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.

Coming Soon: Pocket Ranch and Creamery

Coming Soon: Pocket Ranch and Creamery

Posted on by Thomas

Joey Bingham grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Gooding, Idaho. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has four beautiful children. The couple chose to leave Gooding to further their education in Boise. Although Joey was eager to return to the farm and his hometown, his wife, having lived most of her growing up years in the Treasure Valley, wanted to make their home in Boise rather than moving back to Gooding.

Joey made his career in respiratory therapy and served in a trauma center in Boise for 12 years. Then one day shortly after their 4th child was born, Joey’s wife surprised him by suggesting that they move back to the family farm. She was tired of him working long hours away from home and felt that moving back to the family farm might allow their family more opportunities to be together.

Joey was so surprised that he called his father right away and asked if there was a spot for him to return to the farm. There was and a few months later they sold their home in the Treasure Valley and moved back to the farm in Gooding.

Shortly after Joey returned to the farm, his parents left to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Joey began the process of purchasing the operation.

 

Q. What changes have you made since taking over the farm?

A. Back in ’73 when my grandpa and my dad first moved here, the property was about three quarters sage brush. They developed a lot of it, and we have continued to do so as well.

My Dad’s cow management system was a little old fashioned, he was using a pinwheel, so adding herd management software was one of the first changes I made when I came back.

It took my dad a little bit to adjust, but not near as long as I thought it would. As soon as we started seeing a lot more data on our cows, I think I only showed it to him once and he said,” Ok, I am out. You take over from here.”

 

Q. What goals do you have regarding opportunities for employees?

A. One of my biggest goals in my operation is to create an environment or a place where everyone can grow. Whether they are family by blood or not I want them to feel valued, and that they belong.

Everyone that works for me, or I would rather say, with me, they have stake here and I want them to feel that way. That is where we gain our traction in progressivism. A lot of times in agriculture they talk a lot about sustainability. I hate that reference because it insinuates, we just want to keep doing what we are doing. I don’t think that creates a very good picture of the ag industry. We are not looking to be a sustainable industry but a progressive industry. In 10 years if we keep doing what we are doing today, we won’t be doing very well. We need to keep looking to improve.

I meet with my managers 2x per week. It’s not so much about the day to day, but the people in the meeting. If they are doing the best they can be, then we will be progressive. They need to feel like this is their forever home where they can learn and grow and someday retire and still have things left.

 

Q. How did you get the idea to start your own creamery?

A. Before my grandpa and dad moved to this farm they had a little 20 cow Jersey dairy in Twin Falls, Idaho. They had started a little ice-cream shop and fresh milk delivery system over there and they called it Milky Way. I had seen lots of their old-fashioned milk bottles and the paper caps they used on them, and I always thought it was really cool. I have always had a dream of having my own ice cream shop and selling fresh milk since I came back to the dairy in 2012.

I never had the drive to do it because we always had plenty to do, but as milk markets have become much more volatile and processors have put quotas on production, I have been looking for ways to diversify. In 2019 I decided I just had to jump and see how it goes. So, I decided to build an on-Farm processing plant. I thought we would be going to 2020, but here we are in 2023 and we are not quite there yet.

 

Q. What have been the biggest obstacles to overcome?

A. Never ending obstacles, building permits, programmers, etc. I purchased all the equipment from a retired milk processing plant. I had multiple industry engineers look at it, and we thought we were getting something a little bit different than we got. We ended up starting more from scratch than we originally thought we would.

The biggest obstacle by far has been programming for the equipment.  But we are finally getting closer!

 

Q. How have your experiences from working in the trauma center shaped how you run the farm today?

A. In my field of respiratory therapy especially at Saint Alphonsus where I worked, we were given a lot more liberty to practice than most facilities allowed. We tried a lot of new technologies in the field, and it has given me the courage to try new things that have not been proven before. One of the things I have brought back to the farm is the ability to utilize technology to be better at what we are currently doing.

