Dairy Reproduction

Does Bird Flu Have an Effect on Cow Fertility?

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 20:52:18 GMT

When highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) first hit U.S. dairies, it threw the industry into unfamiliar territory. With so many unknowns, the immediate focus was on slowing the spread and caring for the cows that were affected.

Now, with more of the puzzle pieces coming together, researchers are beginning to step back and look at the bigger picture, examining how the virus affects cows not only in the days and weeks after infection, but what it may mean for their health and performance long after.

On a recent episode of “The Dairy Podcast Show”, Jennifer Spencer and Juan Pinedo, Extension dairy specialists with Texas A&M, came together to better understand what this virus is doing to reproduction — and if infected cows will be paying the price for years.

What Does HPAI Mean for Cow Fertility?

Spencer and Pinedo are just starting to study HPAI’s long-term effects, and their work is one of the first to measure how it may impact reproduction in U.S. dairy herds. Early signs point to a real effect on reproductive performance, particularly in younger animals, though the science is still evolving.

“We really want to know if it does impact reproduction,” Spencer says. “We want to let the producers know so they can understand if they might have to cull heavier to make sure that they’re managing this and replacing the cows in a timely manner — for sustainability of the herd and also to help maintain or improve their profitability.”

Like all major health events, HPAI is predicted to have an impact on cow fertility or pregnancy loss. But for Spencer and Pinedo, they are trying to figure out to what degree.

“We know that when cows get sick, they shift their energy toward fighting an infection rather than reproducing,” Spencer explains. “If these cattle that are infected with HPAI are having reduced milk production, feed intake and rumination, then there’s a high probability it’s impacting reproductive efficiency and their performance.”

Pinedo adds this pattern isn’t unique to HPAI, but still worth studying.

“Just like with any other systemic disease, having a detrimental effect in repro performance is something that we will expect,” Pinedo explains.

Dig Into Herd Data

In March 2025, Spencer’s team received rapid-response funding from USDA APHIS to study how HPAI affects reproduction in dairy herds. They designed a retrospective observational study, analyzing on-farm records from January 2021 through each herd’s HPAI outbreak and beyond.

“We’re looking at data from January 2021 until they had an HPAI outbreak,” Spencer says. “How we’re determining that is based not just on what the producer says, but by also analyzing the records and looking for that drastic drop in milk production, because that’s kind of the overall sign when they had an HPAI outbreak.”

To give the team a wide view of how HPAI is affecting herds in different settings, the project spans across three dairy regions with five to 10 dairies per region. These areas include the:

South Central
Western U.S.
Pacific Northwest

“We want to get information from different environments to have a better idea of the geographical differences, and what they deal with heat-stress-wise, or the feed availability,” Spencer says. “This will give us a 30,000' view of what is happening.”

A Hit on Heifers

While the full analysis is still in progress, the team has already taken a close look at one South Central dairy, and the early patterns are raising important questions in heifers. The study found conception rates dropped during the outbreak year but appeared to rebound the following year.

“For heifers, they actually had about a 5% decrease in their conception rates during 2024 from March until December, but that appears to go back up in 2025,” Spencer reports.

Pinedo added specific figures to put the changes into perspective.

“There was a 52% conception rate, and they dropped during the outbreak to 45%. The year after, they came back to 50%,” he notes.

These numbers show that while conception rates began to recover after the outbreak, they didn’t fully return to pre-HPAI levels. Spencer notes heifers needed more services per conception, suggesting the virus may have lingering effects on reproductive efficiency.

“For heifers, we saw an increase in services per conception, but they’ve remained higher. They went from about a 1.5 up to like 2, 2.2 number of times bred for their heifers, and it’s continuing into 2025,” she adds.

Spencer admits that wasn’t what they expected.

“We didn’t think that heifers would be impacted,” she says.

Complicating things further, some of the heifers in question were born to cows infected late in gestation.

“Some of those heifers were actually from cows that were in their third trimester of their pregnancy, so that may be a contributing factor,” Spencer adds. “There’s so many moving parts in it.”

How Are Cows Being Impacted?

For cows, the pattern is more complex. Unlike heifers, which showed a relatively clear dip and rebound in conception rates, mature cows showed more varied responses to HPAI. Some herds experienced noticeable declines during the outbreak, while others were less affected.

“We did see conception rates appeared to decrease in all of the lactations,” Spencer notes. “But for the first and third and greater lactations, they seem to be going back up, whereas the second lactation seems to be kind of having a harder time rebounding.”

Those second-lactation cows are noteworthy because many were first-lactation animals during the outbreak itself.

“It seems as if perhaps a first-lactation animal, which you might think would be more resilient to recover, maybe, is having more longer-term effects on at least reproduction, as opposed to older cattle,” Pinedo adds.

These unexpected patterns have the researchers taking a closer look at the number to try and determine why younger animals are taking a bigger reproductive hit.

How Much Should We Read Into Early HPAI Data?

While the data is eye-opening, both researchers are quick to point out that the findings are still early, and there’s a lot they don’t yet know.

“This is research that is at the very early stages, and it’s a retrospective observational study,” Pinedo emphasizes. “You really want to control confounders; it’s nothing that we could jump into conclusions [about] right now.”

