Eastern Dairy Grist - Winter 2023

Grand Valley Fortifiers Ltd. PO Box 726, Cambridge ON, N1R 5W6

1006704

Dairy Grist

CENTRAL & ATLANTIC EDITION A PERIODIC NEWSLETTER PRODUCED

BY GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS VOLUME 25, ISSUE 3 | WINTER 2023

Dear Milk Producing Friends, After a generally wet mid summer and fall, we have been pleased to witness an abundant harvest for forages, grains and oil seeds across most of this province. With persistently high protein (soy) costs, and significantly increased interest rates, maximizing the use of forages in the diets, as well as home-grown and/or alternative protein sources will certainly impact bottom lines on dairies this year.

Unfortunately, although corn crops have been high yielding, corn silage sample data this fall is showing an average of almost 4 ppm of DON and presence in 98% of the samples. Our Nutritionists and Dairy Specialists are ready to assist as producers navigate the economics, the quality and the performance of their rations as we soon head into 2024. I hope that you find the articles authored by Sarah Robson, Kathleen Shore and Henry Verhoog on this important subject informative and helpful. It has been wonderful see our dairy focused team continue to expand, in order to serve our dairy customers better, with the addition of Clay McWilliams, a recent MSc. graduate from University of Guelph, along with JP Thibault our new Business Development Manager for Direct Source Commodities, who also happens to be a Dairy Nutritionist.

As we will soon all celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and enter the new year in 2024, I and the entire Grand Valley Fortifiers team want to wish you and your family a very blessed Christmas and much health, happiness and success in 2024.

Thank you for the privilege of working with you in your dairy operations.

Sincerely, Ian Ross, President & CEO, GVF group of companies

FACTORS AFFECTING COLOSTRUM YIELD

by: JEFF KEUNEN M.Sc., Ruminant Production & Robot Improvement Specialist

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very year in late fall and through the winter months we inevitably hear from a handful of producers concerned with low colostrum yields on their most recent cows that have calved. Reasons for low colostrum yields in cows has been poorly studied and on most farms the problem tends to resolve itself with some small tweaks to the dry cow ration. Recently, a study done by researchers at Cornell University in New York, attempted to summarize the environmental and nutritional factors that influence the quality and quantity of colostrum. We will summarize the key takeaways from that study below.

Monthly colostrum yields for the study are summarized in Figure 1. The median (range) colostrum yield was 4.1 (0.1-38.6) kg for primiparous and 5.0 kg (0.1-43.8) kg for multiparous cows. Average colostrum quality (Brix %) was 24.6 and 25.7 for primiparous and multiparous cows, respectively.

Fig 1. Monthly colostrum yield (kg) from 5,790 primiparous and 12,553 multiparous Holstein cows from 18 NY farms

When looking at the results of the study on an individual animal basis here are the factors that affect colostrum yield.

Brix %: Higher Brix % leads to a lower colostrum yield, suggesting a dilution effect as volume increases the amount of total IgGs stays the same, thus leading to a lower Brix % reading.

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Ian Ross, President & CEO | David Ross, VP & CMO Gennadii Bondarenko | Mark Bowman | Lisa McGregor | Sarah Robson | Ola Skoczylas, Ruminant Nutritionists

Calf Sex: Cows having females had lower colostrum volume than those with male calves, while cows having twin had the highest volume of colostrum.

Dry Period Length: Cows with shorter dry periods (<47 days (d)) had lowest amounts of colostrum, cows with more normal dry periods (47-67 d) were in the middle, while cows with longer dry periods (>67 d) had the highest yield.

Previous Lactation Milk Yield: Cows with more than 13,090 kg (305 ME) in the previous lactation had more colostrum at calving compared to those cows that were below this amount of milk.

Gestation Length: The shorter the gestation length the lower the colostrum yield, with cows carrying calf (283-293 d) giving more colostrum than cows with 274-282 d gestation length. Both groups yielded more than cows with a gestation length of less than 273 d.

Stillbirth: Cows with a calf born alive give more colostrum than cows with a stillborn calf.

Previous Lactation Length: Longer lactation length is associated with higher colostrum yields. Cows with a lactation longer than 344 d had higher amounts of colostrum than cows with a shorter lactation.

