Dairy Grist - Fall 2021

Dairy Grist

A PERIODIC NEWSLETTER PRODUCED

BY GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS VOLUME 23, ISSUE 3 | FALL 2021

Dear Friends, As we look across our country and around the world, we are all feeling quite blessed by the wonderful weather and moisture levels that we have experienced in Ontario this growing season. Starting with a dry, early Spring allowing for early planting and then frequent and timely rains in most areas of the province, crops and forages are looking bountiful and of good quality as we head into the harvest season. Jeff Keunen’s article on “Making High Quality Corn Silage” provides good tips and reminders to maximize the quality of the upcoming corn harvest, paying big dividends throughout the entire year in your dairy operation. Also, in this edition of the Dairy Grist, we are excited to introduce Tom Bowman and Logan Vroegh, two new University of Guelph graduates that have recently joined our Grand Valley Fortifiers Ruminant Specialist team. We are also very pleased to announce and promote the Outdoor Dairy Days, presented

by Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show on September 21-22nd 2021. We look forward to meeting many of our customers and industry friends face to face again at this outdoor event after so many months of meeting and event restrictions due to COVID. Please take the time to join us in Woodstock, grab a coffee at our booth and visit with us. We have missed seeing you! Sincerely, Ian Ross, President & CEO

ARE YOU READY TO MAKE HIGH QUALITY CORN SILAGE?

by: JEFF KEUNEN Ruminant Nutritionist, Grand Valley Fortifiers, Nutrition Direct

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ood spring planting conditions and plenty of early season heat have helped corn plants grow well across many parts of the province. Most fields of corn were tasseled in mid-late July and thus harvest for corn silage will be underway earlier this year than traditional years. If you mark your calendars on the day your fields tassel, counting forward 40-45 days will give you a good estimate of when silage corn should be close to ½ milk line and very close to harvest ready.

Following these well-known and research proven harvest management tips will help you ensure a high quality corn silage that will improve milk yield and reduce purchased feed costs for years to come.

per day in typical weather, but up to 1% per day in hot and dry weather.

For optimum yield, starch (energy) content and silage fermentation, the goal for corn silage harvest is 35 – 40% dry matter for tower silos and 33 – 38% dry matter for bunk silos and bags. Chopping silage too wet will result in lower yield and lower starch content so that both milk per acre and milk per tonne of silage are reduced. Very wet corn silage may also have fermentation and feed out challenges. On the other hand, harvesting silage too dry will contribute to difficulty in packing, chopping and silage fermentation. It will also reduce digestibility of starch resulting in more corn in the manure and potentially feeding more grain in the ration to boost energy levels.

Chop Length and Processing

The harvest window for maximum corn silage quality and yield is quite small and may be earlier than normal for many this year, so be sure that you are ready when the corn is ready for optimum harvest. If you do your own chopping, make sure that your equipment is all serviced and ready to go. If you rely on a custom operator, be sure to keep them informed as your corn matures and the estimated date that you will need to have it chopped. In all cases make sure that your silo(s) are ready to go and needed maintenance is completed.

Chop length should be ½ inch to ¾ inch (12-18 mm) depending on processing and moisture level. Chopping short will reduce sorting at the feed bunk, increases packing density at ensiling, and helps improve intakes. Corn silage should be processed, however, lab samples and visual observations on farms show that most silage is not processed well enough. It is critical that almost all the kernels are crushed, just as it is for HM corn. This is especially true when silage is chopped above 33 – 35% dry matter. A very simple and effective test at harvest to see if corn silage is processed properly is to scoop silage into a 32 oz cup and then spread it out; if you see more than 1 or 2 half or whole kernels then processing can be improved. Discuss with the operator ways to tighten the roller or slow the harvest speed to improve processing. Excellent processing on corn silage ensures that the starch in the silage is well digested and improves milk yield per tonne of silage.

