PDPW Dairy's Bottom Line July 2014

High-quality corn silage contributes greatly to supplying the energy, starch and forage neutral detergent fiber (NDF) needs of high-producing dairy cows, reducing purchased feed costs from expensive grain and byproduct supplements and generating milk revenues on most farms.

Given the still tight overall forage inventories on some farms and the highly variable hay-crop silage quality on many farms which resulted from wet harvest conditions, corn silage harvest management practices will be especially important this year.

So let’s look ahead to corn silage harvest and review harvest management practices. An overview of the factors that influence the nutritive value of corn silage is presented in Figure 1.

The starch content of corn silage greatly influences its en-ergy value and is largely related to grain yield or the proportion

of grain to stover in the whole-plant dry matter (DM). This will be primarily determined by the corn silage hybrids grown and the growing conditions.

At the time of harvest, three factors related to starch content warrant consideration:

1) Harvesting at 35% to 38% whole-plant DM content will increase yield and starch content compared to harvesting earlier at 30% to 33% DM.

2) A cutting height of 18 inches, as opposed to 6 inches off the ground, can increase starch content a few percentage units if desired.

3) Fields with reduced grain yields can be harvested with the intent of feeding to replacement heifers, dry cows and lower-producing cows on

farms where segmenting by silage quality among silos and the feeding of multiple lactation groups is possible.

The digestibility of the kernel or starch in corn silage is influenced primarily by kernel particle size and the duration of time that the silage undergoes fermentation in the silo prior to feeding. Greater starch digest-ibility is associated with a finer particle size which is achieved by greater kernel processing.

The degree of kernel process-ing is related to chop length and processor settings on the forage harvester. Typically forage harvesters equipped with con-ventional-type kernel proces-sors have been set for a 19 – 23 millimeter (mm) theoretical length of cut, TLOC, (15%

See SILAGE, on page 2

Volume 16: Issue 5July 2014

ACE On-the-Farm Twilight Meetings: Community leaders invited

Haylage Test Results

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

Managing Risk ............ 10

Program Preview ........ 14

PDPW Intern..................15

Page 4

Sharing ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.

Professional Dairy Producers™ I 1-800-947-7379 I www.pdpw.org

Page 3

B O T T O M L I N E

Looking ahead to corn silage harvest

Page 12

Discovery Farms: Tillage Systems

Randy Shaver

Figure 1. Overview of the factors that influence the nutritive value of corn silage.

2 PDPW - Dairy’s Bottom Line • July 2014 ST

PDPWBoard of Directors

PresidentKeith York

Lake Geneva262-903-6265

[email protected]

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Sauk City608-643-6818

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Waterloo920-478-3812

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Matt RepinskiLand O'Lakes Winfield Division

Amherst

Dr. Richard WallaceZoetis

McFarland

Dr. Steve KelmUniversity of Wisconsin-River Falls

River Falls

Steve SchwoererBadgerland Financial

Fond du Lac

Dairy’s Bottom Line is published six times a year by PDPW with cooperation from Agri-View.

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SILAGEContinued from page 1to 25% on top screen of Penn State shaker box) and a 1 to 2 mm roll gap clearance. Forage harvest-ers equipped with shredlage-type processors, on the other hand, are being set for a 26 to 30 mm TLOC (25% to 35% on top screen of Penn State shaker box) and about the same roll gap clearance.

There has been a trend for greater roll speed differentials in recent years.

I suggest you work closely with forage harvester and processor manufacturers and dealers for proper equipment set up. You can also refer to a UW Extension fact sheet for information on a proce-dure to assess the degree of kernel processing during harvest: http://fyi.uwex.edu/forage/files/2014/01/KernelProcessing-FOF.pdf .

Excellent kernel processing minimizes the depression in starch digestibility incurred as whole-plant corn silage DM content increases above 38%. Targeting corn silage harvest at or above 40% whole-plant DM content is not recommended because of the risk that crop may get away and become too dry for good preservation and feeding value. When this does occur due to weather conditions and (or) forage harvester availability, it may be necessary to reduce to the TLOC below where normally set.