He lists the kinds of changes every producer lives with year to year:

“You have bull genetics that will have changed, repro program that will have changed, feed that will have changed, heat abatement technologies, so many confounders that affect repro that have to be controlled,” he says.

Spencer sees the same complexity in the field of research.

“What if they changed a breeder? Or what if they started using precision technologies on their heifers, so their heat detection rate went up? These are things we have to take into consideration,” she says.

For now, the research is still in its early stages, but the data suggest HPAI does have reproductive effects worth paying attention to, especially in younger animals. As the team continues to analyze records and track herd performance, these early insights can help producers keep a closer eye on animals who were impacted by the virus and make more informed decisions for the long-term health and fertility of their herds.

Fewer Heifers Mean Higher Stakes for Reproduction

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 22:01:58 GMT

Over the last 20 years, reproduction in dairy herds has changed in ways that were hard to imagine two decades ago. Pregnancy rates that once sat in the low teens are now climbing to levels that have reshaped how farms manage breeding decisions.

“We’ve seen average preg rates go from 13% to 14% to herds that now push 40%,” says Paul Fricke, professor and Extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on a recent Dairy Health Blackbelt podcast. “That’s why we’re using sexed semen and beef semen. It’s changed everything.”

However, that progress comes with a tradeoff. As sexed semen is used more strategically and beef semen fills in elsewhere, farms are raising fewer replacement heifers. According to Fricke, that makes it harder to absorb mistakes.

“My argument has been we’ve got to be better with those fewer heifers from a reproductive standpoint,” he says.

With fewer heifers in the pipeline, every breeding decision carries more weight. Missed heats, mistimed inseminations or extended days open can quickly add cost and delay animals entering the milking herd. Fricke says heifer reproduction can’t be treated as a low-priority task. Getting heifers pregnant at the right time, he says, matters more when fewer replacements are available.

Rethink Timed AI in Heifers

As farms work to manage heifer breeding more consistently with fewer replacements, many have turned to synchronization programs to simplify decisions and reduce reliance on heat detection. Timed-AI protocols are now common on many farms because they’re easier to manage with limited labor, but Fricke says they aren’t without limitations. He points to the 5-day CIDR-Synch protocol as a common starting point for heifers, noting that its biggest challenge comes down to timing.

“The big problem with these protocols is they’re not 100% timed AI protocols,” Fricke explains. “We’ll see about 27% to 33% of heifers coming to heat a day early.”

That early estrus creates management challenges and opens the door to mistimed inseminations. To address it, Fricke’s team tested a simple change by leaving the progesterone insert in place for an extra 24 hours.

“There were 12% of the heifers that came into heat early on the 5-day treatment, compared with only 1% on the 6-day treatment,” he says. “With conventional semen in Holstein heifers, there was no decline in fertility.”

Does Sexed Semen Need a Different Approach?

That consistency, however, doesn’t always carry over when sexed semen is used. Fricke says many farms manage sexed semen the same way they would conventional semen, which can lead to lower conception rates than expected.

“Sex[ed] semen is quite different,” he says. “What I generally see is low conception rates. I think it’s a timing of insemination issue.”

In a Wisconsin study across three farms using sexed semen, once-daily heat detection with prostaglandin achieved a 45% conception rate. The 5-day CIDR protocol improved conception to 52%. But the 6-day protocol fell back to 45%.

“The worst thing you can do with sex[ed] semen is inseminate too early,” Fricke says. “And that’s what we did. We kind of set them up to get bred too early.”

Look Beyond Upfront Costs

While synchronization protocols often draw scrutiny for their upfront cost, Fricke argues that focusing only on protocol price misses the bigger economic picture. The real driver of profitability in heifer reproduction, he says, is days on feed.

“The big thing about repro in heifers is limiting total days on feed, because total days on feed is determined by when you get the heifers pregnant,” he says. “That feed cost is something that a lot of farmers don’t look at. It’s the classic kind of unfunded cost, right? The hidden cost.”

In his comparison of minimal estrus synchronization versus CIDR-based programs, the upfront numbers favor the simpler approach. Protocol costs averaged $4.05 per pregnancy for the estrus group, compared to $22.29 for the CIDR group. But the CIDR heifers were inseminated 12 days earlier and pregnant eight days sooner.

“The feed costs were $82 for the estrus group versus $50 for the CIDR group,” Fricke says. “So, we’re actually $16.66 more profitable per pregnancy by being more aggressive with the heifers.”

For Fricke, how the numbers are presented is just as important as the results.

“Farmers will look at the upfront cost,” he says. “We need to show them this is an investment, not just a cost.”

Make Every Heifer Count

As herds rely on fewer replacement heifers, the stakes for getting each one pregnant at the right time are higher than ever. Every day a heifer remains open adds feed costs and can delay her entry into the milking herd, making careful management more critical.

“When I look at dairies, the low-hanging fruit now is the heifer side,” Fricke says. “Heifers are kind of out of sight, out of mind, but heifers are important.”

