FRESH COW TRANSITION HEALTH – ECO LAC TRANS ENERGYby: JEFF KEUNEN, Ruminant & Robot Nutritionist Grand Valley Fortifiers

Ketosis and sub-clinical ketosis continue to be areas of major concern for dairy producers trying to manage cows through a successful transition

period. A goal for a successful farm would be to have less than 10% clinical ketosis cases on their operation, but studies suggest that anywhere from 40–60% of cows will show signs of either clinical or more likely sub-clinical ketosis early in lactation. This leaves a large amount of cows that the farmer may be missing because the cow is not showing obvious signs of being ketotic. Cow side tests of fresh cows with test strips measuring beta-hydroxybutyrate using milk or blood will reveal these sub-clinical cows to producers and allow us to make management decisions on our fresh cows to help these cows have a better start to lactation. Consequently, these cows will eat better, produce more milk and have a better chance of breeding back successfully.

Grand Valley Fortifiers has done on farm testing with both the milk and blood BHB test strips on fresh cows and results show that a large percentage of cows have readings in the alert range of the corresponding test, starting as early as the first few days of lactation and continuing out to week 3 or 4. Diagnosing these cows early as subclinically ketotic allows producers to implement nutritional and/or management strategies to give the affected cows a helping hand.

One nutritional strategy has been to use liquid propylene glycol as a daily drench on fresh cows to increase the supply of glucose temporarily, giving the cows a better chance to remain in a good energy balance. While drenching fresh cows daily with glycol is very effective in terms of aiding clinical ketosis, it is a very labourious and expensive task with a product that cows do not enjoy the taste of. While many producers drench only trouble cows, or all fresh cows for 2–3 days post calving, many cows will crash around 7–14 days post fresh, after the drenching has stopped, if it was even done at all. It stands to reason that drenching for 21-30 days in milk would continue to pay dividends for enhancing fresh cow health and milk production. This obviously becomes a huge labour, time and cost concern for dairy producers, which is likely why this practice is not very common.

The larger majority of fresh cows will experience some degree of sub-clinical ketosis that will often go unnoticed. Recent research by Piantoni and Allen (2014) and Abuajamieh et al. (2014) has shown that refined glycerol can be used as a very effective feedstuff for eliciting a similar glucose response in dairy cows compared to propylene glycol. These researchers showed that glycerol can be used as a partial or whole replacement to propylene glycol, and can be used an effective

VOL 16 ISSUE 3 | FALL 2014

A P E R I O D I C N E W S L E T T E R P R O D U C E D B Y G R A N D V A L L E Y F O R T I F I E R S L T D .

GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS LTD.PO Box 726 Cambridge ON N1R 5W6 1-800-567-4400 www.grandvalley.com

Ian Ross, President | Jim Ross, ChairmanClarke Walker, VP & COO Mark Bowman/Jeff Keunen, Ruminant NutritionistDavid Ross/Patti Bobier, Publishers

Dairy GristDairy Grist

Jim Ross, Chairman

Dear Friends,

It’s a sure sign that summer is soon coming to an end when the wind begins to blow through the stubble of our harvested grain fields. Although it’s later than ever the harvesting of small grains is now in full swing. Generally our crops in Ontario are in pretty good shape this season with exception of an area around Seaforth, and possibly other pockets, which have suffered from excessive rains.

With all that is taking place around the world, (floods, fires, tornados, droughts and threatening wars) we can be thankful to live in our beautiful and bountiful province of Ontario. This fall issue of the Grand Valley Dairy Grist is chucked full of information which we believe will be appreciated by many readers. I hope you enjoy and good farming to you all. I look forward to seeing many of you at Canada’s Outdoor Farm show in September.

Sincerely, Jim Ross

CAP TRADE IN CAP TRADE IN Trade in your worn out cap for a limited edition GVF Camo Cap at our booth during Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Sept. 9 – 11th. Limited to the first 50 producers each day.

treatment to lower non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and beta-hydroxy butyrate (BHBs) in fresh cows. Bajramaj et al. (2014) out of the University of Guelph have also shown that glycerol can improve milk protein when compared to corn in a diet and will increase milk yield significantly when fed on top of a base TMR.