When to Chop

Use a Silage Inoculant

Corn should be harvested between ½ - ¾ kernel milk-line, but there is large variation in the relationship between kernel milk-line and whole plant moisture. Therefore, it is very helpful to chop approximately 10 whole plants (representative sample from the field) and determine the moisture as harvest time approaches. Once you know the current whole plant moisture content, expect the corn to dry down an average of 0.5%

Many silage inoculants are available to speed-up fermentation at harvest and/or improve stability and quality of silage at feeding. Dairy producers should strongly consider using one to improve silage quality and reduce losses of dry matter and other nutrients. Since corn silage tends to spoil and heat at time of feeding, Buchneri products that are research proven to reduce this are recommended. It is best to use a product that

Get Ready to Go

GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS PO Box 726 Cambridge ON N1R 5W6 1-800-567-4400 grandvalley.com

Ian Ross, President & CEO | David Ross, VP & CMO Mark Bowman | Jeff Keunen | Josh Devos | Kathleen Shore, Ruminant Nutritionists Michael Peckover, Publisher

Filling, Packing and Covering All types of silos should be filled rapidly to exclude oxygen and begin fermentation. Silage in bunker silos must be packed and covered properly to drive out air and reduce dry matter loss and spoilage. Packing density should be at least 15 lbs of dry matter per cubic foot. The size and number of packing tractors must increase in proportion to the size of the silos and the speed of filling. Recommendations are that you need 800 lbs of packing tractor for every T/hr of silage coming to the bunk silo. That would be 80,000 lbs of tractor for 100 T/hr of silage. Cover bunker silos as soon as possible after filling and ensure that the plastic, whatever type is used, remains tight against the silage.

milk fat increases by 0.20 and milk protein increases by 0.12 units. That is not to say only a few diet changes will bring that increase in de novo because genetics will play a role. However, cows that are not meeting genetic potential will send red flags through their milk fatty acid profile.

Figure 1: Fatty acid groups, reasons for high or low content in milk test. (source: Lactanet)

C4:0 C6:0 C8:0 C10:0

In Summary

FATTY ACIDS: TOOLS FOR ON-FARM TROUBLESHOOTING

by: KATHLEEN SHORE Ruminant Nutritionist, Grand Valley Fortifiers, Nutrition Direct

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esearch out of Cornell has highlighted that the milk fatty acid profile in cow’s milk can help nutritionists evaluate rumen health and fermentability of the diet provided. There are many behavioural and environmental factors that also determine rumen health such as space to eat and access to fresh feed. Lactanet reports that barns in the 90th percentile for de novo fatty acid production are consistently doing the following: 1. More frequent feeding – 2x/day 2. More physically effective fiber in the diet - >21% 3. Lower dietary fat - <3.5% 4. 10x more likely to provide >18 inches of bunk space 5. 5x more likely to stock stalls <110% Benchmarks have been developed by Lactanet to represent Jersey and Holstein herds in Québec. At Grand Valley Fortifiers, we were interested to see what is typical in Ontario and Alberta herds and how our diet formulations were playing a role. We do know that for milk production, longer days bring lower components and higher volume while shorter days bring higher components, so measuring throughout the year enables averages to be established looking at healthy cows following natural rhythms of production.

Of the three groups of fat found in milk, de novo is the most critical to ensuring the cow’s rumen is working efficiently at producing volatile fatty acids – the backbone for 80% of the energy she needs to produce milk, milk components and maintain her own body/health status. The other two fat groups are mixed and preformed as outlined in Figure 1. These groups are also important to understand because they help tell a story of what is happening to the cow and how to affect dietary change toward improving herd performance and health. Research has consistently shown a clear relationship between de novo fatty acids and bulk tank fat and protein. Our data clearly shows that strong relationship as well (see Figure 2). A good rule of thumb is that for every tenth of a unit increase in de novo fatty acids,

C12:0 C14:0 C14:1

18-30%

Preformed C18:0 C18:1

C16:0 C16:1

35-40%

C18:2

30-45%

Figure 2: Relationship between de novo fatty acid level and components.

Butterfat, %

Don’t get caught off guard this year with the potential for a much earlier corn harvest than traditional years. Have a discussion with your feed advisor about forage stocks, corn silage inventory needs, storage facilities, corn silage quality over the past few years, and good corn silage harvesting practices. Remember that making excellent quality corn silage for a couple harvest days this fall will pay you back for the rest of the year. Improving your harvest management and ensuring excellent quality corn silage is available for your herd to consume will lower your purchased feed costs, improve your milk yield and improve your farm’s profitability. ■

Mixed

De novo

6.5 6 5.5 5 4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2

4.5 R² = 0.8616

True Protein, %

contains more than one bacteria strain, one for lactic acid production at the start of fermentation and a Buchneri strain to increase bunk life.

