Dairy Grist
A PERIODIC NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4 | WINTER 2021
Dear Friends, Christmas greetings from all of us at Grand Valley Fortifiers! We trust that you will enjoy the information shared in this edition of the Dairy Grist. Our dairy team members, Kathleen Shore and Mike Rutherford have excellent articles discussing the knock-on hoof health effects of the past hot summer months and herd reproductive tracking respectively. We are also pleased to include a great article from D. Clair Doan, Associate VP Agriculture for National Bank and from Lisa Wiens Simanton an Alberta based Dairy Specialist at our sister company, Fortified Nutrition. Recognizing the significance of feeding costs in 2021 and most likely again in 2022, we are committed to continuing to bring fresh ideas and perspectives on how to maximize your dairy operation’s profitability and success in these ever changing times. We trust that you will find this edition of the Dairy Grist helpful in this regard. As we near the end of 2021, all of us at Grand Valley Fortifiers are thankful. We are thankful for the opportunity to work so very closely with many of this province’s dedicated dairy producers. I know that I speak for our entire team when I wish you and your family a very blessed Christmas and a new year in 2022 filled with good health, and success in your farming endeavors. Sincerely, Ian Ross, President & CEO
THE MEMORY OF A HOT SUMMER LIVES ON IN A COW’S HOOF
by: KATHLEEN SHORE Ruminant Nutritionist, Grand Valley Fortifiers, Nutrition Direct
W
arm summer days and nights that are not much cooler means cows are standing and perching in stalls longer than they would when temperatures are more comfortable. That time spent standing puts a great deal of pressure on the hoof, but by the time we truly see the impact in the barn the warm summer air is often a distant memory, and we are troubleshooting on farm concerns without considering that the real culprit is in fact that beautiful weather 2-3 months ago (see Figure 1).
% of Cows Treated for Claw Horn Lesions
Figure 1 Incidence of lameness peaks at the end of summer – highest temperatures were in July. (Adapted from NB Cook, 2004) 10 8 6 4 2 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
The flare up of hoof health can be identified by walking through the barn and scoring cows for locomotion. Often, the cows we see every day are not the ones with concerns. Cows that are struggling with sore feet will be the cow whose budget to eat/drink/socialize (7 hrs), milk (3 hrs) and lay down (12 hrs) will be off and her production will suffer. Routine hoof trimming with a hoof trimmer that provides good feedback is a key element to supporting consistent hoof health. However, between those visits regular locomotion scoring GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS PO Box 726 Cambridge ON N1R 5W6 1-800-567-4400 grandvalley.com
on at least 10% of the herd can tell you when there is a higher-than-normal incidence of trouble, which means scoring the herd routinely (see Table 1). Table 1 Locomotion Scoring Guide (adapted from Sprecher et al, 1997). Score
Description
Back
1
Normal
Flat
Assessment Stands and walks normally with a level back. Makes long, confident strides.
2
Mildly Lame
Flat or Arched
Stands with flat back, but arches when walks. Gait is slightly abnormal.
3
Moderately Lame
Arched
Stands and walks with an arched back and short strides with one or more legs. Slight sinking in dew-claws in limb opposite the affected limb may be evident.
4
Lame
Arched
Arched back standing and walking. Favouring one or more limbs but can still bear some weight on them. Sinking of the dew-claws is evident in limb opposite the affected limb.
5
Severely Lame
Arched
Pronounced arching of back. Reluctant to move, with almost complete weight transfer of the affected limb.
When heat stressed, cows will also eat less feed (though often eat more per meal – slug feeding) and are more prone to sorting the TMR thus eating less forage. These eating behaviors and feed digestion realities increase the risk of acidosis with reduced butterfat and milk yield as well as impacting lameness and reproduction if not well managed (see Figure 2). Figure 2 Ruminal response to heat stress (adapted from Mishra et al, 1970).
