Understanding Peak Milk

Understanding Peak Milk

Posted on by Thomas

Peak milk is used to measure the success of the dry period and early lactation nutrition and management. When nutrient needs for both the fetus and the cow are met during the dry period the cow will have a better chance of handling the stress inflicted at calving, will be able to modulate inflammation better, and will be less likely to encounter any metabolic diseases during the fresh period.

What is peak milk?

Peak milk is the highest recorded test day milk production in a cow’s first 150 days in milk (DIM). Peak milk indicates how well the cow responds to feeding strategies during the dry period, close-up, and early lactation periods.

Most cows reach peak milk by 45 to 90 DIM (60-70 DIM ideally) and then slowly lose production over time. Many papers cite that each added pound of peak milk could lead to 200 to 250 pounds more milk over the entire lactation.

How to improve peak milk and lactation performance.

  1. Focus on the dry period: Nutrition and management of the dry period affect health and performance post calving.
    • Aim for at least 28-32 pounds of dry matter intake per day. Compare intakes in the close-pen to the far of dry pen. We don’t want intakes to drop a whole lot when we move from the far-off to the close-up pen.
    • Avoid overfeeding energy.
    • Optimize cow comfort.
    • Address hoof health.
    • Support a healthy microbiome.
    • Prime the immune system and modulate inflammation.
  2. Prevent Subclinical milk fever: blood calcium levels below 8.0 milligrams/deciliter.
    • Animals are more prone to ketosis.
    • High somatic cell count.
    • Delayed uterine involution.
    • Animals more likely to have metritis.
    • Depressed feed intake.
    • Reduced milk yield.
  3. Optimize feed intake immediately after calving.
    • Provide 10-15 gallons of water including a drinkable drench.
    • Allow full access to the fresh ration.
    • Provide ad lib alfalfa/grass hay.
    • Keep feed fresh and bunks clean.
  4. Maximize cow comfort.
    • Stock pens 80-85% of capacity.
    • Keep animals in a fresh group for 14-21 days.
    • Provide 30-36 inches of bunk space per cow.
    • Reduce social stress.
    • Group first lactation animals separately if possible.
    • Invest in wind breaks, shades, and cooling if necessary.
  5. Maintain rumen health and prevent acidosis.
    • Offering ad lib alfalfa/grass hay in the fresh pen allows cattle to consume plenty of good quality digestible fiber to help them as they adjust to their new feeding program. Aim for 31-35% neutral detergent fiber.
    • Maintain rumen fiber mat with consistent feed intake and avoid empty bunks.
    • Provide free choice buffer, monitor both feed and buffer intakes.
  6. Identify cows with a history of metabolic or health problems: cows with a history of milk fever, ketosis, or mastitis are more likely to encounter these problems again.
    • Individual monitoring of these cows to help them navigate transition is helpful in disease prevention.
  7. Evaluate body condition scoring (BCS): target BCS at calving is 3.0-3.25.
    • Overweight cows are at higher risk for ketosis and fatty liver.
    • Overweight cows are typically harder to breed back.
  8. Position feed additives: fresh cow groups are verily likely to offer return on investment for feed additives, but don’t forget to leverage the dry period too. Always feed dairy cattle with the next phase of lactation in mind.
    • Ionophores increase glucose availability.
    • Rumen-protected choline improves liver health and function.
    • Rumen-protected amino acids help to meet amino acid requirements without over feeding protein.
    • Supplement protected fat to increase energy intake.
    • Yeast culture stabilizes rumen fermentation.
    • Live yeast increases anaerobic fermentation and stimulates further fiber digestion which allows for more volatile fatty acids to be produced.
    • Bacillus probiotics produce large quantities of digestive enzymes as well as competitively excluding pathogenic bacteria from the intestinal wall.
    • Dietary nucleotides speed up intestinal recovery.
    • Yeast cell wall decreases intestinal pathogens.
    • Yucca schidigera modifies rumen fermentation, reduces methane emissions, and impacts nitrogen metabolism.
  9. Avoid anti-nutritional factors: mold, wild yeast, poorly fermented feeds.
    • Mold counts over 100,000 colonies per gram are likely to decrease feed intake and diet digestibility.
    • Include a mycotoxin binder whenever antinutritional factors are a question.
  10. Focus on antioxidants and adaptogens
    • Antioxidants that vitamin E and selenium help reduce oxidative stress, which will impact immune function.
    • Feeding adaptogens can help the animal adapt through stressful situations.

Monitor peak milk on your farm to establish a baseline for your performance. Anytime you make feeding changes evaluate the success of those changes from both peak milk and health events.

Consult with your nutritionist to provide the best nutrition possible throughout the transition period and to best leverage feed additives. Always remember to be feeding your animals with the next phase of lactation in mind!

At MicroBasics we leverage a blend off digestive enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, and adaptogens (Achieve) to facilitate a smooth transition and send cows on their way to maximize peak milk production.  For more information on Achieve and how it can help you strategize your transition cow nutrition, please email service@microbasics.com.