R² = 0.7645

4 3.5 3 2.5 2

0.25

0.75

1.25

1.75

0.25

0.75

1.25

1.75

de Novo fat, g/100 g

de Novo fat, g/100 g

The second group of fatty acids, mixed fatty acids, are also partially made in the rumen (approximately 50%); feeding palm fat is another way to boost this fat. However, too much palm fat and the rumen will slow down its own production of fatty acid. This is where we can see a quick rise in butterfat and a subsequent decline once we remove the palm fat from the diet.

The last group, preformed fatty acids, has little effect on milk components but still represents a source of energy in the diet. A major source of fat in this group would come from corn products (corn silage, distillers, corn gluten feed) as well as other silages and haylages in the diet. This group is a good indicator of dry matter intake; it can also tell us if cows are mobilizing fat (losing body condition).

Evaluating milk samples is a non-invasive way to look at a herd. It also enables dietary decisions to be made with strong data to support. This is clearly seen in herds where butterfat is lower than they would like, and the natural reaction is to push fiber. However, when milk samples come back, we may find that the preformed group is low telling us that diet energy is low. Is that because cows are consistently running out of feed or are the forages a bit lower in digestibility and so rumens are too full to encourage stronger intakes? As nutritionists, we always want to maximize on-farm forage inclusion in ruminant diets but to get the best performance out of our cows we need to meet her needs for lactation and that means forage that takes too long to break down will ultimately keep her from eating enough.

In collecting samples from many farms across both Ontario and Alberta we have been able to see some differences in averages not only in geographical areas (Table 1) but also in terms of type of barn (Table 2).

Both Tables sort for herds consistently over 4.0% in butterfat.

Table 1: Regional Fatty Acid Results for farms producing over 4.0% BF.

>4.0% BF

Fatty Acid Group

Eastern ON Central ON

SW ON

AB

De novo

1.144 ± 0.163

0.957 ± 0.079

0.997 ± 0.141

0.916 ± 0.059

Mixed

1.593 ± 0.214

1.374 ± 0.087

1.387 ± 0.213

1.374 ± 0.052

Preformed

1.669 ± 0.123

1.717 ± 0.160

1.575 ± 0.122

1.629 ± 0.123

Dairy Grist Table 2: Fatty Acid Results for farms with various barn designs producing over 4.0%BF.

>4.0% BF

Fatty Acid Group

Freestall

Robot

Tie Stall

Bedded Pack

De novo

0.977

1.038

1.039

0.914

Mixed

1.374

1.447

1.468

1.343

Preformed

1.619

1.649

1.612

1.547

Much of the success in producing a high level of de novo (thus higher components) is tied to the amount of forage that can be fed in the ration while still meeting energy needs; the amount of forage that a cow can consume will be tied to how digestible it is. When you look at herds producing over 40 kg versus those in the 30-35 or 36-40 kg this can be very challenging while still meeting the energy needs of the cow (Table 3). As much as we like to think we can manipulate biology with nutrition we do need to respect it, so we promote longevity in our herds and thus improved lifetime performance.

If housing is a challenge, speaking to your veterinarian about a protocol to help curb the incidence of disease is important.

Keeping calves’ environment dry is critical – closing up barns to ward off cold is not helpful if there is nowhere for the moisture to go except down to the calf and her bedding. She needs lots of bedding to nest comfortably and that bedding should always be dry. Providing lots of extra straw so that the calf’s knees are not visible when she is lying down will elevate her ambient temperature by 4⁰- 7⁰C. Blankets can help keep calves warm but be sure they are not sweating underneath. They should also be cleaned regularly.

Performing a knee test where you kneel into the bedding and come back up helps determine if bedding is adequate. Your knees should be dry! Using bedding treatments can help reduce the bacterial load but nothing overcomes wet environments except the labour required to make it dry.

Table 3: Fatty Acid Results for farms in different milk categories producing over 4.0% BF.