Ian Ross, President & CEO | David Ross, VP & CMO Mark Bowman | Jeff Keunen | Josh Devos | Kathleen Shore, Ruminant Nutritionists Michael Peckover, Layout Editor
Other conditions in the barn will also increase the incidence of lameness. A study done by Chapinal et al, 2013 found clinical lameness increased with sawdust bedding and decreased with herd size, deep bedding, and access to pasture. Access to pasture led to a 50% variation in clinical lameness compared to cows without access to pasture irrespective of deep bedding also being available to the herd. While pasture availability may not be practical for all barns it is something to consider when cows are in the dry cow period during the warmer months to give their hoofs a chance to heal/recover before the next lactation. The same study went on to show that in barns where severe lameness occurred, the incidence increased with the number of manure contaminated stalls and the use of sawdust bedding. Incidence decreased with deep bedding, sand bedding, herd size and rearing heifers on site. Other factors that helped reduce the incidence was a having a neck rail further from the curb (lower perching tendency), greater water drinking space per cow and frequency of foot baths per week (keeping in mind that footbaths are good for 100 cow passes). If herd size is ignored the neck rail distance and water drinking space is no longer as important. All that to say that overcrowded barns are a part of the puzzle when we see these post summer hoof health flare ups. Keep in mind that overcrowded is not just about enough stalls per cow but enough stalls that fit cows comfortably – enough space to eat, enough space to drink and enough space to lie down. Nutritionally, there are some additives that can help promote hoof health. They cannot, however, overcome poor stall hygiene, overcrowded barns, and lack of footbathing! They are meant to work synergistically with good herd management practices.
Biotin
• Essential co-factor in glucose, fat and protein metabolism • Specifically affects production of keratin and cementing substance of epidermal cell layers in skin, claw, and hair • Deficiency produces gaps in that intracellular cementing • Claw horn quality affected by biotin status • Some improvement seen 6 months after inclusion and optimal improvement seen after 12 months
Chelated Minerals
• Improves availability of key trace minerals • Works with the immune system to improve wound healing and maintenance of cellular integrity • Hardens the outer layer of the hoof via the promotion of keratin synthesis • Improves formation of cartilage Alongside nutritional technologies, cooling the barn is critical to hoof health. An increase in 3 hours per day standing from coolest to hottest temperatures (most notably in the middle of the day – noon to 6 pm) saw an increase in claw-horn lesion development in September to November (Cook, 2006). Further support through foot baths to avoid small problems becoming herd wide and potentially contagious is also critical. Consider foot bathing 3-4 days per week using a 5-10% solution of copper sulfate (a foot bath with mild soap prior to walking them through a solution to clean feet and get better contact can be effective too). Looking after the herd during hotter weather is critical to ensuring that health and productivity are maintained for the rest of the year. Impacts of heat stress are generally seen most clearly about 2-3 months later. Selecting additives are measures that should be in the diet at least 1 month prior to heat stress; consider a summer diet in May/June (with biotin consider that it should be there year-round). Now, when we battle the aftermath of hot summer days is when routine care is most important: • Hoof trimming by a knowledgeable trimmer • Foot bathing • Ensuring that stalls are well managed • Feed is well mixed and not so easy to sort
These steps are critical to reducing the incidence of lameness and enabling your herd to reach their peak production. Once things are under control, that’s when it is time to discuss nutritional additives that will help keep things in good check! n
FARM MANAGEMENT: PLANNING FOR 2022 AND BEYOND
by: D. CLAIR DOAN Associate Vice President, Agriculture, Ontario for National Bank
A
daptability is one word that all people including farmers, have experienced in operating businesses in a fluid and changing environment, particularly these past two years. In the coming months, the skill of adapting will continue to be ever more important where elements of volatility will persist in operating profitable dairy farms under the reality of rising costs and limited resources. A key benefit of supply management remain its access to domestic markets with prices established by the Canadian Dairy Commission. The recent announcement indicating a price adjustment of approximately $6.31/hl or 8.4% will help to offset increased input costs and following the pressure of increased input costs including all aspects of production from crop inputs to labour and interest rates. The next few years in dairy production will be marked by domestic growth partially taken up by additional imports from Europe, members of the CPTPP as well as CUSMA. As the implementation of these agreements is completed, the Canadian