Cowmanagementuk janfeb2015

V O LU M E 13 N O 1 JA NU A RY /FE BR UARY 2015

IN THIS ISSUE

PR I C E S Q U E E Z E

C A LF REA RIN G

JO H N E’ S UPDATE

Trimming costs and generating extra cash

Robot optimises milk feeding with less labour

Test and plan for better disease control

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One milk sample

two results NMR PREGNANCY TESTING

Save time and hassle in your milking parlour and boost herd fertility.

Using your existing NMR milk sample, you can now detect pregnancy at the same time – improving your herd’s pregnancy rates and boosting productivity.

The tests are an impressive 96.7% specific (over 40 days from service) and 97.6% sensitive.

Our service includes an automatic, free, follow-up test for animals giving an inconclusive result, making it a convenient complement to your routine palpation and ultrasound examinations.

This service uses a test that is not looking for progesterone, but for Pregnancy Associated Glycoprotein, using ELISA technology. This eliminates having to sample at certain times of the month.

Call us now on 08447 255567

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www.nmr.co.uk

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CO NTENT

FEATURES

Cow Talk Overalls off: lead singer and guitarist Roger Evans Avoncroft Breeding Information/ Thompsons Nutritional News 31 NMR Dairy Management News 38 Events and contacts 4 8 14 27

REPORTS

10 Award-winning success for one of the UK’s first organic producers 12 Business basics: tips on survival as the milk price squeeze continues 28 Robot mimics dam feeding during the first days of a calf’s life BREEDING

36 CRV’s indexes aid selection for ‘easy-to-manage’ herd FEEDING

32 Balancing rations to safeguard and improve fertility

Miles Saunders “The secret to organic success is clover” 10

Main article Milking liners

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It’s the only part of the parlour that touches the cow – so what’s the best design?

Editor Rachael Porter Producer support

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elcome to our first issue of 2015 and what a start to the year it’s been. The milk price squeeze continues – and has indeed worsened for some businesses – and we hope that our timely article on page 12 will shed a little light on ways to try to trim costs, even when belts are already extremely tight, without doing further harm to the bottom line. And if you’re struggling – either financially or personally – then please talk to someone. There are lots of people out there with a wealth of expertise and advice who really do want to help you and your business through this tricky time.

In a bid to help the continued drive for better herd health, fertility and efficiency, we have an article from NMR on further incentives to tackle Johne’s disease, with the use of an effect testing programme and careful planning and adhering to strict protocols.

We also highlight two CRV indexes, which were developed to aid sire selection when looking to breed ‘trouble-free’ and efficient cows. Improving health and fertility are integral to their success – and the on-going profitability of herds in the UK and abroad.

And our nutrition partner, Thompsons Feeds, has taken a closer look at fertility and how to balance winter rations to ensure that cows get back in calf easily. See page 32 to find out more.

We also have an ‘up beat’ herd report about an award-winning organic producer on page 10, in a bid to lift some of the gloom. And Roger Evans also does his best to raise a smile in his column on page 14.

Health Johne’s update

Special Managing maize

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More reasons to get your herd tested and, if needed, devise a control plan

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Meet a ‘first-time’ grower and get some tips on making the most of surplus maize silage

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C O W

TA L K

One of a kind William Ley – one of our regular and well-respected contributors – has passed away. Willy, as he was known by his friends, ran his world-renowned and award-winning pedigree Thuborough herd at Sutcombe, in Devon. He died at home in December. A true dairy breeding enthusiast and former NMR/RABDF Gold Cup finalist, he was innovative and forward thinking and embraced the

latest genetics and technology with both hands and open mind. It was always a pleasure to speak to Willy – he was a kind and warm man and extremely knowledgeable and interesting. He will be sorely missed by the CowManagement team and all who knew him in the wider dairy industry – both in the UK and abroad. Our thoughts are with his wife Marion and sons Gerald and Roland.

Supplement aids diarrhoea management A complete and flexible dietary supplement, designed to help manage diarrhoea in calves and limit the associated reductions in performance and growth, has been launched by Boehringer Ingelheim.

Diakur Plus is a mixture of electrolytes, glucose, yeasts and citrus fibres and it should be given to calves at times of high risk or when diarrhoea is suspected.

It supports the rapid absorption of electrolytes and water, and provides the nutrients and extra energy needed to help maintain growth rates, according to the company. The citrus fibres and yeasts also bind and remove intestinal pathogens, such as E coli and Salmonella, which are often associated with cases of diarrhoea. The product can be mixed with water, milk or milk replacer.

Ultra-early maize varieties for ‘growing’ sector Three new ultra-early maize varieties, all of which push yields higher in this growing market segment, have been launched by KWS UK. According to the company’s Rob Hunt, seven in every 10 fields are now down to ultra-early varieties.

“While undoubtedly driving the crop forward in marginal areas, producers recognise that they not only improve harvest timings but also enable faster turn round and benefits for the following crop.

“Today’s varieties ensure there is little yield penalty and we’ve also been breeding and selecting material that doesn’t compromise quality in the clamp.”

At the head of the new additions are two FAO 160 maturity class varieties, Augustus and Sergio. While both are just behind FAO 150 front-runners Kaspian and Ramirez for maturity, they offer higher DM yields and rapid early vigour on a stay-green plant.

“Augustus is set to be the new Kaspian and could be a major variety in the UK market,” says Mr Hunt. “It has an excellent starch content of up to 39.6%

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in trials and an ME content of between 11.2 and 11.5 MJ/kg.

“Augustus is a semi stay-green type with a wider harvest window and has full cobsheath coverage. It also has rapid early vigour with a current score of 7.7, but this can be up to 9.0 on warmer sites.”

Sergio KWS – like Augustus – is FAO 160 rated and is a newcomer on the 2014 Descriptive List for first-choice early varieties for favourable and less favourable sites.

It’s a higher yielding Kentaurus with a dry matter yield of 16.2t/ha compared to

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15.6t/ha and combines this with a higher ME and starch yield than its sister variety, according to Mr Hunt.

“The key stand out characteristics for Sergio KWS is its early vigour, which at 8.1 under less favourable conditions is the highest on the descriptive list.

“Sergio KWS offers above average yields for its maturity, from a similar plant type to Kaspian, but with around with 10% more DM yield,” says Rob. “It is an ideal shorter season hybrid for use as a forage variety or for corn cob mix.”

The third variety, Aurelius, is slightly later in the ultra-early bracket with an FAO rating of 180. “It offers unsurpassed dry matter in its sector and is a step up on Severus,” says Mr Hunt.

“In 2013 it was around 5% higher yielding than Severus in our screening programme and in the same trials had an excellent starch of between 29.1% and 38.1% and an ME content up to 11.7MJ/kg.”

Aurelius also has rapid early vigour – from 7.7 in poorer conditions up to 9.0 on warmer sites. Like the others it is a stay-green type for a wider harvest window.

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Disinfecting foot trimming equipment is vital Recent studies have highlighted the value of disinfecting foot trimming equipment to cut the spread of bacterial infection by up to 68%.

The study found that after disinfecting cattle blades Treponeme, the bacteria responsible for causing digital dermatitis (DD), was only present on 29% of cattle trimming blades, compared to 97% of equipment not disinfected.

Progiene’s product manager Alison Clark explains the importance of the research in tackling lameness within the dairy industry.

“Lameness remains a significant animal health and productivity issue, but this research highlights how the bacterial source can be significantly reduced through good hygiene practices,” said Mrs Clark. “And this work highlights the importance of disinfecting foot trimming equipment between each animal.”

Time, temperature and concentration are the key factors to consider when looking to kill infectious bacteria

responsible for causing lameness in cattle.

“Immersing the blade of any equipment that has been in contact with the hoof, in a solution containing a disinfectant at a maximum concentration of 2%, which is the equivalent to 20ml per litre of cold water, is recommended,” she said.

Sloping walls offer safer platform Sloping-walled silage clamps are working in tandem with revolutionary machinery to create top-quality silage in a safer environment.

So says Bock, which has launched a system that is designed around the use of a sloping wall supported by an earth bank.

This allows machinery to safely drive right up to the edge of the panel, achieving maximum compaction.

The patented design is being adopted

by UK producers who recognise the benefits of increased operator safety and clamp performance.

Off-Piste Agri’s Harry Kester, the UK

dealer for the PistenBully Greentech machine that is used to compact silage, has experienced the Bock clamp first hand in Norfolk.

“One of the things we noticed is that with the earth bank and sloping walls you can get right up to the edge of the panels, compacting across the whole width of the clamp.

“Producers know from experience that the key to success, both financially and in terms of silage quality, is good clamp compaction.

Clamp design and the right compacting machinery are essential to achieving this.”

“A broad-spectrum disinfectant that’s based on the compound glutaraldehyde, such as Digicur, is one of the most effective methods of killing the bacteria,” she added.

Digicur has undergone efficacy lab tests, to ensure the most effective and efficient formulation to kill the main bacteria responsible for causing lameness in cattle.