>4.0% BF

Fatty Acid Group

>40 KG

36-40 KG

30-35 KG

<30 KG

De novo

0.897 ± 0.052

0.925 ± 0.074

0.981 ± 0.064

1.159 ± 0.179

Mixed

1.235 ± 0.080

1.350 ± 0.094

1.370 ± 0.103

1.605 ± 0.244

Preformed

1.593 ± 0.097

1.693 ± 0.143

1.580 ± 0.134

1.652 ± 0.138

Table 4: Fatty Acid Results for herds experiencing Mild - Moderate Heat Stress vs None.

Fatty Acid Group

Heat Stress

No Heat Stress

De novo

0.816

1.021

Mixed

1.164

1.429

Preformed

1.446

1.623

Lastly, summer will always prove more challenging to convince cows that they should choose volume over butterfat! Keeping them cool (Table 4) and balancing for all three groups of fatty acids will certainly get a herd to yield higher components. It will also ensure that your herd stays healthy for longtime productivity.

Cutting edge research and novel milk analytical methods pertaining to milk fatty acid groups are paving the way for nutritionists and producers alike to dig deeper into where opportunities may be found to improve on-farm profitability and cow health. Nutrition Direct or your local GVF Dairy Specialist would be happy to help you determine these metrics on your own farm. ■

with RIENKE KALVERBOER Dairy Specialist, Grand Valley Fortifiers and KATHLEEN SHORE Ruminant Nutritionist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

KEEPING CALVES HEALTHY THROUGHOUT THE FALL Autumn in Canada can be unpredictable at best and very regional in terms of temperature and precipitation. Calves struggle through the ups and downs absorbing any moisture through their lungs and creating opportunity for immune events in the form of scours or pneumonia. It can be a battle to keep them healthy; moreover, even if you get them through it, they are often the weakest heifers when they join the milking herd.

Keep feeding adequate amounts of milk. A strong feeding program for calves is minimum 6 Liters (5 liters for smaller breeds like Jerseys). This should be spread over multiple meals – ideally 3 but at least 2 per day. Increase this gradually over the next couple of weeks. In cooler temperatures (<15°C for calves under 3 weeks and <10°C for calves older than 3 weeks) calves need an extra 10 percent to maintain the same rate of gain. This can be done by feeding one extra liter of milk or milk replacer daily with the same concentration.

Underfeeding energy can make the calf more susceptible to disease. Provide the correct temperature for the milk, mix milk powder at 45-55°C, then feed the milk at a temperature of 39-40°C. If the calf must expend energy to warm the milk or milk replacer up after drinking that is energy taken away from growth.

The same goes for water, offering electrolytes or water at body temperature keeps calves well hydrated and works toward improved rumen development.

Calf starter should always be offered, as much as calves will eat in those early days and week, but it should also be fed fresh daily. Calves will always choose milk over calf starter, so it is not a concern if they eat little starter on higher milk feeding programs. Building strong, lean dairy calves and optimizing her genetic potential is best done by feeding adequate levels of milk. Calf starter is still important to a calf’s development and is an important component of weaning. Some feeds with higher levels of molasses are more prone to having frozen chunks in cold weather. It does not mean the feed is bad, it just needs to be kept in a dry environment that does not freeze.

The bottom line for getting through Fall weather with healthy calves is keep them dry, warm, and well fed. ■

INTRODUCING: LOGAN VROEGH Dairy Specialist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

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ogan Vroegh has been added to our team of Dairy Specialists within Grand Valley Fortifiers. Logan, from Sunny Point Farms in Nova Scotia, joins our team in both a sales role as well as supporting our team in analyzing data for on farm benchmarking.

grandvalley.com

With excellent knowledge in data analysis and defining key performance indicators (KPI’s) on farm, Logan is designing programs that will make use of the many data sets used today. Logan will support our team of Dairy Specialists and their clients by defining KPI’s that can be improved upon.

Along with capturing on farm data and analyzing it, Logan will be busy in sales as a Dairy Specialist in western Ontario. With Logan’s experience and keen understanding of the many aspects that makes a dairy farm tick, Logan is available to producers across western Ontario in a sales and service role.

We are keenly aware of the importance in helping producers identify and improve their operation and with that we are excited to have Logan leading these programs. Welcome to GVF, Logan. ■

time you do this exercise to see if your operation is improving or if there is opportunity for your operation to find realize more potential profitability.