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.

The 5 Phases of Lactation

The 5 Phases of Lactation

Posted on by Thomas

Nutrient requirements change as the cow enters different stages of lactation.  Health and well-being of the animal depends on meeting those needs and preparing her to transition into the next phase.

Let’s go over each phase and important management and nutrient needs that should be met.

Phase 1: Dry Period (Dry off up to 21 days before calving)

  • This is a time of rest and repair for both the mammary gland and the gut.
  • A balanced dry cow feeding program can increase milk production by 500-1500 lbs. (227-682 kg.) in the next lactation.
  • Milk synthesis ceases.
  • Calf is increasing in size and development.
  • Body weight gain can occur. Limit weight gain to 1 lb.(.45 kg.) per day or half of a body condition score during the entire phase.
  • Dry matter intake will vary from 1.8-2.5% of body weight.
  • Do not depend on free choice consumption of vitamins and minerals. Include them in a formulated grain supplement package.
  • Diet includes:
    • 12-13% protein
    • 60-80 grams of calcium (Jersey’s 15% lower)
    • 30-40 grams of phosphorous (Jersey’s 15% lower)
    • Limit salt to 1 oz. (28 g.)
    • High quality forage including hay and corn silage.
    • Support gut repair by feeding digestive enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics.

Phase 2: Close-up Dry Cow Period (21-0 days before calving)

  • Critical phase to prepare the cow for lactation.
  • Increasing the level of grain in the diet provides more energy, changes rumen microbe proportions, and stimulates rumen papillae to elongate and increase in surface area.
  • Dry matter intake (DMI) begins to drop. At calving DMI may be 15-30% less than intakes during Phase 1.
  • Neonatal calf is growing quickly and requires more nutrients.
  • Body weight loss may be starting. The risk of ketosis increases as fat is mobilized.
  • Fatty liver development and higher levels of blood NEFA can begin.
  • Diet adjustments include:
    • Increase grain.
    • Increase protein to 15-16%.
    • Remove supplemental salt and buffers.
    • Add inonic salts and niacin (6 grams per day).
    • Continue to support and maintain the gut epithelial barrier by providing digestive enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics.
    • Consider rumen protected choline (15 grams).

Phase 3: Fresh Cow Period (Calving to 21 days post calving)

  • Monitor and observe fresh cows daily on an individual basis to make sure they are healthy when moved to the high cow group.
    • Monitor feed intake.
    • Take daily body temperatures.
    • Listen for rumen movements.
    • Observe uterine discharge.
    • Conduct ketone tests.
  • The Fresh Cow ration should be an intermediate between the close-up ration and the high cow ration.
    • In addition to a total-mixed ration (TMR), offer free choice long hay to help maintain rumen fill and function.
    • Increase ration energy to allow for lower feed intakes.
    • Limit added fat.
    • Supplement yeast culture to stimulate fiber-digesting bacteria.
    • Provide bacillus probiotics for pathogen control and production of digestive enzymes.
    • Provide pre and post biotics to support healthy immune function and modulation of inflammation.
    • Use a buffer to stabilize rumen pH.
    • Drench propylene glycol (1/2 lb. [227 g.]) or feed calcium pro-pionate (1/3 lb. [151 g.]) to raise blood glucose.
    • Supplement 6-12 grams of niacin to minimize ketosis.

Phase 4: Early Lactation (14-70 days post calving)

  • Cows are approaching peak milk.
  • Weight loss is occurring, and dry matter intake is lagging.
  • Diet includes:
    • High quality forages.
    • Limited fat.
    • Sources of rumen undegradable protein (RUP) and balanced levels of lysine and methionine.
    • Increase grain energy gradually.
    • Allow for adequate feed bunk space.

Phase 5: Mid-Late Lactation (70 days post calving to dry off)

  • Peak milk and peak DMI have occurred. It is very important to optimize DMI.
  • Mature cows should be gaining and replacing lost body weight. (1-1.5 lbs. [.45-.68 kg.] per day).
  • Young cows should be growing.
  • Increase forages.
  • Target body condition score (BCS) is 3.25-3.75 at dry-off.
  • Continue to support gut and immune health as the cow will experience stress and susceptibility to inflammation at dry off.

Management and adequate nutrition of the cow through all 5 phases of lactation is critical for optimal health and performance of the animal!  At MicroBasics we know that all the little things add up to create big results. Support of the gut and immune system is necessary to maximize nutrient absorption and utilization. Utilize our flagship products Achieve and Surveillance iL to take feed efficiency and pathogen control to the next level on your farm!

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.

Sources: Feeding Guide by Mike Hutjens

Dairy Kind – Interview with Michelle Schack, D.V.M.

Dairy Kind – Interview with Michelle Schack, D.V.M.