“The results of the laboratory test, combined with on-farm anecdotal evidence, has shown this product to be a versatile disinfectant that both cleans and disinfects equipment in just half a minute.

“Immersing the blade of foot trimming equipment in a solution containing Digicur, for a minimum of 30 seconds between each animal, can significantly reduce the risk of disease transmission between animals.

“I would also suggest changing the solution between every 10 animals, to limit soiling of the solution, and the risk of bacteria spreading,” she added.

Cuts heifer-rearing costs with caution Volatile milk prices are forcing a costs review, but Provimi’s Philip Ingram is urging producers to avoid cutting corners when it comes to calf and heifer feeding.

“The money spent on youngstock is vital and an important financial investment – not a luxury.

Less expensive and lower-spec calf milk replacers or creep feeds can look appealing for producers contemplating their cash flow, but it’s often a false economy,” he says.

“The danger here is that it’s just short-term gain.

At the end of the month, the balance sheet may look slightly better, but remember that heifer rearing is a long-term investment and there will be a price to pay in the longer term.”

Cutting calf feeding costs can slow down growth rates, so calves and heifers don’t meet their target growth rates. “With a longer rearing periods comes older heifers at first calving and lower lifetime productivity,” says Dr Ingram.

“Not achieving calving at 24 months means that you end up having to keep – and feed – more animals as replacements. Increasing age at first calving from 24 to 28 months costs around £160 per heifer in feed costs alone.

“And it makes the whole dairy management system less efficient, as well as taking up more building space and labour.”

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M A I N

A RT I C L E

What’s the best type of milking liner for your

It’s hip to b Liner design is evolving with milking parlour technology and with increasing demands for faster milking, combined with better teat-end condition and improved udder health. We spoke to some milking technology specialists to find out more. text Rachael Porter

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Tim Evanson: “Choose liners that suit your herd”

Arnold Kuiper: “Square liners are compatible with robotic systems”

Square design: this shape increases milking speed

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hat shape are your parlour’s milking liners?

Probably round – still the liner of choice on the majority of dairy units, according to Dairy Spares’ Tim Evanson. “Round-type are still the biggest seller and account for approximately 90% of the market, with the remaining 10% comprising triangular, oval liners and square designs,” he says.

But which is the best option for your unit? Mr Evanson says it’s hard to be precise: “There are 101 things that can impact on the choice and performance of a milking liner. These include the breed of cattle being milked, their genetics and teat shape, through to parlour design, cluster and teat-cup weight, vacuum level, pulsation settings and milktube length.

“What I can say for sure is that the round liners will suit the majority of herds and milking parlours.”

There is a place for the other liners in other set ups and robotic milking systems are a case in point.

Many producers in Northern Ireland with milking robots are using square liners. “And once they’ve tried them, they don’t go back,” says Pearson NI’s Andrew Pearson.

Square barrel He’s been selling the square ProSquare liners to customers – predominantly producers with robotic milking systems – for the past two years. He also supplies the liners to around 40 producers who are milking through conventional parlours.

The liners are imported from Dutch dairy supplies company Heemskerk and were developed in the

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US 12 years ago. They have a square barrel and this means that, under vacuum, two corners collapse against each other. This creates three milk-carrying channels compared to four on a round barrel liner.

They’ve been on sale in The Netherlands and Belgium for the past decade and they are, indeed, in extensive use on units with robotic milkers. But why?

“It’s down to the increased milking speed and, most importantly, improved teat-end condition. Users say that udder health also improves as a result,” says the company’s Arnold Kuiper. “The higher vacuum levels used by some robots can be tough on teat ends and this shaped liner seems to help to mitigate some of that while at the same time increasing milking speed.”

Teat-end condition In a US trial, involving a total of 12 herds – six milked using square liners and six milked with round-type liners – evaluated liner design for both keratinisation and cracking of cows’ teat-ends.

Four of the six herds that were milked with round liners were evaluated, again, three months later.

Two of these four herds were switched to square liners immediately after the first evaluation. This study design provided two methods of evaluating the association between liner type and teat-end condition.

“Results indicated that herds that have been milking with square liners for some time have an average keratinisation score 0.43 less than herds being milked with round liners,” says Mr Kuiper.

“Additionally, herds that use round liners had approximately 20% more cracked teat ends. In a three-month period, use of square liners reduced both keratinisation and cracking in herds that switched from traditional round-style liners. The average reduction in keratinisation score was estimated to be approximately 0.18, while the reduction in the proportion of cracked teat ends was 0.16.”

The price of the square liners is also comparable to other shapes, at between £5.15 and £6.40 each.

Andrew Pearson’s customers are certainly pleased with their square liners and have reported teat-end condition and low somatic cell counts. “They also say

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r for your parlour and your herd’s udder health?

o be square! that the liners hold their shaper better than convention round-type liners and that they last a little longer.”

The only problem he’s seen with the square liners so far was on a unit milking a cross-bred herd. “The square liners are narrow – either 20mm or 21mm in diameter – and cross-bred cows tend to have slightly wider teat ends, which can prove too big for this type of liner. So that’s something to watch out for.”

Greater durability It’s not just the shape of liners that’s evolving – the material used to make them is also continually improving. “So producers should also think about what their liners are made from if they want to realise more milkings per set, without compromising on milk quality, teat condition and udder health,” according to Mr Evanson.

“Liners typically last for around 2,500 milkings, if parlour maintenance and cleaning is geared to promote the life of the liners,” he says. “But there is a new material on the market – TiMEPRO – which claims a 20% improvement on this industry standard, giving approximately 3,000 milkings (equivalent to 1,000 hours of use). That could be an extra 25 days on a 160-cow unit, milked twice a day through a 16-point parlour.”

Mr Evanson says that Dairy Spares and Greenoak sell around 117 types of milking liners to ensure that all individual herd requirements are catered for. Dairy Spares’ prices for more popular liners are: £4.75 for round, £4.25 for oval, and £4.75 for triangular. “Use a liner that suits the majority of your herd, to provide a ‘clean’ milking, and promote teat-end condition and general udder health. This liner is the one that works best with your parlour design and set up. It could be round, oval or triangular in design.

“The liner is the only part of the milking parlour that actually comes into physical contact with the cow.”

With this in mind, he urges producers to ensure that they replace milking liners regularly and certainly at the manufacturer’s recommended lifespan of 2,500 for some conventional rubber materials or 3,000 for TiMEPRO liners. “Producers understand that by maintaining their liners properly they can achieve a longer liner life and a better all round milking experience. And many recognise the early signs that liners need changing, such as extended milking times and cows not milking out properly, before they start to see deterioration in teat-end condition.”

So the technology and expertise is improving and new shapes, designs and manufacturing materials mean that, in future, things will continue to evolve, with milking speed, teat-end condition and liner durability always at the top of the list. l

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Name: Location: Herd size: Hobby:

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Bryn Williams Ceredigion, Wales 170 cows Lead singer and guitarist

Bryn Williams: “It’s pure escapism and I get a huge kick out of it”

Rock the parlour! text Rachael Porter

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ringing a touch of rock-star glamour to the milking parlour is how Bryn Williams unwinds – with help from his brother Eilir and sister Meleri. They, along with two friends Hedd and Keith, formed the band Newshan 12 years ago and today the Welsh group is enjoying considerable national and local success. Bryn is the lead singer and guitarist and he says he’s inherited his love of singing from his father, Paul, who is himself a singer and has released three CDs. “I started singing at school and performed in concerts and took part in competitions,” says Bryn, who runs a 170-cow pedigree herd in partnership with his parents Paul and Bessie, at Clyn Coch Farm in Ceredigion. “I taught myself to play guitar when I was 18 years old, after deciding that it would be great idea to start a band. My sister plays the piano and I had a bash at that when I was much younger. But it just didn’t click for me.”

Today Bryn and the band play a gig every weekend during the summer months – sometimes two gigs during really busy periods. They travel within a 100-mile radius to perform – as far as Cardiff and across to Monmouthshire. One of the most memorable for Bryn was playing at the Royal Welsh in 2013.

“We perform at quite a few summer shows, as well as weddings, parties and other special occasions.”

The band has also made a TV appearance in 2010, when S4C featured Bryn and the band performing ‘Milking the cow’ in the Williams family’s milking parlour. This is still available to view on YouTube and to date has had more than 4,500 hits.

As for live audiences, Bryn says that the band’s largest crowd was around 3,000 at The Young People’s Village, in Builth Wells. They also released a CD six years ago. “This mainly comprised cover songs but my sister Meleri and band member Hedd have been working hard writing some of our own material. So I think there will be another CD in the future, comprising our own songs.”

It can be tough to find time to rehearse. “But it’s well worth the effort because I enjoy it so much. I forget about everything else when I’m playing and singing. It really is pure escapism for me and I get a huge kick out of performing.”

And an added bonus is that the hobby is also self-funding. The the band is paid for performing. “That’s the icing on the cake – being paid to do something that we enjoy. If I didn’t have farming commitments – and the passion that I have for dairying – a career as a full-time musician would be my next choice without a doubt.”

