Dairy Grist - Spring 2020

Dairy Grist

A PERIODIC NEWSLETTER PRODUCED

BY GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS VOLUME 22, ISSUE 1 | SPRING 2020

Dear Friends, In many parts of Ontario, this winter has been one of much less snow and warmer temperatures than we’re used to. Talking with producers this month, many hope that we won’t end up paying for this easy winter, once the spring months arrive. Thus far 2020 has definitely been an unpredictable year with the challenges of COVID -19 now being felt around the world. We are grateful for the increase in incentive days and in spite of all the challenges we push on and work hard at the prospect of what the future may hold and reflect on the Lord’s goodness to us over the many years. This is especially real to all of us at Grand Valley Fortifiers this year as June 2020 will mark 60 years of us being in business. While it has not always been easy, it’s always been rewarding to work with whom I believe to the best part of our population, the farmers. We have enjoyed 60 years of business and relationships with many of you and for that we are extremely grateful. Our new 60th anniversary logo (displayed here) will begin popping up on all our communications shortly and I encourage you to stay tuned for a potential anniversary event later this year! Thank you to all of you who have made 60 years of GVF possible with your patronage.

Make sure to stop by our Grand Valley Fortifiers booth at the CDX on April 1st and 2nd. We look forward to visiting with many of you there.

Sincerely, Jim Ross, Founder & Chairman

WHAT IS HAPPENING WHEN COWS PRODUCE TOO LITTLE COLOSTRUM

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

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hen cows calving seem to have low levels of colostrum and butterfat and/or milk volume seems to be lower than we expect the first thing we look at is the feed. The ultimate question: is that the whole problem or just part of the solution?

Balancing a ration with on farm feeds isn’t difficult but depending on the quality of those on farm feeds, the outcome can be quite different.

Growing conditions, plant quality, harvest time and storage are all integral parts to turning corn silage, corn, haylages etc. into good quality feed for cows. The years where any of those conditions are challenged, feed quality is challenged. Spring/summer/fall 2019 were all very different seasons.

Did the right season even occur at the right time?! To that end, planting was delayed, growing days were reduced and harvest, well… harvest is still ongoing.

Corn silage is a staple in many dairy rations; we have come to rely on it as an excellent source of fibre, starch and fat. The fibre comes from the highly digestible plant material. The starch comes from the corn kernels and the oil comes from inside the corn kernel all lending itself to a high energy feedstuff often making up 50-70% of the forage content in the diet. Processing the plant helps ensure that the energy within the whole plant is ready for the cow to use efficiently – some trials reported increases of milk production by 1.7-2.5 lbs/cow/d (0.8-1.3 kg/cow/d) through

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

processing. Guidelines for processing as described by Mertens, 2005 encourages producers to ensure 90-95% of the corn is cracked with 70% smaller than ¼ of a kernel (crushing is not enough).

If the digestibility of the plant or the starch content is lower, then suddenly this high energy feed is not quite what we need it to be. One of the factors affecting digestibility is the dry matter content. Ideally, we would like to see 30-36% dry matter. Too low and we see low starch, high see page loss and poor fermentation. Too high dry matter content and we often see high starch, lower fibre and starch digestibility, and it is hard to pack. Lower digestibility means the forage stays in the rumen longer therefore cows cannot eat as much. Lower dry matter intake means lower milk volume – in fact Mertens, 2006 reported that increasing forage fibre (NDF) digestibility by 1% increased dry matter intake by 0.2 lbs (0.1 kg) and increased milk by 0.28 lbs (0.1 kg) of FCM. Fibre digestibility is maximized through optimal growing conditions, harvesting at the right time and ensiling properly.

Since corn silage also makes up a lot of our dry cow rations, a year with poorer performing corn silage can impact energy delivery to close up dry cows. We like to target higher energy in a close up ration so that when cow intakes drop the cow still has the energy required to calve and start milking as healthily as possible.