At this point, softer textured corn hybrids and new-type silage additives with the aim of improv-ing starch digestibility are still largely experimental.

From the stand-point of high-starch digestibility, it is best if the on-farm corn silage inventory sit-uation will allow for at least four months of fermentation in the silo prior to feeding. If that is not the case and the corn silage will be fed soon after harvest, then achieving a high degree of kernel process-ing and avoiding mature, hard kernels at harvest are even more important.

The digestibility of the stover or NDF in corn silage is influ-

enced primarily by the type of corn silage hybrid grown with the brown midrib or low lignin hybrids setting the pace. Despite some controversy in the field, our group and other researchers in controlled studies have not found that duration of time that the silage undergoes fermentation in the silo prior to feeding has any impact on NDF digestibility.

It now does not appear that stage of maturity at harvest causes much depression in NDF digest-ibility as long as the whole-plant DM content is below 40%.

Use of shredlage-type proces-sors with the aim of improving NDF digestibility is still largely experimental. While some new-er-type silage additives with the aim of improving NDF digestibil-ity are being marketed, I suggest you seek out third-party research data to verify their effectiveness. Beneficial effects of certain silage additives on the aerobic stability of corn silage during feed-out are more easily documented.

There has been much interest in recent years—especially with the feeding of higher corn silage diets—about setting the forage harvester for a longer TLOC with aim of increasing the physical-ly-effective NDF (peNDF) content of corn silage. Augmenting this interest has been the adoption of shredlage-type processors on some farms with an associated recommendation for a longer TLOC.

Increasing the TLOC may increase equipment wear and/or reduce kernel processing with

some forage harvesters, and, if chopped too long, the packing density in the silo may be reduced and sorting in the feed bunk may be increased. Also, in a recent experiment comparing 26 mm TLOC shredlage (18% on top screen of Penn State shaker box) to 19 mm TLOC convention-al-processed corn silage (7% on top screen of Penn State shaker box) we observed no difference in rumination activity in high pro-ducing mid lactation cows. More research on longer-TLOC corn silage and peNDF is needed.

by Randy Shaver, Department of Dairy Science, UW – Madison,

UW – Extension

Before you know it, it will be time to hit the corn fields to harvest silage. Dr. Randy Shaver urges dairy farmers to pay attention to factors that can influ-ence the nutritive value of corn silage.

July 2014 • PDPW - Dairy’s Bottom Line 3ST

Early returns on haylage tests mixedThe slow spring warm-up pushed

the first crop harvest maturity out later on the calendar than usual, and then an extended rainy period caught many farms right at first-crop harvest time or as some were getting started on second crop. So what are the haylage quality tests showing thus far?

As one might expect given the wide-spread wet weather condi-tions, there is plenty of variation in new-crop haylage quality parame-ters across farms. Those that took first crop in late May before the rains hit talk of relative feed values (RFV) greater than 150 while those who had to delay harvest until later talk about RFV of 125 or lower.

The RFV is calculated from neutral detergent fiber (NDF) as a predictor of the intake potential of the forage and acid detergent fiber (ADF) as a predictor of its digest-ibility which are combined into one number to provide an index of

forage quality related to animal per-formance. Greater NDF and ADF concentrations reduce the RFV.

To get a general of quality param-eters, two commercial feed testing labs, Dairyland Labs, Arcadia, Wis., and Rock River Labs, Watertown, Wis., were contacted for summaries of their nutrient analyses on new-crop haylage samples. Both labs shared results from fresh haylage samples received into the lab for analysis from June 1 to June 25 of

this year. Sample RFV ranged from 100

to 180 and averaged about 140. Average crude protein content averaged about 20% (dry matter [DM] basis).