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H E R D

R E P O RT

Award-winning producer shares conversion and cross-breeding catalysts

Miles Saunders This founder member of OMSCo’s herd was one of the first to convert to organic in the UK and today his business is doing well, despite the current milk-price storm Number of cows: Average yield: Calving interval: Annual production:

Reaping rewards of organic ‘risk’ One of the UK’s first producers to take the organic route Faringdon

400 6,214kg 4.24% f. 3.40% p.

380 2.4 million litres

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t takes guts to take a different direction in dairying – particularly when you’re one of the first to take that route.

But Miles Saunders says that his decision to convert his Oxfordshire-based 540-hectare unit to organic production was a gradual and considered process. He began his organic journey with just four

celebrated 25 years of conversion with a well-deserved award.

And he says that this is just the icing on the cake as he continues to run a profitable business in such a volatile economic climate. text Rachael Porter

hectares of the arable enterprise in 1982 and gradually increased this area. The grassland and dairy herd were the final piece of the puzzle.

“The catalyst for converting the herd to organic was the feed controversy back in 1988, when lead sulphide was found in some cattle feed in the southwest of

England. It was a very worrying time and it made us think long and hard about what we were feeding to our cows,” explains Miles. “We decided we wanted to have more control over our inputs and that to be profitable we needed to maximise milk production but also keep bought-in inputs to a minimum.”

Future milkers: cross breeding results in cattle that suit the organic system

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Swing-over parlour: the 30:60 set up makes short work of milking

He says it was tough at first, not least because so many people would question what they were doing. “And sometimes we’d question our decisions too, because we were breaking new ground. It was a little scary at times, but we had the support and expertise of grassland specialists and our vets and more recently, the Farm Consultancy Group’s William Waterfield. And we soon worked out that the secret to a successful dairy unit was clover. It’s absolutely vital to have grass/ clover leys, with clover’s nitrogen fixing ability and high protein. It’s very difficult to get any grazing yield – or milk from grass – without clover on an organic unit, so we greatly increased the clover percentage in the leys through the 1980s as the whole farm became organic.”

Home-grown feed Organic milk production began in 1989, from the then 180-cow herd. Numbers have expanded and today Miles runs a 400-cow herd, and the arable unit, in partnership with his wife Annabel and herdsman Richard Adams. With 900 head of young stock also based at Step Farm, near Faringdon, it’s no surprise that he also employs four full-time staff and one part time employee.

“We grow a lot of our own feed for the herd – between 500 and 600 tonnes of a mix of barley and peas, which we either harvest as wholecrop or take a little later in the season and crimp.”

Calving runs from autumn and through to the spring and milk is sold to Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo).

Miles is a founder member of the co-operative, which today is supplied by organic herds from Cornwall to Scotland.

At its peak in March, his herd produces around 250,000 litres of milk and this dips to around 119,000 litres in September. “We’re producing 2.4 million

Home-grown feed: cross-bred cows enjoying their organic ration

litres a year,” says Miles. “But it’s not all about yield.”

He’s driven by profitability – not productivity. The herd’s average yield is 6,214kg at 4.24% butterfat and 3.40% protein. Calving interval is very important to Miles – more so than yield – and it is currently averaging 380 days. “I’m not interested in pushing the cows – and feed costs – too hard. My aim is to run an efficient and profitable business. Just focussing on producing more milk is not necessarily a ticket to financial success.”

Cross breeding A change in management system at the unit also required a different type of cow – one that was better able to graze and produce milk efficiently on a more extensive system and be hardier.

“We dabbled in cross breeding to begin with. The catalyst for that was in 2007 when we were hit by a significant number of positive TB tests. We lost 107 cattle.

Not a single lesion was found when the reactors were slaughtered, but it really frightened us,” says Miles. “We needed to make sure that we had enough heifers coming up through the system to ensure that we could maintain the milking herd if it were to happen again.”

He sold the herd’s beef bulls and replaced them with a MRI sweeper: “So that every female calf born on the unit was a dairy type.”

Other sweeper bulls have included a British Friesian and a Brown Swiss. “And the results we have had with cross breeding have led us down the crossbreeding route with the sires we use for AI now. We just couldn’t ignore how well the cross-bred heifers and cows were performing on our system.”

Today first-lactation cross-bred heifers are averaged a calving interval of 364 days for the three months ending December 2014,

whereas the black-and-white cows and heifers in the herd are closer to 390 days.

“The cross-bred cattle – using Brown Swiss and Norwegian Red – look great and I’m really pleased with them. We graze from mid March through to late October and they’re definitely more suited to grazing.”

Miles says that yields are good too and comparable with the ‘pure bred’ cattle.

“We’ve crossed everything and yields are up at around 25 litres a day for second-lactation crosses. Cows are also completing more lactations.

“Our system requires cows with good feet. Ours have black hooves, which are much harder, and they milk well. I’m selecting on type and yield. I want tidy udders, good feet and legs, not too much stature, but plenty of capacity. And I’m happy to spend a bit extra to breed the right kind of cow for our system. It’s a sound investment if it produces ‘trouble free’ cows that produce milk efficiently and for several lactations.”

Organic demand Miles would recommend cross breeding to anyone looking to take a more extensive ‘grazing’ route. And, although it’s a particularly volatile time at the moment, he’d also recommend looking into organic conversion. His milk price has remained relatively stable compared to conventional herds.

“The UK’s supply of organic milk is relatively low and demand is strong.

We’re exporting to the EU and even across the pond. We’re in a good position at the moment and there’s scope to take more organic milk.

“Although the conversion process can take up to two years, it could be a sound long-term proposition for some UK dairy producers. I’d recommend speaking to OMSCo to find out more.” l

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B U S I N E S S

B A S I C S

Some timely advice in an extremely tough economic climate

Cost-cutting know how As producers are forced to tighten their belts ever further, with the continued squeeze on milk prices, we spoke to a leading agricultural consultant for a ‘how to’ guide to cutting costs with care and generating extra cash. text Rachael Porter

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imes are extremely lean and, on many units, there’s a feeling that there’s simply no more ‘fat’ to be trimmed from their business. But there’s usually some room to cut costs – it’s a case of knowing where from and how.

Labour, feed, and rent and finance are the three key areas for consideration, according to the Farm Consultancy Group’s Charles Holt. “There are others but these are the biggest costs and, therefore, warrant further and considered scrutiny.”

Feed costs savings are possible, although any changes to the ration mid-way through winter should be made with great care. “Many producers feed relatively expensive ‘additives’ in their ration, such as yeasts and rumen conditioners, and it’s well worth getting a second opinion on these ingredients.”

Producers trust their nutritionists implicitly, but feed is one of the biggest costs and seeking a second opinion should not insult your nutritionist – particularly in these tough times.

Marginal litres “Ask if you’re right to be feeding to produce extra litres. Will a slight reduction in milk yield impact on profitability if these extra litres are marginal? Remember, output is vanity – profit is sanity.

“The key is to tweak the ration to reduce costs and to avoid massive changes that will cause a dive in milk yields. It’s a fine line and that’s why producers must do this with the help of a nutritionist.

If that’s a different nutritionist, then producers shouldn’t be afraid to ask.”

Feed waste is something else that producers should take a close look at and it should, obviously, be avoided. “What do you do with feed rejected by the

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milking herd? Is it given to the dry cows or young stock? There will be expensive concentrate in this stale feed, so don’t waste it.”

Benchmarking can also give producers an idea of how they’re doing with regard to feed costs. “Compare your results against those of similar dairy systems and remember you’re looking for profitability here – not maximising productivity. If other units are performing better, find out why and see if you can adopt some of their practices,” says Mr Holt.

Labour savings Labour is another large ‘input’ on dairy units and, therefore, often yields cost saving opportunities. But this, too, can be fraught with difficulties and needs to be done with carefully to avoid affecting efficiency. “If staff are paid on an hourly rate basis, the first thing to do is to introduce an overtime ban,” says Charles.

“And explain to staff that this is a shortterm arrangement, until things improve.

It’s not permanent.”

He urges producers to reassess jobs being carried out on farm and ask if they’re really necessary. “I’m not talking about day-to-day essential work, but tidying and painting and general sprucing up jobs normally tackled in winter. Would it really hurt to defer them for a year or so?

He cites calf rearing is a good example.

Charles has a client who was feeding all his bull calves on saleable whole milk for a month before selling them. “He’s an organic producer, so the milk was worth around 40ppl and he was selling the calves for around £70 a head. Feeding whole milk was cheaper than buying in organic calf milk replacer, but the cost of feeding the calves for a month was still much greater than the value of the

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Charles Holt: “Output is vanity, profit is sanity”

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calves. He was wasting a lot of money.”

Switching to contract heifer rearing is another area, albeit a more long-term consideration, where time and money can be saved. “There are many ex dairy producers who want to do it and will do it well. They’ll follow a set rearing protocol and rear heifers to calve when you want them to calve.”

