ruralnewsletter · some mad buggers attempting to find enjoyment from, and not perish as a result...

ruralnewsletterDecember 2012 | Issue 48

www.vetlife.co.nz

Health reminder: yersiniosis in dairy calves

Mating: tips for success

BVD: what do you need to know?

An invitation to a BVD meeting

Children�s sunflower competition

Contents

Stop press: this condition occurs every yearand we cannot overemphasise its impact!.........2

Health reminder: yersiniosis in dairy calves.......2

Riding the wave!...............................................3

Mating: tips for success ....................................4

How old is too old? ..........................................5

Cut, compact and cover!...................................6

BVD: what do you need to know? ....................8

Inductions update: what's in store fornext year ..........................................................9

Worming warning! ............................................9

Vetlife/Boehringer Milk QualityCompetition 2012 ..........................................10

An invitation to a BVD meeting......................10

Hot off the press from the LUDF!...................10

Children�s sunflower competition ...................12

Comments and feedback ................................12

Contacts .........................................................12

Dear Client

Well, the spring is behind us and the impact of it has finally subsided.

What a nasty turn of weather right at a critical time for our central South Island east coast farmers.

The following article is about yersiniosis, a bacterial gut infection of calves (dairy largely) in their first summer.

Last summer I vowed that I would be boring and repeat the message again this year, so here I go again - please read it, the chances are that it will affect your calves.

As I write this article, the temperatures are varying up and down by 20 degrees between days - snow at 300m in November etc.!

Hopefully by the time you read this, the daily pasture growth rates will have picked up and remained high.

We wish you a productive summer.

Regards,

Adrian Campbell on behalf of the wider Vetlife practice.

Rural Newsletter | December 2012 | Issue 48

Practice Principal

Adrian Campbell (Vet)

Stop press: this condition occurs every year

and we cannot overemphasise its impact!

Yersiniosis: a bacterial disease of calves that is seen from December onwards! Please read.Yersiniosis: a bacterial disease of calves that is seen from December onwards! Please read.Yersiniosis: a bacterial disease of calves that is seen from December onwards! Please read.

Background

Every year, starting in December, we see outbreaks of yersiniosis in dairy calves. The symptoms are scouring, weight loss and poor appetite, with some eventual deaths.

Yersiniosis is caused by bacteria from the Yersinia group. These bacteria can live normally in the animal's gut but under the right conditions can cause disease with scouring, weight loss and death. Some types of Yersinia are also zoonotic (capable of causing disease in humans). This condition can spread rapidly through the tail-end of a mob and significantly reduce growth rates.

Diagnosis

A faecal sample will demonstrate that the organism is present. Taking an additional blood sample will confirm that the bacteria is causing a problem and that the clinical symptoms are caused by the bug.

Treatment

Treatment is required for the mob or for individuals if they become very ill. Antibiotics by injection or through trough water are very effective.

Prevention

There is no licensed vaccine to prevent this disease and preventative antibiotics are of little value unless an outbreak is actually occurring. It is therefore a frustrating disease to prevent. Yersinia is common in all classes of stock so contact with sheep and deer via contaminated

pastures or waterways should be avoided.

Causes

All calves come into contact with Yersinia over the December to May period in their first year of life. In most cases the bug lives harmlessly in the gut of the calf. Disease occurs when other factors tip the balance against the calf. These factors include:� Wet and cold weather.� Infection with BVD virus.� Mineral deficiency.� Being in the tail-end of the mob.� High worm burdens.� Management stress such as weaning, yarding,

feed shortages or changes in feed.

Concluding comments

� Yersiniosis can be a debilitating disease. � It can be mistaken for grass scours or

�worms�.� When left untreated, yersiniosis causes serious

production losses or poor health for an extended period of time.

� Yersiniosis responds extremely well to antibiotics and animals recover quickly. Treatment is therefore recommended.

Please contact your Vetlife veterinarian if you think that your calves have the symptoms of a yersiniosis outbreak over the next three to four months.

