Dairy Star • Tuesday, December 23, 2014 • Page 19
“... a key tool in helping us get the premiums ...” — Cathy Tank
MILK-FLO HOLSTEINS Cathy Tank, New London, Wisconsin Milking 150 cows — 87 lbs/cow/day (3x) SCC 100 to 150,000 “We’ve been using Udder Comfort™ ever since I bought my first gallon of blue spray 2 years ago. At first, I thought it was expensive. But now, after using it faithfully with our fresh cows and seeing these results, I don’t even think twice,” says Cathy Tank. She owns and operates Milk-Flo Holsteins near New London, Wisconsin. She does one of the 3 daily milkings and works off the farm as well. Cathy loves developing the cowherd and has strived to keep the dairy moving forward in the 5 years since her husband Bob passed away in 2009. Daughters Elizabeth, 15, and Rebecca, 11, are his family’s 4th generation on the dairy farm, which is home to 150 milk cows plus replacements. The herd produces 87 lbs/cow/day with SCC averaging 100 and 150,000. “Udder Comfort is easy to use and it’s cow-friendly. I like that,” she says.
“SCC used to be 300 to 350,000 and tough to get down. Udder Comfort is a key tool in helping us get the premiums and reduce our need for antibiotics during lactation. “We use Udder Comfort most on the fresh cows, spraying udders 2x/day for at least the first 3 days after calving. No doubt about it, this stuff works, and the blue color is a good marker to tell everyone to pay attention.”
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The lowdown on leukosis Have you ever had a cow develop enlarged lymph nodes, unexplained weight loss, decreased milk production or be condemned at slaughter? If one of these has happened to you, your herd might be infected with the bovine leukemia virus (BLV), often referred to as bovine leukosis. It is estimated that over 85 percent of dairy herds in the U.S. are infected with leukosis. With proper management you can get a grasp on this disease and even eradicate it from your herd.
By Brenda Miller U of M Extension
What is leukosis? The bovine leukosis virus is found in the lymphocytes (white blood cells) and usually develops in the lymph nodes throughout the body. With the white blood cells being under attack, the immune system is weakened. Leukosis can be compared to the human disease leukemia, because it affects the white blood cells, and HIV, because once an animal has the virus it can’t ever get rid of it. Leukosis is transferred mainly through blood, milk (colostrum), contaminated equipment and high stocking densities. Leukosis cannot be transferred to humans.
Symptoms Most infected cattle will not have symptoms, 30 percent of infected cattle will have high white blood cell counts, and 5 percent of infected cattle will show clinical symptoms. Some of these symptoms include: enlarged lymph nodes, weight loss, decreased milk production, reproduction problems (infertility), protruding eyeballs, gastrointestinal obstructions, immobility and mortality. In addition, older cows have a higher incidence of infection than younger cows as they, over time, have been exposed to more needles, palpation sleeves, etc. When heifers enter the milking string they are involved in many more events such as routine vaccinations, reproductive strategies/synchronizations, calving, hoof trimming, etc. that put them at a higher risk of being exposed to the disease if proper precautions aren’t being used. How do I test for leukosis? There are two types of tests available for leukosis – blood serum and milk. Both tests are considered 99 percent accurate. With the blood serum test you can start testing animals at 6 to 8 months of age. Local veterinarians can assist you with sending a sample or some milk testing labs can also run the blood serum sample for you (ask your milk tester/technician). The ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay) milk test is available on an individual cow basis or you can take a bulk tank sample which can detect one positive cow in a herd of 125. Your milk testing laboratory will be able to run the ELISA test when they run your normal DHI samples. Economics At some point in time, every infected herd will probably incur an economic loss due to leukosis. The most prevalent loss occurs in breeder stock sales (embryos, semen and cattle). Due to international rules and regulations, semen from a bull
Dairy Star • Tuesday, December 23, 2014 • Page 29
that is infected with leukosis cannot be marketed overseas as some international countries have eradicated leukosis. In addition, in a 2007 study done by the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS), it was determined that herds infected with leukosis produced 3 percent less milk than non-leukosis herds. However, this can vary depending on the prevalence of infection within a herd. Herds with a higher infection rate are more likely to incur greater losses. Three percent may not seem like a lot, but multiply that by your tank average or milk check and see how much that means to you in either dollars or pounds of milk. Moreover, with the current price of cull cows, a farm could incur some signicant losses if carcasses are condemned at slaughter. It is not really economical to cull all positive cows in your herd unless you only have one or two; management is going to be the key instead. Management There are a few things a herd can do in order to get leukosis under control. These include: identify leukosis positive and negative cows, use single use needles and palpation gloves for each cow, feed colostrum from leukosis negative cows only, or feed colostrum replacer. A good idea is to record whose colostrum is fed to each calf. Another option is to pasteurize colostrum and whole milk to denature the BLV virus. In addition, disinfect equipment between animals (scissors, tattoo pliers, tube dehorners, OB chains, tail dockers, etc.). Lastly, avoid overcrowding in pens and use selective culling when making management decisions. The table below shows an example of recording fed colostrum. Carol is a leukosis negative cow and Jean is a leukosis positive cow. Perm ID
Date Born
Dam
Sex
Vacc.