He stresses that producers should avoid cutting all extra labour – relief staff are still important. “Some producers will be tempted to save money by doing everything themselves. They run the risk of making themselves physically ill or clinically depressed. It’s important to strike a balance and, if you do decide to take on a little extra work to save money, make sure it’s a short-term, not longterm, solution. Using contractors where ever possible can be a cost-effective option too.”

Rent and finance are huge sources of stress in difficult economic times and again there are solutions and savings to be made here. Now may be the time to approach the banks to see if you can get a better deal – perhaps a lower borrowing rate or more at the same rate, according to Mr Holt.

Better deal “If a bank other than your existing bank makes you a better offer, your existing bank will often match that offer, rather than lose your business. So look closely at re-financing, or additional financing, as a way to save money and/or generate some additional capital to aid a poor cash flow.”

As for rent, it’s a case of if you don’t ask then you don’t get. “There’s no harm in asking for a rent reduction or a rent ‘holiday’. The worst they can say is no.”

He also urges producers to take a closer look at their assets and see if there’s anything that could be sold off to generate some cash. “Carry out an inventory of all the kit you have on farm and ask yourself, do I really need it all?

What could you sell off, share with a neighbour or hire in when necessary?

“It’s vital to take a step back and take the view of an outsider looking in. It may even be worth investing in a consultant to come in for a day. A pair of fresh and impartial eyes can really help here, even as a one-off visit.”

In fact, for the busy producer, Mr Holt says this final factor may be best coming top of the list. “It’s vital to put the time aside to take a look, either with their adviser or a new consultant, at the overall business, set some priorities and question what they are doing and where savings could be made.” l

Fresh eyes: get help to reassess your business’ costs and machinery requirements

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E VA N S

Award-winning columnist and Shropshire-based producer Roger Evans wants to write you a love story – of sorts – with a happy ending.

Pinch points M

y writing has a reputation for cheering people up and amusing them. Perhaps I will write you a love story with a happy ending.

Perhaps the editor wouldn’t be too amused by that.

So let’s get the bad news out of the way first. My milk buyer is telling me that I will get about 20ppl for my milk in February and this situation won’t get better any time soon. In fact my milk buyer tells me that I’m one of the lucky ones and that there are producers out there without milk contracts come the end of March. Close on the heels of milk price news in the bad news stakes, it just so happens that my annual review with the bank is due this month.

As timings go this timing is shit. Bank managers will be looking very closely at their dairy producer clients for the foreseeable future. Our returns are going to be down and we don’t know how the bank will support us. It’s also worrying for the industry. Bank managers will be seeing the returns from specialist spring calving herds. These returns will be good as 2014 was, on the whole, a very good growing year for grass. Spring calving herds will have sold most of their milk at the higher prices that existed in the first half of the year. At the end of the year, when prices plummeted, their cows were dry. The bank manager may very well think that this is the way forward for your business – and you may well have to agree with him.

We have already gone half way down this road. We have a batch of cows that calve in the spring and one that calves in the autumn. My son measures the grass weekly with a plate meter, we graze better, we get more milk from grass and forage, we use fewer concentrates, sell fewer litres of milk per cow and, up to now, we’ve had better financial results. It’s this recent improved track record that I hope will stand us in good stead when the bank manager calls. But there are issues for the wider industry in all this.

A price of 20ppl or less will damage our industry. Some will have to leave and some will have had enough. Ironically, some of the most vulnerable could be those who have invested heavily and expanded.

There are two pinch points in the profile of national production. The first is in the spring when there would be too much milk for industry capacity to handle, particularly if you and your cows follow your bank manager down the spring-calving route. The other is the autumn, when there’s always a seasonal trough in national production.

We are a nation of fresh milk consumers and we don’t want that trough to get down to where consumption is. The two major milk processors in the UK have made huge investments in the liquid market and the last thing they want is for supplying farms to send them too much milk in the spring and not enough in the autumn.

So what’s to be done about it? We need support from the banks to see us through this volatility, as well as the support of processors. Twelve months ago they found money to throw at the milk price because they were competing to recruit. They need to throw some money at it now.

We need a partnership of producers, banks and processors working together to limit long-term damage to our industry. Three in a partnership is a very modern relationship. It could be a love story (I got there!). Let’s hope we all live happily ever after.

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H E A LT H

Disease is threat to dairy industry – not just herd performance

Incentives to put a lid on Johne’s threat ‘Guilty’ unless proven ‘low risk’ – that’s how producers and the industry should view the status of Johne’s disease in dairy herds. Milk buyers are adding their weight to surveillance and control incentives. It’s not a marketing ploy but a realisation that Johne’s disease is a real threat to the UK dairy industry and it hits cow performance hard. text Karen Wright

“O

nce you have cows with Johne’s there’s no easy remedy,” says Gloucestershire-based vet David Preece from Tyndale Vets, which is part of the XL Vet group. “If you find you have some with IBR or BVD then I can help, but there’s no way of getting rid of Johne’s from an infected cow. The only solution is to cull her or to manage her and any other infected Johne’s cows separately to minimise the risk of infection of others in the herd.”

Johne’s isn’t a new disease but the proportion of herds known to be affected has increased. More cattle movement due to restocking or expansion has, in effect, spread infected cows among more herds. If one infected herd with 30 Johne’s cows sold 20 of them to 10 herds, this would result in 11 affected herds.

“This has certainly happened in this area,” adds David. “Some have restocked after a TB outbreak and others have expanded by purchasing animals. We haven’t a truly closed dairy herd on our books now.”

Demand information In the light of this, he urges any producer buying in stock to demand official Johne’s surveillance records.

“The information available on Johne’s control from many vendors and their vets is totally inadequate,” he adds.

“If more vets and producers demanded the information the situation would improve – cows with proper disease

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Disease discussions: Don Ingles (left) and vet David Preece

records should be worth more. A herd buying in Johne’s and becoming severely affected can spend 10 years sorting it out with a lot of cost and stress in the meantime.”

No better testimony to this is David’s client Don Ingles, from Broadway in Worcestershire, who bought in 130 cows as part of a herd expansion programme back in 1998. Don, with his wife Sara who runs the calf and youngstock unit, took on the 80-cow Holstein herd at Hayway Farm and decided to increase numbers to 210.

Clinical cases “I bought in-calf heifers in groups of between three and 40, all privately, all healthy and from what I thought were reputable sources,” says Don, admitting that in hindsight he was naive. “It turned out to be a nightmare – 60% were affected with Johne’s and cows started going downhill often after their second or third calving. We had clinical cases and many had to be culled.”

When David Preece was called in to help he immediately implemented a list of protocols that included calving infected cows separately, snatching calves, feeding bought-in colostrum and milk powder and not feeding any dams’ milk to calves.

He also removed a previous vaccination policy that preceded his work on the farm. “It didn’t provide us with any records or test results to identify

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Johne’s affected cows. We didn’t really know which of the cows testing positive for Johne’s antibodies were affected or had antibodies as a result of vaccination.

This made the job very difficult,” he explains.

“The only thing we could do was to keep to the rigid husbandry routines for all the positive cows and monitor the herd regularly.”

They used their NMR milk recording samples to test for Johne’s on a routine basis. “This was far easier and cheaper than blood testing and we had regular and reliable results for each cow – this has to be the cornerstone of modern Johne’s control,” adds David.

A heavy culling programme meant numbers dropped to 120 cows at Hayway Farm, which didn’t help the business.

“We’d invested in a new building and improved facilities and that all came at a cost,” says Don who adds that ten years down the line, they have virtually no positive test results, milk yields are up from 6,500kg to 10,000kg and they are up to 190 cows with some good heifers in the pipeline.

Herd productivity Controlling Johne’s, along with improvements in other areas, has helped to boost herd productivity. Cows are now housed all year round and biosecurity is as tight as possible on the 160-hectare unit.

Don believes that reducing Johne’s has

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helped fertility with the calving interval dropping to 400 days in this year-round calving herd.

“Cows are healthier and calving to conception rates are far better than five or six years ago.

“Cows have to be healthy to be producing this level of milk and to get in calf with few health problems.”

But there’s no room for complacency.

“Protocols are now all part of our routine – we won’t take any risks,” he adds.

NMR Herdwise quarterly testing will continue and, with results being fed directly into InterHerd, David can follow trends and monitor progress accurately.

“I would not relax this for the foreseeable future,” adds David. “While the herd

might almost be Johne’s free now and Don isn’t buying in any cattle, if he wants to demonstrate his status or sell stock he can stand beside his Herdwise results.

He’s got three or four years’ worth of data to support his status. It would be good to see a lot more producers in this position.” l

Housed herd: cows stay inside all year round and biosecurity is as tight as possible

Big gains from less Johne’s A survey of 53 Herdwise users, who had screened at least 50% of their herd for Johne’s on a quarterly basis for at least three years, shows that Johne’s has an association with productivity and fertility.