Adrian Campbell

Health reminder: yersiniosis in dairy calves

Practice Principal

Adrian Campbell (Vet)

Christmas & New Year opening hours

If you would like to advertise please send expressions of interest to the editor at: [email protected]

Permission is required from Vetlife for copying and reproducing articles contained

within this Vetlife Rural Newsletter.

Every effort is made to ensure that information contained in this publication is true and accurate. However this publication should not be solely relied upon as a source of information. We encourage all readers to discuss with a veterinary

professional before acting on information published herein.

All clinics will be closed on the 25th and 26thof December and the 1st and 2nd of January.

Clinics will also be closing early at 3pmon the 24th and 31st of December.

Our 24/7 emergency service willcontinue as normal.

Clinics will also be closing early over the festive period: please phone your local clinic

for details.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and aHappy New Year!

Flicking on the TV the other day, I watched some mad buggers attempting to find enjoyment from, and not perish as a result of, surfing 100 foot waves in Hawaii. Madness indeed, but it did get me thinking of another wave in our own lives, but unfortunately for some, it does not involve the beach!

At the time of writing this article, most producers will be producing the most milk daily that they will for the rest of the season. Based on observations and discussions with clients and others across the industry, many producers will be disappointed with the peak that they have attained. This can be mostly put down to the seasonal climatic conditions and the real lack of �sun on their backs� for the cows which of course directly affects feed availability thus compounding things! Thankfully many producers are holding this �wave� well but the problem from now is to limit the rate of decline through to the end of the milking season so as to make the most of what we have left.

Figure 1 shows two scenarios of per cow milk production through a typical season versus an optimal rate of decline in milk production with cows peaking at just over 2 kg MS/c/d. The red line shows a reasonable peak but a swift decline in milk production particularly through December and January which then begins to flatten out from February onwards. In comparison, the green line shows the same peak point but a more gradual decline in milk production as the cows milk on through the season, roughly this difference in milk solid production equates to an extra $55,000 in income based on this season�s pay-out schedule and a 500 cow herd.

Reasons for this difference in milk solid production are mostly due to declining feed quality through the summer period, particularly as pasture species enter the reproductive phase

and we see reductions in overall feed quality. Steps to minimise this reduction in feed quality and the resultant milk production curve revolve around maintaining a sufficiently short platform rotation length and grazing down to satisfactory residuals to ensure there is not a build-up of dead plant leaf material, as well as shutting paddocks up sufficiently early for silage production. All good pasture feed wedge calculators should have the option to create a forecast feed wedge which can allow an appreciation of where covers will be in two weeks' time, use these for your benefit!

When re-sowing new pastures into the platform, consider putting in pasture varieties which are later or earlier flowering (depending on your individual farm situation), get in touch with your pasture rep to discuss some of the options you might have available (or visit this website (www.dairynzfvi.co.nz) and do try and avoid buying unmarked bags of �seed� from an old mate down the road! Through ensuring grazing plans are in place to keep feed quality as high as possible during the season whilst also making informed decisions related to future cultivar selection, considerable gains can be made from the existing platform. Take the time to login to your supplier website, view your production curve data and have a thoroughly good look at previous years' production curves. Is there a pattern of a swift decline through the summer months? Cast your eye across the herd, believe it or not, it is now time to consider making changes to the feeding profile of the lighter cows in the mob (BCS less than or at 4). Making decisions early will take the pressure off in those later months!

If you have any questions related to production, animal performance and body condition, have a look through the diary and speak to a Vetlife colleague to discuss options around more regular monitoring on farm to ensure these gains can be made and realised!

Craig TrotterCentre for Dairy Excellence, Geraldine

Riding the wave!


July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan

2.1

1.8

1.5

1.2

0.9

0.6

0.3

0

Month of season

Feb Mar Apr May June

Milk

so

lid p

rod

uct

ion

(kg

MS/

c/d

)

Figure 1 - A tale of two figures. The red line representing a stalled summer production curve versus an optimal one.

Mating: tips for success

There is much speculation as to where dairy cow reproduction will track in coming years with a general decline in dairy cow fertility being exhibited nationwide. But overwhelming research has shown that achieving a high six week-in-calf rate remains the best means to counter the trend on individual farms. High six week-in-calf rates result in herds requiring the lowest levels of intervention (CIDRs + inductions) the following season as a result of early calving cows displaying optimum fertility. Of course these same herds tend to be by far the most profitable, as average lactation length in the herd increases.