 

Q. What products are available from Pocket Ranch and Creamery, and how does someone purchase them?

A. My vision for the creamery is not necessarily looking for a niche market as much as being able to provide fresh in-home necessities at a reasonable price. As the products begin to roll out, we will start with farm fresh whole milk, then cheese curds. We will make flavored curds and mozzarella cheese. Fresh butter with multiple flavors, chocolate milk, huckleberry milk, ice cream, and coffee creamers.

I have been doing a lot of beef on dairy crossbreeding and we will offer fresh beef for sale as well.

My youngest boy is a chicken connoisseur, so we are building a chicken flock to sell eggs, We are actually currently selling those now at our distribution point.

 

Q. How will customers place orders and where will they pick them up?

A. Our goal is to become a home delivery platform. Most of the sales will be placed online at our website  and will be subscription based. People can customize their subscription and pick which day they would like to pick it up or have it delivered.

Everybody contacts agriculture, even if they don’t know it and think that WALMART is where our food comes from. My hope is that I can create a platform where people can see where their food actually comes from.

I want people to experience fresh food. The subscription process is important so we only process what needs to be picked up. The goal is that everyone is getting quality fresh food that is healthier and minimally processed.

 

Q. Where is the distribution point?

A. That is another story in itself! Our distribution point was an old gas station that was no longer open. I purchased it just to use it as a distribution point, but I had some friends suggest that I open it up as a gas station convenience store in addition to being a distribution point. I attacked the endeavor, and the store is doing pretty well. That is also where the ice cream parlor will be.

 

Through all this I have learned, don’t give up, good things will happen! We are on the downhill slope and looking forward to when we can start processing milk.

 

Stay up to date with the progress at the creamery by following Pocket Ranch and Creamery on Facebook and Instagram!

 

 

 

 

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.

Interview with Cody Turner of Wild Cow Commodities and Turner Dairy

Interview with Cody Turner of Wild Cow Commodities and Turner Dairy

Posted on by Thomas

Cody Turner was just a Southern Idaho farm boy. Although just a farm boy, he had big dreams for the impact he would make in agriculture and in the dairy industry. Cody may have grown up on a farm, but he started from scratch to build what he has today. Early on he changed his focus from building a business and making money to building something that other people can benefit from. He has kept his focus on two things, feeding the world and providing opportunities for his employees to develop their talents and become their best versions of themselves.

 

What Benefits and Differences Have You Noticed With Organic vs Conventional Farming?

We do have 3 organic dairies and 1 conventional dairy. Some history that’s important, I originally started conventional 10 years before becoming organic. It’s not an easy transition back to organic, and I say back to organic because up to 50 years ago everyone was an organic farmer whether they knew it or not. That’s what organic is, returning to the most natural way we know how to farm. When I decided to become an organic farmer, I spent a lot of time talking to older farmers about how they used to do things.

Conventional Farmers have a lot of reset buttons. Organic farmers must be proactive and progressive. You have got to understand the bug cycles and you have got to understand the weed cycles, and how they strengthen each other too. It’s about understanding how the ecosystem works naturally. Through all of that we can meet or beat most county yields for conventional crops. What’s really cool is the most noticeable change would be our corn silage. There are years we would have an organic crop with conventional on all 3 sides, the Seed rep would inspect our corn field and would comment, “What’s going on with your corn fields?”

For all the years I was a conventional farmer it was normal to me to have the corn plants burn off the bottom leaves to fuel corn production. In our organic corn silage that doesn’t happen anymore. In fact, the corn fills out the end of the shuck every year even though we are not able to use fertilizers.

Overall health of the soil converts to healthy plants. We focus on doing healthy things for the soil and that converts into healthier plants. Which then results in healthier cattle. We can maintain respectable numbers on health, cull rates, and death loss on our organic dairies that would be comparable to a conventional dairy even though we cannot use even a single stich of medicine. Those things have been really cool things to learn.

 

What Benefits and Differences Have You Noticed between your Organic vs Conventional Dairies?