Posted on by Thomas

Dr. Michelle Schack, D.V.M., didn’t grow up around agriculture, but she got there as fast as she could. She grew up in the bay area of California near Silicon Valley in a very urban area. As a child she tried to join 4-H, but everyone was knitting and crafting and nobody had animals. It wasn’t until college that she got involved in learning about food production.

“I didn’t grow up in agriculture and that is what has rooted my passion in educating the consumer. I learned so much when I got involved in agriculture, and I want everyone to have that opportunity to learn as well.”, says Dr. Schack.

Consumer Connection

She goes on to explain, “I think consumers are worried that there are farmers that don’t care about their animals. But if they step back, take a tour, or chat with the farmer then they can see things from a different point of view. It’s good for consumers, but it is the same for famers, and all of those of us in agriculture. We need to not get frustrated with how little people know. See it from their perspective, it is not their fault, they were raised in a way that didn’t provide education about agriculture. Being able to relate and connect to the consumer will positively impact the profitability and sustainability of our industry.

When I was in vet school, I edited an online blog for Dr. Scott Hurd out of Iowa State. He was very passionate of sharing out to consumers about what he knew about raising pigs and the pork industry as a whole. He used to tell us all the time, we have to get out of the barn yard. How do we get out of the barnyard? That was his driving mission. I still remember that to this day.

When people think they are “advocating” for agriculture, but in a way that bashes on or puts down uneducated consumers or people who think differently than them, they are alienating those people. They may have a lot of followers, but their followers are people that are already involved in agriculture and they are missing out on a whole group of people that would really benefit from the message. I try to be very factual and nonjudgmental as I answer questions.

When I do answer a question that seems like it should be something that is common knowledge, I end up getting a lot of views and there ends up being a lot of discussion. It brings other people to the page and opens the door for a lot of consumer education. I find it is helpful to answer all questions respectfully.”:

Social Media

“My broad message is that we have a lot of food choices out there and nobody should be shamed for their food choices. But we should all be making educated and informed food choices. I hope that nobody is choosing one product over another based-on fear. There is so much misinformation out there, I want them to know that the farms I work with truly value their employees and their animals and they want to do a good job producing quality food. I hope that is the message that I get across. If consuming dairy is not their thing, then that’s ok, but I want them to come to their decision based on fact, not inflammatory words in the media,” says Dr. Schack.

Public Speaking

Dr. Schack does a lot of public speaking geared towards consumer education.  She says,” I think it is important that consumers have access to the facts and to people that are willing to share their stories. Not just farmers, but everyone involved in the agriculture industry. It is really great if we can all connect together to share our stories and round out the picture of agriculture.

Employee Training

Dr. Schack and her colleagues are very passionate about working toward better employee training throughout the dairy industry. She and several other veterinarians founded Dairy Kind, a dairy education company.

Dr. Schack explained, “Getting training to employees was and is a big part of our job as veterinarians, however, we could not keep up with the labor turnover, and the amount of training that needs to be done in the field. So, we created an online platform where employees could have access to training that gives employees the best start to do the best job they can do.

It is for all dairy employees and includes different pathways for different roles on the dairy.  It is accessible online or via mobile device anywhere. That has been powerful in not only improving training, but accountability and verification for the milk processors and retailers that the farms they are buying from prioritize animal wellbeing.

We don’t audit, but all the audits require training. We are trying to help the farmers with their training and meet their requirements in a simplified and efficient way, as well as provide standardized training for employees.”

Dairy Kind started 5 years ago and has grown to training farms in 8 states. Including over 40 training resources and training over 30,000 employees. If you would like to learn more about Dairy Kind please visit their website.  Also don’t forget to follow Dr. Schack on your favorite social media platform!

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

TikTok

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.

Tour of Creekside Robotic Dairy

Tour of Creekside Robotic Dairy

Posted on by Thomas

I recently had the opportunity to tour a new robot dairy in my neighborhood.  Strangely enough, it is the first robot dairy I have ever been to! I was very impressed by the calm environment and useful information collected by the robot system.

Labor shortages in the agricultural industry have led farmers to utilize technology as much as possible to decrease the number of employees needed. Robotic milking machines are one example of these technologies at work.

How the Robot Works

Cows wearing an RFID collar enter the milking stall voluntarily to be milked. The tag attached to the collar communicates with the milking robot. If it is time for the cow to be milked, she will get a grain treat and the robot will milk her.  The robot determines how much grain each cow gets based off how much milk she has been producing.

Some cows are frequent visitors to the robot and may enter the milking stall several times per day hoping for a treat. If it is not time for the cow to be milked, then she doesn’t get a treat and the robot will not milk her.

Milking Process

The robot cleans and preps teats using a rotating brush, then a laser helps to align the milking machine to the cow’s teats. The robot can measure the amount of milk that comes out of each quarter of the udder, and using data from previous milkings will predict how much milk she should give during the milking.

The robot can detect mastitis using milk conductivity and will flag cows that need medical treatment. Post milking these animals will be directed to a special holding area so they can receive the attention that is needed.