Fricke emphasizes success in heifer reproduction is no longer just about hitting pregnancy targets. It’s about making the most of each heifer and ensuring the herd stays on track. By understanding how protocols, semen type and timing interact, and by viewing upfront breeding costs as an investment rather than an expense, farms can protect their replacement strategy and improve profitability across the herd.

Can We Shape Calves Before Birth?

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 15:35:48 GMT

What if the most powerful determinant of a calf’s lifetime performance isn’t the genetics you select or the ration you feed, but the environment that calf experienced as a one-cell embryo? As research accelerates, developmental programming is becoming one of the most promising frontiers in cattle reproduction.

For two decades, the beef and dairy industries have focused relentlessly on improving fertility — and it worked. Conception rates rose, days open stabilized and the long slide in reproductive performance reversed. With conventional reproductive efficiency nearing a functional ceiling, scientists are shifting attention upstream, where the environment itself may program the future trajectory of the calf.

It’s well known that a resulting phenotype represents the consequence of genotype and environmental interactions. The performance of an animal depends on the genes they inherited, how much feed they get, whether they get sick, whether it’s hot or cold, and a plethora of other environmental factors.

“We’ve made tremendous progress in optimizing the environment that those animals are raised in by providing the best nutrition, the best housing, the optimal photo period and treating disease with pharmaceuticals to optimize phenotype,” says Peter Hansen of the University of Florida. “But we usually do that after the animals are born. We don’t really think too much about what is happening to those animals when they’re embryos or when they’re fetuses or even when the germ cells are being produced.”

Evidence of Developmental Programming

Recent work has shown us the environment of the mother and the early embryo can affect the postnatal phenotype of that embryo. The environment of the fetus can affect what kind of calf it becomes.

When embryos are produced in vitro, they are put in an artificial medium. Under normal protocols, this culture medium is choline-free. Choline is a methyl donor that may factor into the one-carbon metabolism of bovine embryos. In the uterus, choline is present at millimolar concentrations.

Work led by Eliam Estrada-Cortes in Dr. Hansen’s lab investigated the effect of culturing bovine embryos with or without choline. They found choline cultured embryos resulted in calves that were heavier at weaning with altered muscle DNA methylation.

“We’ve done this experiment three times, and each time the choline calves weigh more than the calves without choline. And that goes all the way through to slaughter,” Hansen says. A nutrient present (or absent) in the culture dish during critical development time can make a big difference.

The condition of the fertilizing bull can also affect embryonic development and quality. Arslan Tariq from the University of Florida investigated the effect of bull overnutrition on fertility, finding heavier bulls produced semen that delayed embryonic development and decreased embryo quality, without changes to sperm motility or fertilization rate.

Historically, seminal plasma is removed from sperm for artificial insemination as it contains elements that can be detrimental during storage. That being said, seminal plasma modulates the maternal environment in a significant way, impacting the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. As a part of her PhD thesis, Gabriela Macay at the University of Florida evaluated the reproductive, health and production performance of female offspring conceived in the presence of seminal plasma. These animals had increased birth weights, increased milk yield and had greater persistence in the herd compared to controls.

“What we now know is the environment of the mother that the early embryo is in can affect the postnatal phenotype of that embryo. The environment of the fetus can affect what kind of calf it becomes,” Hansen says. “And the environment of the bull.”

How Does This Affect Reproductive Management?

Developmental programming shifts reproductive management from a focus on achieving conception to a broader view of how early-life conditions shape an animal’s long-term health, productivity and resilience. This expands the veterinary role from problem solver to long term system designer who helps producers make choices that shape herd-level outcomes years down the line.

The next revolution in cattle reproduction may come from understanding the earliest biological environment that determines how a calf learns to grow, metabolize and perform.

Managing Your Transition Pens May Be a Black and White Issue

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:00:00 GMT

Times have changed in the dairy industry.

An industry that used to have most of its profitability model driven by milk production suddenly has been thrust into a new age.

One might argue a black and white age.

Drought, retirement and years of challenging beef markets has feedlots turning to America’s dairies for help. Opening up their coffers at an unprecedented level, all to answer the growing shortage of beef cattle inventories.

This new cash infusion has ushered in a new age for dairy producers. In this age up to 2/3 of their dairy cow’s annual profit could be driven not by milk, but by the type of calf she has on “Day 0" of that lactation.

(American Farm Bureau Federation)

According to CattleFax and the American Farm Bureau Federation America’s dairy farmers have embraced this new model. Purchases of beef semen by dairy producers has gone from 2 million units in 2014 to almost 10 million in 2024. There are even whispers of some dairies changing their business model from milk as a primary production goal. Instead thinking of it as a secondary by-product of a system made to make as many dairy-beef cross calves as quickly as possible.

This mentality shift means that some of our dairies will see upwards of 50 to 75% of their cattle receiving beef semen. Creating ever increasing numbers of cross calves while using cheaper semen often with better conception rates.

However, there appears to be unintended biologic side effects from this shift. One of which is a backup in our pre-fresh pens.

Talk to any dairy and they will share with you the story of the dairy-beef cross that is 8-10 days overdue. They’ll often ask me what should we be doing with these animals? A complex question and best handled on a case-by-case basis with your herd veterinarian.