The labs also shared summaries of their nutrient analyses on fresh haylage samples from May-June of 2012 and 2013.

Looking at RFV along with relative forage quality—RFQ which combines fiber digestibility into the

index, the labs agree that this year’s crop was similar on average to 2013. For both years the samples were of poorer quality on average than those from 2012.

Knowing the on-farm inventory of haylage and assessing its quality will allow you and your nutrition-ist to plan ahead for corn silage inventory needs, project dietary proportions of haylage and corn silage and project which byproduct feeds will be needed to balance rations. During haylage feed-out, routine nutrient analysis is import-ant to assess quality variation and formulate ration accordingly.

It looks like CP, NDF and NDF digestibility and non-fiber carbohy-drates will be especially important quality parameters to evaluate this year.

by Randy ShaverDepartment of Dairy Science,

UW–Madison, UW–Extension

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Elected officials, community leaders, conservation officials, dairy farmers, neighbors of dairy farmers and citizens interested in keeping Wisconsin communities vibrant and green are invited to participate in the ACE (Agricultural Community Engagement) On-the-Farm Twilight Meetings sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association, Wisconsin Towns Association and Professional Dairy Producers™. The meetings are all about local leaders and dairy producers learning from each other.

On-the-Farm Twilight Meetings are scheduled in different locations across Wisconsin:

• Monday, Aug. 18, Oconto Falls• Tuesday, Aug. 26, Chili• Wednesday, Aug. 27, Allenton• Thursday, Aug. 28, Belleville During the 60-minute guided tour of the host dairy at each of the

four locations, participants will see a dairy firsthand, hear from the owners/manager and learn what is takes to keep cows happy and bring safe meat, milk and other dairy products to the dinner table. This will be followed by ice cream and 60 to 90 minutes of facilitated discussion focused on how farming, the dairy industry and communities can work together to grow strong and better together.

To reserve a space at any of the four ACE On-the-Farm Twilight meetings, please contact the Wisconsin Towns Association at 715-526-3157 or email them at [email protected]. Walk-ins are welcome.

Here’s a snapshot of the dairies hosting the ACE On-the-Farm Twilight Meetings:

Aug. 18 — Wagner Farms Inc.Hank & Pam Wagner FamilyN6928 CTY BB, Oconto Falls

Hank and Pam Wagner took over the family farm from his parents in 1987 when it was just a 55-cow operation. Today, Wagner Farms milks 650 Holsteins and crops 900 acres, mostly corn and alfal-fa. The dairy’s staff includes the Wagner’s family of four—Hank, Pam, son Shawn and daughter Lau-ra, plus Hank’s dad, Pam’s sister-in-law, a soon-to-be son-in-law and six milkers.

Hank and Pam define success in both financial and emotional terms, believing the business should be profitable, provide a good place to raise a family and provide opportunities to interact with people.

“My goal is to have a positive influence on a minimum of 100,000 people in my lifetime—personally and in business,” Hank says.

Aug. 26— Norm-E-LaneMeissner FamiliesW267 Panther Creek Road, Chili

Norm-E-Lane is a family dairy owned by brothers Jerry and Dave Meissner, Jerry’s son Josh and Dave’s son Jeremy. The four men and the dairy’s 32 full-time employees manage the dairy’s 2,400 cows, raise the dairy’s young stock and crop 5,200 acres, mainly corn and alfalfa.

“The idea of togetherness is important to our industry, and it’s what we believe in,” says Josh Meissner who serves as the dairy’s manager. “The ways in which our country’s dairies operate, consumer views of food production, and the foods we consume are always changing, making it vitally important that everyone throughout the dairy chain works together.”


Community leaders invited to ACE On-the-Farm Twilight Meetings

Laura Wagner, Pam Wagner and Hank Wagner of Wagner Farms, Inc.

Josh Meissner of Norm-E-Lane.