Parity: Cows in parity #2 had the highest volume of colostrum when compared to cows in 3+ parity. Of note, the volume of colostrum did link with Brix % (as mentioned above) with the lower colostrum levels having the higher Brix % across parities.

consumed and can impact a variety of aspects of animal health and production.

It is common for more than one type of mycotoxin to be present, which means there can be additional effects from all types present. Understanding the level of mycotoxins in your feeds will allow you to make nutrition and management decisions to try and avoid the detrimental impacts of mycotoxins on your dairy cows. *This is data based on 90 Samples taken by Grand Valley Fortifiers across 79 Farms as of November 15, 2023. The information from mycotoxin reports are on an 88% DM basis, however the cautionary levels are on an as fed basis.

2023 Summary of Mycotoxin Tests for Corn Silage in Ontario Cautionary Levels (ppm, as fed)

Average (ppm)

Standard Deviation

Maximum Levels (ppm)

Number of Samples Containing

% of Samples Containing

Deoxynivalenol (DON)

>1.0

3.92

5.4

27.3

88

98%

Zearalenone

>0.3

0.29

1.0

5.5

51

57%

T-2

>0.2

0.011

0.04

0.23

7

8%

Fumonosins

>1.5

0.006

0.04

0.18

3

3%

Mycotoxin

As indicated, DON is present in almost all the majority of corn silage samples this year, suggesting an elevated risk of mycotoxin issues in herds when feeding 2023 corn crops. However, as often is the case, this mycotoxin level seems to be county/location specific as seen in Figure 1, with certain locations being more at risk of issues than others. Additionally, these results suggest that the DON values in distillers is likely to be 10-12 ppm.

Impact of Mycotoxins in Cattle

Heat & Humidity Index (THI 7 d before calving): Cows that calved in periods of more cold weather (THI <40.2 & THI 40.3-50.1) had lower levels of colostrum than cows that calved in more moderate temperatures (THI 50.2-60.0 & THI 60.1-69.2). Cows that calved with a THI higher than 69.2 gave the most colostrum. This would confirm the bias that we see lower levels of colostrum in our colder months.

Light Intensity: Cows with greater light intensity in the last 14 days of the dry period had higher volumes of colostrum compared to those animals with lower levels.

There are pen level factors that also affect the amount of colostrum yield.

They are summarized below: Starch (% of DM): Diets with dietary starch levels in their close-up pens greater than 18.5% lead to cows giving more colostrum than diets lower in starch. peNDF (% of DM): Diets with more physically effective NDF (peNDF) >27.1% lead to cows giving more colostrum than those diets with lower levels of peNDF (<27.0%).

Crude Protein (% of DM): Diets that were below 13.5% or greater than 15.5% had lower levels of colostrum when compared to diets that were between 13.5-15.5%.

DCAD (mEq/100g): Negative DCAD diets are commonly fed to mitigate the risk of milk fever in our fresh cows. The goal for most negative DCAD diets is to achieve a dietary DCAD of -10. In this study, diets that were higher in DCAD (> -8.0) had the most colostrum compared to diets that had achieved a more negative balance (-8.0 - ≤-16.0).

BHB ≥1.2 mmol/L (%): the study looked at the percentage of fresh cows that had a BHB measure of ≥1.2 mmol at 3-14 days after calving. Herds with > 10% of cows with a BHB reading ≥1.2 mmol had higher colostrum yields than those herds with < 10% of cows measuring higher BHB levels.

As you can see, there are many factors that can influence the volume of colostrum in a given cow at a given time of year. Both colostrum yield and Brix % are associated with cow, farm management, nutritional and prepartum environmental factors. It is important to remember the volumes that are to be expected from your cows, as this study showed a median 4.0-5.0 kg on more than 18,000 cows. If you are experiencing a period of lower colostrum yields, assessing these nutritional and management factors on your farm, and making any necessary adjustments should help alleviate the issue. For assistance with this, reach out to a GVF Dairy Specialist and ask them for help setting up a plan to tackle this challenge.

SILAGE HARVEST TIMING: BE READY

by: SARAH ROBSON Ph.D. & KATHLEEN SHORE M.Sc., Ruminant Nutritionists

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ertain types of molds can produce what are referred to as mycotoxins.

Although mold naturally occurs when feed grows, adverse weather conditions can increase the amount of mold that grows and produces mycotoxins. These mycotoxins can be harmful to both monogastric and ruminant animals when

When present in large amounts, mycotoxins can cause acute health and milk production issues. However, chronic consumption of lower levels of mycotoxins can also eventually lead to health and production problems. The impact of mycotoxins on cattle is typically a result of inflammation in the body.