Feed and Manure Management

In addition to the pelleted grain that is fed to the cow while she is being milked, the animals still receive a PMR (partial mixed ration). This ration is delivered by a regular feed wagon but is routinely pushed up by a robot to keep feed always where the animals can reach it.

Similarly, robot “vacuums” roam the alleys sucking up manure. These robots dump the sludge down a drain where it can exit the facility and be separated.  The dry part of the separated manure is reused as bedding over the free stall mattresses.

Impact on the Cows

Robot housing is a very low stress environment for cows. They choose when to be milked and most of their time is spent in rest and digest mode. During the tour many of the cows came up to people passing by their pen, some curious, and some wanting to be scratched.  In one instance another dairyman on the tour asked half-jokingly, “What are these all show cows from the fair?”

The reply of owner Danny Turner was, “No, they are just robot cows. They are never pushed anywhere, and humans aren’t something they are in the habit of moving away from.”

Moving from Conventional to Robot

Turner Farms started with one conventional dairy and had the opportunity to expand and add the robot facility when they purchased a neighboring dairy. The addition of the robot dairy was something that Danny’s son Cameron was drawn to. When asked if he had ever envisioned himself coming back and running the dairy he replied, “No, growing up I liked the farm. I still like the farm, but I have come to like the steady pace of the dairy, and the weekly routine. If we were to stay with just our conventional dairy it would not be as enticing to me, but I toured a robot dairy about 6 years ago and was drawn to the idea. I was impressed with the technology and excited to make it work for us.”

Thank you, Danny and Cameron, for inviting so many out to tour your new facility!  It is always helpful to observe and learn from others!

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.

Programming Calf Immunity Through Dry Cow Management

Programming Calf Immunity Through Dry Cow Management

Posted on by Thomas

Bethany Dado-Senn grew up on a 500 cow dairy farm in North Western Wisconsin. Her family raises all their youngstock and homegrown crops. She attended UW Madison for her undergrad focusing on Dairy Science and Genetics. Upon graduation she transferred to the University of Florida for her master’s and PhD. The focus of her research was on understanding how early life stressors impact calf mammary development and general physiology.

That included in-utero studies including dry cow heat abatement, and early life pre-weaning heat stress on dairy calves. She finished her masters in Florida and then her advisor took a position at UW Madison halfway through Bethany’s PhD, so she followed her back to Wisconsin and was able to finish he degree closer to home.

Right out of grad school Bethany hired on with Vita Plus Corporation as a calf specialist. She helps troubleshoot calf problems on farm and she also does training and technical writing for their marketing efforts.

Bethany still helps on the family farm by feeding the calves each morning which is fun and rewarding for her. This week she shares insight with us on how we can manage the dry cow to program the calf for success.

Q: What factors influence health of the dry cow?

A: From a general health perspective, we know the dry period is the start of the transition period. Especially closer to calving we will see a decline in dry matter intake, which partially opens the door to a lot of transition disorders in the next lactation. Now researchers like Dr. Lance Baumgard and Dr. Barry Bradford have started looking into what role inflammation plays in this series of events. Greater inflammatory status at dry off is an indicator of having more inflammatory markers at calving. Which also opens the door for transition cow disorders.

It goes to show we should really be focusing on how cows enter the dry period and give them the support that they need to have low oxidative stress, low inflammation, and overall good general metabolic health. That will ease them into the lactating string even easier.

Another than that is an important consideration is mammary development. At the start of the dry period, we have involution of the mammary gland and cell death of most of the mammary epithelial cells. These are worn out cells that are not as metabolically active and functional. The dry period kills most of these cells and a couple weeks before calving the redevelopment phase begins and these epithelial cells turn over and fresh cells regenerate. They can start off the lactation curve with a lot more activity and robustness.

Q: What factors influence calf development during the dry period.

A: First off, let’s talk about the general concept of over or under nutrition. We know from human literature that if mom is under nourished, that may lead to a lot of metabolic and general growth consequences for the offspring.

On the dairy cow side of things, undernutrition isn’t common, although on the flip side, overnutrition is more likely. There is not a lot of work explaining what it might look like for the calf to be born from a high body condition cow with fatty liver. There is some work suggesting some changes in adipocyte formation, but not a lot of research along those lines.

There is more literature around what we put in the diet. There is a lot of work out there right now around rumen protected choline and rumen protected methionine. Not only their role on cow performance when she starts milking, but also for her calf.

What this looks like on the calf side, for both methionine and choline, is that they are both methyl doners. So, they aid in general growth and development, and feed efficiency. I believe there are also some improvements in things like oxidative stress performance. With that kind of support, you are going to get a faster growing more vigorous calf.

Other factors that could play a role include inflammatory status. Last year an ADSA abstract was presented by Eduardo Ribeiro’s group from the University of Guelph. They found that calves from cows with an early lactation transition disorder were also more at risk of having a health issue. There is something going on in the cross talk during late gestation that passes on inflammation and oxidative stress to the offspring. We are not sure what the mechanism is, but there is a connection.

