Harnessing the power of nature for the future of farming

With the world’s population expected to grow from seven to nine billion by 2050 agriculture is an increasingly vital industry. The challenge that farming faces is clear in terms of the global pressure for increased food production and security.

This challenge is compounded by the need for greater efficiency and sustainability. Land and water use are primary concerns here, as is the role of farming in the food chain and the need to reduce the use of antibiotics whilst improving animal production techniques.

The drive for improved welfare and sustainability clashes head on with the conflicting needs for cheap food and profitable farming. So environmentally friendly, natural methods of improving farm output are urgently needed.

This means that professional farm advisors and suppliers have a greater responsibility than ever before in helping the agricultural sector rise to meet this challenge. And by providing farmers with natural, sustainable ways to help improve the health and productivity of animals, LifeStart aims to provide strong support to the industry in the years ahead.

Feeding the nine billionThe global challenge faced by farming

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LifeStart brings together world-class expertise on animal health and nutrition with practical farm management experience, to find sustainable ways of improving productivity.

Currently focusing on dairy cattle, LifeStart has helped to define a proven methodology for rearing healthier and more productive cows. The LifeStart program aims to deliver a marked positive effect on the performance and productivity of calves via a simple feeding plan utilising high quality milk-based feed. This program has the potential to help the global dairy industry take a quantum leap forward, reducing the need for reactive animal health interventions and boosting the welfare and performance of individual animals and herds.

LifeStart is dedicated to the promotion and refinement of practical farming methods and the scientific principles behind them.

LifeStartDedicatedto sustainableprogress infarming

“Early life nutrition and management can program the metabolism of a calf to determine

Fernando Soberon, Technical Services Manager, Shur-Gain USA

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The key scientific principle behind the LifeStart program and the observed increase in animal production is known as metabolic programming.

This is an entirely natural phenomenon that has been proven to exist in all kinds of mammals, including human beings. The effect is best described as an improvement of the whole life health and performance of individuals beyond what would previously have been considered their full potential. And the directly observed cause of this effect is optimised growth in the neo-natal period – the start of life.

The possible evolutionary reasons for this effect suggest that in times of plentiful food supply, an individual needs to grow strongly to outcompete other individuals and to pass on its genes. Conversely, in times of restricted food supply, performance is less of an issue whereby an individual is more likely to survive and breed if it can survive on less.

Growth in animals is understood to be dependent on four key factors: nutrition, endocrine function, management and genetics. Genetics has long been thought to be the most powerful of these in determining maximum growth potential.

Now the emerging science of epigenetics examines changes in the expression of genes not directly caused by changes in the DNA sequence itself, but by cellular material outside the genome and other influences.

The precise biological mechanisms behind the metabolic programming are not yet known but epigenetic factors seem to be at play. In this case gene expression appears to be affected by the quality of nutrition and the absence of disease in this crucial early period.

Epigenetics may come to dominate biological study in the decades to come and the LifeStart program will be at the forefront of this, spearheading research to drive progress in the farming industry.

The LifeStart phenomenonWhy rearing is asimportant as breedingwhen increasinganimal performance

Epigenetics may come to dominate biological study in the decades to come

Your future as a cow is dictated by what and how much you eat as a calf

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Successful calf rearing is based on a virtuous circle of good health, quality nutrition and strong growth. LifeStart works by proactively and positively affecting all three components.

Of these, health is the factor that is often the most difficult to control on the farm and the five aspects shown here form the foundation of the LifeStart program leading to a healthy and productive environment for raising calves.

The calf rearingchallengeCareful managementis the foundation for future LifeStartproductivity

5 CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS

1

2

3

4

5

COMFORTDry, bright, soft, well ventilated

CONSISTENCYFeeding according to a schedule

COLOSTRUM4 litres within the first 6 hours

CALORIES150 g/litre of quality milk replacer

CLEANLINESSHygienic birth and housing

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Low mortality rate

Low incidence of lung problems

Weight at 3 months of age

Insemination weight

First calving weight

Low diarhoea incidence

Wean at 9 weeks of age

Insemination age

Calving age

< 5%

< 10%

115-120 kg

400-450 kg

600-650 kg

< 10%

85-95 kg

from 14 months

from 23 months

Dairy farming has provided an ideal test-bed for the systematic application of metabolic programming as the results are relatively easy to measure and compare. The dairy sector faces unique challenges as farm and herd sizes expand in the relentless search for sustainable efficiency.

Many studies have taken place in recent years leading to the development of the LifeStart program, which can now be accessed by the global dairy industry. The results of these studies are highly significant for the future of the dairy farming industry and in particular, by defining how calves can be raised in a programmed way to maximise their productive potential.

LifeStart brings together this science and knowledge and helps farmers use it to deliver new and innovative farm management efficiencies.