See ACE, on page 5

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ACEContinued from page 4Aug. 27 — Sunburst DairyBrian & Yogi Brown Family1003 County Road PB, Belleville

Established in 1984, Sunburst Dairy has three generations working on the dairy, along with nine full-time employees and one part-time employee. Owners Yogi and Brian Brown receive all-purpose support on the dairy from their son Cory while Brian’s dad, Jerry, continues lending a hand from time to time. Daughter Whitney is still

in high school. Sunburst Dairy milks 500 cows and crops 700 acres of corn and alfalfa.

“We believe in producing a quality product in balance with people, our an-imals and the environment,”

Yogi states. She adds that people need work-life balance, and the same goes for the dairy’s animals and the environment. Without balance, she says these things are not sustainable.

Aug. 28 — Sunset FarmsWolf Family6600 Sunset Drive, Allenton

Sunset Farms is a community-minded dairy operation located 45 minutes northwest of Milwaukee. The farm employs 26 full-time and six part-time and seasonal workers, milks approximately 900 cows, has about 100 dry cows, raises most of their youngstock and steers and

crops 3,200 acres. Fifth- and sixth-generation family mem-bers, along with a few employees, own the farm.

Sunset Farms includes Albert and Mildred and their sons and wives, Ray and Anne, Dan

and Ellen, Bernie and Cindy, and Paul and Sue. In addition, some of the next generation has joined the family corporation, including Karen Hughes who serves as herd manager; Carl, Ed and Dave Wolf; and Tim Baier.

“We continuously strive to improve our farm and the care of our cows. Cow comfort is what drives our modernization,” says herd man-ager Karen Hughes. The farm’s mission is to produce safe nutrition, cre-ate a good quality of life for employees as well as neighbors and friends, and ensure everyone involved enjoys their work together.

The team at Sunset Farms.

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ACE On-the-Farm Twilight Meetings Agenda6:00 p.m. — Guided tour of host dairy

7:00 p.m. — Ice cream served and community/dairy discussion begins

8:30 p.m. — Evening ends

Come on your own or bring a friend. The meeting is free!For more information,

contact the Wisconsin Towns Association at 715-526-3157; [email protected]

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Maintenance tips for waterwaysA few rainy weeks in May and

June have us all pretty familiar with how water moves within the fields on the farm. While now is not the greatest time for water-way work, since crops are up and established, it is a good time to make a note of where waterways really should be and which ones need maintenance and which ones are in pretty good shape.

Keep in mind that places where a waterway should be can be very visually obvious not only to you, but also to your neighbors, fellow farmers, and others who may be driving by.

While reduced tillage tech-nology has increased residue and soil quality to enhance infiltration capacity, events can still overwhelm the soil. And, even with conservation tillage

practices in place, functioning waterways in areas of concentrat-ed flow are critical to reducing soil loss and protecting produc-tivity.

The benefits of having the area where water concentrates are not limited to protecting soil from erosion. Properly shaped waterways do a very efficient job of conveying water through and

from the field. Not to men-tion that investing in seed and fertilizer for areas that often get washed out is a drag on produc-tivity and profitability.

Here are some maintenance tips for waterways:

• Periodically re-grade the outlet area and re-seed so that the waterway continues moving water away from the field.

• Cut and harvest grass from waterways for use as a feed

See TIPS, on page 8

Amber Radatz

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TIPSContinued from page 7source and to maximize soil protection.

• Do not use waterways as field roads, compaction can lead to damage and cut down on the function.

• Control weeds. Once a water-way is overtaken by weeds, it is time to re-seed with grass.

• Plant and till perpendicular to the waterway to avoid gullies and maximize ability of water to drain from the rows into the waterway.

• Be proactive in damage control. Regular maintenance is better than major repair. Often minor repairs can be done by you, with equipment you already own.

Rules of thumb for waterway construction:

• Make your waterway wide

enough to accommodate your harvest-ing equipment and 1 foot deep.