So the question is what determines a good six week-in-calf rate and what can be done in the remainder of this mating to minimise next season's non-cyclers, inductions and empties. This latter point is very relevant because although inductions have been capped at 4% for 2013, there is no guarantee this level will continue.

At this stage, mid-November, early mating performance has been pre-determined by events occurring in and around calving. Top of the list is condition score at calving which sets a ceiling for body condition and therefore fertility at mating. In addition, feeding post-calving, health events (i.e. mastitis, metritis and metabolics) in early lactation all play a role, as does the amount of time a cow has to recover and cycle before mating.

Management of repro from mid-mating onwards influences the mating spread and ultimately the need for induction. So the emphasis is on identification of non-mated cows and returns - vigilance being the key to the point where recording bull matings often pays dividends A simple plan would include:

1. Ensuring tail paint quality is maintained so that returns are identified.

2. Ensuring any cows that were identified as cycling (pre-mating) but have not been serviced since are identified and examined/treated. This process can often be carried out two to three weeks into mating since in this timeframe all treated cows (PGs & CIDRs) and cycling cows should have been submitted.

3. Checking on bull numbers and their health status (especially lameness) to ensure sufficient numbers are available to meet returns especially if a synchronisation or CIDR programme has been carried out in the herd. A standard ratio of 1:30 can be doubled on the above occasions, or perhaps consider heat detections and AB for three to four days around the time (19-22 days post initial synchro') when peak returns are due. If you are at all concerned, talk to your Vetlife vet.

4. Aim for a short mating and strive to achieve the desired empty rate in this period rather

than counting on leaving the bull out for an extended period to achieve the same rate. Most herds have an eight week natural calving period and a 4% induction allowance may provide another week worth of mating. So in the majority of herds mating periods of more than nine to ten weeks are hard to justify. Having said that make some attempt at assessing repro success before doing anything decisive - see 5.

5. An early scan assessing the first three weeks

of mating, performed approximately eight weeks after the start of mating would capture the majority of submitted cows and provide a three week conception rate while the bulls are still present. This action would provide confidence as to the success of early mating and identify a need to leave the bulls out for longer in the event the herd had a very poor initial conception rate.

The take home message is a proactive approach now will limit the need to react with inductions and CIDRs next season.

Happy mating!

John AchtenVetlife Methven

Rural Newsletter | December 2012 | Issue 48Rural Newsletter | December 2012 | Issue 48

Politicians from time to time become very interested in longevity because of the cost to government when people live beyond 65 years of age.

What about the cost in a dairy herd?

The problem usually is not old age but culling at a young age, even before a heifer has come into profit, from calving paralysis, mastitis, lameness or later on, not getting back in calf for example.

The average number of lactations before culling in New Zealand is between 4 and 5 which necessitates a high replacement rate of 25%. This means that if half of your calves born are by AB then you must keep all the heifers. If your cows lasted 8 lactations then you would need half this amount and therefore you could apply some real selection pressure and only keep the very best heifer replacements.

We need to make some assumptions about costs and returns in order to roughly gauge the costs associated with poor cow longevity.

Assume the cost of getting a heifer to the point of lactation is $2000, production is 400 kg per lactation, price of milk solids is $6.00, residue value of the carcass is $500, FWE (farm working expenses) are 55% of gross income which leaves 45% for debt servicing etc.

In the first lactation, the money left after FWE have been paid (money left = 45% of 400 kg x $6.00) can be set against the net rearing cost of the heifer ($2000-$500) giving a loss of $420. The next year, there are two lactations of income to offset the rearing costs and so the money left is (45% of 400kg x 2 x $6.00) offset against the same rearing costs ($1500) giving a net profit of $660 for the two years or $330 per year. Figure 1 shows the effect of longevity on the profit derived from a heifer using these assumptions.