Dairy farmingWhere LifeStartis making areal difference

“Raising calves is actually a huge opportunity to positively affect many aspects of dairy farming by reducing workload and costs caused by unhealthy animals and boosting the productivity of individual cows”

Dr Klaus Daubinger, Calf Rearing Expert

LIFESTART – CALF REARING OBJECTIVES (HOLSTEIN FRIESIAN EXAMPLE)

AIMS OF THE LIFESTART PROGRAM

• Strong healthy growth• Less diarrhoea• Less respiratory issues• Optimal rumen development

• Higher milk yield• Strong, durable cows• Higher life time production

FROM CALF TO COW

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Although the precise methods vary, a number of recent studies have demonstrated accelerated early growth in calves by intensive feeding with high quality milk-based feeds.

Typically this feeding is carefully controlled for the first eight weeks of life during which time solid feed is introduced in lower amounts than usual to allow optimal milk protein and fat intake.

The role of milkLifeStart endorsedhigh quality milkbased feeding canboost early growth

TYPICAL LIFESTART CALF FEEDING PLAN

GROWTH THAT LEADS TO PERFORMANCE

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

0

400

800

1200

1600

2000

2400

2800

3200

Week

Metabolic Programming Phase Weaning Phase

Dai

ly m

ilk fe

ed in

litre

s

Calf starter pellets in gram

/day

Amount of milk

Calf starter pellets

Dosage150 g/l feed

Low weight calf

Normal calf

Col

ostru

m

Dosage120-150 g/l feed

1. Strong early growthA

NIM

AL

GRO

WTH

2. Excellent health

3. Optimal rumen development

4. Earlier insemination

8. Higher lifetime production

7. Strong durable cows

6. Increased milk yield

5. Earlier calving

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Low40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

Normal LifeStart

Calf growth

Wei

ght a

fter

3 m

onth

s (K

g)

-8%

Normal

+17%

Low growth W2-14

30

25

20

15

10

5

0High growth W2-8Low growth W9-14

Low growth W2-8High growth W9-14

High growth W2-14

Calf growth profile (W = Week)

Pare

nchy

ma

wei

ght a

fter

3 m

onth

s (g

ram

/100

kg

BW)

The growth potential of a calf can be optimised using a planned approach similar to the LifeStart calf feeding plan. A lower plane of growth for a calf achieving approximately 90kg body weight at weaning is in contrast to the LifeStart program objective of weaning at between 115 and 120kg.

The development of mammary tissue is essential to the future productivity of the cow. A 2004 study by Brown et al found compelling evidence that growth in the first

eight weeks of life is a key factor in the optimal development of parenchyma – the epithelial and myoepithelial cells that form the milk producing glands.

Acceleratedgrowth

Enhanced mammarydevelopment

THE EFFECT OF STRONG GROWTH ON MAMMARY DEVELOPMENTTHE LIFESTART PROGRAM AND ACCELERATED GROWTH

“The performance potential of a dairy cow is determined in large part by her rearing; research has shown that nutritional management during the first 40 days of life is critical to her development.”

The capacity to permanently impact the performance of a calf within the first 2 months of life has significant implications for dairy producers. The cumulative data presented reinforces the importance of proper early life nutrition to raise productive dairy cows.

Fernando Soberon, Technical Services Manager, Shur-Gain USA

Brown et al 20041

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Low21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

Normal LifeStart

Calf growth

Age

at fi

rst c

alvi

ng (m

onth

s)

+ 2months

Normal

- 2months

25.624.323.3 27.2 30.3

70 000

60 000

50 000

40 000

30 000

20 000

10 000

0

Age at first calving (months)

Ave

rage

tota

l milk

pro

duct

ion

(lbs.

)

Increased growth rates achieved using the LifeStart program can potentially lead onto a lower age at first calving. This has the obvious benefit of bringing forward the start of the first lactation, increasing the potential productivity of the heifer whilst lowering the overall cost of production.

Lower age atfirst calving

THE LIFESTART PROGRAM AND EARLIER CALVING THE EFFECT OF PRE-WEANING GROWTH ON MILK PRODUCTION

HOW AGE AT FIRST CALVING AFFECTS MILK PRODUCTION

Pre-weaning Average Daily Gain (ADG) has been shown to have a significant impact on milk production in the first lactation. This effect has been demonstrated via numerous trials in recent years. The variances observed have ranged from a negative impact through to an increase of over 13 litres per gram of growth.

Increased milkproduction

• 8-yr-old group• 7-yr-old group• 6-yr-old group• 5-yr-old group• 4-yr-old group• 3-yr-old group

Reference Treatment factorHigher ADG* before

weaning in trial group (g)Effect on 1st lactation

milk production (L)Extra milk (L)

Per g extra ADG

Shamay (2005)3 Whole milk 287 1320 4.6

Raeth-Knight (2009)6 Protein-fat 232 718 3.1

Faber (2005)4 Colostrum 2/4L 200 955 4.8

Drackley (2007,a)7

Terre (2009)8

Protein

CMR level

130

101

1329

624

10.2

6.2

Moallem (2006)5 Whole milk 80 1068 13.4

Drackley (2007,b)7

Average

Protein 79

136

341

908

4.3

6.7

Referencing the studies summarised above, the LifeStart program aims to deliver an average first lactation increase of 4 litres per gram of growth.