dairy industry will reclaim the growth of the Canadian market, which is expected to be solid at 3% annually. The offsets for the first two agreements mentioned, with final payments scheduled for 2022 and 2023, help to mitigate their negative effects. Even with the revenue adjustment, farmers can expect further volatility and their primary focus should remain on cost management. We cannot assume all price increases will be passed along to consumers in the future plus it remains an unknown impact on demand as consumers look to manage their household spending. At the same time, not only does the market continue to demand a product of impeccable quality at a competitive price; consumers are increasingly interested in how it is produced. Carbon footprint, water protection, healthy cohabitation, etc., the dairy community must maintain a high level of concern in these areas. Maintaining the excellent market position of Canadian dairy products is directly related to this. Despite some headwinds, including high input prices, Canadian dairy farmers are optimistic about the future. This is evidenced by the steady increase in the value of milk quotas in the Prairie Provinces (while their value is capped in the Eastern Provinces, it recently reached $50K in Alberta). Unquestionably, a strong confidence in the future is expressed through this growth in value. Now that the winter months are upon us, most feed as been put away for the year ahead, farmers across the country reflect on the variability in their growing conditions, perhaps more so in western versus central Canada, but no matter the location, all farmers have noticed increased costs in nearly every category of expenses. This is an ideal time of year to understand last years costs and start planning and budgeting for the year ahead. Cost minimization in supply management sectors remains the key driver in on farm profitability. Given the rise of increased input costs over the past year, its never too late to generate your year-to-date comparable reports to understand where the costs are changing and by how much and start budgeting for 2022. These often include feed costs, including crop inputs, labour and custom work, health and reproduction, building and equipment repairs as well as
Dairy Grist interest costs as the largest expense categories. Thus, focus on your greatest expenditures and those that have varied over time to ensure you understand how these may continue to increase and putting these into a budget today. Every farm has a unique mix of assets that include barn facilities, cattle, quota holdings, labour availability and land base, however many farmers have strived to maximize production output, which may be the right strategy for some farmers, but understanding the costs in relation to production output must be fully known. With the rapid increase of feed and input prices, what is your return over feed costs? It is not necessarily the feed cost per tonne but understanding the total output of production and how that relates to the overall farm system, capacity, and limitations. Farms with limitations on facilities will approach this differently than the farm with surplus capacity or cattle, however understanding your own individual farm as a system unique to each operator is key. Benchmarking your farm in comparison to peers can be done with the support of key advisors such as farm management groups, accountants, bankers and alike. Understanding the unique aspects of every farm, reviewing the overall farm from a financial efficiency perspective with comparisons year over year help establish your on-farm trends. Considering total expenses as a percentage of total income will determine the efficiency ratio. However, from a banker’s perspective, we often look at the expenses with the interest and depreciation costs removed to compare the variable costs in establishing on farm profitability to compare management and farm profitability among peers. These ratios will vary across region where top managers may be below 50% with other areas in the low 60% of costs related to gross income. Through benchmarking, identifying peers who operate in the most efficient quartile, can often establish goals for on farm cost management. Despite the results of on farm efficiency, it ultimately comes back to the on-farm profitability and how much money is available to cover living costs, debt carrying costs and funds available for growth and further on farm investment, relative to the farm itself. It is this final number that matters, with this value stress testing the cashflow of the farm operation. Testing needs to be done on several metrics, such as fluctuation to income, be it milk price or quota allotment; the variability of input cost changes or in broad terms, the efficiency ratio, testing of interest rate variability, which is relevant to on farm debt levels and considerations for asset acquisition. Stress testing your operation is about knowing your numbers and having the knowledge to implement strategies in being proactive versus reactive in volatile markets. Farmers have benefited from the stability and predictability of the Canadian dairy system and will continue to do so for years to come, however the pace of increased costs is occurring at a quicker rate than in the past. Farmers will need to adapt and more importantly plan and budget for the year ahead, including stress testing your business, knowing the cashflow, establishing goals related to strengthening the business and being prepared for uncertainty that we perhaps have not faced in the past. If this seems daunting, do not hesitate to reach out to your trusted advisors where we all benefit from working with profitable farm businesses. n