It is kind of intriguing, the way to manage organic is quite different than managing a conventional dairy. I don’t know maybe it’s because I have only known poor conventional dairymen, but it seems like on the conventional side we were always retroactive. We didn’t worry until cows were getting sick, and then we would do something about it.

In the organic world because it’s not possible to just jump on top of treating.  We have made environmental changes to help combat that. One thing we have been really excited about, we can use vaccines and probiotics. Things that offer preventative maintenance to the animal, and we have been able to see that brings a lot of benefit for the cow.  We have seen a real improvement by utilizing those things correctly and to their full potential.

 

How Is Your Labor Availability, And What Do You Do To Coach And Train Your Employees?

The most interesting thing, if you ask anyone who has had employees in the last 3-5 years, most will say it is hard to find people that are willing to work, and people who are good help, that care and are committed to their job. I’ll say just the opposite. We have more good, qualified people than we can use.

We have a tremendous amount of A+ people and enough once in a lifetime employees to supply a dozen businesses. I would have to take it back to this basic principle. A few years back I noticed in the Ag industry we have a really interesting situation coming at us. When you look at the statistics, most farmers are 60+ and nearing retirement age. Of those nearing retirement age, a huge percentage are actually 70+ and are still in the environment because they haven’t found a way to get out yet. There is no real retirement plan when you own an ag business if there is nobody that can take it over.

So that’s what I noticed a few years ago, and I was like Holy Smokes! We are going to have a huge avalanche of farmers that are going to need to quit and don’t have someone to pass it on to. I realized at that time, there will be more opportunities for growth than we will be able to take on. I determined it would not be the opportunities that would prevent our growth, or money that would prevent our growth. I think money is a make-believe thing, I have always been able to come up with the money for what I need. What would determine our ability to grow would be the quality and abilities of our management team.

We are only as good as the people that we have. We started having a morning devotional 2x per week at 6 a.m. Everyone is invited but it’s mostly the management team that shows up. We read self-help books, educational books, management books, but 90% of the time it gets tied back to God and how to be a better person, community member, better parent, etc. A big focus in our operation is holding ourselves and each other accountable to become the best version of ourselves that we can be. We have seen tremendous growth in our people by focusing on that.

Because our focus is on becoming the best version of ourselves that we can be, we attract so much higher quality people than we would otherwise because we are attracting people who want to learn and grow and become better.

When you hear someone say they can’t find good help, put yourself in the shoes of their employees. What does their employee have to feel when they hear their boss saying that about their team?

We have really changed our vocabulary, our outlook, and our focus to create a different environment. On top of that too, I have proven this to myself and to me team, and I say it about once per week, we are all sons and daughters of God and all of us being sons and daughters we have tremendous potential to become great. What we usually lack is someone to believe in us, push us, and hold us accountable for falling short.  As we hold each other accountable, and as we push each other to make better decisions and to take ownership, all of us can grow and become better than we currently think we can.

I have seen so many of our guys that were just normal workers change. One example is Fidel. Fidel was just a milker.  But now Fidel manages dozens of people. He trains, hires, and fires, and holds others to a higher accountability level than what he was even held to when he was a milker. He owns that job, and he takes high esteem to create the best team that he can because that is where his stewardship lies.

Our 2 newest farms are down in Preston, Idaho, 210 miles away. The teams down there are 100% green. The managers on both farms, have had 0 experience managing a dairy. I threw them at the wolves because I knew they were great guys and I knew they had potential to become great managers. They have all my confidence and trust and they know that. I work really hard at training and then empowering. I don’t micromanage, I let them run their own show and I try to let them figure out the good and the bad all on their own. I believe you learn from your own experiences not from the experiences of others.

 

How Has Adding A Commodity Mill Benefited Your Enterprises?

Originally that mill became certified organic because it has been my mill for something like 25-30 years. When I became organic, I urged the owner to convert to organic. Maybe that was a little bit selfish on my part, but it’s a smaller mill and I wanted them to be able to continue to work with them, so he did.

A few years later he reached retirement age and was looking for someone to buy his mill. I thought man, I don’t really want to own a mill. I don’t know anything about running a mill, but I also don’t want to go back to not having a mill to take care of me. There is no mill in the state of Idaho that could take care of us like, what is now called Wild Cow Commodities.