• Using an experienced contractor or a fellow farmer can be very helpful in get-ting the shape right and get-ting the design right the first time. Know that technical assistance from your local soil and water conservation professionals is always available and cost sharing is often times also available for these projects.

• Seed with grass, and mulch

immediately. Consider using erosion control blankets on very steep slopes.

For more information on conservation practices, check out

our website at www.uwdiscov-eryfarms.org under the “Our Research” heading.

by Amber RadatzDiscovery Farms

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Those of us in agriculture are well-accustomed to the cyclical nature of commodity markets. We are currently, and comfort-ably, sitting at the top of the cycle, indicated by strong milk prices, low interest rates, lower feed costs, low to modest crop and fertilizer costs, abundant cattle and feed inventories and strong real estate values on a balance sheet.

While cash flows are definitely stronger in a top-of-the-cycle period, we should be realistic that these great prices won’t stay forever and need to base project-ed cash flows on typical market prices. Using only top prices can create a false sense of positive cash flow which can lead to inappropriate capital purchases and misleading financial ratios.

Lenders are looking for bor-rowers to improve their farm balance sheet and improve work-ing capital positions during an up cycle. For example, farmers coming off a couple of poor crop years should make efforts to re-duce additional operating money that was borrowed for replacing needed feed inventories.

Here are a few additional points to keep in mind when making business management decisions during an up cycle:

Expansion: Opportuni-ties may exist if your balance

sheet is in order and historical earnings would support future additional expansion and debt service. However, your projec-tions should be based on average historical milk prices, not prices that could be short lived.

Capital Investments: In addition to expanding, ask your-self how the capital investment will generate a return on assets to justify the money spent. Is the capital investment providing a return on assets with additional income units or providing great-er operating efficiency?

Risk Mitigation: Due to the strength of their balance sheet, some farmers can handle more price volatility than others. What needs to be avoided is a down turn similar to the 2009 prices where cost of production exceeded cash mailbox price.

Every farmer should know exactly what his/her cost of production is to properly man-age milk marketing. High milk prices provide an excellent opportuni-ty to lock in milk sales at a positive margin. Beyond locking in your milk price with forward con-tracts, stron-ger-than-normal opportunities exist with futures and options, and Livestock Gross Margin (LGM) Insur-ance.

Milk Marketing: This strategy is one that should be in harmony with your lender and overall farm objectives. Whether you work with a broker, the local milk plant or have your own market plan, it should be one that is consistent and avoids jumping in and out of the market.

Again, knowing your pro-duction costs is the main key to selling milk.

Locking in Rates: In a low interest rate environment,

consider locking in long-term rates for

10, 15 or 20 years if your lender pro-vides them. This reduces your risk exposure, which in the event of a rate increase

can better manage operating costs. For

each 1% rate increase on $100,000 of money

borrowed, your operating costs increase $1,000 per year.

While long term rates usually are higher than shorter term rates, it is like an insurance policy which protects you from unforeseen future rate costs.

Furthermore, to help pre-pare for a downturn in prices, other financial management

approaches in an up cycle should include:

• Pay all operating expenses and accounts payable current

• Continue to build work-ing capital to 30% or more of revenue

• Save one years of debt service in cash

• Save three months of operat-ing expenses in cash

Above all, consistent commu-nication with your lender is vital for any market environment. Work with a lender who under-stands your long-term goals and your plans to get there.

If you determine your strat-egies to help mitigate risk in a volatile or poor price environ-ment, you’ll be set to ride the rollercoaster of volatile markets into the future.

by Greg SchopenDairy Specialist

Badgerland Financial

Managing risk in a milk price up cycle

Greg Schopen

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All types of tillage, or lack of tillage, affect soil properties—including soil residue cover, structure, compaction, tempera-ture, biology, soil test values and nutrient availability. The tillage system used can also impact weed, nutrient and pest manage-ment practices. The minimum amount of tillage that accom-plishes the production goals of a specific farm and landscape will also reduce soil and nutrient loss.