with MIKE RUTHERFORD Dairy Specialist, Grand Valley Fortifiers
Tracking Herd Reproductive Performance for Overall Herd Success As I travel around the countryside, I am still surprised by the number of herds I find that don’t know their current 21-day Pregnancy Rate, and
even fewer who track it monthly. While Key Performance Indicators such as ‘Preg Rate’ are not always the best way to evaluate herd management performance, customizing your herd’s goals and targets can help to provide a more continuous supply of fresh cows, eliminate calving swells, and ensure the financial success of the farm. 21-Day Pregnancy Rate; in simplistic terms, is a rating of how well you catch heats, and how many of those cows that are bred are successfully checked as pregnant. On DairyComp this data is broken into 21-day periods and can be adjusted based on a herds Voluntary Waiting Period. “Preg Rate” is further broken down into the Insemination Rate and the Conception Rate. Insemination Rate - out of the cows that (should have) shown a heat during the 3-week period, how many did you breed? This is also known as Heat Detection Rate. Conception Rate - out of the cows you bred, how many were confirmed pregnant? Days in Milk at First Breeding; although some herds may choose to breed cows later or earlier based on production levels, some herds may feel they have more cows that are over 60 days and still not cycling regularly. If this is the case, herd veterinarians should be seeing cows around 30 days in milk to diagnose mild metritis cases or anovular cows. It is up to you and your team to determine if you are looking at a high producing herd (and voluntarily extending these periods), or if the lack of breedings is due to management or dietary insufficiencies. Improving Reproductive Performance: Improving Herd Level reproductive success involves both the Herd Veterinarian and Nutrition Team. Start with the dry cow diet and work forward. Many metabolic diseases can be linked back to issues during the dry period, and extend well out into the lactation, negatively impacting peak milk yield and reproductive success. The modern dairy farm really does not have an excuse not to feed dry cows properly. Ensuring a flawless transition period requires 2 key components: 1. An ideal, well balanced dry cow diet, and unrestricted access to it 2. Good management practices to address any cow-specific issues and deal with them immediately (examples are calcium supplementation and lameness) Eliminating transition cow issues is probably the easiest way to improve both peak milk yield and reproductive performance across the herd. Additives like rumen-protected choline and chromium can help cows with energy metabolism and dry matter intake and reduce the risks of sub-clinical and clinical ketosis. High producing cows are working extremely efficiently to produce high milk yields. This includes their liver; often clearing hormones from the blood stream before they can be biologically effective in the body. Cows like these need nutrient dense diets with ideal energy, protein, and highly digestible fibre levels. Often supplemental fats can be used to help support the high production levels of these extreme production cows. Beyond this, cows may benefit from some intervention from a timed AI programs, or waiting until cows are post-peak before trying to breed. What are the benefits of a good reproduction program? • More predictable calving schedules, and therefore a more continuous flow of milk year-round • Lower stress on calving facilities and calf rearing facilities. We all know how an excess of animals can put stress on both facilities and management capabilities. This is where things start to slip. Planning a year ahead: If your herd is chronically over 200 DIM, there are a higher proportion of cows taking up a stall that could be filled by a fresh cow giving more milk. This is not often achieved in a short period and may take several years to work out of a herd, along with a lot of hard work. Start with Insemination Rate (or Heat Detection Rate). If your Heat Detection is lacking, sometimes it’s as simple as setting some time aside each day to be in the barn to observe cows. Roaring heats are easy to spot, however some cows may only show subtle signs or no signs at all. If low Heat Detection rates