But it’s not these outliers that are causing issues on our dairies.

It’s the less noticeable example. Cows are going 2-7 days over the 278-day gestation we’ve come to expect from our Holstein cattle. These cows put undue strain on our pre-fresh pens; designed for 45–60-day dry periods.

Prefresh groups can quickly backup with dry periods going >70 days and pre-fresh pens becoming over-crowded. These small changes in cow flow cause significant issues in the post-fresh pen; risking 2-3x increases in fresh cow disease.

Beef and dairy animal gestation lengths.

(ICBP)

According to ICBP, the largest Beef Genomics database in the world, in general our beef breeds can be expected to go 4-12 days past the expected 278-day gestation. If our industry wants to truly embrace this model, then we will need to adjust our management.

A good start is to work with your herd vet and stud to investigate your current gestational averages by semen type. If you identify problem sires you can consider shortening dry period length for the affected groups, change semen breed type, or examine expanding your facilities to accommodate the 6-20% increase in pen duration.

Also, keep your ears and eyes open. Researchers continue to identify genetic markers for determining gestational length. It’s not inconceivable that in the coming months to years these markers, or an index combining them, could be added to your bull proofs.

Why Some Farmers are Making the Big Switch from Dairy to Beef Production

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 20:25:41 GMT

While beef-on-dairy production continues to grow in the U.S., it was a novel concept in 2018 when it came to the attention of Ryan Sterry, regional dairy educator with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.

“A few colleagues and myself were noticing more chatter about this, more farms were experimenting with it,” Sterry recalls.

Fast forward to 2024, and beef-on-dairy is a significant trend that continues to build. CattleFax predicts U.S. beef-on-dairy cattle numbers will reach between 4 million and 5 million head – roughly 15% of the cattle harvested annually – as early as 2026.

In a wide-ranging conversation on The Dairy Podcast Show with host Dr. Gail Carpenter, state dairy Extension specialist for Iowa, Sterry shared some of his early insights and experiences with beef-on-dairy as well as other business opportunities producers have enbraced.

“We’re seeing all sorts of different strategies out there today,” he says. “Some producers say, ‘We’re just going to deal with the milking herd,’ because they can source their replacement heifers, more economically and get better genetics, from another herd. I have other producers who have backed off from beef-on-dairy because they have an outlet for fresh heifers, and that’s another business strategy for them.”

Still, other dairy producers, because of low milk prices in recent years, have decided to transition to beef production. Sterry says he and colleague Bill Halfman, University of Wisconsin Extension beef outreach specialist, have worked with a number of dairy producers who have decided to move exclusively to beef.

Sterry outlines five areas for dairy producers wanting to make the move to beef to think through in the process of making the switch:

1. Start With The Right Animal

Sterry says it’s important for producers to know their goals as they select breeding stock.

While some producers opt to use their home-grown crossbred heifers as breeding stock for starting their beef enterprise, Sterry doesn’t encourage the practice. The reason – because a beef cow could be in the herd for eight years or longer, and will have a long-lasting impact on production quality, he encourages producers to start their beef enterprise with full-blooded animals.

“The caution that we definitely want to put out there is those animals are going to retain some dairy characteristics in their genetics for generations down the line,” he says.

His recommendation: “Decide what emphasis on growth, carcass and maternal traits best fit your production and marketing goals and seek out those cattle to create a solid foundation.”

2. Evaluate Facilities

Dairy operations can often be retrofitted or revamped successfully for beef production. Sterry says bunk and housing space need to be evaluated to prevent the potential for crowding.

Also, consider whether any facilities need repairs or if there are potential hazards that need to be addressed prior to bringing animals into building facilities or lots.

3. Nutritional Needs

“In the transition from dairy to beef, one of the bigger things that we start talking about is that feeding a beef animal is different,” Sterry says. “You’ll need to adjust your expectations for the nutrition program in a cow herd as there’s not multiple rations being used.”

Instead, cow-calf and stocker operations typically rely more on forages such as pasture, crop residues, cover crops and harvested forages.

“Feed costs are approximately 60% of the annual costs of cow-calf enterprises. Letting the cows harvest their own feed by grazing and managing harvested feed storage and feeding waste are critical for controlling costs,” Sterry says.

He adds that finely ground corn is not a good fit in beef finishing rations and can cause rumen acidosis.

“Coarse corn is better for beef animals. Ultra-fine ground corn does not work well, and that’s something we’ve had to uneducate some of our dairy producers on,” he says.

4. Stockmanship Requirements

Sterry says dairy producers often tell him that because they’ve worked with cattle all their life they don’t need to work on their handling practices. But Sperry says beef cattle are a different animal.

“Beef cattle are not used to being handled every day, so dairy producers need to give some thought to stockmanship,” he says.

Part of the reason he emphasizes that is for practical safety considerations. Plus, cattle remember how they were handled in the past, and their behavior – whether skittish or compliant – will often reflect what they remember.

5. The Need to Market Versus Sell

Sterry says dairy producers are often accustomed to selling week-old calves and market cows they don’t want to hang on to for too long.

