Unintended Consequences of Dairy Consulting Good Things Gone Bad! Martin van der Leek Production Animal Studies RuVASA Conference, 2015

Maybe There’s More to It? Large dairies with a time & numbers constraint (animals & employees) Vet ‘in the moment’ totally focussed on task at hand Not always having the insight into the ‘big picture’

The Law of Diminishing Returns Good Things Gone Bad! The Law of Diminishing Returns When More Ain’t More! ‘As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists’ Joan Gussow

Fresh Cow Management

How Much Time Does it Take?

Shots, Pills, Pastes, Drenches & Drips

FRESH COWS & NEWBORN CALVES Provide assistance if no progress is being made after – cows 1hr, heifers 2hrs Cows requiring assistance are taken to the chute – the vaginal area is cleaned with water & iodine scrub – calving tools (chain, head snare) are placed in bucket with iodine scrub – use plenty of lube – be patient – cow is worth $2,000, calf is worth $200! Calves are removed from pen 17 immediately The navel is dipped with iodine ASAP – cut cord as needed leaving 2” - massage the iodine into the navel – keep the scissors in disinfectant Colostrum is fed within 1hr of birth – at least 1 bottle – more if the calf will drink – mark head with blue chalk Check pen 17 every hour for cows that have calved or started calving. Check pen 18 twice per shift

Synchronization Programs

Will it get done … Right? Protocol Cost Labour Ovsynch Low Medium/High Double Ovsynch High G6G/Ovsynch Cosynch Medium Cosynch + CIDR 12-day Presynch Resynch

Moving Steam-ups

Maybe This Cows are moved from a pre-fresh pen to an individual or group calving pen at the point of calving. ‘Just-in-time-calving’

Maybe That Cows are managed in socially stable group pens throughout the pre-fresh period and calve in the pre-fresh pen. ‘All-In-All-Out’

Moving Transition Cows

Lactation Length Relationship between lactation curve and milk revenue. Milk yield/day Dry period Loss Profit period Breakeven period Calving 170 250 250 Days in milk

Longer is Better? For every 1 day increase in average DIM you lose 0.08 kg of milk per cow (Jones, 2013) Lifetime milk maximised by more frequent calving’s not longer lactations ‘Calving risk’

Calf Diarrhoea Outbreaks

Time & Trouble Time for treatments Spread by fomite

‘Placebo’ Treatments There is an intense desire to physically ‘do something’ Often leads to inappropriate use of medication esp. antibiotics Consider the use of a placebo such as Vitamin B Complex?

Save a Heifer? Break the Bank! Good Things Gone Bad! ‘A fool looks for dung where the cow never browsed’ African Proverb

So What Does it Cost? Holstein R 10 000 to R 14 000 Jersey

And When Does it Pay Back?

Sell or retain ownership Now What? Custom heifer raising Sell or retain ownership

Nutrition The Devil & the Details Good Things Gone Bad! ‘All the good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow’ Grant Wood

Fresh Cow Rations Ration diluted by hay added in TMR Hay offered outside of the TMR High moisture rations Rations often ‘owner adjusted’ Fibre quality/digestibility

‘The Rumen Box’ FORAGE FORAGE FORAGE BYPRODUCT CONCENTRATE CONC CONC 50:50 A FORAGE CONCENTRATE 65:35 B FORAGE CONC 40:30:30 C FORAGE BYPRODUCT CONC Typical rations – opportunities & challenges.

High Forage Steam-up Ration Energy Balance

Low Producers Almost never profitable to feed a low cow ration Anything that negatively affects feed intake affects marginal milk Low milk Low cow ration Lower milk!

Assumptions Cow’s DMI will stay the same Does not account for the stress of a pen move Does not account for higher NDF content Cow will stay on current lactation curve

A Sorted Ration a Good Thing? In the absence of SARA, the sorted ration might provide the nutrients for milk production. Better processing ‘forces’ the cow to eat the sorted forage. Dilutes the ration! Milk drops

Maybe OK

Incentive Programs OK, show me the Money! Good Things Gone Bad! ‘I don’t want any vegetables thank you. I paid for the cow to eat them.’ Douglas Copeland

SCC

Who’s the Best Breeder?