I decided it would be a great move to buy it and solidify it and even expand it. Now we broker quite a few organic commodities through there as a service to other organic farms. I think it is going to work out very well. There aren’t that many resources out there for organic dairymen. There aren’t mills, there isn’t people that just sell you ingredients, broker it, and figure out the logistics of trucking and storage for you. So that’s what we have been focusing on, not only for our dairies, but also any other dairy that can use that service.

On top of that we have really been able to dial in on the quality. It is important to have corn flaked or ground as optimal as it can be to get the most out of it for milk production. We rebuilt the roller mill and the grinder, and we have them on a maintenance schedule so we can keep the processing at optimum levels. Where we feed it to our own cows it keeps us on the hook. We aren’t doing a poor job for anybody as we monitor how the grain is feeding to our own cows daily. Every other dairyman that has their feed milled at our facility benefits from this optimum scenario.

In addition to the organic milling and commodity side, we bag conventional feed for over-the-counter sales. We make all sorts of different feeds, show feeds, chicken feed, hay bales, etc. We have customers that come from about 5 counties around us, and it has been a really good resource for the community.

 

Thank you, Cody, for sharing your motivation for feeding the world and for the betterment of your employee’s lives!

If you would like to know more about Wild Cow/Turner Dairy, you can follow them on their social media accounts and website listed below!

Facebook: Wild Cow/Turner Dairy | Gooding ID | Facebook

Instagram: Wild Cow (@wild_cow_) | Instagram

Website: Animal Feed | Wild Cow Commodities | Gooding

Immune Importance: Dairy Cows

Immune Importance: Dairy Cows

Posted on by Thomas

The immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body from harmful pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites. In dairy cows, a strong and healthy immune system is essential for maintaining good health, preventing disease, and optimizing milk production.

 

Infectious Disease

Dairy cows are susceptible to a range of infectious diseases all of which can significantly impact milk production and quality.

  • Mastitis, a bacterial infection of the udder that can cause pain and inflammation, and result in decreased milk yield.
  • Pneumonia, a respiratory disease that can lead to coughing, fever, and reduced appetite.
  • Metritis, an infection of the uterus that can cause infertility and reduced milk production.

Immunometabolism-The cost of disease. The cow makes a lot of adaptations to make sure the immune system has what it needs to combat infection.

 

 

Healthy Immune System

A healthy immune system is crucial for preventing and combating these infections. When a cow is exposed to a pathogen, her immune system will recognize the invader and launch a response to eliminate it. This response involves the production of antibodies, which are proteins that can identify and neutralize specific pathogens, as well as the activation of immune cells, such as white blood cells, which can engulf and destroy invading microbes.

 

In addition to fighting off infections, the immune system also plays an important role in maintaining overall health and well-being. For example, the immune system helps to remove damaged cells and tissues, regulate inflammation, and promote tissue repair and regeneration.

 

Influencing Factors

There are several factors that can influence the strength and effectiveness of a cow’s immune system.

  • Genetics
  • Nutrition
  • Housing
  • Management practices
  • Environmental factors.

Ensuring that cows receive adequate nutrition, proper housing and management, and appropriate vaccinations and treatments can all help to support a healthy immune system.

 

In conclusion, the immune system plays a critical role in the health and productivity of dairy cows. By understanding the importance of immune function and implementing appropriate management practices, producers can help to ensure that their cows stay healthy and productive, while also promoting animal welfare and sustainability in the dairy industry.

 

 

Disclaimer: The following material has been generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The content and information provided are based solely on patterns and data available up until September 2021. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies present in the generated content. This material should not be considered as professional advice or a substitute for human-generated content. Users are encouraged to verify the information independently and consult relevant experts or sources for specific guidance. The responsibility for any actions taken based on the information provided lies solely with the user. The AI model, OpenAI, and its developers bear no responsibility or liability for any consequences or damages that may arise from the use of this material.