When tillage does not match a particular landscape or farming system, however, there are risks to production and soil and nutrient loss.

One tillage system does not fit all farms across the state, or even in local neighborhoods.

Fields with adequate drainage and significant slope usually do not require aggressive tillage

passes. Conversely, in many in-stances, no-till is not appropriate for fields with very low slope and poor drainage because there are significant risks to production. In that setting, the risk of soil loss is low no matter the type of tillage.

Discovery Farms Programs of Wisconsin and Minnesota have

collected water quality infor-mation from farms with tillage systems ranging from intensive to no-till. There are many other differences between these farms including location, soils, slopes, crop rotation, study period, and manure application.

Because there are too many variables involved, the project’s goal is not to provide a direct water quality comparison be-tween specific farms or suggest that one system or farm is better than another. The goal is simply to provide water quality informa-tion observed from a number of different tillage systems as a ref-erence to consider when assessing tillage and water quality impacts.

Included in the two tillage pass data set is 29 site years (six farms

from Minnesota and four farms from Wisconsin) while the no-till data set contains 23 site years (four farms from Wisconsin and one farm from Minnesota).

Runoff: Long-term Discovery Farms edge-of-field surface run-off data has averaged 2.5 inches of runoff annually, with 55% of the annual runoff occurring during frozen soil conditions and 45% occurring during non-frozen soil periods. Annual runoff and frozen soil runoff medians and inter-quartile ranges were rela-tively similar across all sites.

Overall, the main runoff difference between no-till and two-pass tillage systems was ob-served during the non-frozen soil period, where the median value

See TILLAGE, on page 13


Discovery Farms: Tillage systems, run-off, soil loss

Steeper fields call for minimum tillage and residue management.

Graph 1.

Proud to be your partnerhelping to build and

maintain strong, lastingWisconsin farms and families

Twohig Rietbrock Schneider & HalbachAttorneys for Agriculture

102 N. Madison, Chilton WI (920) 849-4999

TILLAGEContinued from page 12and range of runoff was smaller for the no-till farms. See Graph 1.

Soil Loss: Long-term Discov-ery Farms edge-of-field surface runoff soil loss data has averaged 667 lb./ac. Interestingly, the median soil loss for the two-pass tillage and no-till farms was relatively similar and lower than the long-term Discovery Farms average.

In most cases, no matter the tillage system, measured soil loss was significantly less than 1 ton per acre. The main soil loss differ-ence between the no-till and two pass tillage farms is in the upper ranges of soil loss.

The range of soil loss from the no-till farms was not very large. There were no site years where no-till farms had soil loss greater than 1,000 lb./ac. However, sev-eral site years in the set of farms that practice two pass tillage systems had soil loss of 2,000 lb./ac. to 5,000 lb./ac.

In those specific instances, no particularly large storm events or extreme circumstances had

occurred. The large losses indi-cate that the tillage system may be too intense for the landscape conditions (slope, slope length, soil type). See Graph 2.

Summary: Water quality data from farms with two pass tillage systems (29 site years) was com-pared with farms with no-till systems (23 site years). While the annual runoff and frozen soil runoff values were similar, non-frozen soil runoff was lower for the no-till farms. Median soil loss values were similar and much lower than 1 ton/ac.

The upper ranges of soil loss were lower for the no-till farms. That noted, it is important to know that no-till is not a work-able solution for every farm, and using tillage in a crop rotation is also not ideal for each farm.

After paying close attention to how water and soil moves within your fields, you can then consid-er whether your tillage system is the best match for each field’s landscape.

With established programs in several states, Discovery Farms staff can now compare simi-

lar data across state lines. The runoff, sediment and nutrient loss data set will be more widely applicable to a variety of farming systems and landscapes.

You can find more information on the UW-Discovery Farms

website at www.uwdiscovery-farms.org and the Discovery Farms Minnesota website at www.discoveryfarmsmn.org.

by Amber RadatzDiscovery Farms


Graph 2.