“When we’re trying to move them off the farm on a timely basis, a lot of times we’re selling ones and twos every week or every other week. With beef cattle, we frame the process as needing to market versus just sell,” he says.

To educate themselves, Sterry encourages dairy producers to attend local sales to see what kind of beef animal buyers are looking to purchase.

“With marketing, you’re advocating for yourself with a buyer, putting the best group of cattle together that you can, and trying to move away from the mentality of ‘I’ll just sell ones and twos,’” he says. “It’s an education process, and sitting through some sales can help.”

The complete conversation between Sterry and Carpenter is available here: Ryan Sterry: Beef x Dairy Crossing

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Love For Lexi: A Wisconsin Dairy Farm Kid’s Big Battle For a New Heart

Love For Lexi: A Wisconsin Dairy Farm Kid's Big Battle For a New Heart

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 15:45:06 GMT

Lexi Anderson looks like a typical 12-year-old kid. The sixth grader is full of life and so much spunk.

“How long have you been coming to World Dairy Expo,” I asked.

“12 years,” said Lexi.

Her entire life, she’s been traveling to World dairy Expo with her family to show cows. An annual trip that’s always packed with family fun. But Lexi’s life took a dramatic turn nearly 10 months ago, just two months after she showed during the 2023 World Dairy Expo.

“In December of 2023, she [Lexi] started feeling dizzy on the basketball court. And at first, we weren’t really sure what was going on, whether it was dehydration or what it was,” said Tamala Anderson, who is Lexi’s mom.

Unsure how serious it was, it wasn’t until Lexi blacked out on the court that they knew something wasn’t right.

“They decided to bring me in to the doctor. And then we figured out that I had this heart problem,” Lexi said.

The Diagnosis

It wasn’t just a minor problem. The diagnosis? Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM).

“It’s a hardening of the heart, the lining of the heart. So, the walls of the heart are eventually going to harden and stop pumping” Tamala explained.

“It’s really rare,” Lexi said. “Only like 2% of the world has it.”

Lexi Anderson

(Tamala Anderson)

Restrictive cardiomyopathy is a less common type of cardiomyopathy. According to the Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry, the average age of diagnosis is 5 to 6 years.

Lexi’s diagnosis meant her only cure would be a heart transplant

“When we first got the news, it was extremely hard to get that news,” said Tamala. “To hear that your daughter…. sometimes kids only have a year and a half after they’re diagnosed with this. It’s such a hard thing to hear that your daughter could die,” she said.

A heartbreaking diagnosis that shocked the family, but Tamala says they were sent to specialists at the children’s hospital in Milwaukee and got connected with an amazing team of doctors that immediately planted seeds of hope.

“We’ve got a great team. They don’t even let us look at the negative. They told us that we didn’t need to worry about it. They said they we’re going to find it [a heart] and fix it,” Tamala said.

Her New Normal

At 12 years old, Lexi’s life quickly turned to anything but normal. She has doctor visits at least every six weeks with strict orders to cut out physical activity that could stress her heart.

“I got banned from playing all sports, to stop it from growing,” Lexi said.

Lexi’s favorite sport is softball, a sport she can’t play until she receives her heart transplant.

(Tamala Anderson)

Lexi was extremely active before, playing basketball, riding horses and playing softball, which she says is her favorite sport.

“I really miss playing softball,” said Lexi.

“It’s hard,” said Tamala. “I kind of do have her wrapped up in a bubble as she has strict orders at school. All of her teachers know the strict orders. She’s not allowed to run, and she’s not allowed to do any of that stuff that might affect her. So she’s kind of limited in every aspect.”

Lexi loves all things outdoors, which includes riding horses and going fishing.

(Tamala Anderson)

Helpless in so many ways, Tamela did the only thing she could and that was to protect her little girl, all while waiting on the call that could save her life.

“Her timeline went from living 60 years, 80 years, down to we don’t know what,” said Tamala. “We could get a phone call at any time.”

Waiting on the Life-Saving Call

It’s that phone call that Tamala, Lexi and her entire family are anxiously awaiting.

“Honestly, my bags are packed in the car,” said Tamala. “I’ve got Lexi’s bags packed in the car. We’re waiting, and we’re ready.”

“Are you scared at all or are you nervous at all,” I asked Lexi.

“I’m a little nervous. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to get back home. And I don’t know if they’re going to hold me for the three months recovery, but hopefully they let me go home and just recover at my house.”

Love for Lexi

At 12 years old, Lexi’s courage is contagious and her support is inspiring. She has an army of family and friends who are rooting her on, with a group called “Love for Lexi.”

“A couple of her friends at home decided to do a website, it’s called Love for Lexi, where we have Caring Bridge connected,” said Tamala “Some of it’s to raise money. Some of it’s just to let people know how she’s doing.”

Whether it’s at the County Fair or World Dairy Expo, you’ll find Lexi shining in the show ring.

(Tamala Anderson)

That love was put on center stage this summer, when Lexi’s friends Hattie and Holly Hargrave gave the ultimate gift of generosity with a lamb for Lexi.

