Dairy notes Nov 04

Bull selection and Artificial Insemination (AI)

Information on the strengths and weaknesses of individual cows must be assessed when choosing AI bulls this season. Cows must be high yielding with good quality components and must be healthy and regular breeders. List the cows into appropriate groups for culling, beef mating and for AI to dairy bulls.

Set goals for improvement by listing the traits for improvement, from milk recording data where available, and inspecting the main breeding group and listing the points that need improvement.

Select a bull to improve the required aspects of type or production. To maintain a herd average of 7,000 litres you need to select a bull +200kg for milk. Select bulls with positive percentage for fat and protein. Improve the genetic potential for butterfat as well as protein. Avoid bulls with seriously negative fat deviations. Breeding for good udder, legs and feet is a priority. Avoid sires with a PTA for SCC of above +10%. Use bulls with a reliability of +70%.

Milk quota management

A number of milk producers are now paying super levy on milk supplied above quota last year. Did you lease quota last year at the top of the market or were you forced to buy expensive quota? Have you enough quota for your farm this year? Remember quota management is still important. Provisional plans should now be in place for your business to prevent the mistakes of last year being repeated.

UK milk supplies are currently five days below quota. There is also excellent quality forage available on farms across the UK. In a normal year these two factors would encourage farmers to produce more milk over the remainder of the year. However, against this, entitlements are holding a floor in the quota market. High quota leasing prices generally discourage milk production at a national level.

It is essential that you keep yourself informed of the current UK production figures. Details of the weekly milk production figures are available on the internet at http://www.ruralni.gov.uk/livestock/dairy/dairy_business/weekly.htm

Winter feeding

Most herds are now settling into their winter ration. Thankfully, in contrast to previous years, there is high quality forage available on many dairy farms. Last winter the emphasis was on digestible fibre to improve silage intakes. This year there is potential to increase the cereal content of the ration, which should have a positive effect on milk protein.

Last winter a cow yielding 35 litres per day with low quality silage needed up to 14 kgs of a 21% protein concentrate. This winter high quality silage supplemented with 10 kgs of an 18/19% compound should sustain 35 litres.

Discuss your winter feeding with your local DARD Dairying Development Adviser who has access to the SAC Feedbyte programme.

Greenmount Campus herds update

Freshly calved cows in the Premium Milk Herd have been housed full time since late September. Springing cows are fed 2-3kg of the milk ration 7-10 days prior to calving. After calving, the cows concentrate feeding allowance is stepped up by 0.5kg per day to 10kg per day by two weeks after calving. Most of the concentrate is fed through out-of-parlour feeders. Cows have access to four feeds per day from the out-of-parlour feeders and two feeds in-parlour. Cows are maintained at this minimum level of feed for the next six weeks. If milk yield is above 35 litres, the concentrate feed level is increased by 0.40kg per litre to a maximum of 15kg for the very highest yielding cows and 11kg for first lactation heifers. Over the past two winters, this feeding system would appear to have:

increased milk yield.
minimal body condition score loss in early lactation.
stimulated stronger heats.

Late lactation cows in the Premium Milk and High Forage Herds are still grazing by day where ground conditions permit. Grass covers on the dairy unit should allow grazing until mid November. The late lactation cows and heifers are being fed for maintenance plus 7-10 litres from grazed grass plus grass silage and wholecrop wheat. Late lactation heifers are being dried off an extra two weeks early if body condition score is at 2.5.

Loss of body condition in freshly calved cows and heifers

The most critical factor of milk production in early lactation is the amount of energy the cow can consume, as intakes are lowest immediately after calving. Cows reach peak yield at around 6–8 weeks post calving, but do not reach maximum dietary intake until 8–10 weeks, resulting in a period of weeks where energy intake is not meeting production demands. Cows losing excess condition in early lactation:

take longer to regain a normal oestrous cycle.
have poorer conception rates.
are more susceptible to nutritional disorders such as ketosis.
have reduced milk yield, fat and protein.