Herds were categorised depending on the percentage of cows within the herd with Johne’s positive ELISA tests. Those herds with fewer than 7% ‘positive’ cows were categorised as low, 7% to 25%

were categorised as medium and herds with 25% or more positive cows were categorised as high. Heifers in high Johne’s prevalence herds had a higher average age at first calving. High prevalence herds also had significantly lower milk production than lower prevalence herds.

The survey was able to select a group of 29 herds with similar lactation ages, which helped to eliminate the effect of a

higher proportion of higher prevalence cows in later lactations.

The high prevalence herds in this group yielded 2kg per cow per day less across their lifetime. The survey also looked at the financial loss for a herd with 30% positive Johne’s cows compared with 6% positive cows. It found a milk yield difference of 1,356kg per cow per year or, based on a milk price of 25ppl, £33,900 for a 100-cow herd.

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M A I Z E

S P E C I A L

Expanding production: first crop was a resounding success on one Leicestershire-based unit. Page 20 Surplus stock: tips on how to feed and store excess maize to maximise its potential. Page 22

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M A I Z E

S P E C I A L

Forage crop proves invaluable for an expanding dairy business

Maize ‘debut’ is a success Growing more maize has helped drive the performance of one Leicestershire-based herd and it is set to continue to play an increasing role as the herd expands to 600 cows and moves into a new unit on the farm. text Phil Eades

Nick Sercombe (left) and Simon Broddle

G

rowing any crop for the first time on a new unit is always a little nerve racking but, with hindsight, Nick Sercombe needn’t have worried about making his maize crop debut at Knaptoft Hall Farm. Working closely with Nickerson’s Simon Broddle, he grew 14.5 hectares of forage maize at the farm, based near Market Harborough, in 2014 and it was a resounding success.

He took over as manager at this 445-hectare grass-and-cereal unit in November 2013, which was already home to 240 cows. The unit has never grown maize before.

Nick also brought his own herd of cows with him, from a previous

farming agreement, and his immediate objectives were to improve cow performance and to manage the move to a new purpose-built 600-cow unit on the farm during 2015.

Back then the herd was averaging 7,700 litres of milk, but by late 2014 this had already increased to 9,000 litres, putting around £500 on his margin over purchased feed in the process.

Increased area “There was no single thing that made the difference,” Nick explains. “We improved cow comfort by ripping out the cubicles, which were too small for the cows, and increased the number of cow groups. We also tackled lameness

issues with regular foot trimming. And we adjusted the diet.”

The cows had been fed grass silage top dressed with a blend. Concentrates were fed, to yield, through the parlour. But Nick was keen to feed mixed forages and bought in some maize silage to improve the overall ration.

“Increasing yield from forage is an important part of our plan,” he says. “I am a great fan of maize silage, having fed it at my previous unit. By the time we move into the 600-cow unit I want to be able to feed it all year round.

“To do this I will eventually need to be growing around 65 hectares. I’ll increase the area gradually. This is a farm where maize has never been grown before.”

Bagged solution: maize silage space was limited due to higher wholecrop yields

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The farm comprises mainly heavy soils and, as maize was going to follow grass, it could have been a challenge. But in the end the crop yielded 650 tonnes of forage, averaging 45t/hectare, although admittedly it was a good maize growing year.

“The biggest problem with drilling maize after grass is wireworm, particularly if the grass has been down for a while,” explains agronomist Simon.

Seed treatment “Wireworm can reduce yields by up to 60%, so it was essential to drill with treated seed. The cost of seed treatment is around £50 per hectare, but this is insignificant compared to the risk.”

They grew the LG variety Yukon, which combines good agronomic features with the ability to produce top quality forage.

It is an early variety with good early vigour and excellent standing power, which Simon felt would suit the farm.

“Plant numbers are the key to yield and with heavier land we had to wait for the soil to warm up and work down to a good seed bed,” he explains. The crop was drilled in mid-April. The fields were heavily mucked before drilling and the crop received 240kg N/ha. Weed control was via a standard herbicide pre-and post-emergence programme.

The maize was harvested on September 30 and the crop came off in good condition. The plan had been to clamp it

on top of wholecrop, but because more wholecrop had been made than expected there was no space. So the maize has been stored in AgBags. It has analysed well and Nick is pleased with his firstever crop of maize silage.

Summer buffer “This winter we are still using bought-in silage, saving the 2014 crop for buffer feeding in the summer and for early autumn calvers at the new unit,” says Nick. “This will give time for the starch degradability to increase. Having the crop in AgBags also means we will be working with a narrow face during the summer, which will help reduce spoilage.”

The forage portion of the diet currently comprises 50% grass silage, 25% maize and 25% wholecrop and Nick is targeting a three-forage system moving forward.

He expects the maize proportion to increase over time as he strives for a more consistent diet. Fresh calved cows will also get first-cut grass all year round.

This year Simon and Nick expect to grow two varieties to suit the farm’s different soils and maximise the production of quality forage.

“We will be looking for high quality forage varieties,” Simon explains.

“Because 50% of the harvested crop is the leaf and stem and stover we want varieties with good cell wall digestibility, as well as excellent starch content.

Ideally we want to produce a 30% dry matter and 30% starch forage.

“On the heavier land we will look at varieties like LG Sunlite, which has the phenomenal early vigour that we need.

It also has excellent cell wall digestibility, which will help to ensure the high energy yield per hectare that’s vital for Nick’s system.

“On the lighter ground we will consider a variety such as LG Asgaard, which is well suited to that type of soil and is slightly later maturing. To ensure the crops are ready at the same time we will probably fine tune seed rates to increase maturity and allow the whole planned 65 hectares to be harvested as one block,” he explains.

Low-stress system Nick says that a consistent diet, based on quality silage, will help ease the herd’s transition to the new set up. “Our aim will be a low-stress system and we will not chase high yields. I will be happy with 9,000 litre averages, with good milk quality, to exploit our contract.

“If the cows milk better in a given year because we have better quality forage that will be a bonus, but I won’t be increasing concentrates in leaner forage years just to maintain yields.

“We know that maize silage can give us a consistent quality feed all year round and this will help underpin performance.” l

Early harvest: forage maize was cut, chopped and ensiled on September 30

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M A I Z E

S P E C I A L

Plan now to make the most of 2014’s bumper maize silage crop

Waste not, want not With 25% extra maize silage produced on many dairy units in 2014, milk producers need to start thinking carefully about how they can extend the use of this bumper crop through 2015 and into next winter. It’s too good to waste! text Philip Hainey

W

ith record maize yields in 2014, and in many cases unsurpassed quality, many UK maize growers now face the task of ensuring they do not waste any of this valuable and costeffective resource in the year ahead.

So says Grainseed’s James Todd.

“In some parts of the country, producers grew enough maize silage to take them through this winter and a significant way through the next one too,” he explains.

“Many produced more than 15 months supply of excellent quality forage in 2014 and not only were yields really good, but quality was also exceptional with dry matter consistently above 30% and good starch and energy content.”

The bottom line is that many producers are entering 2015 with some important decisions to make about how they now manage this surplus stock to get the most out of it.

“They have three basic options,” he says. “They can either start feeding more from now until turnout, plan to buffer feed it through the summer, or preserve it for next winter.”

Winter feeding “Upping the maize:forage ratio in existing winter rations is a realistic proposition for many, but rations must be carefully balanced with a close eye on pH,” stresses Mr Todd.

“Maize silage fed after Christmas is usually the best quality there is.

Starch digestibility, in particular, is much higher and cows can access the energy much more easily.

“We’re seeing MEs of up to 12MJ/ kgDM on units, which more typically see between 11MJ/kgDM and 11.3MJ/

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kgDM, and starch content is up to 40% compared to a more usual range of between 30% and 32%.”

One downside of this high feeding quality is slightly low pH being detected in samples – as low as 3.8 in some silages.

“Although the grains were fully mature and hard, there were some very large green plants at harvest time which still contained some sugar,” says Mr Todd.

“If you’re going to feed more of this material you just need to be aware of the potential acidosis risk.

Buffer benefits “Much of this risk can be reduced simply by making sure you have sufficient fibre, such as straw, in the ration and balancing metabolised protein and energy. You should also be prepared to use rumen buffers, such as sodium bicarbonate, if necessary. It’s vital to test forages regularly and keep an eye on the herd for any warning signs.

“With the potential higher dry matters of the material, you’ll also need to just make sure overall ration dry matter stays at around 50% if you up the proportion of maize, otherwise intakes could suffer.”

In most instances it is unlikely that all the surplus can be utilised in winter feeding, so the other option is to use it as a high quality buffer feed during the summer months.

“Unseen energy deficits – particularly in fresh calvers – can produce significant losses of condition during the summer, which result in health and production issues later in the year. More often than not, however, units do not have enough good quality forage to consider buffer feeding to address these.

“Buffer rations can not only produce immediate effects in terms of extra milk

JANUARY/FEB R U ARY

James Todd: “Make ‘surplus’ decisions now”

production, but they can also have a positive knock-on effect throughout the following lactation and influence subsequent fertility and longevity.”