Addressing lower energy corn silage can be a challenge because using on farm feeds and maintaining a good forage content in the diet is important. However, if we are going to provide enough groceries to the cow so she can milk and produce components and stay healthy, maintain body condition, and reproduce, we need to look at other inputs. Balancing with dry corn/high moisture corn/cobmeal is a good option so long as starch content is kept in check. Using products such as dairy fat or beet pulp can also make up for some of that energy. Ensuring we have enough protein, vitamins and minerals remains, as always, critical for optimal balIan Ross, President | Jim Ross, Chairman | David Ross, VP & CEO Mark Bowman | Jeff Keunen | Josh DeVos | Kathleen Shore, Ruminant Nutritionists Michael Peckover, Publisher

ance (and keeping cows healthy). Energy is found in all feeds so balancing for a slightly higher protein can help fill the gap and avoid over feeding corn. When energy is too low for the cow to do all of the biological work she has to do, it is stressful to her body. Stress can be a trigger for creating a sick cow. If a cow is sick, biologically the cow will split the energy needed for milk so that her immune system can start to fix the problem – inevitably that means a drop in milk production.

While diet is important it is not the only cause that has been ascertained for low colostrum production in cows. Gavin et al, 2018 used Jerseys for his evaluation and found colostrum produced in June was, on average, 14.5 lbs (6.6 kg) whereas average colostrum produced in December was 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg). The decline was much greater in mature cows than heifers. Further to day length, shorter dry periods will also impact colostrum volume begging the question whether we should have cows dry off a little sooner through the winter months to help produce more colostrum?

How do we fix low colostrum volume while living in a country where our days get quite a bit shorter from November to February?

1. Work with your nutritionist to test your feeds, understand the nutrition in them and how to work around the problems. a) Using alternative products such as beet pulp, soyhulls, brewers’ grains are ways to fill gaps when crops are not optimal for the milk production goals on your farm. b) Make sure in years when crops are challenged that storage and ensiling is as ideal as it can be.

2. Give cows a longer dry period – if providing 45-50 days move it to 60 through winter months and back to 45-50 during the summer months. a) Never provide a dry period that is less than 45 days.

3. Look at lighting in the barn – darker barns are going to increase the challenges presented by mother nature. A bright barn will not correct the shorter days entirely, but it will help. n

BRING YOUR SNF RATIO IN LINE

by: HENRY VERHOOG Senior Dairy Specialist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

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y now you have all heard about or read numerous articles about SNF/BF ratios. Many have long forgotten what exactly SNF(Solids Non-Fat)/ BF (Butterfat) ratios are all about and how they impact your bottom line.

To start with SNF/BF ratios are derived by taking the sum of protein + lactose & other solids and dividing this total by the butterfat. The Ontario average looks something like 3.20 (protein) + 5.90 (lactose & other solids) divided by 4.00 (butterfat) which gives you a SNF/BF ratio of 2.27 For many years now the target ratio set by the board was 2.35, which required one to either have a little higher protein or lower butterfat to get this higher than average ratio. Reaching the maximum SNF/BF ratio of 2.35 represented the best financial return on a kg of butterfat quota.

Once you went over this ratio, you still got paid for your butterfat, but not for the protein and other solids. Going forward the milk board has made it quite clear that they do not have a good market for this extra protein and other solids , so in turn they have lowered the maximum ratio to 2.30 effective January 2020.

So as one starts to contemplate this new ratio, it will be up to each producer to tackle it in one of several possible ways. You can either choose to lower your protein percent or raise the butterfat percent, or a combina-

tion of the two. From my perspective it is always easier to focus on raising butterfat test, either by feeding a little more forage, a little less starch in the diet, or addition of palm fat sources.

Looking outside the field of nutrition, keep in mind that genetics of dairy cows is a huge factor and has a role to play with adjusting milk components. And I am not just suggesting other breeds, but I have also seen a significant difference in herds that have focused on breeding butterfat into their herds, versus herds that have just focused on milk production.

For the record – jersey cows in general exceed this ideal goal, without even beginning to adjust feed rations. The average jersey herd that produces 5.3 kg/hl butterfat along with 3.9 kg/hl protein has an SNF/BF ratio of 1.85. I sense that the small percentage of jersey herds in Ontario are finally feeling that they will be getting paid more fairly for producing the milk that closer resembles what the industry needs now and will continue to need in the future.