A young cow culled after two 400 kg lactations produces an average profit over those two years of $330. An old cow completing 10 lactations has delivered an average net of $930 for each lactation. Yes we accept that she will have dropped off in production with age and that her animal health costs may well have gone up but even so she has outperformed her herd mates culled at 5 years well and truly.

How old is too old?

So how much less can the old cow produce to still be economically competitive with an average cow ?

Using the assumptions above she can produce an average lactation over 10 years of 333 kg and still be as good as a cow producing 400 kg for four years.

Think about this every time you swear about the slow old tart at the back of the mob!

Also, AB bulls have a breeding value for longevity so check this out before settling on production alone.

Also important is that some bulls sire cows with different lactation curves so that it is possible to have cows that do not lose as much weight in early lactation as we are used to but do not peak as well but milk longer. This flatter curve will attract less peak milk deduction, will have cows in better condition at mating and will milk longer.

So it is no longer simply about total solids but more about the dynamics of getting there.

Choose the sires of your calves very carefully!

Andrew McLaughlinVetlife Temuka


Profitability of heifer rearing vs longevity

1000

800

600

400

200

0

-200

-400

-600

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pro

fit/

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Longevity (lactations)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Cut, compact and cover!Drop, cover and hold; stop, drop and roll; pause, touch and engage; cut compact and cover.

Three of these things just do not belong here however imperatives are a catchy method of implying and remembering important information! The first two are important for our own personal safety, the third for our entertainment and the latter for silage making which is currently in full swing.

I thought I would take the time to focus on some of the important aspects of silage production to ensure that we can get good high quality silage which is well-suited as a supplement for milk production. Firstly, the

most important thing is to know the reasons for why you want to cut silage and what it is to be used for. Of course it is because of an excess growth yield through the summer months which out supplies current cow demand therefore taking this excess and making it available for later in the season. Broadly speaking, the use of pasture-based supplements fall into two categories: that used for maintenance and as a fill to ensure cows are well-fed (where actual feed quality is less important such as a winter feed supplement) and that for the use as a high quality supplement to aid in feed supply for better milk production and animal performance (such as the use of silage during the spring and autumn to ensure cows are well-fed and to extend the lactation curve respectively).

The production of silage is a very big topic so I thought I would focus on the production of high quality silage for milk production. The timing of cutting silage is very important because quality in always equates to quality out and of course no matter what we do, the quality of the silage is always lower than the quality of the pasture cut, no such thing as a free lunch!

Figure 1 shows the quality content and range of expected production levels from a typical ryegrass and white clover stand with a declining ME content and DMD%; as producers if you want to use silage as a high quality supplement, we need a minimum ME of 10.5 and a minimum crude protein content of around 15%.

Wilting of cut pasture is important to lose excess moisture from the crop as well as improve the concentration of water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) in the cut grass. The WSC content of cut grass is vital as it is these sugars which the bacteria utilise to ferment the pasture and turn it into silage. Once it is placed into the stack, we want the good bacteria which produce lactic acid (LAB); these critters are not fans of oxygen so that is why stacks are compacted and sealed to squeeze and keep out available air from the cut pasture to ensure we create an environment where the bacteria can work their magic and ferment the grass! (Figure 2). Once the stack is covered and compacted, these LAB do their thing by fermenting the available sugars which reduces the pH in the stack, fortunately for us but unfortunately for them,

Dry

mat

ter

dig

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ty %

Met

abo

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t

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6.6-7.4

5.7-6.6

Figure 1 - Anticipated animal production levels from a ryegrass and white clover pasture at different stagesof maturity; Adapted from Bell, (2000).

Active growth green

Late vegetation green

HIGH

PRODUCTION

Earth floweringMid flowering green & dead

Late flowering, seed head development

MODERATE

PRODUCTION

Dry grass & leaf material

Dry stalk material

DRY STOCK

MAINTENANCE

WEIGHT LOSS OF

DRY STOCK


they are so efficient at fermenting the feed into silage that they reduce the pH to a level which kills them all hence the stack becomes persevered within a period of around two weeks.