The final area we look at would be maternal stressors. Late gestation is the period of time in which about 70% of calf growth is occurring. Any stressor that shunts away nutrients or oxygen, as blood is dispersed elsewhere, the calf is not going to be able to grow in the same way.

In my background with heat stress research, we know that calves born to in-utero heat stress are born earlier, are lighter, and are more immunocompromised. They have a smaller thymus, liver and spleen. They have poorer passive immune transfer, they have impaired fertility, and if they make it around all of that and they make it to the lactating string they make 5-10 lbs. less milk per day compared to calves born to a thermo-neutral in-utero environment.

Some of my work looked at some of the early life mammary development. We know that as soon as the calf hits the ground, she already has some impairments in mammary gland size. It is also less proliferative, and it is less complex than mammary development of calves who experienced thermal-neutral in-utero. The synthesizing ducts that will eventually form are less developed and will not proliferate as fast.

Q. How can we “program” dry cows to help calves be ready for passive and active immunity?

A. Consider adding a rumen protected choline or methionine to your diet.  There is a study that shows that feeding rumen protected choline to the dry cow improved colostrum yield. There are benefits to the cow, but also to the calf.

Cooling your dry cows will help with calf passive immunity transfer. The gut of calves experiencing in-utero heat stress has increased gut cell death and poorer tight junction integrity. It doesn’t do as good of a job absorbing the immunoglobulins of colostrum.

We are still exploring the size difference of the thymus, liver, and spleen and the impact that has on the adaptive immune response. My college Marcella did a lot of immune related research while we were in grad school together. She followed calves that were consistently heat stressed in-utero and post weaning and those that were consistently cooled. We see lower IgG consistently across the entire preweaning period and some differences in monocyte and neutrophil populations in those heat stressed calves.

Generally, make sure you have the right colostrum quantity which comes down to dry cow nutrition. Things like correct crude protein levels, overall dry matter intake, and milking cows soon after calving for the best IgG concentration.

Thanks for all the great information about managing our dry cows and programming our calves for immune success Bethany!  If you would like to hear more from Bethany, you can connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram!

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.

2023 Harvest Recap with Carmen Monson of Monson Consulting

2023 Harvest Recap with Carmen Monson of Monson Consulting

Posted on by Thomas

Carmen Monson, of Monson Consulting, is a nutritionist in the state of Wisconsin. After graduating from college Carmen did an extension internship with the University of Wisconsin. While it was interesting it was not her main interest so she decided to pursue other opportunities. After completing her internship she started working for Purina feed mills and did a short stint with Form-A-Feed.

She and her husband were blessed to work together, and 30 years ago this last Oct they started an independent consulting business. Their goal was that through nutrition they were going to save the family farm.

Carmen works with many farms in her area and formulates out of 9 different feed mills. She does lots of dairy and some beef nutrition, totaling 51 herds ranging in size from 30-900 cows. She also feeds a 600-animal dairy goat herd and even some hogs. Prior to chronic wasting disease being found in Wisconsin, she and her husband also worked with some deer and elk ranches, and for a while she fed some Ostriches too!

Carmen is going to share some of her experiences with the 2023 harvest in her area as well as what she considers when using a toxin binder.


Q: How did harvest go in 2023?

A: We do a fair amount of small grain silages too, but the main crops are alfalfa and corn silage. We had lots of moisture for 1st crop alfalfa this year, thank goodness. 2nd crop alfalfa was low in carbohydrates due to the smoke cover from the Canada fires. 3rd crop alfalfa was good quality but not a lot of it because of little moisture.

Corn silage was all over the place this year. Some of it germinated and survived the drought, other seeds even in the same field did not germinate until later in the summer when it rained. It was weird, there were some plants that had an ear like two feet off the ground and then the rest of the plant was 12 feet tall. The plant had set the ear while it was dry and then it rained later. The plant recovered and grew beyond that. Growing conditions like this are unusual and set the plant up to be at risk for mold growth.

Some farms will spray with a fungicide, but that was difficult because the plants across each field differed so much. We will have to be cautious of mold and yeast growth in our silage this year.

The low carbohydrate content of our 2nd crop alfalfa makes the alfalfa silage ferment slowly during ensilation and ends up with production of butyric acid during fermentation. When high butyric acid haylage is fed to dry cows you end up with ketosis, when we feed it to lactating cows, we can dilute it as much as possible or pull it out and let the butyric acid volatilize, but it still causes problems.

Q: What are the risks of feeding spoiled forages?

A: Mold and yeasts by themselves are an issue, but they also produce toxins that cause a lot of problems. Gut issues and immune suppression which make the animal more vulnerable to other conditions.

It’s a good idea to test feed, but you also need to watch the cows. In the sampling process you may miss areas where the feed is contaminated. If we do identify a toxin, we can then match a binder to it.