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are present, the herd may benefit from the use of technology or a Timed AI Program. There is a vast amount of technology available on the market that can help with both heat detection and identifying sick cows early. Tracking reproductive metrics such as Conception Rate may help to better plan your calving schedule. If my goal as a Dairy Producer is to get 10% of my required milking herd calving each month (including both cows and heifers), then if I milk 100 cows to fill quota, I need 10 pregnancies a month. Knowing both cull rates and reproductive metrics will help you to customize repro programs and set goals, such as breedings per month. While this obviously fluctuates per month, you may recognize trends where conception dips (months like heat stress, or feeding fresh corn silage) and plan accordingly. As is always the case, employing heat abatement strategies can help achieve more consistent conception rates, even throughout the summer. As a final resort, some herds may benefit from outside breeding services with programs that can provide heat detection, breeding, and overall herd health. These programs may be able to achieve high reproductive performance on farms where operators are seeking to improve labour efficiency. Benchmarking: While I think it may be time to do away with “old world metrics” that emphasize breeding cows back early, it is important to understand the dynamics of your herd and plan a year in advance. Raising too many heifers, or underfilling quota/missing incentive days can both be costly, but on opposite ends of the scale. Understanding and tracking your herd’s reproductive performance can help your herd to hit the “sweet spot”. Use the advice of your advisors to help diagnose herd trends, use data such as Cull Rate and Reproductive Benchmarks to shape a plan for your herd. n
with LISA WIENS SIMANTON Dairy Specialist, Fortified Nutrition Ltd. (a division of the GVF group of companies)
Q
Should Voluntary Waiting Period be extended in high producing herds? I have come across a few herds in recent years that are starting to question our industry standards for voluntary waiting periods and calving intervals. This strategy is not a one size fits all, however it is something to consider in high producing herds. Why? a) Cows that continue to milk hard even when it is dry off time – is there value in leaving them beyond the traditional 305 days? b) What about the inherent risks and stress of pregnancy and calving to the cow – again should this be put off to calving less than 1x/year in favour of extra milk production? c) Is it even necessary to build up the youngstock numbers or is there room to reduce as Brian Nelson demonstrated in an article featured in the Summer Dairy Grist. One farm in particular, Zimmer Holsteins, is about 3 years into practicing this strategy. A 70 cow Holstein herd being milked on 2 robots, averaging 43L at a 4.1% BF and 200 DIM. The farmer’s goal is to have minimum 400 day lactations. Breeding is decided based on the individual cow, taking into account the cow families and what they are capable of, and waiting for her to start putting on body condition post peak milk production then it is time for first service. This farmer believes body condition is key to ensuring they maintain consistent milk production and is seeing 1.6-1.7 services/conception. Keeping body condition just below or at 3.0 has been shown to improve reproductive efficiency, so extending the wait time to breed means that when you are ready to breed you haven’t got the luxury of time for multiple inseminations. The superstar of the herd is around 190 days into her 3rd lactation and has already produced over 58,600L. In her first lactation she averaged 44L
in 305d and 43.3L in her complete 541d lactation, her second lactation averaged 52.5 in 305d and 48L in her complete 472d lactation. Level of production is important when considering this strategy; a farm may give up a few litres of average milk per cow per day however, the lifetime production efficiency will improve as shown in a more flat, extended lactation curve. Another on-farm example is a first lactation cow that moved into a new robot barn mid lactation, and she will be well over 80,000 L in four lactations! Other farms, including my own, are also embarking on this approach and seeing similar success in extending the lactation graph so peaks are maintained. Giving top cows opportunity to milk without the added stress that pregnancy presents enables them to really reach their full genetic potential. It also aptly demonstrates that challenging what we think we have always known can only make us better at what we do. The farmer’s comment “these cows have potential; we need to let them express it” is reminiscent of what Dr. Gordie Jones said at WCDS a few years back: “it’s not about pushing cows to high production but removing the barriers and stresses that get in their way.” ■ Prime example of a cow (Figure 2) with a long lactation. This is a 3rd lactation cow with extended voluntary wait period in place.
Thought for the Day Christmas Reflection: Mary’s Magnificat “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:46–55) Mary, the soon the be mother of Jesus, shares this special song we now know as “The Magnificat”. In it she reveals a very remarkable thing about God: He is about to change the course of all human history; the most important three decades in all of time are about to begin. The birth, 33-year life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, will transform the relationship mankind can have with Creator God for all eternity. This Christmas I invite us all not to forget the significance of the season we love to celebrate. — Adapted from John Piper’s Daily Devotionals