Keeping silage clean from soil contamination is important to minimise the population of less desirable species of bacteria, these can use up the available feed which in turn reduces the quality and quantity of preserved silage. As we all know, once the stack is opened for any period of time, the front becomes manky with prolific growth of aerobic bacteria and fungi,

some of these organisms can produce toxins which can cause a wide range of animal health issues so it is best to discard this and keep the stack covered as much as practically possible.

There are a range of inoculants available on the market. In some situations, generally where anticipated feed quality is likely to be poor, they can be of benefit to improve feed quality which in turn improves animal voluntary feed intake and hence animal performance. However, the chances of improvement in animal performance in the majority of the studies performed using typical high quality pastures internationally can

be marginal so ask the contractor for evidence that the inoculant works before going down that road. Remember, high quality in should equal slightly lower quality out, how the silage is treated between cutting and ensiling can make all the difference! Treating silage production as an investment for the future rather than a job to be done on a whim and a prayer is vital if we want good quality silage to be used as a supplement to aid in milk production.

Craig TrotterCentre for Dairy Excellence, Geraldine

Phase: Aerobic Fermentation Stable Feedout

1-3 days 14 days Stable storage stage(indefinite storage length)

For silage nearexposed face

Operation

Conditionsprevailing

Level

Wilting Storage Feedout

Aerobic Anaerobic Aerobic

Oxygen level

Respiration& growthof aerobicorganisms

Slowwilt

Fastwilt

pHLABpopulation

Oxygen

Unstablesilage

Stablesilage

Mowing Sealing

Commenceharvest

Fillingof silo

Figure 2 - A schematic of the silage making process; Adapted from Pitt (1990).

High

Low


BVD: what do you need to know?

Active BVD infection will cause ongoing production and fertility losses. Keeping virus positive, persistently infected (PI) cows in a herd is estimated to cost the whole herd 5% in lost milk production plus more mastitis and a higher bulk tank cell count adding $10-12 per cow to the losses. Cows in contact with the infected animals will on average conceive 6.6 days later, have 11% fewer AB calves and a 3.1% lower pregnancy rate. For an average 800 cow herd the 5% loss in milk production alone is worth $80,000 even at a $5.00 pay-out.

The key take home message about BVD is

that virus positive PI animals cost you

money:

� In the milking herd through reduced production and fertility.

� In young stock through reduced growth and fertility.

� In bulls through infertility.

There are three important areas on your farm where you should look for and remove PI animals:

� In the main milking herd via the bulk tank using a milk test. This can be done either via LIC or through Vetlife and allows you to screen your milking herd quickly and easily from a single bulk milk test for the virus. If you have a PI in the milking herd, this test will find it. It will not pick up PIs that have not calved yet, are in the colostrum mob or the penicillin mob. Either, repeat the bulk tank test three to four weeks later to pick up all the milking herd or blood test the cows not in milk.

� In the male half of the herd by blood testing all bulls that come onto the farm for mating.

� In each year's calf crop by blood testing all your heifer keeper calves.

The first two are simple and are increasingly being used by our dairy clients. The third (blood testing calves) is more hassle and is most useful if your farm circumstances suggest a high risk of a PI calf in the mob - for example a high bulk tank antibody reading, and/or a PI in the main herd. The good thing about blood testing calves is that if they are virus negative then they are virus negative for life meaning that you gradually build up a herd of virus negative animals.

Even if you are a vaccinating herd, there may still be benefit in bulk milk and blood testing for PIs as we know that milking cows suffer reductions in production even if they are immune.

Do you need to vaccinate?

It depends on your attitude to risk and on your farm's set up and management practices. Best practice is to test and vaccinate as this ensures

that you get rid of any resident PIs in your herd and prevent re-infection with BVD from the outside.

If you vaccinate and do not test, vaccination will prevent the formation of new PIs but there may be existing PIs in the herd, bulls or calves. BVD is such a virulent disease that there is a production loss even in vaccinated animals in contact with a PI. After several years of vaccinating, the chance of finding a PI through testing calves and cows falls (as vaccination prevents the formation of new PIs). If you test and do not vaccinate then your herd is vulnerable to re-infection with BVD across the

fence from neighbours' Pis. If your herd is pregnant when this happens it can lead to the formation of more PIs in your herd (through infection of unborn calves) and so the cycle continues.