Cows are exposed to multiple stressors and sources of potential inflammation throughout their lactation.

Routine management procedures such as dry-off, calving, diet changes, pen moves, and vaccination can all be stressors that may increase inflammation. When a stressor is present, bacteria and mycotoxins can get across the protective barrier of the gut and enter the blood stream, triggering Fig 1. Corn Silage DON Results by County inflammation. When inflammation is present, the immune system becomes an expensive site of glucose consumption. The immune system uses the glucose to be able to fight off the source of inflammation and will do this at the expense of milk yield. With more glucose being used by the immune system, less is available for milk production and ultimately, the outcome is reduced milk yield. With inflammation present, feed intake, milk production, and reproductive performance are all negatively impacted. In the below table, you will find the symptoms commonly associated with certain mycotoxins.

Representative Symptoms of Mycotoxin Challenges in Dairy Cattle Symptom/Problem

Deoxynivalenol (DON)

Impaired Immune Function Reduced Feed Intake Loose, Inconsistent Manure

X

Lower Milk Production

X

Zearalenone

T-2/HT-2

Fumonisin

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Intestinal Hemmorages Reproductive Challenges: Short cycle heats, cystic cows, enlarged mammary glands in heifers Increased Disease Rates

X X

Liver Damage

X X

What to do when mycotoxins are present: Monitor mycotoxin levels over time • Levels can change depending on location and timing of harvest • Depending on storage environment, mycotoxin levels can increase • Ensure good representative samples taken for testing of mycotoxins Focus on clean and consistent feed delivery • Minimize other factors such as old, dirty feed being given to cows • Keep feed pushed up; avoid empty bunk syndrome, inflammation Dilution can be helpful • Dilute the contaminated feed stuff with clean feeds to keep the overall ration lower in mycotoxins

Dairy Grist • •

In some cases, fully remove the contaminated feed Throw away any visibly moldy feed as this is not suitable for milk cows, heifers, or dry cows

Consider a mycotoxin binder or adsorbent • Both clays and yeast cell wall products rely on binding to the mycotoxin structure and bind best with mycotoxins that have a polar structure, like aflatoxins.

• These products do not bind as well to DON and zearalenone. Clay binders will bind about 25% of DON in feed samples, while yeast cell wall products work better, but still bind less than 50% of toxins present • These binder products also can bind vitamins and medications in feed so caution should be used

Use a probiotic to support gut health • Some probiotics have been shown to transform families of mycotoxins to less harmful compounds or eliminate them completely by bio-transformation • Some probiotics provide beneficial bacteria, reduce gut inflammation • This offers protection to the gut by restoring tight junctions between gut cells and improving the gut’s ability to fight off inflammation • On farm commercial trials (3600 cows) evaluating data from DairyComp found using Assure® led to: • Improve milk production in Lactation 2+ cows by 1.1 kg/d (P=0.0001) • Improve pregnancy rate at 1st service by 29.3% (P=0.03) For further information, reach out to your GVF Dairy Specialist.

Final Thoughts • • • • •

This year’s results are showing that mycotoxin levels may be high in corn feeds, so testing for mycotoxins is recommended to understand what levels your feeds are at Implement feed management changes to minimize the levels of mycotoxins being fed in the ration Reduce other stressors through good feed management and animal care Consider adding in a mycotoxin binder or adsorbent depending on the types of mycotoxins you are dealing with Adding in a probiotic technology to support gut health can be an effective way to deal with mycotoxins in cattle. Grand Valley Fortifiers has access to an excellent probiotic technology so be sure to speak to your GVF Dairy Specialist for an assured solution.

GVF JOIN US IN WELCOMING OUR NEWEST DAIRY SPECIALIST! Grand Valley Fortifiers is excited to welcome Clayton (Clay) McWilliams to our GVF Ontario Dairy team. Clay joins our group as a Dairy Specialist after completing both his B.Sc. (Agr.) and his Master of Science from the University of Guelph, where he evaluated the effects of a specialty feed supplement on the performance and health of transition cows.