Use comprehensive tillage to warm and dry the soil.

KEEPING YOU CLEAN AND DRY

SINCE 1994!

888.438.8683 UDDERTECHINC.COM


Three One-day Dairy Obstetrics Workshops

• Tuesday, Aug. 19 – Emerald Dairy, Emerald, Wis.• Wednesday, Aug. 20 –

Central Sands Dairy, Nekoosa, Wis.

• Thursday, Aug. 21 – Rosendale Dairy, Pickett, Wis.

Provide an educational opportunity for key Hispanic employees who work the birthing pen. Grow their skills and knowledge of this critical process as well as their down cow handling and employee safety information. A truly comprehensive day for all at-tendees! Taught exclusively in Spanish.

Three One-day Calf Care Workshops

• Tuesday, Aug. 26 – Norm-E-Lane, Chili, Wis.• Wednesday, Aug. 27 –

Sunburst Dairy, Belleville, Wis.• Thursday, Aug. 28 – Sunset Farms, Allenton, Wis.Come spend a day of

hands-on learning and learn what it takes to keep calves healthy and thriving during the first crucial two weeks! PLUS learn more about down cow handling and employee safety. Perfect for your His-panic calf managers, calf rais-ers and calf feeders! Taught exclusively in Spanish.

World Class Webinar Series with Expert Ag Economist Dan Basse

Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company, a domestic and international agricultural research firm, will spin the globe and share what is going on across the world of dairy and how that is impacting your operation. He’ll outline what lies ahead and how to prepare for this ever-chang-ing dairy economy. This is a three-part series beginning Sept. 10. Watch www.pdpw.org for details.

Dairy Technology Tours: Taking Technology to

the Cows!

See the latest and greatest technological advances at work and network as we take a tour bus and check out technology being used on dairy farms. We’ll see how robotics, sensory systems and automated systems are helping dairies save time and labor while keeping cows happy. Plus you’ll visit one-on-one with these tech-savvy dairy farmers. Attend one day, two days or all three days.

Save the dates: Oct. 14, 15, 16… and watch for more details!

PDPW Program PreviewsTwo Programs for Your

Spanish-Speaking Employees

Dan Basse

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Introducing PDPW’s new intern


Are your calves receiving a consistent product?If you’re among those who use a

plastic cup to measure milk replac-er powder, measure water volume in a bottle or pitcher and use the calf feeder’s finger to measure water temperature, a Pennsylvania State University experiment show calves may not be receiving the final total solids percentage you want. And final temperature might not be hitting the 100° to 115°F mark.

“Consistency is one of the biggest goals when feeding,” states Penn State graduate student Sonia Gelsinger. “Whatever the liquid feed (milk or milk replacer), the temperature, total solids percent-age and nutrient level should be reasonably consistent from feeding to feeding.

“Large changes in any of these parameters can lead to unwilling-ness of calves to drink or scours in calves that do drink.”

Gelsinger explains that, while variability in nutrient content or total solids percentage in waste milk can occur if the proportion of transition milk to mastitic milk changes, inaccurate measurement of the supplement milk replacer can “exacerbate the variability problem.”

“To avoid this, one must be able to make precise measurements of the milk replacer to be added,” she states.

Students in a Penn State dairy management class recently partic-ipated in a laboratory assignment that shed some light on the vari-ability that can occur when mixing milk replacer for feeding calves.

Using standard commercial milk replacer and the measuring cup provided in the bag, the students followed the bag’s directions to mix 10 ounces of milk replacer powder with two quarts of water, with the water temperature at 100° to 115°F.

“If the directions were followed precisely, the end result should be a warm, milk-like solution that is 13% solids,” Gelsinger tells. “Measurement, however, is only as precise as the instrument used.”