He believes that maize forage’s inherent feeding properties, including high levels of starch-based fermentable energy and low protein, make it the ideal foundation for a high quality forage-based buffer feed, he says.

“It’s good practice to keep the best material for early lactation cows and high yielders, so you need to start planning how you will use it now.

“Work out how much you need for these ‘priority’ animals so you can balance silage stocks before maize harvest 2015 becomes available.”

Re-clamping technique If upping maize inclusion rates in existing winter rations or using it in buffer feed during the grazing season is not appropriate for your herd, the final option is to keep the silage for next winter.

“But this is likely to involve re-clamping the saved material,” says Mr Todd. “If you’re lucky enough to have a small clamp with the likely surplus in it then it’s worth just leaving that one alone.

Test it first to make sure that all is well.

Then just check that it is all properly sealed and it should be OK. “If you have several clamps, then calculate what the surplus is likely to be and select the best clamps to keep unopened.”

If all the material is in one clamp, then you’ll need to be a bit more proactive to

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ensure that no silage is wasted during the extended period. “If the clamp is in good condition then simply wait until turnout, tidy the edges and spray the face with an acid or anti-microbial additive – a biological one won’t work – and then reseal it. A knapsack sprayer will work fine.

“If there’s any doubt, clean out a smaller clamp and reclamp the surplus material from the larger one. If you’ve got a 300cow herd, then be prepared to move up to 1,000 tonnes of silage.

“The silage should be re-rolled as if it were freshly cut, to exclude air, and the clamp should then be sealed.

“That should give you a great quality maize starter forage for the following winter, due to the higher starch digestibility of the older material compared to the newly clamped maize silage.

“Plus, you’ve got ‘money in the bank’ with regards to forage supplies and the

Surplus earmarked for buffer feeding Roger Mason, of Heaves Farm near Kendal, plans to feed his surplus maize as part of a high quality ration for high yielders throughout the summer. The ultra early maize varieties that he grew in 2014, Picker and Ardent, out yielded all previous maize crops grown for his 160-cow pedigree Holstein herd.

“We’ve been growing maize for a number of years now and after some fairly difficult years weather-wise many of our neighbours stopped growing it.

“But in 2014 we had ideal growing conditions and produced between 20%

more home-grown feed resources you have, the greater control you have and the more opportunities to offset the lower milk prices.

and 25% more than the previous year, which was also a fairly good maize growing year for us.”

The herd is split in two groups for the summer months, with the lower yielders being turned out and the higher yielders remaining housed. “So the plan is to feed the extra maize with grass silage in a 30:70 ratio, with 6.5kg per head of blend, 1kg per head of molasses, plus some chopped straw and protected fat.

“We’re hoping that this will provide a high energy ration that will see the high yielders through until next November or December.”

“Whatever you do, don’t waste this valuable resource – you must start planning now to make full use of the considerable potential it offers.” l

Bumper crop: maize silage yields and quality were both high in 2014

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BREEDING INFORMATION

Top bulls for efficiency CRV’s Better Life Efficiency indicates the extent to which a bull contributes to more efficient milk production.

The more energy is converted into milk, the greater the efficiency.

As a general rule, productivity combined with longevity leads to high efficiency.

And what do we see? New daughterproven bulls G-Force (+12%), Enigma (+6%), Vitality (7%) and Hunter (+8%) all score extremely well for efficiency: efficient milk production, attractive conformation and high longevity. A superb combination resulting in impressive lifetime production.

Delta G-Force (Man-O-Man x Jordan, £444 PLI) combines excellent milk production with good components that will guarantee high milk revenues. With +555 days of longevity G-Force takes lifetime production to a

higher level. He is easy calving (107) and has an excellent score for hoof health (112). Due to his popularity as an InSire young bull, the number of daughters in his proof is already high and will continue to rise quickly. G-Force is priced at £22 for 50 or more straws.

From CRV’s US breeding programme, Cookiecutter Mom Hunter (Man-O-Man x Shottle, £336 PLI) can trace back seven generations to Snow-N Denises Dellia EX95.

Hunters are well-balanced heifers with a lot of dairyness and a nice slope to the rump. They also have high quality udders: high in the rear, well-attached at the front and strong ligaments.

In combination with his attractive production proof, great things are expected of Hunter in the April 2015 proof run. He is priced at £17 for 50 or more straws.

G-Force daughter Van de Pettershoeve Leida 464

Delta Enigma (Bertil x O Man, £320 PLI) is a high production bull, priced at £17 for 50 or more straws. A black bull who sires daughters with dairy strength, capacity, wide rumps, and maintain their body condition sums up the Enigma type.

The daughters of Delta Vitality (Gibor x Ramos, £392 PLI) really show their qualities as efficient (7%) and healthy cows. Vitality boasts +322kg of milk, at +12.4kg (+0.0%) fat and +15.9kg (+0.07%) protein, from very healthy udders (106) with low SCC (–18) and excellent hoof health (104). Vitality is an easy calving bull (CE 109) and, with his sire stack, he’s an easy bull to use on many cows and heifers. He’s priced at £10 for 50 or more straws.

Delta Enigma

Catalogues available

New InSire bulls Homozygous polled Caudumer Powerplay PP RF (Parker P x Magna P RF, £408 PLI) is attracting interest with +225kg of milk, at +12.6kg (+0.05%) fat and +12.0kg (+0.06%) protein. D’n Driehoek Nilson (G-Force x Boxer, £470 PLI) has +554 days of longevity with +233kg of milk, at +20.9kg (+0.15%) fat, +21.1kg (+0.17%) protein.

Apina Stig (Stellando x GoFast, £478 PLI) has longevity of +717 days with production of +223kg of milk, at +21.3kg (+0.15%) fat and +15.2kg (+0.10%) protein.

For further information call CRV Avoncroft for free on 0800 7830880

The latest catalogues are available for CRV Holsteins, CRV Ambreed New Zealand Genetics, CRV Fleckvieh, CRV MRI and German Brown Swiss. Call CRV Avoncroft 0800 7831880 for your copies.

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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R E A R I N G

Robot mimics dam feeding during the first days of a calf’s life

Natural drinking rhythm German company Förster Technik has developed the Calfrail calf feeding robot, to ensure precision feeding for the first few days of a calf’s life. The robot imitates the natural drinking rhythm of the calf and adapts to the individual calf’s needs. And the manufacturer claims that the system saves 20 days of labour per 100 calves. text Guy Nantier

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Father-and-son partnership Siegfried and Klaus Bölle run their dairy unit in Singen-Hausen, based in southern Germany. The herd has recently expanded from 50 to 200 Holstein cattle. The herd’s average yield is 9,000kg of milk at 4.2% fat and 3.5% protein.

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For the past two years milk has been fed to calves, in calf hutches, by the Förster Technik Calfrail calf feeding robot. For the group-housing phase, the unit has two calf milk dispensers. The calf feeding robot and the two calf drinking dispensers are supplied by a central mixing station.

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The hutches are covered on both sides of the suspended robot. Hutches can also be placed in a line.

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The calf feeding robot can feed up to 32 calves.

The LED lights draw the naturally curious calves to the robot’s teat. The lights also help with calf observation on darker days.

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The calf feeding robot passes along the calf hutches six times a day. The first feed round is at 5.30am and the final one is at 8.30pm.

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The isothermic supply hose, which links the central feeding unit to the robot, extends to maximum of 30 metres. In addition to supplying the milk, the hose also contains a return pipe for washing water. Cleaning takes place after each round of milk feeding. The supply hose also contains the system’s electric cables.

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The central mixing station can operate using milk replacer powder, fresh milk, or a combination of the two.

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Milk preparation for individual calves takes place automatically, according to their specific growth target. The milk powder is carefully weighed out, to the nearest gramme, via an integrated weighing system.

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Producers can easily refer to and change the settings by using a remote control system. Alert lists, with calf intakes, can be viewed on a computer screen with the remote control or via an app on a smartphone.

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The system saves 20 days of labour per 100 calves, according to the manufacturer. The installation of the Calfrail costs around £6,100.

The robot is available – and is compatible with equipment – from DeLaval, Fullwood and GEA products.

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DAIRY MANAGEMENT NEWS

Producers tackle Johne’s Forty producer meetings, as well as incentivised screening tests, are encouraging producers to tackle Johne’s disease in their herds. Dairy Crest Direct (DCD) was the first of the milk buyers to join up with NML in hosting meetings. And 250 producers have taken up the 30-cow Johne’s disease screening challenge with a money back offer if all results were clear. Other major milk buyers are now working with NML and offering similar testing and screening incentives.

Fertility and udder health drive cow performance A report published by the University of Reading shows that earlier first services, more cows conceiving by 100 days post calving and lower somatic cell counts have all contributed to increased milk production and higher lifetime productivity during the past five years.

The annual Key Performance Indicator (KPI) report for Holstein Friesian herds is based on an analysis of data from a representative sample of 500 NMR recording herds.

“There has been encouraging improvement in nearly all parameters during the past five years, particularly those relating to fertility and somatic cell counts,” says the report’s author James Hanks.