Every year there are more KPI’s on dairy farms to evaluate, though it may seem daunting and administrative, understanding and tracking these KPI’s will help improve farm profitability and track continuous improvement over time. If you’d like help reviewing your farm’s KPIs contact your GVF Dairy Specialist or reach out to me directly. ■

INTRODUCING: TOM BOWMAN Dairy & Beef Specialist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

with LOGAN VROEGH Dairy Specialist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

Q

What are the 3 best Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) to analyze monthly on a farm?

Dairy producers have more data available at their fingertips than ever before, from the latest political stories in Ottawa to the fall future prices of corn.

This large influx of data can cause information overload, stress, and confusion. To help with this we as an industry have developed key performance indicators (KPI’s) to help condense and summarize data. Here are three that should be evaluated monthly to help maximize current profitability and ensure future success; Peak Milk, 21-day Pregnancy Rate and Feed Costs.

Peak Milk is the highest recorded milk production in a cow’s lactation, though most cows will achieve peak milk by 45 to 90 days in milk. Multiple studies have shown that if peak milk increases by 1 kg of production the overall milk production during the lactation will increase by 200-250 kgs.

Peak milk is an indication of how well cows transition from the dry period to the freshening period. There are many factors that influence peak milk including cow comfort, optimizing dry matter intake (DMI) through the transition period, body condition score during the dry period and lactation number. Multi-parous cows should peak higher in milk than fresh first lactation heifers – that difference helps identify issues within a group of cows.

Monitoring monthly peak milk will indicate if issues are arising through the transition period and we may be able to stop a downward trend quickly.

21-day Pregnancy Rate should be evaluated monthly, as this metric has a direct effect on the profitability of the dairy operation. The 21-day pregnancy rate is the number of cows eligible to become inseminated and have been confirmed pregnant. Essentially what 21-day pregnancy rate shows is how efficient a farm is at finding eligible cows to inseminate and how many of them are pregnant from that insemination. Expressed as a percent, the industry average is 14-15%, however producers doing an excellent job can exceed a 30% 21-day pregnancy rate. Even-though there is a diminishing law of economic returns by increasing 21-day pregnancy rate, the industry benchmark for increasing by one percent is $10 to $20+ per cow per year in profitability.

Ensuring a good 21-day pregnancy rate (20% minimum) will keep a steady flow of cows calving each month and allow producers to maintain a steady level of milk production and prevent days in milk from becoming too high.

Feed Costs are a major cost for any dairy operation. There are several different metrics that measure the feed cost on any dairy operation such as cost per liter, cost per cow per day, cost per kilogram of butterfat shipped, income over feed cost, etc. All feed cost metrics have positives and negatives, however, using these KPI’s several times a year and identifying purchased vs home-grown feed costs will help producers identify the impact of forage quality, recognize the trends of commodity prices, and perhaps realize some opportunity buys throughout the year. Be sure to use the same metric each

G

rand Valley Fortifiers is pleased to share that Tom Bowman, a recent University of Guelph graduate from Thornloe, Ontario has been hired as a Livestock Specialist.

Tom was born and raised on a progressive cow calf operation and brings his passion and knowledge of the livestock industry to GVF and we are thrilled to have him as part of our growing team. From nutritional products to on farm diagnostics and problem solving, Tom will use his practical knowledge and scientific understanding to help producers improve their operations.

Tom is available in to producers in the Temiskaming region for sales, service and support. In addition to supporting dairy and beef in the north, Tom will be supporting GVF beef programs and events across the province.

With passion and enthusiasm for agriculture especially dairy and beef production, Tom will be able to provide you with on farm solutions to satisfy you and your herd’s needs. Join us in welcoming Tom to the GVF team. ■

Visit with us at…

…on Middle Machinery Mall & 9th Lane

Thought for the Day

Watch out for Bitterness “…looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;”

Hebrews 12:15 NKJV Bitterness is easy to justify, and it has a tenacious way of taking root deep within the soul and resisting all efforts to weed it out. You can get so used to a bitter heart that you are even comfortable with it, but watch out, it will destroy you. When you allow bitterness to grow in your life, you reject the grace of God that can free you. Bitterness enslaves you, but God is prepared to remove your bitterness and replace it with His peace and joy.

- Adapted from Experiencing God by Henry & Richard Blackaby