry demand

Head teacher of electronics and advanced manufacturing at TAFE NSW Newcastle campus David Leask said the dairy industry’s shift towards automation mirrored a wider shift in manufacturing and technology.

“We have students in class that are working for a diverse range of companies, from flight simulator maintenance to over-the-horizon radar and big data analytics companies,” Mr Leask said.

“And the common theme for all of those companies is electronics. What we’re seeing is a dramatic shift away from consumer electronics and a huge influx of people in industrial control systems.”

TAFE NSW is adapting to industry demand for specialised knowledge by pulling certain skill sets from certain traditional qualifications.

Mr Leask said they were: “piecing together a beautiful mix of skill sets from different areas to create outcomes specific to the needs of people”, such as Mr Drury.

Clinton Burgess, apprenticed as an electrical engineer to Hunter-based company Dexata with contracts with defence and which is working on big data analytics, is applying field learning to his training.

“It was actually quite amazing to see it all working. We’ve seen it all in theory but actually, out here in a real world operation, I was gobsmacked to see it all work,” Mr Burgess said.
Conrad Neilands, apprenticed to Novecom, which manufactures and maintains dust and noise monitoring systems, loves the real world exposure he is getting to cutting edge technology.

“It was really amazing to see the cupping machine in action,” he said.

“It’s really incredible, the way it scans and sees the teat, and the way it can adapt to the way the cow is moving in real time is quite amazing.”

Cows ‘rewarded in the paddock’

Mr Drury said the robot milking system had resulted in “a really positive impact on the yield of the cows”.

“The initial stages were a bit touch and go but certainly we’ve seen that once the cows [had learned] they could be rewarded in the paddock,” he said.

“If she’s giving a reasonable a level of production, she can actually turn up to have a feed and that machine will automatically reward her.”

Mr Drury said the incentive-based system and computer program was “there to encourage that to happen”, but farmers still needed to be on the farm every day, and willing to work directly with the cattle.

After two years working with the robotic dairy, the Drurys are still fine-tuning the automated system.

“We certainly went through a few hurdles to start with, but now we’re seeing a 20 to 25 per cent increase in production on where we were last year,” Mr Drury said.

“So, it’s really starting to kick some goals now.”

Mr Drury’s daughter Tiffany Sagar said the robotic dairy gave workers “more time to focus on the herd as individual cows, whereas, with the old systems, we’d only see them for three hours”.

“You’re actually watching the cows behaviour a lot better so, on a daily basis, we’ve got that hands-on contact with the cows as well,” she said.

Source: ABC

Daily observation helps animal owners properly monitor their animal’s health and wellbeing.

One of the most overlooked practices among animal owners is daily observation. Daily observation will help owners properly monitor their animal’s health and wellbeing. We often get caught up in the routine of making sure our animals have feed and water and forget to examine some other equally important things that are happening in our barns.

First, know the signs and symptoms of a sick animal as they are key in monitoring the animal’s overall health. Animal owners develop a baseline knowledge for each animal and how they act and react during interactions. Mentally taking note of a few things can help you be aware of how your animal may be feeling. Michigan State University Extension suggests noting the following observations:

Are your animals’ eyes bright?
Is your animal alert?
Is your animal up and moving around with normal locomotion or laying down?
Is there anything that seems abnormal in your animal’s behavior that would make you question if they are feeling normal?
Second, inspect the animal thoroughly daily for cuts, abrasions, rashes, fungus and external parasites. It is important to make it a daily habit to individually inspect each animal for any injuries. It is a skill that may take time to develop, but after it has become part of a routine, you will find the time it takes decreases. With tame animals, it is always helpful to have an individual interaction with them where you can run your hands over their top lines, down their legs and under their bellies. This will allow you to have a good look at the animals’ body up close. During this time, you can address any issues such as an unexplained lameness, cut or abrasion.

It is essential to monitor daily intake of water and feed. Typically, an animal losing its appetite and becoming lethargic is the first symptom of illness and a cue for owners to contact their veterinarian. When you are aware of what the animal or herd normally consumes, this will give you clues of additional body characteristics to look for when you are inspecting the animal. For example, if you observe the water tank is not as empty as it typically is at evening or morning chore time, indicating animals aren’t drinking appropriately, you can check each animal for classic signs of dehydration such as sunken sides and poor capillary refill.

Daily observation of our animals is the most important, yet most overlooked, task animal owners can do to help keep their stock healthy.

Source: MSU Extension

Dairy farmers can now access the online version of AHDB Dairy’s heifer rearing cost calculator to work out how much it is costing to rear heifers on their specific farm.

Speaking at a recent Calf to Calving event, Dorset, AHDB Dairy’s dairy senior scientist Dr Jenny Gibbons said farmers had much to gain from calculating costs for their farm, particularly as a recent Royal Veterinary College and AHDB study revealed that rearing costs varied anywhere from an average of £1,800/heifer, up to £3,000/heifer.

The calculator splits out the rearing period into three stages: birth to weaning, weaning to conception and conception to calving.

Farmers can then input various parameters such as target age at first calving, average heifer first lactation yields, forage growing inputs, forage quality and milk and concentrate use.

A cost for each stage and a total cost is then calculated.

Dr Gibbons said: “The more informed you are, the better business decisions you can make and this calculator enables you to work out your costs, allowing you to focus on specific areas where you can make savings.”

The emphasis was placed on achieving the following growth rates:

• Double birth weight at weaning.
• Target an average daily live weight gains from birth to conception of 800-900g/day.
• Heifers should be 50 per cent of mature cow body weight by 12 months.
• Calve down at 90 per cent of mature body weight at 24 months.

Dr Gibbons noted that good husbandry and nutrition were key to hitting these targets, which could potentially bring significant cost savings if adhered to.

In the future, AHDB is aiming to use the calculator as a benchmarking tool as part of AHDB Dairy’s Calf to Calving initiative.

Source: FG Insight