A number of steps can be taken to offset this:

Dry cows should be fed a small amount of the lactating ration 5-7 days prior to calving to enhance rumen function and ease the transition into lactation.
Build up concentrate feeding gradually over two weeks for cows fed 7-8kg per day. At higher concentrate levels, allow up to three weeks.
Body condition score all cows regularly. Pay particular attention to freshly calved cows and heifers.
Feed high quality silage, preferably offer the best silage to fresh calving cows.
Provide adequate feeding space per cow.
Heifers will perform much better if they can be grouped separately from the main herd.

For those producers with access to weighing facilities (e.g. diet-feeders and weighbridges) and an analysis of their feeds, a spot check on intakes could be used to identify potential problems.

For more information on condition scoring and feeding dairy cows, contact your local DARD Dairying Development Adviser. Your Development Adviser has access to the SAC Feedbyte programme which matches forage and concentrate intakes and quality with milk output.

Autumn / early Winter – the ideal time to soil test

Soil analysis enables an accurate assessment of the amount and type of fertiliser required. This helps to:

Reduce the risk of pollution by avoiding the use of surplus nutrients.
Reduce fertiliser costs.
Identify nutrient shortages, such as potassium which when corrected will improve grass growth.
Save money. The financial benefits are considerable when compared to a cost of under £10 per field, every 4-7 years.

Guidelines

Always use an auger – these are available from your local DARD Office.
Take 40 cores at random across the field, avoiding dung patches and areas around water troughs, gateways and headlands.
Test every four years for intensive grassland or seven years for permanent pasture.
Large fields should be subdivided into areas of around four hectares for soil analysis.
Do NOT sample for two months after applying lime, fertiliser, manure or slurry.

Introduction of compulsory brucellosis pre-movement testing

Brucellosis Pre-movement testing will become compulsory from 1 December 2004. Females and bulls over 12 months of age must have a clear Brucellosis test on a sample taken within the 30 days prior to movement.

A test is required prior to the movement of eligible animals to markets, another farm, over wintering premises and shows. A test is not required for moves to slaughter, either directly or via a live cull collection centre.

In general, one test covers one move only, although there are some exceptions.

Samples will be taken by approved samplers who will be private veterinary practitioners (PVPs) or by approved lay samplers working under the control of a PVP. A list of approved samplers should be available from mid November. The herdkeeper will pay the sampler for taking the samples and DARD will pay for the testing of the samples.

A brucellosis herd test can serve as a pre-movement test and as such would be free of charge.

Herd keepers must plan their moves well in advance to ensure that sampling is carried out, and results received, before the move takes place. While different Veterinary Practices may vary, it is recommended that herdkeepers allow a minimum of one week for this process and should aim to allow 14 days to be safe. Herdkeepers should discuss the timing with their sampler as soon as possible. DARD will aim to have test results available within three working days of receipt of the samples at the Department’s Veterinary Sciences Division laboratory as long as the samples are submitted correctly and there are no queries.

Buyers should ensure that the animals that they are buying have had the necessary tests. A letter will be issued showing that the animals in question have been sampled and had a clear test. The buyer should ask for this letter, or a copy, from the person selling the animals.

If animals move onto premises without the necessary tests they will be restricted and the buyer will have to pay to have them tested and will also be subject to enforcement action.

To make things easier:

Make sure that male animals are correctly recorded on APHIS i.e. that a steer is not recorded as a bull and vice versa.
Plan moves in advance and allow at least a week for the results of the tests to be available.
Make sure that the test results letter is available before you move animals.
Buyers ensure that the test results letter (or a copy) is available before animals move onto the premises.

A letter and information leaflet has also recently been sent to every farmer.

Herd owners who need more information can also contact their approved sampler or their local Divisional Veterinary Office.

DARD Farm Management Notes for November 2004 have been prepared by Greenmount Campus, College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise - Tel: 028 9442 6771. We acknowledge the contribution from Veterinary Service. For further information contact your local DARD Development Adviser.