April 2019
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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
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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.
Read more … Milk Prices, Costs of Nutrients, Margins and Comparison of Feedstuffs Prices
October 2018
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Many dairy producers point to freezing winter weather as a reason to reduce or eliminate footbath use. Before accepting this as fact, let’s review winter footbath research to see “if” there is a benefit “and” recommended winter footbath practices, and then determine “but” what is the most economical and effective winter hoof treatment.
Read more … Winter footbaths: ‘Ifs,’ ‘ands’ and ‘buts’ debunked
March 2016
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Can technologies like locomotion detectors and rumination monitors accurately predict calving time and thus improve calving outcomes?
July, 2018
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Nigel Cook, BVSc, University of Wisconsin ( Tom Bennett, University of Wisconsin ) |
Worldwide, about 23% of dairy cattle experience lameness issues, with three types of hoof lesions causing most of those problems, says University of Wisconsin veterinarian Nigel Cook, BVSc.
June 2018
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Distance walked is limiting factor on open lot dairies when it comes to water access. ( Wyatt Bechtel ) |
Much of the time spent focusing on nutrition only accounts for the daily feed dairy cows need. Water is often an overlooked component of nutrition and overall health.
March 2018
Strategies to get the most out of feed investment during challenging times were shared by Cornell University researchers in a recent white paper. A study of 2016-2017 farm expenses for 36 New York farms showed purchased grain and concentrate averaged 31% of total operating costs while total feed and crop expenses averaged 39% of total operating costs. In challenging economic times, managing these large investments is critical. The researchers recommend the following tips to ensure each feeding program is as effective and efficient as possible:
Read more details here.
Tom Overton and Larry Chase
Department of Animal Science and PRO-DAIRY Cornell University
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