Intestinal bleeding from mycotoxins is the easiest thing to identify, decreased fertility, higher somatic cell count, and vulnerability to other diseases is much harder to pinpoint as a mycotoxin problem because it can look like a lot of other things.

Q: When do you recommend feeding a toxin binder?

A: I feed a maintenance level of a binder all the time. When we do pinpoint a mycotoxin problem, I will increase the amount or switch to another binder that better matches the issue at hand.

Q: Management tips for feeding tainted forages.

A: We always talk about dilution first if you can. I usually increase vitamins, and if the toxin is bad, I will include vitamin B complexes, because rumination isn’t working well at that point.  Additionally, I will include yeast or probiotics.

Carmen is a great resource! Check out her website if you want to read her blogs and newsletters. You can also follow her on Facebook and Instagram for informative content!  She can be contacted through email at monsonconsultcows@gmail.com.

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.

Interview with Justin Axman – DNMC Consulting LLC.

Interview with Justin Axman – DNMC Consulting LLC.

Posted on by Thomas

Today we are fortunate to share some thoughts from Justin Axman, a consulting nutritionist from Kansas. Justin grew up on a dry land farm in central Kansas. The primary focuses were commercial cow calf, wheat, milo, alfalfa, and grass hay. Growing up he was involved in 4-H and athletics. After high school Justin played baseball at Pratt Community College. There he also completed an associate of science. Justin continued in that field of study with an emphasis on Biology/Pre-Med at Emporia State University. He completed the program there and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in science and biology.

Justin had become less interested in pursuing the medical field as a career and had found he had a great interest in human nutrition and how those concepts were mimicked in animal production. After multiple conversations Justin was led back to his roots and decided to pursue a career in animal production. He entered the Kansas State University Master of Animal Science program with a focus on feedlot nutrition.

During that time Justin took a manager position as a research assistant over the beef cattle research center. There, under the direction of his advisor, Dr. Jim Drouillard, Justin oversaw daily duties at the feedyard, and studies conducted there at the beef cattle research center. The experience there was paramount and integral to how his career has been shaped. He uses the experience he had there in both the beef and dairy consulting that he does today.

Q: What part of bovine nutrition are you most passionate about and why?

I have always been an analytical thinker, and naturally from my background, I have a passion for all things animal production. My greatest passion, however, is utilizing and leveraging my peers and my experience and knowledge base to achieve the most optimal solutions for our clients and producers.

Being able to implement successful nutrition and management programs and having the ability to continually manage and evaluate data to adjust those programs periodically. I would say is the most fulfilling part of being a consulting nutritionist for me.

Speaking on behalf of me and our team, I am so fortunate to work with very forward-thinking individuals. It makes for very productive conversations and plans of action with each interaction we have with our clients.

Q: What do you feel are some of the most important aspects of nutrition?

  • It gets over sought but, supply of fresh feed and water is paramount. Cows may be out of feed at 1 am or calves out of feed and water midday. It happens more often than we may imagine. Don’t overlook the importance of feed availability.
  • Simply having a feed and nutrition program in place with a nutritionist, in addition to a receiving and vaccination protocol in place with a licensed veterinarian that fits the goals of the farm.
  • Write goals down to make sure they don’t get lost in the shuffle.
  • Have a team in place that can implement those goals and tasks in an effective and timely manner.

Q: What are some management or performance issues that you have seen in your area this year and what did you do to overcome them.

It’s been a long summer for most folks. Southwest Kansas received annual rainfall in 75-90 days in most areas. And in combination the heat and humidity have certainly imposed health risks and performance losses for both my beef and dairy customers.

Most of the operations in this area are dry lots and the heavy rainfall posed a lot of risks and muddy conditions. In previous years this area was primarily drought stricken. That certainly had an impact on the beef herd and those growing calves.

Resolutions to these problems are to recognize them early on. The drought gave us the opportunity to evaluate if vitamin supply, most importantly vitamin A, is in ample supply?

In areas of higher morbidity and mortality, it certainly created urgency to revisit the nutrition program to make sure things were firing on all cylinders and that nutrients were in the right amounts and concentrations.

Additionally, how are intakes looking on farm. Sicker animals usually don’t eat good. If intakes are off how to we rectify that and resolve them?

Q: Who else is an important ally for you and your clients?

I love open conversations including veterinarians. Sometimes there can be a disconnect there, and I like to make sure there is a healthy relationship. I can always learn something from the veterinarian. We rely heavily on them for diagnosis and vaccine protocols. The weather challenges we have had certainly resulted in deeper conversations with our veterinarians.

Justin has been on staff with DNMC Nutrition a little over 2 years in now. He has served in a consultative nutritionist roll for 10 years and is a great resource when it comes to nutrition and management for both beef and dairy cattle. If you would like to know more about Justin or connect with him, please visit the DNMC website.

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.