= 4 litres/gram

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Meyer et al 20042

Whilst studies have demonstrated significant benefits from a focus on optimal calf weight gain, the LifeStart program is now taking the investigative science into a new phase.

In partnership with various institutions, Nutreco is undertaking a unique 5 year trial at their Ruminant Research Centre in the Netherlands.

What makes this extensive research project so unique is that the results will be communicated every step of the way to the people who need it most: farmers and their specialist advisors.

A deeperunderstandingResearch to revealhow LifeStart works

THE LIFESTART TRIAL

KEY TRIAL MEASUREMENT POINTS

Objectives:

1. To determine the long-term metabolic changes that are programmed by higher nutrient supply during the calf pre-weaning phase

2. To define the impact on milk production through successive lactations

Method:

A total of 70 female Holstein Friesian calves born at the Kempenshof research dairy farm are being assessed in the trial. Each individual calf will be assigned to one of two treatments:

Development milestones:

1. Start of the feeding period – Nov 20132. End of the feeding period – Dec 20143. 1st Insemination – Oct 20154. 1st Lactation – Jul 20165. 2nd Lactation – Aug 2017

Reporting milestones:

1. Gene expression from Cornell study – May 20142. Pre-weaning report (Phase I) – March 20153. Heifer report (Phase II) – Apr 20164. 1st Lactation (Phase III) – Feb 20175. 2nd Lactation (Phase IV) – March 2018

To register to receive results and analysis from the trial as it happens, visit lifestart.nutreco.com

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1 2 3 4 5

2 3 4 5

2013 2015 20172014 2016 2018

LOW PLANE OF NUTRITION HIGH PLANE OF NUTRITION

Total of 30kg of CMR in an 8 week feeding scheme

Total of 60kg of CMR in an 8 week feeding scheme

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The LifeStart program represents a very real opportunity to improve the performance of individual farms and the dairy industry as a whole.

To play your role in the future productivity of dairy farming, visit the LifeStart website and sign up for science updates, to access tools and find examples of LifeStart in action.

REFERENCES1. E.G. Brown, M.J. VandeHaar, K.M. Daniels,

J.S. Liesman, L.T. Chapin, J.W. Forrest, R.M. Akers, R.E. Pearson, M.S. Weber Nielsen, 2005. Effect of Increasing Energy and Protein Intake on Mammary. Development in Heifer Calves, American Dairy Science Association, J. Dairy Sci. 88:595–603.

2. M.J. Meyer, R.W. Everett and M.E. Van Amburgh, 2004, Reduced Age at First Calving: Effects on Lifetime Production, Longevity, and Profitability

3. A. Shamay, D. Werner, U. Moallem, H. Barash, and I. Bruckental, 2005, Effect of Nursing Management and Skeletal Size at Weaning on Puberty, Skeletal Growth Rate, and Milk Production During First Lactation of Dairy Heifers, J. Dairy Sci. 88:1460–1469

4. S.N. Faber, Pas, N.E. Faber, T.C. McCauley, and R. L. Ax, 2005, Effects of Colostrum Ingestion on Lactational Performance, The Professional Animal Scientist 21:420–425

5. U. Moallem, D. Werner, H. Lehrer, M. Zachut, L. Livshitz, S. Yakoby, and A. Shamay, 2010, Long-term effects of ad libitum whole milk prior to weaning and prepubertal protein supplementation on skeletal growth rate and first-lactation milk production, J. Dairy Sci. 93:2639–2650

6. M. Raeth-Knight, H. Chester-Jones, S. Hayes, J. Linn, R. Larson, D. Ziegler, B. Ziegler, and N. Broadwater, 2009, Impact of conventional or intensive milk replacer programs on Holstein heifer performance through six months of age and during first lactation, J. Dairy Sci. 92:799–809

7. J. K. Drackley, Ph.D, 2007, Accelerated Growth Programs for Milk-Fed Calves, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, High Plains Dairy Conference, 87-96

8. M. Terré, C. Tejero and A. Bach, 2009, Long-term effects on heifer performance of an enhanced-growth feeding programme applied during the preweaning period, Journal of Dairy Research 76: 331–339.

Your LifeStartopportunityThe LifeStart programis yours to utilise

Nutreco B.V. Veerstraat 38 5831 JN Boxmeer The Netherlands

lifestart.nutreco.com

Combined with the LifeStart™program, LifeStart approvedmilk replacer helps to rear calves that grow into healthy and productive cows. For more info go tolifestart.nutreco.com