Clay is originally from the Ottawa area where he and his family run a well-known horse farm and where he has worked for local dairy producers throughout his high school and university days. Clay will be based out of SW Ontario area and will primarily be serving dairy producers in Perth, Huron and Lambton counties. With a passion for dairy production, helping producers achieve their goals, and bringing his knowledge and ideas to farm, we are confident Clay will be an asset to any dairy farm’s advisory team.

CLAY MCWILLIAMS Dairy Specialist

Clay can be reached at: claymcwilliams@grandvalley.com | 613-915-2328

CLAY MCWILLIAMS, M.Sc.

Dairy Specialist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

Supporting Early Lactation Cows by Supplementing Glycerol

T

ransition cow health and productivity has, and continues to be, a critical period for lactation performance. Optimizing cow productivity in early lactation can increase peak milk, improve lactation persistency, and reduce the risk of illness. The number one issue challenging early lactation cows is negative energy balance, which occurs when her energy demands exceed her energy intake. This is especially true for robot milked cows as they can be milked upwards of 4-6x per day, increasing her daily milk yield. Current strategies to reduce the impact of negative energy balance include: regular ketone testing, minimizing weight gain in the dry period, and increasing feed intake in early lactation. Producers have also found success in supplementing energy dense feed ingredients in early lactation.

Supplementing early lactation cows can be easily achieved in robot herds.

It is important to discuss with your GVF Dairy Specialist how to design your feed table to target key animals. Precision feeding strategies have been implemented with great success across North America, where the type and quantity of robot feed delivered can be tailored based on age, stage of lactation, and milk yield. Producers have seen increases in milk yield, more visits per day, and fewer fetch cows by changing their feed table design. By specifically targeting early lactation cows, some studies have shown decreases in ketosis prevalence. This is especially important for robot cows as it has been reported that they are more likely to develop ketosis than conventionally milked cows.

I recently completed a study as part of my Master’s thesis at the University of Guelph, analyzing over 400 cows on 5 commercial robot herds where we supplemented glycerol through the robot pellet from 1 to 21 DIM. This study ran from May 2022 to May 2023, where half the cows received glycerol and half the cows were on a control diet for the first 21 DIM. After 21 DIM all cows were fed the same robot pellet. From each cow, we measured their blood BHB levels, body condition, milking frequency, and milk yield up to 150 DIM. When looking at cows who were over-conditioned in the dry peFig 1. Percent of Cows with a High BHB Based riod, cows who did not receive on Pre-Partum Body Condition Score glycerol in the first 21 DIM were 3.5x more likely to have sub-clinical ketosis (Figure 1).

We also found that cows who received glycerol for the first 21 DIM maintained condition better up to lactation peak. This indicates that cows receiving glycerol had an improved energy balance in early lactation (Figure 2). We then analyzed milking frequency and milk yield in two separate periods, the

Fig 2. Body Condition Score of Trial Cows Across the First 63 Days in Milk

first was during glycerol supplementation (1 to 21 DIM) and the second was during the follow-up period (22 to 150 DIM). During the supplementation periods, cows receiving glycerol had 0.1 more milkings/d and produced 0.8 kg/d more milk than control cows. The improvement in milking behaviour and milk yield carried on into the follow-up period, where cows receiving glycerol had 0.1 more milkings/d and produced 1.5 kg/d more milk.

Overall, these results point to the benefits of glycerol supplementation in early lactation, which on robot herds can be achieved by manipulating feed tables to better support key stages of lactation. These results can be applied to all types of milking systems, as glycerol can be supplemented through a variety of dietary ingredients. To learn more about feeding glycerol and how it can fit into your current feeding program, please contact your Grand Valley Fortifiers Dairy Specialist or contact one of our nutritionists at Nutrition Direct.

grandvalley.com

with HENRY VERHOOG Dairy Specialist

Q

One thing that is certain, is that feed costs are still the number one cost of production on all our dairy farms, so if there ever was a time to go over various feeding options for your herd, this coming year will be the time. Our dairy team at GVF can help you run some feed cost scenarios on your ration or various options to help you make the appropriate decision for you herd.

I encourage all of you to look closely at some of these options to help produce the most profitable milk for your farm.

With the ongoing concern of higher interest rates, what affect will this have both directly and indirectly on the profitability of our dairy operation?