Feeding refined glycerol in a dry pelleted feed, such as Eco Lac® Trans Energy™ dairy supplement with the fresh cow ration can provide a steady supply of a glucose precursor to fresh cows that could use the extra energy when experiencing the negative energy balance that comes with early lactation stressors and increasing milk demands. Trans Energy™ is formulated to provide a proven supply of highly refined glycerol that can be used to replace prophylactic use of propylene glycol on transition cows. With the convenience of feeding a pellet through a TMR, as a top-dress or in a robotic feeder, this high energy feed can replace high starch grain sources in the lactating ration. Eco Lac® Trans Energy™ is safe to feed to transitioning cows as starch levels are low and the pellets have a combination of highly digestible energy and non-forage fibre sources. The ease and flexibility of feeding allows for producers to feed transition cows for longer periods of time, helping bring fresh cows further into their lactation with the extra energy that many require. Along with excellent quality protein sources, Eco Lac® Trans Energy® is a high quality, highly palatable supplement that will allow cows to transition from the dry period to the milking herd with fewer problems, improved reproduction, higher peaks and greater total milk yields. n

FORAGE NDF – HOW MUCH CAN COWS EAT?by: MARK BOWMANSenior Ruminant Nutritionist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

High quality forages are the foundation for dairy rations that allow for high feed intake, high milk production, healthy cows and greater

profitability. Forages that are high in quality have much higher intake potential and result in more milk produced from forages at lower cost than do poor quality forages. There is very little doubt about this fact and most dairy producers have experienced the effect of forage quality on milk production first hand, both good and bad.

By now as you read this issue of the Dairy Grist most of our haylage and dry hay supply and quality has already been determined for this year with three cuttings completed. Corn silage harvest will be upon us during the next month and our total forage supply and quality of forage will be completed for the next year of feeding. Forages will be sampled and tested at the feed lab and new rations will be balanced by your nutritionist. But, what determines how much forage can be included in the new rations?

Forage assays by NIR at feed labs measure many different things including crude protein, soluble protein, fat, ash, lignin, ADF, NDF and NDFD 30hr (percent of NDF digested after 30 hr). The key values that determine intake potential of forages are the NDF content and the NDF digestibility. We have long recognized that both influence intake of forages, determining how much cows can eat and also how much is required for cud chewing and rumen health.

Forage NDF measures the total fibre and includes all of the lignin, cellulose and hemi-cellulose – complex carbohydrates which are digested much more slowly than sugars and starch, or not digested at all. When forages are chopped to the proper length, the forage NDF provides much of the physically effective fibre that stimulates rumination and cud chewing. Hence, forage NDF is an essential part of the diet for dairy cows and must be included in adequate amounts to prevent acidosis and optimize digestion. However, because of its bulk and slower digestion rate, the pool of forage NDF also limits forage and total feed intake. Therefore, forages with higher NDF content have lower intake potential than forages with low NDF content.

Forage NDF digestibility (NDFD 30hr) also influences intake potential because faster rates of digestion will allow faster rate of passage out of the rumen which allows for higher forage intake. The classic example of this is BMR corn silage, which has similar NDF content to conventional corn silage, but higher intake potential because of its higher NDFD 30hr. In fact, forage intake often must be higher with BMR corn silage to maintain rumination and cud chewing and prevent acidosis. Therefore, forages with the highest intake and milk production potential are those with low NDF content and high NDFD 30hr values.

Forage NDF content and NDF digestibility are both strongly influenced by several factors including: genetics, environmental growing conditions and harvest management. Legumes contain much lower NDF than do grasses, but grasses have higher NDFD 30hr values than legumes. However, as shown in table 1, both alfalfa and grasses also have large variation in both NDF content and digestibility. (In table 1 normal lows and normal highs are one standard deviation below and above the average, respectively.) Corn silage values in table 1 are for conventional hybrids, which also have large variability in NDF content and NDF digestibility.

Table1. Dairy One Forage Lab Averages (Years 2000 – 2014)Item Average Normal Low Normal HighAlfalfa Silage NDF, % DM 44.1 38.4 49.9 NDFD 30hr, % NDF 50.7 44.5 56.9Grass Silage NDF, % DM 57.8 50.7 65.0 NDFD 30hr, % NDF 62.0 54.6 69.4Corn Silage NDF, % DM 43.6 37.6 49.6 NDFD 30hr, % NDF 52.1 45.9 58.4

High quality legumes, grasses and corn silage with low NDF content and high NDFD 30hr values relative to their respective species will all allow for high forage intakes and milk production, so the key is not which forage type we grow and feed, but how we manage for quality. Weather

Who has time to drench the herd?“The use of Grand Valley Fortifiers EcoLac® Trans Energy™ Supplement pellet in our milk stations and standard fresh cow procedure has almost eliminated our ketosis incidents.” Alfons Mulder, Robot Milking Herd

® ™

Dairy Grist

grandvalley.com

WHAT IS IN MY MANURE? DOES PROCESSING MY GRAIN CORN OR CORN SILAGE REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

AM I LOSING MILK?