Colostrum
Comments
12345678
1/10/14 8pm
Carol
F
Yes 8:30pm
Carol 8pts 10pm
Unassisted SADIE
12345678
1/12/14 4:30am
Jean
F
Yes 5am
Carol 8pts 5:30am
Backwards Tough pull NORA
Bottom line Producers are looking at leukosis as another disease that can affect the net performance of their operation. Leukosis testing is one more management tool for those looking for an opportunity for enhanced protability. For more information on leukosis and other dairy-related topics, visit the University of Minnesota Dairy Team website at www.extension.umn.edu/dairy. Resources: Antel Bio (www.antelbio.com), MN DHIA (www.mndhia.org), AgSource (www.agsource.com).
All seasons have their perks Page 30 • Dairy Star • Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Spring, a time when life renews itself, throwing off the frosty shackles of winter. It heralds the beginning of a new cycle and is a time when life seems to overow. From down in the marshland, choirs of frogs greet each sunrise with their age-old amphibian Dear County Agent Guy serenade. Overhead, migrating waterfowl join the chorus, their songs a jubilation. The Earth itself is part of this rejuvenation. A warm breeze carries with it the aroma of freshly turned soil. Each handful of moist, black dirt contains uncountable billions of By Jerry Nelson microbes, bacteria that Columnist are busily deconstructing organic matter, making more soil, giving the land its earthy fragrance. And the owers. As the days lengthen, my wife’s garden becomes a riot of color, tulips and crocuses who defy the frosty nights so that they can dazzle us with their splendor. The
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sweet perfume of blooming lilacs is one of the most against the southern sky. intoxicating substances known to mankind. But winter is truly the nest time of the year. But summer is really the best time of the year. Winter is a time when the sun becomes a snowbird, Summer is a time when Life enters a phase of spending most of the season in warmer climes. My growing, nurturing. The days wax long and twilight only company when I perform my morning and lingers as if the sun were loath to take leave. The evening chores are the stars – ancient sentinels who summer solstice arrives. look down upon me, cold Fat baby calves frisk about and unblinking, across the in the morning sunshine as Wi Winter iis a time i when h the h sun b be- unfathomable light years. their mothers luxuriate in But winter is also the tall grass. A father robin comes a snowbird, spending most a time for celebrations, warbles mightily from a of the season in warmer climes. of family gatherings and treetop, lling the air with a sumptuous food and jovial song of joy that is both new company. Nothing is more and ancient. In the marsh, delightful than coming a mother Canada goose honks proudly as she glides in from the cold and being greeted by a wall of across the shimmering mirror of water, a string of luscious aromas emanating from a steaming, bustling chubby gray goslings in tow. kitchen. In my opinion, this simple pleasure is one of Farmers are at their busiest now, making the most civilization’s nest achievements. of this warm and glorious season. What fragrance And winter is also a time for rest. It’s a time for better portrays summer than that which arises from a early bedtimes, as though some forgotten instinct is eld of freshly cut alfalfa? When they gather, farmers entreating us to hibernate. The rhythms of life slow. may speak either ill or good of rain – depending on Each night, an airplane wings its way over whether or not they have hay down. Their children our farm on its scheduled voyage to somewhere. play in the cool recesses of the grove, squandering Sometimes I’ll lay quietly next to my sleeping wife this time as if there were an unlimited supply of warm, and await its arrival. I’ll nally hear it coming and lazy afternoons. can detect the shift in tone as it drones on past. I think But fall is truly the choicest time of the year. about how lonely it must be up there in the cockpit, Fall is the season of harvest, a time for gathering to be awake while others sleep, to tunnel through in against the future. September brings the autumnal the innite blackness of the winter night. I wonder equinox; the days swiftly grow shorter. The trees are if the pilot ever thinks about those below. I imagine putting on their best show now, splashes of ruby and his perspective of the dark planet that lies slumbering gold against the sapphire dome of the sky. The evening beneath him, frozen and silent, covered by a awless air has a denite crispness and sound seems to carry quilt of snow. I push these thoughts aside, snuggle up farther. A freight train laden with Fall’s bounty blows to my wife and pull the covers closer. its mighty air horn; the lonely wail can be heard across And in the end, Earth and I both nd rest and pass the miles, a mournful hymn punctuated by the clack, the long winter night dreaming of spring. clack of wheels upon rails. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He A neighbor harvests his soybeans in the gathering and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm dusk, his gigantic combine belching out a cloud of where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years dust that hangs in the tranquil air. I hear the whistle of ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a wings and look up in time to see a ock of teal streak staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to email him at: jerry.n@ over. I watch them as they swiftly become specks dairystar.com.