As with most outside factors that can affect farm profitability, higher interest rates will most definitely have a negative effect on monthly cash flows, especially right now as we come out of several years of extremely low interest rates. Unfortunately, throughout the fiscal year of 2023, we have seen the Bank of Canada continue to keep interest rates relatively high to try and slow down inflation. The long and short of this scenario is that if you are nearing retirement age, you may well once again be able to retrieve a very comfortable rate of return on your investments through very safe, high interest GICs, something we haven’t seen over the past 5 years. However, for the many dairy producers that I work with day to day that are carrying a lot of financial debt, the impact of the bank manager coming to renew a mortgage has a significant sticker affect!

It is a new reality to see a 1-year term interest rate move from 2.0% to 6.5%.

In very rough numbers this 4.5% difference in interest on a 1-million-dollar mortgage works out to approximately $4,500 extra interest payment per month. Thus, a very average dairy operation with 100 kgs quota and a modest debt level of $3 million dollars, will see their monthly payments jump about $13,500 per month. A huge impact on a farms bottom line! And unless you locked in your funds long-term, you will have no other choice than to cover these payments. When you compare this to a gross milk cheque of $65,000 this extra payment takes a sizable chunk out of your cash flow.

GVF OFFICIALLY WELCOMES JP THIBAULT TO THE DSC TEAM!

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et’s give a warm welcome to JP Thibault joining the GVF team as Business Development Manager of DSC. JP has extensive experience in the animal feed industry. Most recently he was Business Development Manager, Quebec, Ontario & Atlantic for Nutripartenaire (Nutrition Partners). He has owned his own Feed Dealership and has been a Technical Sales Representative with Jefo, a supplier of Grand Valley Fortifiers. His understanding of the feed and premix industry, experience in managing commodity risk and knowledge of many of our ingredients will be valuable in supporting our go forward strategy. JP will work closely with Steve McGuffin and Cheryl Andela to assist in day-to-day operations of DSC while developing the future of the business with Kevin Broadworth’s (COO) oversight. JP’s first year with DSC also provides the opportunity for him to slowly transition into the leadership role as a succession plan for Steve’s retirement in 2024.

Dear Friends

2 0 2 2

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What does all of this mean? Here are some key thoughts and strategies to use going forward to minimize this harsh reality.

A N of D decent quality forage.

For many in Ontario, there is an abundant supply N E W Y E A pricing R ’ S mechanism When we combine this abundance of forage with a milk that strongly favours high butterfat, I think S C this H Enext D year U LwillE be an interesting exercise for everyone to see how well our cows can milk on the homeThank you for your business in 2022. grown feeds you have stored. For some of you, the right formula to do this will be to milk less cows, feed cows well, fill quota, and sell off excess milk cows and heifers to a very hungry US market.

For another group of producers, the answer will be to feed a few more cows on home-grown feed that you have put up and not buy in as much expensive soymeal that you may normally have done. The challenge will be how low can we go on crude protein levels in the milk cow ration and still be satisfied with potentially a few less liters of milk with a high butterfat test. We may even get as low as 15% protein! One can also look at feeding a mix or blend of other protein sources, such as corn distillers grains or wet brewers grains (just watch those mycotoxin levels), or canola meal. All good alternatives when compared to high soymeal prices.

Another key strategy for some very keen producers is to take a good hard look at which cows are producing the most kgs of butterfat in the herd. Even though genetics have come a long way, some of our best producing Holstein herds have cows side by side in the herd that milk 50 plus liters at peak milk. One cow does it at 4.0% butterfat, and her herd mate does it at 3.5% butterfat with the same TMR being consumed at the feed bunk. Breeding for and keeping the ones that help fill quota more easily is a good strategy for both the short and longer term.

In my opinion, I don’t think that either one of these above strategies is significantly better than the other. The important part of this whole discussion is that each producer needs to find which strategy suits them best, and then execute that strategy well. Fortunately for all of us, we have a very good and stable milk price.

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Thought for the Day Let Earth Receive Her King “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (– spoken by the Angel to Mary in Luke 1: 32 – 33) Here Mary is told of the significance of the birth of her son that would be provided her, a virgin, through the coming upon her of the Holy Spirit.

For this reason the holy Child is called the Son of God. Nowhere else does the value of a baby’s birth, come with the value of his life!

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, how much value are you placing on Christ Jesus birth? Let us take time to remember and reflect on this significant event in history when Earth received her King and how this pivotal time, changed our future forever – “… and His kingdom will have no end.”