Resolution of Inflammation in Dairy Cattle

Resolution of Inflammation in Dairy Cattle

Posted on by Thomas

High producing dairy cattle are more vulnerable to disease leading to a shorter life expectancy and reduced thriftiness. Improved understanding of immune function is needed in discovering the best tools to combat existing disease and any future pathogens that may compromise animal health.

 

Gut Microbiome

The establishment and development of the gut microbiome is a dynamic process that is influenced by several factors.

  • Host related factors influencing the microbiome included functional maturity of the gut and the immune system.
  • External factors including everything in the animal’s environment, nutritional status, antibiotic use, etc.

There is growing evidence associating the microbiome with alterations in immune function systemically and within the gut.

 

Nutrition and Immunity

Dietary influenced inflammation is a major contributor to several metabolic diseases common in dairy cattle including mastitis, retained placenta, metritis, displaced abomasum, hoof disorders, respiratory challenges, diarrhea, and ketosis. Most of these health problems in mature dairy cattle occur around calving due to hormonal shifts and the increased nutrient demands for lactation.

Maintaining a properly balanced ration, avoiding environmental toxins, managing to drive dry matter intake, and feeding to modulate immunity can help to alleviate some of the effects caused by disease during this time. The following chart shows various nutrients and their role in the immune response.

Nutrient Role in Immunity
Fat/Energy Regulated cell mediated immunity and antibody response.
Protein Proliferation and maturity of immune cells.
Glucose Up-regulation of cell proliferation, cell differentiation, chemotaxis, phagocytosis.
Glutamine Up-regulation of cytokine and reactive oxygen metabolite production, cell division, phagocytosis, CD4 T cell proliferation.
Tryptophan Activation and maintenance of the immune response.
Fatty Acids Down regulation of IgM secretion, cytokine production, cell viability, phagocytosis, antigen presentation. Up-regulation of oxidative burst, necrosis, phagocytosis, cytokine and ROM production, TLR signaling.
Selenium Maintenance of the antioxidant system, enhancement of neutrophil function. Migration of neutrophils and macrophages.
Zinc Overall immune function, antioxidant activity, epithelial barrier integrity, nucleic acid and protein synthesis, cell division.
Copper Overall immune function, antioxidant activity, enhancement of interferon production.
Iron Antioxidant defense, energy, and protein metabolism.
Manganese Overall immune function, antioxidant protection, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism.
Chromium Regulation of cell-mediated and humoral immune responses, upregulation of blastogenic response, enhancement of cytokine production, antibody production.
Vitamin A Overall immune function, upregulation of lymphocyte proliferation.
Vitamin B Antioxidant defense, upregulation of lymphocyte proliferation.
Vitamin D Antioxidant defense, down-regulation of inflammation
Vitamin C Antioxidant defense, down regulation of inflammation
Vitamin E Antioxidant, enhancement of neutrophil function, increase production of IL 1 and major histocompatibility class II antigen expression.

 

 

Resolution of Inflammation

Inflammation is a normal immune response to a pathogen challenge or damaged tissue.  Signs may include redness, swelling, and pain. The body increases blood flow to transport immune components to the infected area. Proper completion of the cycle results in timely removal of the pathogen, damaged tissue and cells, and restoration of tissue homeostasis.

The process of inflammation is glucose dependent, and may increase the maintenance requirement up to 40%, resulting in milk yield losses. Length of recovery time is critical to the chance of the animal recovering completely and for minimizing the amount of lost milk production. Providing the needed nutrients for immune function can help to shorten recovery time and prevent production losses.

We still have a lot to learn about the bovine immune function and the best strategies to resolve inflammation and maintain optimal cattle health.  But one thing is for sure, we are developing our toolboxes. Probiotics, prebiotics, IgY, minimizing the use of antimicrobials, and other management factors influencing epithelial integrity are all tools expected to have a positive impact on combating infectious disease and inflammatory disorders in high producing dairy cattle.

 

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.

 

Sources:

Vlasova, AN and Saif LJ (2021) Bovine Immunology: Implications for Dairy Cattle. Front. Immunol. 12:64 in Immunology3206.

3 Key Management Areas for a Successful Transition

3 Key Management Areas for a Successful Transition

Posted on by Thomas

More than 35% of all dairy cattle have at least 1 clinical disease event in the first 90 days of their lactation. It is important to have a solid protocol in place for transition cows to aid them in the onset of milk production and help them maintain good health.

Remember 3 areas when establishing a fresh cow protocol.

