Dairy Resources - Management

August 2019

( Taylor Leach )

Peak milk is the highest recorded test day milk production in a cow’s first 150 days in milk (DIM). Historically, producers used peak milk as a measure of the success of dry period and early lactation nutrition and management. Peak milk indicates how well the cow responds to feeding practices during the dry period, calving and early lactation periods.

October 2019

Abstract

Transfaunation is supposed to stimulate normal rumen function and has been used as an ancillary treatment for indigestion. Although it is widely recommended, there are little research data on the efficacy and the necessary volume.

The objective of the prospective clinical trial was the evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of two different transfaunation volumes which can be obtained under practical conditions.

Forty‐five cattle suffering from indigestion were included in the study. A scoring system for the classification of rumen fluid was used. Scores were given in accordance with the importance of the parameter as an indication of microbial dysfunction. Animals with disturbed rumen fluid composition and activity were randomly assigned into 3 groups. Group 1 received 1 L of rumen fluid, group 2 received 5 L of rumen fluid and group 3 (control group) received 5 L of body temperature water. Rumen fluid analysis was repeated on days 1 and 4 after transfaunation. The feed intake of the animals was recorded.

After the transfaunation of 1 L and 5 L, the rumen fluid score improved significantly from day 0 to days 1 and 4. Rumen fluid samples in the control group showed no significant improvement from day 0 to day 1.

No significant differences were observed between the two treatment groups. But significant differences between the improvement of group 1 and the control group on days 1 and 4 and significant differences between group 2 and the control group on day 1 were detected. Small volumes of rumen fluid are easily obtainable by stomach tubes fitted with suction pumps. In summary, the transfaunation of as little as 1 L of rumen fluid caused significant improvement in the activity of rumen flora in cows suffering from indigestion.

Read full article Here

Simone Steiner, Nina Linhart, Anita Neidl, Walter Baumgartner, Alexander Tichy, Thomas Wittek
https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.13232

December 2019

ABSTRACT
Flunixin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and the most commonly prescribed analgesic in cattle in the United States. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a transdermal formulation of flunixin for control of pyrexia associated with bovine respiratory disease and the control of pain associated with foot rot. The transdermal formulation is not currently approved for use in lactating dairy cattle in the United States, but extra-label use in dairy cattle is permissible under US regulations. The objectives of this study were to determine the pharmacokinetics in milk of dairy cows treated with transdermal flunixin and determine an appropriate withdrawal time for milk. Ten lactating Holstein cows were enrolled into the study in mid lactation. Following treatment, cows were milked 3 times per day through 144 h. Milk samples were collected for drug analysis using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The geometric mean maximum concentration for flunixin in milk was 0.010 μg/mL and was 0.061 μg/mL for the active metabolite, 5-hydroxyflunixin. The geometric mean terminal half-life was 20.71 h for flunixin and 22.62 h for 5-hydroxyflunixin. Calculations to approximate a withdrawal time in milk following transdermal flunixin administration were accomplished using a statistical tolerance limit procedure. This analysis indicated that it would be prudent to observe a withdrawal period of 96 h following the last treatment. This is more than twice as long as the labeled withdrawal period of 36 h following use of the injectable formulation. The withdrawal period suggested by this work should be applied carefully, as this study was not conducted under the full quality control practices required by the US FDA for a full drug approval study. Caution should be taken when applying this withdrawal time to diseased animals, animals that are milked with different milking frequencies, and those in different stages of production as these have all been shown to affect drug depletion from milk.

P.J. Gorden, M.D. Kleinhenz, R. Warner, P.K. Sidhu, J.F. Coetzee
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-16639

August 2019

Seasonal SCC highs since 2015 are now below the seasonal low for 2008. ( Farm Journal, Inc. )

A report by the Upper Midwest Federal Milk Marketing Order shows that somatic cell counts (SCCs) in the Upper Midwest have fallen to 182,000 cell/mL on a weighted volume basis, the lowest level ever. The report is based on data for 2018.

