1999 November

Applying Incalf Results to Your Herd Today

One of the messages from the Incalf project was to confirm that reproductive performance of dairy herds depended on events and management decisions that occurred throughout the year, not just during the joining period.

This months Incalf article will address one of the important findings from the project and suggest ways of utilising the information in your herd.

In a seasonal calving herd the planned start of calving (PSC) is 282 days after mating start date (MSD). We used to believe that cows that had been calved at least eight or so weeks prior to mating were about as fertile as they could get. What the study showed was that the advantages of early calving were even more important than previously thought.

Early calving cows are significantly more fertile than late calving cows.

There are 12 weeks between PSC and MSD. In table 1, the first group of cows consists of those that calved in the 1-2 weeks prior to PSC. As can be seen these cows were even more fertile than the group of cows that calved in the first three weeks after PSC.

Table 1
Calving Group	6 week in calf rate	Empty Rate	21 Day Submission Rate	First Service Conception Rate
Before PSC	76%	4%	89%	57%
Weeks 1-3	71%	5%	84%	53%
Weeks 4-6	62%	8%	75%	46%
Weeks 7-9	51%	11%	62%	38%
After Week 9	22%	19%	20%	26%

For later calving cows the penalties in terms of fertility are even more significant.

If high fertility is one of your goals then aim to calve as many cows in the first few weeks after PSC as possible.

If a significant portion of the herd calves late ie after week 6 of the calving period, high fertility is very difficult to achieve.

What can be done now?

Assess heifer performance.

Heifers are the group of cows whose calving dates are easiest to manipulate. If heifers are well grown and mated to bulls of good fertility it is possible to have 70% calved in the first three weeks and 95% in six weeks. So, weigh heifers. Aim to have Friesian heifers at 350kg body weight at joining and Jersey heifers at 280kg. If they are below these targets now, start proceeding to correct this deficit ie worm control and nutrition. Perhaps consider joining heifers 1-2 weeks prior to cows.

Plan induction program

One of the key findings of the study was that induction did not affect reproductive performance.

This meant that cows that were induced to calve early in the calving period had quite good performance. Those that were induced to calve late in the calving period had poor reproductive performance, but no worse than a non induced cow that calved at the same time.

Plan induction program

So if you choose to induce cows they should be induced as early as possible. Cows can be induced up to 10 weeks prior to their expected calving date.

In order to do this we need to know when their expected calving date is. This can be done using accurate and sustained heat detection and returns or non returns to service as indications of pregnancy.

Early pregnancy testing ie 12-15 weeks after MSD allows you to very accurately determine which cows are definitely in calf to AI and which cows are definitely not.

A planned approach to early induction involves:

Accurate expected calving dates.
Planning of dates for induction.
Early drying off. Cows need 7-8 weeks dry period before induction.
Special attention if necessary to the "to be induced" mob.

Safe Pregnancy Testing Facilities

Pregnancy testing is an important management tool but if it is performed in substandard facilities the animals and operators can be exposed to the risk of injury and the job will take longer to complete. In addition, if the operator is constantly concerned for their safety, or is working at bad angles the accuracy of the diagnosis may be compromised.

The features of good pregnancy testing facilities are:

Cows are confined but standing comfortably. It is desirable that the animals are not able to move from side to side or move too far forward. It is also preferable that the cows are not too tightly pack as this will increase the possibility that cows will go down
The legs of the cow can not slip backwards. This is particularly important when pregnancy testing "over the rail" in rotary dairies, herringbones and in AI races. Cows' slipping backwards and falling is the cause of the majority of injuries to both man and beast. It is preferable that an edge or toe rail is present to stop the cows' feet from slipping over the edge of the platform. The examination platform can protrude over the edge of the dairy platform. The lip should not have a sharp edge that could injure the cow.
The preg tester has a firm footing that is at the same level as the cows' feet or slightly higher. If the preg testing platform is slightly higher (5 cm) than the cows feet a downward motion is used for the examination which is valuable for the reduction of operator fatigue.
Any platform should be solid enough that it is not pushed away by the weight of a cow.
Adequate room for the operators to move. This is most important where two people are preg testing, but is also important when preg testing in herringbone sheds. In some situations on rotary dairies the removal of the breach rail makes preg testing easier
If preg testing is being performed on a rotary dairy it is imperative that the platform controls are with in reach so that it can be stopped if required.
Cows move through the facility comfortably and quietly.

Good facilities are quicker and safer to work in. The job gets done in less time, with less risk and gets done better.

JETACAR Report released

On October 22 the final report on "The Use of Antibiotics in Food Producing Animals: Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Animals and Humans" was released. The full report can be downloaded from the Health Department site. Download the PDF file here.

During 1998 the Minister for Health and Aged Care and the Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry established the Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance (JETACAR).

The committee was comprised of experts from the areas of human health, veterinary medicine and animal production. It was asked to assess the scientific evidence of links between the use of antibiotics in food producing animals, the emergence and selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria and their spread to humans, as well as recommending future risk management strategies.

The committee came up with 22 recommendations that fall into the following categories:

Regulatory controls aimed at ensuring responsible and prudent use of antibiotics in humans and food producing animals
Monitoring and surveillance of the use of antibiotics and the change in antibiotic resistance patterns
Infection prevention strategies and hygiene measures to reduce the need for antibiotics
Education, including codes of practice for the prudent use of antibiotics
Further research into antibiotic use and alternatives to antibiotics.

The committee has noted that animal industries should not be economically disadvantage by the sudden removal or severe limitation of veterinary products that are of importance to production.