“We went to a county fair, and I was showing sheep, and I didn’t make the sale, and one of my friends did and that raised over $27,000 and she gave it to me for the benefit,” said Lexi.

“It was amazing,” Tama said. “It was absolutely amazing. Honestly, the first buyer, when the first buyer bought the lamb, I was in tears . Then, he’s like, ‘Nope, I want to sell it again.’ And he so he gave it back and they sold it again. And I mean, it sold four times.

That sale raised $27,000 from four business who all came together to show Lexi love and support.

“We live in a really, really great community,” Tamala said.

“I feel really, really loved,” said Lexi.

Lexi looks happy and normal, but as her heart works in overdrive, the reality is Lexi’s body is tired and worn down.

“Some days it takes her breath away just to walk across the parking lot. Some days she is jumping around saying, ‘I’m ready to go,’” Tamala said.

Success at World Dairy Expo

This week during the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisc, Lexi was determined to go in the ring, and she brought home hardware, as well as memories she won’t forget. One of the best memories was when her cousin won Junior Champion of the World Dairy Expo Junior Show.

“I was super happy, because it’s like a victory for the farm,” said Lexi. “We just cheered each other on and we started supporting each other and stuff.”

That’s who Lexi is; a spirited kid who’s always supporting those around her.

“She’s a great kid, honestly,” said Tamala. “She’s got such a big heart. If she sees someone down or if she sees someone even getting bullied, she’s more of a protector. So she’s just a great kid.”

Lexi’s big heart is now what’s needing saved, but it’s a constant showing of love and support that’s getting this family through.

Maximizing Profitability: The ROI of Transition Cow Facilities

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:42:19 GMT

In the world of dairy farming where efficiency and productivity are two of the most important factors, every investment is scrutinized for its potential return. While there are a myriad of factors affecting profitability on a dairy farm, the transition period continues to stand out as the most critical phase. The transition from late pregnancy to lactation is characterized by a multitude of physiological changes which heighten the risk of metabolic health issues. Transition cow facilities have been an increasingly popular investment for dairy farmers, designed to provide the ideal environment and management practices to support cow health, comfort and productivity. While the upfront cost of establishing such facilities can be substantial, dairy farmers are often keen to understand the return on investment (ROI) associated with these types of investments.

At first glance, the upfront costs of constructing new or retrofitting a transition cow facility may seem overwhelming. We can analyze a transition cow facility from multiple angles, encompassing both tangible economic benefits and intangible advantages. Careful examination of each of these reveals the potential for substantial long-term gains.

The primary economic driver of ROI for a transition cow facility lies in the potential for improved milk production. By providing a conducive environment with optimal nutrition, comfortable housing and effective management practices, farmers can ensure that cows enter their lactation ready for peak performance resulting in a more consistent and higher quality milk supply. The direct economic benefit of increased milk production and improved components contributes significantly to revenue and to the ROI of the facility.

Additionally, a reduction in postpartum health disorders can yield significant savings. The transition period is associated with increased susceptibility to health challenges and metabolic disorders, such as metritis and mastitis. These health issues not only incur direct expenses from treatment and labor, but they also result in decreased milk production and fertility, further prolonging the cow’s return on investment. With a well-designed facility and proper management, dairy farmers can mitigate some risk and avoid the loss of productivity associated with poor performing cows, thus enhancing overall profitability. These savings contribute positively to the ROI over time, offsetting the initial investment in facility construction or retrofitting.

Moving beyond the economic benefits, investing in transition cow facility can also yield intangible benefits that contribute to the overall long-term sustainability and resilience of the dairy operation. Focusing on cow welfare, environmental stewardship and operational efficiency, these facilities contribute to the overall sustainability goals of the farm. These goals align with consumer preferences and societal expectations of sustainable agricultural practices, further supporting the ROI of transition facilities.

In summary, the ROI of a transition facility is multifactorial, encompassing both tangible economic benefits and intangible sustainability and welfare advantages. While the initial investment requires careful planning and financial resources, the returns in terms of increased profitability and operational efficiency make it a sound economic decision for dairy farmers looking to optimize their business. A well-executed transition facility is not an expense but an investment in future success.

Debunking Production-Fertility Myths

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 22:01:38 GMT

You can have both high production and high fertility, according to Dr. Paul Fricke, Professor of Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

On a recent episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Fricke shared research that he said disproves the myth that fertility will always suffer in high-producing cows. The key factor: change in body condition score in early lactation.

Fricke explained the “Britt Hypothesis,” based on the work of retired North Carolina State University researcher Jack Britt. His research-based theory is that the oocytes that are developing early in lactation are significantly impacted by changes in body condition score of the dams. Cows that lose a great deal of body condition early in lactation were proven to have significantly impaired fertility of the oocytes that were developing during that period of negative energy balance.

To test that hypothesis, Fricke and his Wisconsin colleagues did several retrospective analyses of data from former reproductive studies. In the first, they determined that very thin cows at calving (BCS<2.5) clearly had lower next-lactation fertility compared to heavier herd mates.