July 2019

DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and sustainable living, has filed for EU authorization for a new feed additive for dairy cows that will reduce methane emissions by around 30%.

Follow this link for the full article - https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2019/07/23/DSM-feed-additive-could-cut-methane-emissions-by-30

Jim Cornall
Dairy Reporter.com

April 2019

The more time we spend following the right fresh cow protocols, the better the young cows will perform throughout the lactation. This is well known on both conventional and robotic farms, but in robotic milking settings, the management practices that contribute to success within this group are both measured and performed differently.

February 2018

A shortage of labor available for working in agriculture coupled with a rapid advance in robotic and automation technology has increased the implementation of robotic milking in dairy farms. A study published in the Journal of Dairy Science evaluated milk performance on automatic milking systems in North American dairy farms. The researchers (Tremblay et al., 2016) identified risk factors associated with daily milk production at 635 dairy farms with robotic milking.

January 2019

Digital dermatitis (DD) is a painful infectious foot lesion commonly treated topically with extra-label tetracycline. Our objectives were to determine the concentrations of tetracycline in milk and plasma and to calculate a withdrawal interval following topical application at various doses. Another objective was to evaluate agreement between tests for measuring tetracycline in milk. A randomized block trial was conducted on 2 farms, where 50 cows with active DD lesions on 2 feet were allocated to 1 of 5 treatment groups (n = 10 cows per group). Treatment groups consisted of topical applications of tetracycline hydrochloride, in a paste or as a powdered form under a bandage, at 3 different dosing levels (2, 5, and 25 g) on each of the 2 affected feet. Following enrollment and treatment, samples were collected from milk, teat skin, and blood every 8 to 24 h for up to 7 d postdosing. Concentrations of tetracycline were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and milk samples were further tested using the Charm ROSA TET test (Charm Sciences Inc., Lawrence, MA). Tetracycline was present in milk, plasma, and teat skin from all treatment groups. Tetracycline concentrations varied depending on time of sampling, method of application, and dosing level. At 8 h post-treatment, 11% of cows had tetracycline present in milk higher than 100 ng/mL (ppb) but none higher than 300 ng/mL. The 25-g treatment group had the longest estimated withdrawal interval, the highest observed concentrations (210–244 ng/mL) of tetracycline present in milk, and the longest observed consecutive period of tetracycline presence (from 8 to 72 h) among all treatment groups. Compared with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, the Charm test had a sensitivity of 77 and 100% for measuring tetracycline in milk at ≥30 and ≥100 ng/mL, respectively. Post-treatment samples of the teat skin were taken from 15 cows on 6 occasions, and every cow had tetracycline present in at least 1 of those 6 samples. This confirms an association between topical DD treatment with tetracycline and contamination of the teat. A total of 22% of blood samples had detectable tetracycline, and the majority (63%) occurred at 8 h post-treatment. At 100 ng/mL, the estimated cow-level milk withdrawal interval ranged from 0 to 70 h. At 300 ng/mL, the estimated cow-level withdrawal interval ranged from 0 to 34 h, and was 0 h at the bulk tank level. We recommend that conservative measures be adopted after extra-label use of topical tetracycline for DD treatment, including using a low dose and strategic post-treatment testing for tetracycline-class drugs in milk. 

G. Cramer, L. Solano, R. Johnson
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2018-14961

December 2018

We know that when a population of bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic, some level of resistance develops over time. So it would seem logical to assume that beef from cattle treated with antibiotics would carry more resistant bacteria than beef from “antibiotic-free” production systems.

November 2018

Milk Prices

In the last issue, the Class III component price for July and August were similar at $14.10 and $14.95/cwt, respectively. For the month of September, the Class III future was projected to decrease slightly to $14.85/cwt and then jump almost a $1.50/cwt to $16.33/cwt in October. The Class III component price for the month of September and October closed at $16.09 and $15.53/cwt, respectively. Class III futures for November are about the same at $15.52/cwt followed by a $1/cwt drop in December to $14.50/cwt.