This article is written to simply make you all aware that there are several ways to get your SNF/BF ratio where you want it to be in the coming years. Like all pricing mechanisms, each producer will still weigh all the options as to which scenario makes the most sense for him or her. We all realize that changing herd genetics takes many years to adjust, but you do have culling options and breeding options along with adjusting feed rations to get this ratio where you feel will make your operation the most returns. n

ARE COWS HAPPY WITH THEIR MEAL?

by: ART GROENEWEGEN Dairy Sales Manager, Grand Valley Fortifiers

T

here she is, at the bunk again, aggressively eating from the TMR that was put together for her this morning. Looks like she likes it, great.

But does she really like that mix you made for her? Is it what she wants, or is it what you have to mix up for her?

TMRs have come a long way. For some of you, feeding a TMR is new, while other producers are on their second or third TMR mixer. While industry has changed their beliefs on what a good TMR looks like, it is really the cow that has shown us what she is looking for in the feed manger.

Original thoughts of an ideal TMR in past would suggest that we need long stemmed particles, suggested to be as long as the width of a cows’ muzzle. Many also believed that an ideal TMR had hay in the mix to en-

Dairy Grist sure scratch factor and for some, not to lose the rib structure of their cows. Many of these theories have been forgotten by now as cows have proven differently.

The ideal composition of a great TMR starts in the field. We all want to feed a high forage ration, so yes it does start in the field. Optimum crop genetics, optimum fertility and ideal harvest timing allows your cows to consume the best forages possible. Teaming up your agronomist and your nutrition representative is a great start to ensure many of these factors can be optimized. Before harvest begins, have them check that cut length, moisture and maturity to ensure you can start with as ideal forage qualities as possible.

Back to the TMR; do the cows need long particles? When using the Penn State shaker box, how much should we see on the top box? Many of the original recommendations stated we need to see around 10% to 15% long particles on the top box of the shaker box. Is that what the cows told us, or what we thought cows needed to have scratch factor, and not get a displacement or, cosmetically, not lose their depth of rib?

What we have seen recently in the feed bunk is a reduction in particle length of the total TMR. Some of the top production herds are now feeding TMRs with little long-stemmed particles on the top box. Recent on farm diagnostics of shaker box results are showing as little as 1% long stemmed particles on the top box, with terrific production/component results in high forage rations. Now how is that possible? We thought we needed scratch factor. We thought we needed long particles that the cows can chew on. What is happening is that with very few longstemmed particles, we are getting a more uniform TMR. A uniform TMR has much less chance of being sorted to begin with, thus a more uniform, efficient feeding behaviour. But more importantly, the cow needs to spend less time chewing and breaking down this uniform length TMR, because there are fewer long stemmed coarser particles. With that, she can increase her dry matter intake. Cows love their meals shorter in length and uniform!

particles on the top box, we still need more than 50% particles appearing in the second box of the 3 tiered shaker box, to ensure enough physically effective fibre.

University of Guelph research has also proven this concept with dry cow diets. Some would suggest that the straw found in dry cow diets need to be the width of the cow’s muzzle. Again, this is thought to provide scratch factor and rumen fill. But research shows that cows ate more and had fewer metabolic issues at calving when the straw was uniformly cut at 1-inch length, versus longer cut straw. Because the straw is short and a similar sized particle as the corn silage in the TMR, the cow sorts less, eats more, spends less time breaking feed down, thus happier and healthier at the end. In similar research work done at the U of Guelph, intakes of straw based dry cow diets were greater with liquid molasses included as well. Cows love their meals sweet, shorter cut and uniform!

As we evaluate TMR rations across the regions, it has become more apparent that moisture of the TMR can be looked at slightly different than original recommendations. Getting TMR moistures in the 50% to 55% moisture range still allows the TMR to stick together better, but also consumed at greater levels. Some TMRs are getting well beyond 55% moisture, especially when feeding by product feeds in the mix, with great results. Cows love their meals wet!

Our cows have changed and so have our conclusions on what makes todays cows perform. We do need capacious cows that can consume high volumes of feed. We also need high quality forages that can help us formulate diets that consist of a high percentage of forages in the mix.

With great cows, great forages and wetter more uniform length mixes, we can achieve higher dry matter intakes. We could also discuss ideals such as more than once a day feeding responses, clean plates – mangers -to eat off, clean bowls to drink out of and space to eat at, but that in itself is a whole other topic. Meanwhile, have a look at the meal that you are presenting to your cows and let your cows and their performance tell you if they are happy with the meal that you have put in front of them. n

with RIENKE VAN SCHOONHOVEN Dairy Specialist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

Q:

I have many heifers in inventory and I am assuming that it is costing me more money to raise them than I think. Should I look at buying in replacements instead of raising them? What is the real cost of raising a heifer?