1. Minimize stress

2. Nutrition and feed management

3. Observe behavior for early illness detection

 

Minimizing Stress

  • One of the greatest stressors on a transition cow is pen moves.  Each time a cow enters a new pen she will have to establish her hierarchy within the group. This may result in a drop in DMI (Dry Matter Intake) and elevated cortisol levels.  It is best to minimize pen movements as much as possible and allow animals adequate time, 21-28 days, in the close-up pen.
  • If possible house springer heifers separately from multiparous cows. Springer heifers have been shown to have longer resting times and greater DMI when housed separately from mature cows. First calf heifers also need more metabolizable protein in the close-up period than mature cows.
  • Keep pens clean and dry. Environmental stressors increase metabolic needs, but decrease DMI. Wet pens increase the risk of mastitis and metritis.
  • Heat abatement systems minimize heat stress.
  • Allow adequate pen space ~ 600 ft2/cow (183 m2) and 50-70 ft2 (15.24 – 21.3 m2) of shade.
  • In a freestall barn a minimum of 1 properly bedded stall/cow is need.
  • Avoid overcrowding, 85% stocking density is ideal.

 

Nutrition and Feed Management

  • Properly balanced close-up and fresh rations and sufficient DMI are important in ensuring a healthy immune system and onset of milk production. DMI should be monitored in the close-up and fresh periods.  A good goal for DMI is 2% of body weight pre-freshening and 3 % of body weight post-freshening.
  • It may be beneficial for your farm to select low K+ forages for the close-up rations, or even to feed anionic salts. When feeding a -DCAD diet be sure to routinely monitor urine pH’s.  If pH’s are not falling in the range of 6-7 you will need to consult with your nutritionist about a ration adjustment.
  • Provide adequate, clean water as it is necessary for rumination, immune function, and milk production. Recommendation is 3.5 linear inches (9 cm) of accessible water perimeter per cow, and at least 2 watering locations per group.

 

Animal Observation

  • Early observation of a sick cow will allow prompt treatment and prevention of a downer cow.

Things to look for are:

  1. Decrease in DMI and rumination.
  2. Diarrhea
  3. Increased body temperature
  4. Abnormal vaginal discharge
  5. Abnormal gut fill (too little or too much)
  6. Respiration Rate
  7. Tail Carriage
  8. Udder Fill
  • The best cure is an ounce of prevention. Monitor and record daily animal observations to identify sick animals. Work with your veterinarian to establish appropriate treatment protocols.
  • See table below for appropriate goals for percentage of fresh cow diseases on your farm.
Disease Goal
Subclinical Ketosis <15%
Clinical Hypocalcemia <3%
Subclinical Hypocalcemia <30%
Displaced Abomasum <3%
Retained fetal membranes <5%
Metritis <10%
Mastitis <3%

*Source University of Minnesota Extension

 

Click the link below for our FREE Transition Cow Care Card!

Mitigating Heat Stress in Cattle

Mitigating Heat Stress in Cattle

Posted on by Thomas

Heat stress is defined as an event in which additional nutrients are required to reduce the heat load on the animal. Cattle are much more susceptible to heat stress than people. Mild heat stress for cattle starts around 72°F and 50% humidity. High producing dairy cattle eating large amounts of feed can even experience heat stress at temperatures as low as 65°F.

Heat stress can cause major economic losses as the cow partitions nutrients away from production to be used for cooling and maintaining its own body. Ohio State University researchers report that the economic loss of heat stress on U.S. dairy cattle can reach $1.6 billion annually.

 

Signs of Heat Stress

More time standing- Cattle experiencing heat stress may spend more time standing to allow heat to dissipate from the extremities.

Increased respiratory rate- releases heat and brings down body temperature.

Increased body temperature- body cannot get rid of the extra heat and core body temperature rises.

Risk of leaky gut syndrome- heat stress can disrupt the tight junctions of the gut allowing toxins and infectious agents to “leak” into the body. A leaky gut can lead to inflammation and various diseases.

 

Outcomes of Heat Stress

Decline in dry matter intake

Lower milk production (-$74/cow annual loss according to researchers at the University of WI)

Lower component production

Lower rumen pH (risk of acidosis, reduced butterfat, and other digestive upset)

Increased lameness

Decreased fertility

Small calf birth weight (generational impact on lower milk production found by researchers at the University of FL)

Immune impaired calf (accelerated gut closure)

Increased health risks (lung and metabolic)

 

Mitigate Heat Stress

Alter the Environment

  • Provide shade as a priority.
  • Apply water to the cow’s body.
  • Provide air movement.
  • In low humidity areas cool the air with a fog or mist.

Feed Considerations

  • Improve ration palatability.
  • Focus on ration digestibility.
  • Concentrate ration energy.
  • Keep feed fresh.
  • Provide adequate water.
  • Adjust electrolyte balance in the ration and DCAD.
  • Include a yeast product to stabilize the rumen.
  • Support immune function with biological polysaccharides.
  • Include digestive enzymes.
  • Consider rumen protected Niacin to increased external blood flow.
  • Consider rumen protected Choline to maintain liver health, energy metabolism, and immune function.
  • Supplement Chromium to increase insulin sensitivity, immune function, and glucose utilization.

Heat stress impacts every stage of life. Taking a proactive approach to mitigating the effects of heat stress will have a lasting impact on the health and productivity of the animal and the herd.

 

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.