Data from the study are used directly by NMR’s InterHerd+ dairy management programme, enabling producers, as well as their vets and advisers, to benchmark individual herd performance for 32 parameters against that of the 500 study herds. “It highlights the strengths and weaknesses and helps direct management discussions as well as sets realistic targets for the herd,” adds Dr Hanks.

Comparing performance of the median (middle) herds in 2010 and 2014, the calving-to-firstservice interval has improved by

Anna leads line up

19 days from 105 days to 86 days and 5% more cows are pregnant by 100 days after calving. Better heat detection and serving cows earlier has helped to reduce the median calving interval by 13 days to 398 days.

“The median milk yield per cow per year has also improved by around 600kg which, in part, reflects the improved fertility performance as cows are spending more time in the higher yielding early lactation,” adds Dr Hanks.

Equally significant improvements have been seen in udder health with the median herd somatic cell count falling by 21,000 cells/ml in five years. “Half of milk recording herds now have a cell count below 189,000 cells/ml, with 25% of herds achieving a herd SCC under 151,000 cells/ml.”

Dr Hanks also highlights the improvements in the management of high cell count cows categorised as chronic, where two or more consecutive recordings are above 200,000 cells/ml. “In 2010, 40% of herds in the sample had 15% or more chronic cows – this figure is now down to 21% of herds. It appears that producers are managing udder health more efficiently and not tolerating so many persistent high-cell-count cows.”

The report can be downloaded from www.nmr.co.uk/kpi_study_2014/

R & K Capsey’s Anna 34 from Dorking, Surrey, has the top Lifetime Daily Yield (LDY) of milk among cows breaking the 100-tonnes barrier for milk production in their lifetime during November 2014. Anna has yielded 106,064kg of milk in seven lactations and has a LDY of 28.44kg/day.

In second place is Cow 552 from the Gasson’s herd, based at Hook Norton near Banbury in Oxon, with 110,404kg of milk in eight lactations and a LDY of 27.17kg/day.

In third place is 15 Pericles Georgie from Rex Patterson Farms, based at Sutton Scotney near Winchester in Hampshire, who has yielded 100,454kg of milk in eight lactations and has a LDY of 26.97kg/day.

A full list of NMR’s 100-tonne cows is on the website at www.nmr.co.uk

New field manager in Somerset Ali Goodland has stepped up to the role of NMR area field manager in Somerset after seven years as a milk recorder in the area.

From a dairy farming family, based near Bruton in Somerset, Ali has worked as an AI trainer and with Shepton Vets where she was responsible for data input and report production for the NMR InterHerd programme.

Ali Goodland For more information on NMR products and services contact customer services, 0844 7255567, NMR web address: www.nmr.co.uk, NMR email address: customerservices@nmr.co.uk COW MAN AG E ME NT

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H E A LT H

A healthy calf, or no calf – it’s the little things that make the difference

It’s time to pick up the pieces When a herd’s fertility profile starts to slip, where do producers start in order to manage the situation? Reproductive issues can be both physiological and nutritionally related, so we found a vet and a nutritionist willing to take a fresh approach to fertility. text Allison Matthews

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hen the 40-litre in-calf cow or heifer is approaching peak lactation she cannot ingest enough food to provide the 300MJ of energy required to satisfy daily requirements.

In a year of variable silage Thompsons’ dairy nutritionist Mary-Jane Robinson points out that many feed plans will need to factor in an extra two or three kilogrammes of concentrate, just to meet maintenance levels. But on units where the energy gap is not being filled, fertility performance is the most prominent casualty.

“Research suggests that for each delay in conception beyond 85 days a cost has been calculated at up to £4 per day, depending on the extent of the delay and milk yield. The economic costs associated with an extended calving interval include lower milk yields, fewer calves, an increase in the number of services and higher vet costs,” she says.

Step one “Research has shown how prolonged negative energy balance and low blood glucose lead to reduced levels of key hormones, such as IGF-1 and insulin,” says the Jubilee Veterinary Clinics’ vet Gareth Bell. “In turn, the hormones – such as luteinising hormone that drive the cow’s return to cycling – take longer to re-establish and cows either fail to grow follicles of sufficient size or a large follicle persists as the notorious cyst.

“Other cows living ‘on the edge’ have abnormal corpus luteum on the ovary,

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which produce insufficient progesterone to support healthy embryos or don’t disappear at the normal time even when the cow isn’t pregnant. This is one reason for the false results that sometimes occur with early milk pregnancy tests,” he explains.

While these events are taking place, the producer is admiring his newly born healthy calf and making plans for how to return its mother into a profitable and productive member of the team.

Taking a practical perspective, Mr Bell says that producers will notice cows failing to show heat and poor conception rates will become apparent.

“But one of the earliest signs of energy stress can be an increase in the numbers of cows needing treatment for womb infections, such as endometritis. Womb health in first-lactation heifers from 14 days post-calving can be a particularly useful early-warning measure of how the whole herd is going to perform.

“Monitoring cow faeces, milk quality records and building condition scoring into the regular fertility visits are cheap but effective methods of spotting nutritional problems early.”

Fine line Miss Robinson is aware that the signs outlined by Mr Bell are the reasons behind phone calls from worried producers, and attributes a lot of it to the feeding of wet first-cut silage, which has low metabolisable energy levels.

“Analysing silage is the first management step followed by feeding cows

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New-born calf: successful calving is just part of a bigger picture

Mary-Jane Robinson: “First step is to analyse silage”

Gareth Bell: “Womb health issues provide an early warning”

accordingly. The wetter first cuts are making dry matter intakes difficult to achieve, which is resulting in a prolonged negative energy balance in the early lactation cow.

“It is important that producers acknowledge that feed plans designed this time in 2013 will not satisfy the energy needed this year to bridge the gap of poorer silage and if this is not managed then body condition score will suffer, exacerbating the problems post calving.”

Body condition score of the cow at calving should ideally be 2.75-3.25 with the aim of losing no more than 0.5 a condition score by service.

On the flip side those that are excessively fat generally struggle with appetite resulting in excessive body fat mobilisation, which can lead to ketosis or fatty liver syndrome. Research has shown that excessively fat cows at drying off are more than twice as likely to develop a reproductive disorder after calving.

reducing milk production, can lead to cows not bulling and oversupplying can lead to early embryonic death of the foetus.

“Typically a 30-litre cow would be balanced for 17% crude protein in the overall diet, however where body condition is light it is advisable to lower protein levels to help reduce the mobilisation of body fat.

“Excess protein will exacerbate energy deficits as it requires additional energy to utilise it. Forage mineral analysis can also identify an area that needs to be addressed, particularly when soil contamination is higher, as is the case with the current silage.”

Glucogenic diet “Energy balance is pivotal not only in terms of energy density supplied but also, ultimately, a glucogenic diet.

Energy as starch in the diet drives glucose and this ultimately impacts on fertility,” Miss Robinson says.

During a period of NEB, the blood concentrations of non-esterfied fatty acids (NEFAs) increase. Balancing silage that is typically wetter combined with higher acid loading properties is a challenge to ensure sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) or other issues such as left displaced abomasums (LDAs) are avoided.

Miss Robinson explains how the avoidance of metabolic disorders is all part of managing the transition diet.

“Overall protein in the diet can have an impact on fertility performance. The undersupply of protein, in addition to

Take control “Macro minerals can become ‘locked up’ making them unavailable in the diet, and ultimately affecting the success of a herd’s fertility,” adds Miss Robinson.

In order to take control of the situation Mr Bell recommends other measures, such as fat to protein ratios and milk urea, to assess how a diet is performing.

“These options are readily available to milk-recording herds, but from a vet perspective there is great value in a properly formulated metabolic blood profile as provided by some University Vet Schools, particularly when combined with a full history of the diet, condition score and calving date.”

Producers may be surprised to find that it is the 5% gained here and the half condition score there, as well as the greater attention to technique that together pay a big dividend.

By taking the lead from the topperforming herds in the UK, producers will find that level of attention to detail.

The key to success lies in finding out which two, or even three, constraints are most important for your herd and then addressing these, in turn, and measuring the response. l

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B R E E D I N G

CRV indexes point the way to an efficient and trouble-free herd

Breed for financial ease The priority for father-and-son partnership Harrie and Hans Janssen, from Groesbeek in the Netherlands, is to increase herd and business efficiency. And CRV’s breeding indicators – Better Life Efficiency and Better Life Health – will help them to build a herd that supports this strategy. text Wichert Koopman

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sked about their favourite cow in the herd, Harrie Janssen and his son Hans point to Waldgraaf Gerda 183, but she’s a cow who doesn’t immediately stand out. She is not excessively large but is correctly built. She scored 85 points for type as a heifer, thanks to faultless linear traits. She calved easily for the first time before her second birthday and always had a calving interval of a year in subsequent lactations. Her 305-day lactation yields show an increase from

Harrie Janssen (left) and CRV’s René van der Linde identify the ‘trouble-free’ cows in the Janssen’s herd

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8,000kg of milk as a heifer to 10,000kg as a second-calver, and nearly 11,000kg in her third lactation, with a protein content averaging 3.72%. Her somatic cell count has never been more than 100,000 cells/ ml and she has had no udder infections or hoof problems.