Jeff Keunen,GVF Ruminant Nutritionist, on-farm in Belwood, ON.

Recent research has suggested this makes sense. Studies have shown that whether a cow eats a long particle length ration, such as a hay ration or a shorter particle length ration, the cow’s regurgitated feed bolus has the same sized particles which are a half of an inch. Can we hypothesize that the cow can consume feed faster, spending less time at the bunk to get her fill, with shorter particles? Likely so. We still need to be careful that particle length is not too short though. Although we hardly need any

A: One of the big trends I am seeing right now in the dairy industry is

an abundance of heifers on dairy operations. Many producers are carrying far more heifers in inventory than they will need as replacements, and this is putting pressure on their farms in terms of overstocking, higher labour needed, more maintenance needed, and extra feed usage. With the lack of growth of quota and thus our farm operations slowing in the last couple years, producers should be looking to maximize returns and find efficiencies to increase profitability. With market returns for bred or

grandvalley.com

T fresh heifers below what it costs to raise them, this generally means that producers should raise very close to their own replacement needs and do a good job of raising them, rather than carry lots of extra inventory.

Based on some recent on GVF calf audits, that we have been doing for producers, the average cost for raising a heifer is around $2800 per head. But we should consider if this is a true cost or actual billed cost. If we consider the true costs to raise a heifer, we need to include the labour, depreciation, maintenance costs, land and machinery costs all associated with raising this group of animals. At the end of the year, your barn and family members wouldn’t send you an invoice for costs last year, but it’s not truly free. Based on ALL (billed and true) costs; absolutely the answer to ‘’is it cheaper to buy them all instead of raising my own heifers’’, is Yes. However, if you buy all your replacements, one must consider that other problems may show up, for example health. Do you know the whole history of that replacement, was she sick and treated for any disease issues earlier in life, did she breed well, was she aggressive to eat or more timid? While you will save on space and feed costs when purchasing in your replacements, you want to be sure that you are not buying in other people’s problems. One can buy heifers with guarantees attached to help avoid some of these issues.

In my mind, the real question isn’t if you need to buy replacements or raise them, but rather if you want to find ways to reduce costs directly on the total number that you are raising and ensure you make more money for the rest of the cow’s life. In most cases with the GVF Calf Audit, we are able to find beneficial changes to heifer rearing programs that can help the farm operation become more profitable, while still raising replacements. This basically means; be selective, only raise what you need and do it right!

Think about this; does my calf program still fit in the current market situation; does my crop plan still fit in my current dairy operation; is ‘’how we always did it’’ still good enough for 2020?

If you would like to improve your calf and heifer rearing program or get an accurate understanding of what it is costing you to raise your replacement heifers, please reach out to your GVF Dairy Specialist and we will be happy to come to your farm with our Grand Valley Fortifiers Calf Audit. n

his spring Grand Valley Fortifiers is excited to announce a NEW Robolac™ mash feed, as another option in our Robolac™ robotic milking product line up. This new 17% mash feed is a more cost-effective alternative to pelleted Robolac™. Special attention must be given to your feed system and the augers feeding into the milking robot to ensure the product doesn’t bridge or get hung up. This new mash feed will not be for everyone but for those with the right set up, it can offer some significant savings. Speak to your GVF Dairy Specialist or visit with us at CDX 2020 in Stratford Ontario for more information.

Visit us in Hall 2, Alley 8!

The 2020 edition of the Canadian Dairy Expo is taking place on April 1st & 2nd, at the Stratford Rotary Complex in Stratford, ON. Over the past nine years this show has become the premier Canadian dairy show with thousands attending each year. If you haven’t yet attended this show, we encourage you to make time for a visit and ensure to stop by our booth for a coffee or chocolate milk while finding out what’s new at GVF!

Thought for the Day

COMMODITY OUTLOOK

by: STEVE MCGUFFIN

If you have any commodity questions, needs, or would like to be added to our commodity price indication email distribution, don’t hesitate to call at 1-877-743-4412. We are happy to serve you.

You can follow us on Twitter @DirectSourceC. n

being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

– Colossians 1:11-12 11