Conception Rate PR HDR CR Comment 24.5 70 35 Excellent 17.0 85 20 Overzealous heat detection 18.0 40 45 Selective breeding

Why Do We Work? Employer Rank Measure Employee Rank 1 Interesting work 5 2 Appreciation 8 3 Being involved 10 4 Job security Good wages 6 Promotion/growth 7 Working conditions Loyalty 9 Tactful discipline Sympathetic help Higginbotham, 2012

‘Doc, I’m not Selling that Cow’ Good Things Gone Bad! Culling ‘Doc, I’m not Selling that Cow’ ‘Never kick a cow chip on a hot day’ Proverb

Cash Flow is King Marginal milk Why? Cash Flow is King Marginal milk

Stop Complaining About My Cull Rate! A high cull rate can legitimately be driven by a high pregnancy rate & excess replacement heifers Cull cows sold as milk cows not for slaughter Improve health by selling bad traits & chronic disease

Better Check Is the facility filled with cows? Seemingly unprofitable cows contribute marginal milk. On a single cow basis is she profitable? Milk income < Feed cost Is she disruptive? What is the overall cull rate? Limited by replacements

Forced/Biologic vs Economic 12% 624 614 Cows Leaving 5 749 Herds Minnesota DHIA 10% 25% in first 60 days! 8% % Cows Leaving Herd 6% 4% 2% 0% 20 41 62 83 104 125 146 167 188 209 230 251 272 293 314 335 356 377 398 419 440 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21 42 63 84 105 126 147 168 189 210 231 252 273 294 315 336 357 378 399 420 21 DIM Interval Godden et al., 2003

When is Just One More Too Many? Good Things Gone Bad! Overcrowding When is Just One More Too Many? ‘Condensed milk is wonderful. I don’t see how they can get a cow to sit on those little cans’ Fred Allen

TIME FOR ACTIVITY (hrs) Management activities (incl. milking) Time Budgets ACTIVITY TIME FOR ACTIVITY (hrs) Eating 3 to 5 Lying/resting 12 to 14 Social interactions 2 to 3 Ruminating 7 to 10 Drinking 0.5 Management activities (incl. milking) 2.5 to 3.5 Grant, 2007

Applies to both stalls & feedbunk space. What Counts? Applies to both stalls & feedbunk space. Complex interaction between stall numbers, stall dimensions, stall surface/comfort, feedbunk space, water availability, parity Subordinate cows

Takes preference over feeding time Lying Time Takes preference over feeding time Latency! Each additional 1 hr of resting time increased milk production by 1.7 kg (Bach et al, 2008).

Feeding Time Fewer aggressive interactions with increased bunk space & headlocks All cows want to eat at once Fewer meals but eat faster (up to 25%) 4 vs 6-row

Repro For every 1% increase in stocking rate CR decreases by 0.1% (Moore, 2010) As bunk space decreased from 61 cm to 30.5 cm cows pregnant by 150 DIM decreased from 70 to 35% (Grant 2012)

So, What to Do? Milk cows ≤ 120% Transition cows ≤ 80% Dry cows ?

It’s All About the Last Cow, Last Bite Good Things Gone Bad! Marginal Thinking It’s All About the Last Cow, Last Bite ‘Opie, you haven’t finished your milk. We can’t put it back in the cow , you know’ Aunt Bee Taylor

Dilution of Maintenance 1 kg feed = 2 kg milk Milk Maintenance (12 kg)

Got Feed, Got Milk!

The Rent’s been Paid! 10 cows 540 cows 540 cows Feed Labour Debt Service Vet, etc.

Marginal Milk Average feed cost almost useless Average feed cost includes maintenance We need to know the cost associated with a cow making more milk Profit for marginal milk is regardless of the dairy making or losing money

Holistic Consulting Take a step back Get educated You might be wrong!

martin.vanderleek@up.ac.za