The simple answer is, yes. Processing corn silage is a well proven and accepted practice in Canada. Breaking down particle size makes the starch more available for the rumen bugs to use because of the increased surface area. Visual grain in manure is something that we are accustomed to seeing on farm but this doesn’t have be. We commonly hear on farm that the old roller mill in the corner works just fine and the upgrading would cost too much money. However, have you considered the cost of lost dollars of grain going out the back of the cow and not being used by the cows for milk production? Recently, Grand Valley Fortifiers has teamed up with Cumberland Valley Labs using their Apparent Nutrient Digestibility service through TMR and Fecal Evaluation. With this service we send them a TMR sample and a fecal sample collected from a pooled sample within the herd. From these samples they are able to give us results that show the percentage of starch in the ration compared to that in the manure. This test has been very helpful for assessing the manure so that we can determine if we are losing more starch in the manure than

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by: BRAD WHYTOCKDairy Specialist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

Q: WE HAVE RISING CELL COUNTS IN OUR FRESH COWS. WHAT SHOULD WE LOOK FOR AND WHAT CAN WE DO?

A: There are two broad families of mastitis, contagious (strep, staph & mycoplasma) and environmental, such as E-coli, Klebsiella, etc. Any cows with raised cell counts or clinical mastitis should have milk samples analysed so correct procedures can be followed for both treatment of the individual cow and the prevention of transmission to others. An increase in environmental mastitis at this time of year is the most common. Well-calibrated milking equipment and vacuum levels are crucial at this point, as are correct application of cleaning and dipping products, milking protocols, and regular mechanical maintenance is a must. Either way, suspect cows, if possible, should be milked last, to prevent cross contamination and allow for timely observation. Veterinary advice should be followed at all times with regards to treatment protocols. Especially during hot or humid weather, routines with regard to cleanliness, hygiene, comfort and diet can impact the fresh cow early in lactation, and should be monitored closely. Routines should be known by all staff, covering for those away or busy with summer field work.

However, it is also crucial to be proactive before the cow calves. Many fresh cow challenges stem from the point of drying off or the dry cow period.

For a dairy cow being fed a one-group TMR and giving 25 litres plus at dry-off time with sixty days pre- calving, dry-off can be a challenge. Various methods have been practiced traditionally, but the most common practical recommendation today is to dry off abruptly, dry treat the cow as outlined below after the final milking and put her into the dry cow pen. If a separate holding pen is available it can be helpful to cut off feed and water for 12 – 24 hours to reduce udder pressure and the chances of leaking milk. The drying off routine should include the use

of alcohol swabs on the teat ends. Try to always work the same routine, and always swab back teats first. After swabbing the first teat, infuse with a dry cow treatment and then follow with a tube of Orbeseal, making sure to remove all air from the tube first. Orbeseal is to sit in the teat as a blocker throughout the dry period. If you don’t first remove air from the tube, it will get pushed into the top of the teat/udder.

On hot, humid summer days, the dry cow area needs to be kept comfortable. Ideally, the bedded area should be 150 sqft/cow. If ventilation is limited, cows will stand, often together, resulting in excess manure in the pack area. Flies will gather and eating and lying patterns will be altered. Thus dry cows need a breeze or forced air across their full living area. Bedding should be clean and dry at all times and the area free of flies. Tunnel ventilation can work well but every obstacle can produce dead spots. As the straw pack rises, ventilation can be altered as well. Whether in the milking or dry period, the cows should look clean.

A stress-free, clean environment is a key factor. All stalls, if used in the dry period or when fresh, should be cleaned twice a day. Spray lime is commonly used (although it can be caustic to the teat ends), and should be applied daily, as should other drying/sterilizing products such as Stalosan.

Low energy dry cow rations are common, but in summer energy levels and intakes need to be monitored as we can’t afford the dry cow to run an energy deficit. Equally, after calving, it is important that the cow does not run an excessive net energy loss which would compromise her immune system.

A proper dry cow program will contain the correct levels of Vitamin E and Selenium, vital for the fresh cow’s immune system. Your GVF dairy specialist can help you with your dry and fresh cow needs to keep mastitis and high cell counts at bay. n

QA&with BRIAN LLEWELLYN

Dairy Specialist,Grand Valley Fortifiers

Years of Service: 2 Hometown: Grand Valley, Ontario

Email: brianllewellyn@grandvalley.com

and growing conditions are mostly outside of our control, but harvest management is not. For both legumes and grasses, maturity at harvest is by far the largest factor that determines both NDF content and NDF digestibility. Delaying cutting results in higher NDF content and lower NDFD 30hr for every day of delay, and quickly leads to low forage quality, resulting in forages with low intake and milk production potential. In the case of corn silage, select hybrids that have higher NDFD 30hr values in addition to other desired traits and harvest at optimum maturity.

Given the importance of forage NDF content and digestibility in limiting forage intake and also in meeting requirements of cows for effective fibre, nutritionists and researchers are currently looking at how to better characterize this and utilize these parameters in ration balancing programs. In this regard we are now looking at NDFu30, which is the forage NDF that is undigested after 30 hr in the rumen, and the indigestible NDF that is not digested after 240 hr. That however, is a topic for another day!