In the second study, they compared cows by quartile to examine the relationship between early lactation body condition loss and fertility. The data set as a whole showed that cows generally lost body condition after calving and gradually gained it back through lactation. But when broken out by quartile, the top group of cows actually gained weight in early lactation, while the lowest 25% saw a severe drop in body condition, losing about 7-8% of their body weight in the first 3 weeks after calving. That group also showed the poorest embryo quality, which could explain differences in fertility.

“We have traditionally been taught that all cows will lose body condition post-calving, and it’s just a matter of managing that loss,” noted Fricke. “That isn’t really true. It’s not a foregone conclusion that cows have to lose body condition after calving.”

As a highly telling example, the team’s third evaluation looked at data from more than 1,800 cows from two Wisconsin dairies. Early lactation body condition status was compared to first-service conception rate.

“More than 40% of the cows lost body condition in early lactation, and had about a 25% conception rate,” Fricke recalled. “That’s not good.”

The middle group maintained body condition and had about a 40% first-service conception rate. The remainder – about 400 cows – actually gained body condition and had a stunning 80% conception rate.

“We were almost reluctant to publish that data,” shared Fricke. “I don’t really think 80% is repeatable, but that’s what the data showed.” He said it was convincing proof that there is a distinct relationship between body condition and fertility, and when cows lose a lot of body condition, they have much lower fertility than their herd mates that maintain or gain weight in early lactation.

Fricke said the overarching goal, then, should be to calve leaner, more athletic animals that are not prone to drastic weight swings. He advised that cows calving in the neighborhood of BCS 3.0 tend to stay healthier, lose less body condition, and have higher fertility. Fatter cows lose more weight, with no significant difference in milk production.

He added when cows don’t have extra body condition to milk off, they are hungry and tend to eat more. Fricke said a full rumen is the ideal situation for an early lactation cow, and helps avoid many of the adverse metabolic conditions that can occur when fresh cows mobilize body condition.

“Nutritionists tend to want to proactively manage body condition through lactation, but that’s really hard to do without sacrificing milk production,” stated Fricke. “The best thing you can do is to get cows pregnant quickly so they don’t spend too much time in late lactation, at a low milk production state and eating a ration designed for high production. Efficient reproduction becomes a self-correcting mechanism by which you can calve healthier cows.”

The 7 Repro Sins You Can't Afford to Make

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 14:08:13 GMT

Despite our best efforts to be perfect, sinning is human nature. We make poor choices and don’t always see the effects our decisions have. When it comes to dairy reproduction, mistakes are happening.

Two esteemed dairy technical service consultants from opposite ends of the country provide their rundown on the top seven reproduction sins that are costing your farm time, money and potentially future calves.

Inefficient Nutrition

For Todd Bilby, Ph.D. and director of dairy technical services for Merck Animal Health, a healthy diet is where a proper reproduction program begins. He believes farmers should shift their focus from what they can get out of a cow to what they should be putting into the cow to help her be at the top of her game.

“Setting a cow up for reproductive success starts well before we breed her,” the Decatur, Texas consultant says. “If we have animals nutritionally where they need to be, in the right body condition score and not being deficient in any vitamins or minerals, we should have success when it comes to breeding time.”

Bilby recommends working with your nutritionist to establish a diet that will fit the needs of your cows throughout the different stages of their lactation.

Mediocre Management

Management practices, such as proper vaccinations, spotting animal health issues and catching heats are top priorities for Jennifer Roberts, DVM and dairy professional services veterinarian for Boehringer Ingelheim. The Mason, Mich., based veterinarian says even minor problems can snowball into bigger issues down the road.

“A slip up in management here and there won’t be the end all to your farm,” Roberts says. “But if we aren’t routinely following protocols the way they are intended, then those problems start to pile up, and that’s when we start to see bigger issues down the line in terms of reproduction.”

A Tough Transition

Both Bilby and Roberts agree the transition period is a critical time in a cow’s life that can impact her health and fertility later on.

“Diligent transition cow management helps us ensure animals stay healthy through their calving experience so they can be ready to support their next pregnancy,” Roberts says. “An important component of transition cow management is monitoring their body condition score.”

Bilby concurs, adding metabolic issues during the transition phase can escalate into reproductive problems in the future.

“Any health issue after calving can take a toll on a cow’s fertility,” Bilby states. “Even if she makes a full recovery, her reproductive health will likely be compromised. It’s important to monitor fresh cows for transition issues to ensure they’ll get the chance to calve again in the future.”

Not Utilizing Data

Even the simplest technology has allowed dairy farmers to push the bar higher in terms of conception and pregnancy rates. However, this only holds true when the data gleaned from this technology is used.

“Technology has helped farmers refine their reproduction programs in so many different ways,” Roberts says. “The caveat is that producers have to know what to do with the data for it to make a difference.”

With billions of data points being generated, Roberts emphasizes the need to harness data to help make real-time decisions.

“We can use technology to identify cows who might not be cycling after calving and need support. We can also use it in combination with synchronization protocols to efficiently identify cows who are open after a timed insemination. The possibilities with technology are pretty endless,” she says.

Bilby agrees, adding that if the data is not used, it’s not worth the expense.