BVD costs New Zealand dairy farmers millions of dollars in lost production. As the pay-out falls and you are looking at reducing costs and increasing revenue, remember the 5% lost production that your herd's BVD status could be costing you.

Andrew BatesVetlife Temuka

Worming

warning!

Inductions update: what's in store for next year

Last month, the Induction Committee, which is made up of DairyNZ, NZ Veterinary Association, Dairy Company Association NZ and Federated Farmers, announced that the current 4% limit on inductions would be extended to the 2013 calving season. This limit is imposed to fulfil the 'Operational Guidelines' and 'Code of Practice' under which the ACVM Act allows for inductions to be practiced.

It is recognised by the Induction Committee Stakeholders that adherence to this 4% limit is an important goal for the New Zealand dairy industry to strive for in order to maintain market access with our overseas trading partners. Given that 2013 will be the second year that this 4%

limit is in place, standards enforcing this limit will be imposed with increasing vigour by dairy companies and other disciplinary bodies as it is expected that all farmers and veterinarians should now be aware of this limit and ways to incorporate it into their farming practices.

While there is room for dispensations to be granted for inducing greater than 4% of the herd, these will only be granted where there is clear evidence that this is required due to circumstances beyond the control of the farmer such as:� AB technician failure.� Outbreak of a serious disease in the herd.� Major weather-related issues such as

regionally declared drought.� Serious ill-health on the part of the farmer.

Generalised reasons such as �poor body condition� or �poor reproduction management� will not be accepted. These dispensations are not intended as a method to just �get around� a sticky situation, they are purely there as an acknowledgement that catastrophes do sometimes strike. These dispensations are granted by the Induction Committee, and while Vetlife can prepare a dispensation request with

you, we cannot proceed with induction beyond 4% of the herd without the approval of the Committee. Because they exist to help out farmers who have really struck bad luck, we will discourage any attempt at spurious requests. Instead we have, and would continue to encourage, all farmers to stick within this 4% limit. As a practice we support this limit as it is a dairy industry initiative undertaken with the good of the industry as its core driver.

We appreciate many of you are well into the mating season and have already made decisions that will affect next year's calving pattern; unfortunately the Induction Committee took some time in reaching its decision to extend the current guidelines. However, now that we know, it is clearly apparent that leaving bulls out for a long mating will simply result in a long calving next year as you will not be able to induce all of those late bull cows. If you have any concerns about this limit and how it will impact your farming business please contact your local Vetlife vet.

Duncan CrosbieVetlife Temuka


Every year we see cases of acute toxicity in calves from incorrect use of wormers. These can affect large numbers of calves and lead to deaths in some cases. It is salutary that something as common place as a wormer can have such a disastrous effect.

Two scenarios seem to be the most common:� Young calves, especially Jerseys or light,

poorly grown crossbreeds given a 'mectin drench (oral, injectable or pour on). They go wobbly within an hour of being drenched and if badly affected will have fits, collapse and die. Jersey and light calves are particularly at risk as they have smaller fat reserves to absorb the 'mectin. Some calves are genetically more prone to toxicity than others and may go down even if dosed correctly.

� Young calves overdosed with a Levamisole containing wormer (clear drenches). This usually happens when the drum is washed out to get the last dregs of product and then swilled into the milk. Levamisole tends to concentrate with time in the bottom of the drench drum (it settles out) so when the dregs are washed out the calves get a super concentrated dose. Affected calves are hyper-excited, gallop around and tremble

when stopped. Fits and collapse can also occur.

Treatment of Levamisole poisoning is possible and generally works if cases are picked up early. 'Mectin poisoning has no specific treatment: some calves will recover with supportive treatment, others will not.

The take home message is:

� Drench calves to their individual body weight, NOT to the heaviest in the mob.

� Avoid 'mectin drenches for the first drench of the season for Jersey or light calves.

� Check drench guns are accurate and working correctly.

� Do not swill out the bottom of the drench container and pour it into the milk.

� Do not add drenches to the milk. The milk takes the drench directly into the abomasum of the calf (true stomach) where absorption of the wormer can be much faster and greater than expected leading to toxicity.