Certain products will be phased out if they do not fulfil recommended criteria or fail to pass review.

Maintaining Production in Late Spring

Why will some herds maintain production better than others at this time of year? Traditionally we see lactation declines of 15% or more per month from late October to Christmas. This means that a herd doing 25 litres in late October would drop to 18 litres in two months. Conversely, a herd with better control of feed intake would drop 9% per month to 21 litres.

What determines feed intake now?

Pasture offered

    As pasture growth rates decline, the ability of the pastures to grow at the rate of
    consumption will decline. Herds begin to eat into the residual feed bank left from
    spring so that harder grazing is required to maintain intakes. Unless a substantial
    residual pasture sword remains after grazing (1800kg dry matter per hectare) then it is
    unlikely that cows will ad lib feed. This is obviously not feasible to do without losing
    pasture quality and regrowth potential.

Pasture Quality

    Once we pass mid October, rye grass tillers that have been exposed to winter soil
    temperatures, will be triggered to run to seed. These need to be eaten off or cut
    below the growth node, about 5cm above ground, to stop further seed head
    development. Seed head development takes up energy and reduces the ability of
    plants to grow new tillers. The new tillers will not run to seed until next spring. The
    more moisture, fertiliser, nitrogen and grazing these new tillers have, the more they
    will grow. If seed head tillers still remain on the plant, these new tillers will have
    limited growth.

    By using cows and machinery to remove seed head tillers, pastures will be able to
    respond to favourable growth conditions. Often paddocks cut for silage or topped prior
    to mid October will run to seed despite this since seed head development was not
    started at the time of the early cut.

    High soil fertility, new cultivars and use of nitrogen if moisture is not limiting, are the
    essentials to optimise pasture growth once seed head tillers are removed. Cows are
    quick to tell us, by responses in the vat, what they can do with such pastures.

Other Inputs

    Given that spring pasture management is being optimised, it is important to monitor
    production to be aware of drops greater than anticipated. Cows will vary by 1-2 litres
    per cow over a week but a sustained drop at this level must be investigated. Once
    paddock quality variation, water and other potential reasons are ruled out, it is
    important to assess the total feed inputs.

    It is difficult to measure total pasture intake however, the residual pasture height will
    give a good indication of the change in amount offered.<P>

    Inputs available till mid December when early crops are ready, usually involve grain.
    Protein is unlikely to be limiting in their diet except for high producing herds. Grain
    can be increased slowly to 6-8kg without compromising fibre balance for cows
    producing 20-25 litres. These cows will be eating 15-17kg of dry matter daily so the
    grain represents up to half their diet. Depending on the type of grain and relative
    fibre level of pasture, buffers or rumen modifiers may be economically justifiable at
    these higher levels. The fat test and faecal consistency of the herd will be early
    indicators of the need to add these to the diet.

Many farmers let seasonal conditions influence production too much in late spring. Top or heavily graze paddocks to remove seed head tillers.

Set production targets and regularly monitor them.

Take early action to fill in feed gaps as production falls. Much of our profit comes from good summer production.

Grain Contracts

Why consider grain contracts?

Contracts take away the risk of paying high prices during the next season. This is a form of risk management.

Who wins in a grain contract?

In the long run both the grower and purchaser should win by having a more stable price for the commodity being traded. If dairy farmers always paid less on contract than the spot price, then growers would soon stop locking in their crops at these prices. This year many farmers with grain contracts have been paying around $10 per tonne more than spot price since early winter. The has cost them very little but has guaranteed that they will not have to pay any higher figure.

Should contracts be locked in every year?

In most years, the grain contract price will not vary considerably with the spot price on average for the whole year. However, if the spot price changes significantly over the year, it will vary from contract price. For example, in 1997-98, the grain price rose to over $200 per tonne whilst contract prices were at $150 per tonne. Conversely in 1998-99, contract prices were at $200 and spot prices dropped to $160.

Astute farmers will tend to lock in more of their grain requirements when prices are lower than average and be less tempted to use contracts at higher prices. That way they guarantee staying at the lower end when prices are strengthening and they take advantage of lower prices when they fall from a high level.

How does today's market look?

Current world grain prices are still weak. They are well below 10 year average prices and are unlikely to rise in the short term. Canada and Eastern Europe have had a poor barley harvest and much of Australia's crop is excellent quality.

It is likely that feed barley will be scarce so barley prices have firmed in response. On the other hand triticale and wheat are in high supply but with low demand. This gives us the opportunity to lock into high quality feeds at below long term average prices, guaranteed for next year.

What is the likely price trend in the next few months?

Like the weather it is not possible to accurately predict this market trend however, we do know that spot prices over the harvest are usually lower than new season contract prices since storage costs are not included.<p>

However, if world demand for feed grains strengthens in the next few weeks, this will lift harvest prices. If supply weakens due to poor future crop forecasts, this will also lift prices. Given that prices are at lower than average levels now and well below what growers would like to receive to cover long run costs, it is unlikely that substantial quantities of grain will be offered for contract by growers at low prices. They will prefer to pay storage costs and hope for a price rise later.

Recommendation:

This is another good year to lock in next years, March - October, grain requirements. Triticale and ASW Wheat at $150-$160 are good prices. Unless barley is $10-$15 lower it will not be as attractive. Mixing triticale with wheat reduces the acidosis problems associated with wheat only.

There are a number of arrangements for contracts which vary between grain merchants. Contact your regular supplier to ascertain their current contract price.

A delay of several weeks may see prices change. The likelihood of contract prices rising is greater than the likelihood of them falling.