She is, in essence, ‘trouble free’ and easy to manage and cows like Gerda 183 are the type of animal the Janssens will need to breed from now on.

Based at Waldgraaf Farm, in Groesbeek, the Janssen’s 110-cow herd is milked through two robots and produces more than a million litres of milk each year.

The pair built a new cow house six years ago and installed a second robot. “Two years later we were already producing an extra 250,000 litres of milk and in 2013 we bought another nine hectares of land.

So our current priority is to reduce our financing costs,” explains Hans. Key to this is breeding – and milking – troublefree cows.

Invaluable indexes And key to breeding these cows is the use of CRV’s two indexes: Better Life Efficiency and Better Life Health. The first index can be used to breed for a herd that processes the available feed on a farm more efficiently. This means that throughout the life of a cow – including the rearing period – a higher percentage of the energy in the feed she eats is converted into kilogrammes of fat, protein and lactose. Better Life Efficiency incorporates the following breeding values: milk yield, persistency, late maturity, longevity, calving interval and body weight. Selecting for efficiency will result in a herd with higher yields and longevity at a lower weight. The index is expressed as a percentage, with the top animals scoring more than 10%, and CRV expects breeding for efficiency to produce a 10% increase in feed efficiency over a few generations.

The second breeding indicator, Better Life Health, was developed to make it easier for producers to breed for a trouble-free herd. Many different breeding values are calculated for health traits and Better Life Health sums them up in a single figure.

This index is based on the breeding values of udder health, hoof health, calving ease, maternal calving ease, calf vitality and daughter fertility. No weighting is applied to the different breeding values.

A cow with an udder infection is just as irritating and costly for the producer as a difficult calving, so the reasoning goes. Here too, the top animals score

Efficient milkers: indexes aid selection for good production, health and fertility

around 10%. A bull that scores +10 for this indicator will pass on 10% fewer health problems to its progeny. This means that, if the bull is mated with an average cow, 5% fewer problems can be expected in his daughters.

Using these indexes is allowing the Janssens to optimise their breeding strategy to maximise herd efficiency and allow them to consolidate their business.

Hans, who finds it interesting to collect figures, says one of the key aims is for the herd to convert as much of the unit’s home-grown forage into milk as possible.

Hans already carries out feed efficiency calculations regularly during the winter, when the animals are housed, and he now has a good idea of how to control it using management.

A short calving interval, an even calving pattern and a high average age help to improve feed utilisation. In addition, Hans is convinced that there are differences between individual cows.

His instinct tells him that small, highyielding cows will be more efficient than large, low-yielding animals.

Producer support “We developed the breeding indicator Better Life Efficiency to support producers like the Janssens, whose aims and objectives mirror producers across the world,” says CRV’s René van der Linde.

“Every producer feels that body weight and yield, in terms of kilogrammes of fat and protein, say something about the cow’s efficiency. However, longevity is important as well.

“During the heifer rearing period, the animal does nothing but eat and the longer she keeps producing milk the more litres there are to offset this ‘loss’ or cost. And calving interval also has an influence. The shorter the lactation, the fewer fluctuations there are in body condition, the higher the average daily yield and the more efficient the conversion of feed into milk.”

Hans is happy that he’s using the indexes as a breeding tool. The good figures for bulls such as Kian (+6) and Paramount (+7) confirm his assumptions about the efficiency of their daughters in his herd.

So he always takes Better Life Efficiency into account when selecting sires.

Cow fertility Harrie and Hans agree that improving herd and business efficiency also includes improving cow health and fertility. But things do not always run smoothly in this respect, as the Janssens know. They had to contend with poor udder health for a few years and were not happy with their cows’ fertility either. The calving interval was respectable, at 400 days, but it took an average of 2.2 inseminations to get cows back in calf.

On top of this, some animals were culled due to failure to conceive. The pair say that a lot can be improved with better management, but breeding can also make a significant contribution, particularly if they are able to rule out bulls with extreme negative scores.

“A problem-free herd is what every producer wants to milk,” adds René.

“With the new breeding indicator Better Life Health, it is easy for producers to make progress in this trait. The index incorporates the breeding values of udder health, hoof health, calving ease, maternal calving process, viability and daughter fertility. Over time, breeding for health results in a herd with fewer problems,” he says.

Although the heritability of many of the traits is low, Harrie and Hans Janssen do see a picture emerging. For example, they point out the poor fertility of their Kian and Fidelity daughters – both score –2 for Better Life Health – while daughters of Linfield, with a score of +7, stand out as they have few fertility issues. And with Delta Onedin (+4) as a sire, the quality of herd favourite Gerda 183 is no fluke either. l

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C O N TA C T S

SHOWS AND EVENTS February 11: February 26: March 7: March 31-April 1: May 6: May 7: May 13-15: May 27-30: June 4-6: July 8-9: July 14-16: July 20-23: September 16: October 7:

Winter feeding: heifers anticipate the arrival of their TMR ration Picture: Mark Pasveer

Outlook Conference 2015, One Great George Street, London Maize conference 2015, Peterborough Arena, East of England Showground, Peterborough Borderway UK Dairy Expo, Carlisle Dairy Calf and Heifer Association annual conference, Middleton, Wisconsin (United States) NMR/RABDF Gold Cup Farm Walk, Michael Eavis, Glastonbury, Somerset Grassland UK, Shepton Mallet, Somerset Balmoral Show, Balmoral Park, Lisburn Royal Bath & West Show, Shepton Mallet, Somerset Royal Cornwall Show, Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge, Cornwall Livestock Event, NEC, Birmingham Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate, North Yorkshire Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells, Powys UK Dairy Day, Telford International Centre, Shropshire The Dairy Show, Shepton Mallet, Somerset

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G r a s slan d sp ecial March (March 3) – We’ll have our annual grassland special, to help prepare for grazing and silaging. And we will also feature our regular vet column and more on Johne’s disease.

Illustrations/pictures

Photographs by Veeteelt Photography, Sian Evans (8), Mike Norton (10-11), Kristina Waterschoot (28-29), Eveline van Elk (36) and Els Korsten (37).

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CRV AVONCROFT

YOUR PARTNER FOR EFFICIENT HOLSTEIN COWS

COOKIECUTTER MOM HUNTER (Oman Oman x Shottle)

• EFFICIENCY: +8% • PERSISTENT PRODUCERS: + 274KG MILK, +9.0KG FAT, +14.2KG PROTEIN • TALL FRAMEY COWS WITH BEAUTIFUL UDDERS • PLI £336 Hedra Marie 6 (s. Hunter)

DELTA G-FORCE

(Oman Oman x Jordan)

• EFFICIENCY: +12% • HIGH VOLUME AND COMPONENTS: + 352KG MILK, +19.7KG FAT, +19.9KG PROTEIN • OUTSTANDING CALVING EASE Corrie 72 • PLI £444 (s. G-Force)

DELTA ENIGMA (Bertil x O-Man)

Mijntje 81 (s. Enigma)

• EFFICIENCY: +6% • POWERFUL PRODUCTION COWS: + 476KG MILK, +18.8KG FAT, +21.1KG PROTEIN • EASY TO MANAGE COWS WITH WIDE RUMPS • PLI £320

G-Force, Enigma and Hunter: top bulls for efficiency

One of the most important issues for modern breeding is efficiency. CRV’s Better Life Efficiency indicates the extent to which a bull contributes to more efficient milk production. The more energy is converted into milk, the better it is for efficiency. As a general rule, productivity combined with longevity leads to high efficiency. And what do we see? G-Force (+12%), Enigma (+6%) and Hunter (+8%) score extremely well for efficiency: an efficient milk production, attractive conformation and high longevity. A superb combination resulting in an impressive lifetime production.

ALL SALES INQUIRIES: FREEPHONE 0800 – 783 1880

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WINTER IS HERE, AND SO IS...

SC O UR BOOST

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‘Use Medicines Responsibly’.

Please see: www.noah.co.uk/responsible for more information.

Rotavec™ Corona contains inactivated Rotavirus and Coronavirus and E. coli K99 antigens.

Legal category: POM-VPS Withdrawal period: Zero days.

Rotavec Corona is available from your veterinary advisor from whom advice should be sought. For information regarding side effects, precautions, warnings and contra-indications please refer to the datasheet at www.noahcompendium.co.uk.

Rotavec™ Corona is the property of Intervet International B.V. or affiliated companies or licensors and is protected by copyrights, trademark and other intellectual property laws.

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Further information is available from MSD Animal Health, Walton Manor, Walton, Milton Keynes MK7 7AJ. Tel: 01908 685685 Fax: 01908 685555 E: vet-support.uk@merck.com Internet: www.msd-animal-health.co.uk 77416

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