Andrew BatesVetlife Temuka

Hot off the press from the LUDF!

For more detailed

information go to

www.siddc.org.nz

The next focus day is to be held:

Book into your diary now!!

21st February 2013.

A quick glance of weekly farm data 30th Oct 6th Nov 13th Nov 20th Nov

Pasture growth rate (kg DM/d) 95 79 89 120

Pre-grazing pasture mass (kg DM/ha) 3361 3083 3108 3147

Average pasture mass 2389 2332 2311 2375

Post-grazing pasture mass 1600 1600 1600 1600

Pasture quality (MJME/kg DM) 12.7 12.7 12.3

Pasture offered (kg DM/cow/d) 22.2 19.1 16.2 16.5

Pasture silage offered (kg DM/cow/d) 0 0 3 3

Milk solids production (kg MS/cow/d) 2.16 2.18 2.16 2.11

Milk solids production (kg MS/ha/d) 8.47 8.53 8.41 8.21

Herd mean body condition score 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.3

Monitor group LWT (kg) 460 460 463 466

Bulk milk somatic cell count ('000) 128 128 139 130

Vetlife/Boehringer Milk Quality Competition 2012

This is the second year we have run a milk quality competition for our dairy clients. This year we have added a �Most Improved� category to the �Lowest BMSCC� (bulk milk somatic cell count) category.

Woodside Dairies, a client of Vetlife Ashburton, won the �Lowest BMSCC� award with an average of 80,000 so far this season. The team at Woodside Dairies is proactive about milk quality. They have embraced management tools such as using Teatseal in heifers and long-acting dry cow therapy in their cows and correct milking management and mastitis detection are a high priority. Teatex teatspray is credited with keeping teats healthy. There is a friendly rivalry with their neighbours who incidentally have the second lowest BMSCC!

Jason Herrick and his team at Avonlea Dairies, who use Vetlife Oamaru, won the �Most Improved Milk Quality� award. This farm had a

huge improvement in BMSCC between this year and last year, and a large decrease in the rate of clinical mastitis. Improving the mastitis situation has been a focus since autumn last year and active steps have been made to do this. The improvement has been achieved through veterinary advice, appropriate culling, using Cepravin Dry Cow Therapy on the whole herd at dry off, attention to milking management and Jason talks profusely about the benefits of Teatex teatspray.

Aside from the glory, both winners receive an $800 account credit. We thank Boehringer Ingelheim for helping to sponsor the competition. Congratulations to everyone mentioned above. We could not mention everyone but there were some other great results throughout our practice area.

The details of this competition were in newsletters earlier this season. Criteria for entry

included that access to records had to be available to your Vetlife vet and there had to be less than 30% heifers in the herd.

Matt HartVetlife Dunsandel


Lowest BMSCC

Woodside Dairies Steve Hay/Jeremy Donald/Peter Biggs Winner

Grajan Richard Pearse Runner up

Stornaway Dave & Shirlene Cochrane Runner up

Searle Dairy Mark Searle Runner up

Mundt 2011 Mike Shaw/Selwyn Mundt Runner up

Guyon Farms Bryan McFarlane/Mike Dewhirst Runner up

Moville Arno Renes/Hamish Baxter Runner up

Most Improved

Avonlea Dairies Jason Herrick Winner

South River Steve Canning Runner up

Dewood Dallas Wood Runner up

BVD Meeting

An invitation to a

Ashburton BVD Meeting

Date: Tuesday 11th December 2012, Time: 11am to 1pmLocation: Ashburton Hotel, 11/35 Racecourse Road, Ashburton

Temuka BVD Meeting

Date: Tuesday 11th December 2012, Time: 3pm to 5pmLocation: Alpine Energy Community Centre, Temuka Domain, Fergusson Drive, Temuka

Oamaru BVD Meeting

Date: Wednesday 12th December 2012, Time: 11am to 1pmLocation: Kingsgate Hotel Brydone, 115 Thames Street, Oamaru

Please RSVP by 3rd December 2012 to Vetlife Temuka via email [email protected] or phone at 03 615 7352.