During the laboratory sections,

temperature of the final product was measured using a thermome-ter and total solids were calculated by measuring the Brix percentage with a refactometer and adding two, a rule of thumb, Gelsinger says, based on research published by Moore et al in 2009.

Although the students all used the same cup provided in the bag of milk replacer, results were variable.

Of the 41 batches of milk replacer mixed, Gelsinger reports that only 17 achieved a final total solids percentage within the goal range of 10% to 15%. Only two calves would have received a final solution with total solids percentage of 13%.

When students measured the final temperature of the milk replacer, only two of 41 achieved a final temperature between 110° and 115°F.

“Many of the students in the class were from dairy farms and had previous experience mixing milk replacer,” Gelsinger points out. “This in-class experiment simply shows the variation that can

occur when imprecise equipment is used.”

To decrease variation and ensure calves receive a consistent product at each feeding, Gelsinger rec-ommends the precision in which ingredients are measured.

Some recommended equipment that is both economical and easy to maintain, she says, are a simple balance and a bowl large enough to hold the maximum amount of

powder to be mixed, a measuring cup that holds just what is needed to be mixed, a booking thermom-eter to ensure a consistent water temperature and a pitcher or bottle with graduated markings for measurement. She adds that a hand-held refractometer for measuring Brix percent can help ensure total solid percentage of the final product is within the desired range.

She owns 10 registered Holsteins and has worked on her family’s dairy, KruegerCrest Farms, Marion, Wis., for 13 years. She has also worked at Bella-View Holsteins and is active in UW-Mad-ison Association of Women in Agriculture, UW-Madison Badger Dairy Club and the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Association. She is also the reigning Wisconsin Holstein Princess.

The “she” is Kayla Krueger. And, in addition to her current family dairy and school responsibili-ties, Kayla will be the Professional Dairy Producers™ intern this fall.

“PDPW staff was drawn to Kayla because she is so well rounded,” states Shelly Mayer, PDPW’s executive director. “In addition to her strong interest in the dairy industry, Kayla has a compelling desire for continuous improvement for our industry and a heart for serving. The internship is a perfect fit with her goals and major as a UW-Madison student majoring in dairy science and life

sciences communication.”Mayer adds that Kayla’s key responsibility as an intern will be PDPW’s Mentor Program.Kayla, the 20-year-old daughter of Tyler and April Krueger, has been working weekends and summers on the family

60-head registered Holstein dairy throughout high school and college. “Between school and our dairy, the workload has been quite a bit, but it certainly has made me who I am today,”

Kayla explains. “I wouldn’t trade working on the dairy for anything.“That said, I’m excited to take on the PDPW internship this fall. I hope to not only gain valuable work experience

that will enlarge my skillset but learn more about the dairy industry as well as PDPW since it’s such a tremendous organization. I look forward to meeting and working with dairy producers from dairies of all sizes and scope.”

Kayla starts her internship with PDPW well prepared and ready to take on new responsibilities. In addition to knowing the dairy industry by working on dairies, Kayla’s experience includes serving as treasurer of the UW-Madison Association of Women in Agriculture, the Badger Dairy Club’s World Dairy Expo Showring Chairperson and American Dairy Science Association’s Royal Officer.

Kayla Krueger

Consistency of milk is key to keeping calves healthy and growing.

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As a herd manager you know how valuable your time is. You needtime to feed cows, time to milk cows, and time to breed cows. Mostimportantly, though, you need that precious time away from the cowsto do the things that mean the most in your life. Semex’s ai24™ wholeherd management solution with both rumination monitoring and heatdetection capabilities can’t put more hours in your day, but it can putmore time on your side. It’s time for ai24™.

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“The rumination monitoringis a cutting-edge tool. Theactivity monitoring combinedwith rumination monitoringgives us a very skilled set of eyeswatching the herd at all times.”Ethan Heinzmann, Herdsman,Golden Oaks Dairy, Wauconda, Illinois

PDPW Dairy's Bottom Line July 2014

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