See your Grand Valley Fortifiers Dairy Specialist or talk with one of our nutritionists to review your forage assays and discuss how to optimize the forage intake and maximize production and health of your cows. n

NEW HIRE: MIKE RUTHERFORD

G rand Valley Fortifiers is pleased to introduce Mike Rutherford to their team of Dairy

Specialists. A graduate of the University of Guelph with a B.Sc., Mike lives in Oshawa and is representing GVF throughout that region.

With a passion for dairying, Mike has worked for dairy producers during the school year and throughout the summer for the past several years. More recently, Mike has worked at the University of Guelph-Ponsonby Research Centre as a research assistant and farm hand, assisting with the regular chores and research projects being conducted.

Mike brings with him an enthusiasm for the dairy industry, honesty and a terrific work ethic. Producers will admire that Mike will listen to their concerns and then will go out and get the job done for them. Mike admires good cows and enjoys helping producers with diagnosing issues on farm and finding the solution for them. We look forward to the contributions that Mike will be able to make to the dairy industry that he serves throughout East Central Ontario. n

expected. We are also able to test corn silage processing at the lab to give us an indication of the true effectiveness of the corn processing during harvest by the producer or their custom operator. Putting numbers to our work gives us the ability to target improvements and make changes on farm to help either reduce grain levels in the diet or to increase milk production from the starch we had been wasting.

So what are we seeing?Corn silage processing is an area on our farms that needs more

focus. Corn silage season is normally a busy time around the farm, but paying extra attention to processer settings and the condition of the rollers can pay off in the future. Too often guys are checking their ledger and their knives but forget to check over the roller setting as well. This is the time of year to pull your harvester out and check its condition or to start talking with your custom workers. Many sample results we’ve received back from the lab have proven that there is a lot of room for improvement, with less than half the samples analyzed being considered “optimally processed”.

From these tests we will also see a large variability in digestibility scores. From an evaluation of 300 TMR and Fecal Pairs we see a range of 89.5-97.2% of starch DM, 31.8-48.3% of NDF DM, 49.6-70.5% PDNDF DM and 54.7–70.5% of CP DM. These ranges are very wide and show us truly how variable things on farm can be. Factors on farm that can affect these scores include, milk production levels, length of time feeds have been fermented, diet composition, particle sizing and general rumen health.

We are also seeing a large range of starch levels in the manure as a percentage of starch in the ration from 1.5% to 8.4%, with an average of 4.2%. So what does this mean for cost? With average ration using about 20lbs DM of grain from corn silage and other starch sources at an average cost of $160/tonne we are seeing anywhere from 2 cents to 12 cents in wasted starch per cow per day. This is money that can go to updating equipment and making improvements on farm. On some farms we have seen as much as a 3L milk response from switching out an old roller mill for a new hammer mill. The take home message here – Remember, particle size is everything! n

Stay connected to find out about upcoming events, new products & exciting promotions.

/grandvalleyfortifiers @grandvalley /gvftv

Thought for the Day “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes the grass grow on the hills.He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse nor his delight in the legs of a man;The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalm 147: 7-11

COMMODITY OUTLOOKby: STEVE MCGUFFIN

CONGRATULATIONS!To the following winners of the GreatOutdoors Giveaway early bird prizes!

Grand Prize deadline:September 18th.Full contest details and your chance to win at grandvalley.com/giveaway.

MURRAY BUIS - HCC Speed River 15’11” canoeGERALD KODDE - Devinci Jack SX mountain bike

ALEX BRISCOE - Shimano �shing bundle

Arctic Cat 550 Camo

The August USDA Supply & Demand Review was called neutral against trade expectations for soybeans as old and new crop ending

stocks projections came in line; but with the non-threatening growing conditions continuing, some feel that the average US soybean yield could increase further, resulting in increased new crop ending stocks. The corn report was called bullish against trade expectations as the average yield came in below most projections and the usage numbers were increased. The wheat report was called bearish as US and world production numbers were adjusted higher. Old crop demand for proteins continues good and seed supply continues to be a concern with old crop. Ontario soybean crush capacity is dialed down and one processor will be doing a 2 week maintenance shut down in September. Canola meal continues with a large price advantage compared to soybean meal and DDGS values have fallen as China is no longer purchasing North American DDGS. This is because China is requiring DDGS sales to have documentation stating that the

shipment doesn’t contain an unapproved GMO variety of corn, which they are not prepared to do, resulting in a shutdown in shipments. If we haven’t already, we will be calling all users of wet beet pulp as Michigan Sugar has come out with their projections of the same tonnage and pricing as this past year. n