Please RSVP by 3rd December 2012 to Vetlife Ashburton via email [email protected] or phone at 03 307 5195.

Please RSVP by 3rd December to Vetlife Oamaru via email [email protected] or phone at 03 433 0411.

A talk on Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) and its control and our

guest speaker, Dr Hinrich Voges from LIC, talking on BVD testing.

Light refreshments provided by MSD Animal Health.

www.vetlife.co.nz

Mid and North Canterbury Raylene Clement

P 03 307 5195 | M 027 557 3619 | E [email protected] Ashburton, Cnr East St & Smithfield Rd,Ashburton 7700, PO Box 161

South Canterbury Adrian Campbell

P 027 220 5559 | E [email protected] Office, 82 Sophia Street, Private Bag 71000 Timaru

North Otago Ivan Holloway

P 03 433 0411 | M 027 530 4645 | E [email protected] Oamaru, 281 Thames St, Oamaru, 9400

Comments and feedbackWe value your feedback. Please feel free to comment or lodgea complaint in confidence on our services, advice and products.

Colin Cromie

AshburtonBanks Peninsula027 281 4708

Alice Cartwright

Temuka027 222 5721

Maurie Niles

Pleasant PointFairlie027 4800 594

Nicola Joyce

Oamaru027 433 3240

Garry Marsh

Central Otago027 227 7881

Craig Straw

Ashburton027 228 9411

Helen Williamson

Eukanuba Field RepSouth Canterbury027 497 7259

Norma Barton

Oxford027 432 7321

Lis Rietveld

Omarama027 430 4644

Sally Christian

DunsandelBanks Peninsula027 333 1782

James Ward

Oamaru027 702 6768

CHRISTCHURCH

DUNEDIN

Waikouaiti

Oamaru

Timaru

TemukaPleasant Point

Fairlie

Ashburton

Methven

Dunsandel

Oxford

Rangiora

Banks Peninsula

Omarama

Middlemarch

Alexandra

Ranfurly

Children�s sunflower

competition

Last month we posted out 1500 packets of sunflower seeds as part of a competition for children up to 11 years of age in association with Stockguard Animal Health and SMARTShot® B .12

The competition is to grow the widest sunflower and there are some great prizes!

The competition ends in May 2013, so if you have somehow missed out on your packet and you are keen to try growing a sunflower, please contact Thea Williamson on 03 687 7170 or [email protected]

The photograph to the left is of one monty flowerhead which caught the eye of Adrian Campbell during a farm visit at Rosemary and Keith Townsend's home in Ashburton. Adrian expressed some interest in it and lo and behold it turned up as a gift!

See if you can beat it!

Vetlife AlexandraP 03 448 8115 F 03 448 7277 E [email protected]

Vetlife AshburtonP 03 307 5195 F 03 308 2452 E [email protected]

Vetlife Banks PeninsulaP 03 325 1006 F 03 325 1053 E [email protected]

Vetlife DunsandelP 03 325 4155 F 03 325 4156 E [email protected]

Vetlife FairlieP 03 685 8884 F 03 685 8085 E [email protected]

Vetlife MethvenP 03 302 8603 F 03 302 8228 E [email protected]

Vetlife OamaruP 03 433 0411 F 03 434 8059 E [email protected]

Vetlife OmaramaP 03 438 9890 F 03 438 9699 E [email protected]

Vetlife OxfordP 03 312 4882 F 03 312 4190 E [email protected]

Vetlife Pleasant PointP 03 614 7777 F 03 614 7701 E [email protected]

Vetlife RanfurlyP 03 444 9700 F 03 444 9701 E [email protected]

Vetlife RangioraP 03 313 7962 F 03 313 7968 E [email protected]

Vetlife TemukaP 03 615 7352 F 03 615 5254 E [email protected]

Vetlife TimaruP 03 684 8181 F 03 684 8180 E [email protected]

Vetlife WaikouaitiP 03 465 7613 F 03 465 8094 E [email protected]

Meet the Vetlife field representative team...


ruralnewsletter · some mad buggers attempting to find enjoyment from, and not perish as a result...

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