“If you receive an alert that an animal is in heat or is not feeling well and you don’t do anything about it, then you aren’t using that information to its best ability,” he says. “A rumination or activity monitor just becomes an expensive piece of jewelry if you aren’t taking advantage of the data it captures.”

Lack of Training

Your employees are what keep your operation ticking. But if they aren’t properly trained, they might be holding your operation back.

“It’s critical to establish a solid set of protocols and have a routine training program set in place,” Bilby says.

Roberts notes producers should also work to help employees avoid protocol drift.

“We can have the best protocols out there, but if the compliance isn’t there, reproduction will struggle,” she says. “Work to set up training sessions throughout the year to provide refreshers on what to do in certain scenarios and include the reason why it should be done that way. Employees who understand the why in addition to the how will be more engaged.”

Poor Use of Resources

A well-run dairy is made up of a team of farm employees, veterinarians, nutritionists and
other consultants who are all working toward a common goal. However, if you are not using these resources appropriately, you’re doing your farm a disservice.

“Make sure you are utilizing your vet and nutritionist as part of your everyday team,” Roberts says. “This means communicating with them regularly to discuss what is working well and what areas could maybe use some improvement. It’s important to keep that line of communication open.”

Some conversations you might find yourself having include going over health issues, addressing how long your voluntary waiting period should be and when is the right time to make the decision to not breed an animal back.

Not Setting Goals

According to the technical services duo, dairy farms are like fingerprints, meaning no two farms are alike. Therefore, each farm should have
a specific set of goals in place that
is designed to meet the needs of
your operation.

“Every farm is different, and not every farm should share the same goals,” Bilby adds. “Your goals should be unique to your operation and tailored to where your cows are at today and where you want them to be in the future.”

He suggests taking time to sit down with your veterinarian, nutritionist, herd manager and any other key stakeholders to identify the reproductive targets your farm should strive to hit. These objectives should be realistic yet challenging enough to push your operation in the right direction.

Whether intentional or not, sins happen every day on a dairy farm, and while no farm is perfect, mistakes are bound to happen. To help prevent slip-ups and avoid negative consequences in terms of herd reproduction, set aside time to thoroughly look over your reproductive program and identify areas that need improvement. To assist with this, keep these seven commonly overlooked problems in the back of your mind to provide a solid foundation for the newly renovated reproductive program to sit on.

For more on reproduction, read:

Who Should Be Raising Replacement Heifers?

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 21:31:48 GMT

A massive question dairy producers often ask themselves is who should be raising replacement heifers. Should they be raised by the producer, contracted out and customed raised, or should they be purchased?

Dr. Joe Armstrong with the University of Minnesota Dairy Extension says this is a big question, as it dives into what the future of your dairy operation is going to look like.

“This all is very dependent on how calves are taken care of at a young age all the way through until they’re milking in your herd,” he shared on a recent episode of The Moos Room podcast.

Armstrong says that many producers raise their own heifers because of control—from genetics to calf care to feeding programs. Another reason for raising your own replacements is that you can give extra hours to on-the-farm employees and save on the cost of custom raising. He says the big question is to determine what it costs to raise your own heifers versus the cost of custom raising or even purchasing springers ready to calve.

“Is there a way to offset the difference if you’re not willing or you’re not able to raise your own heifers,” he asks. “The quality of the product is one reason you would raise your heifers at home and that is part of the control piece.”

Biosecurity is another factor to take into consideration. Armstrong says you must keep this in mind if you custom raise your heifers out, as the heifers would likely be mixed with animals from other herds.

“There is risk associated with that,” Armstrong points out. “Biosecurity is a great reason to raise your own heifers.”

Custom Raising

Lack of room is another reason producers send their heifers off the farm to be custom-raised out.

“A lot of times the answer is no, they don’t have enough room,” Armstrong shares. “Or at least not yet. Or not right now. And that comes back to all the other things that go with raising heifers, whether it’s labor or time.”

He shares that if producers struggle with raising their own heifers—for whatever reasons—they should consider looking into custom raising.

“If you’re not doing a good job of it, maybe it is time to consider having someone else do it so you can get a better product in the end,” he suggests, underscoring the fact that labor and time come into consideration and that time and labor resource can be utilized in other ways.

“You cannot afford to spend the time raising your own heifers if you’re not going to have the true amount of time you need and the true amount of help you need to dedicate yourself to doing a really good job,” he says.

Another question to contemplate is if you have enough land to raise feed for your onsite replacement heifers.

Do Your Homework

Armstrong says it is vital that producers know their numbers and have a benchmark for what they are striving for, regardless if they raise their own heifers or not. He suggests growers provide data, along with health records.

“I think it’s a great idea for growers to provide that as a service. And if you are a dairy, I think it’s great to ask for those things,” he says.

If you are considering sending your heifers off to a grower, dive into their biosecurity measures. Armstrong says to ask what steps they are taking to avoid some things, whether that is BVD or Johne’s.

Purchasing Debate

When it comes to purchasing cows, the question is to ask if you are going to buy springers or a milking cow. He shares that from a biosecurity standpoint, there are a couple of advantages of purchasing a pregnant animal.

“If you’re buying a pregnant animal, you can test the animal itself that is pregnant for BVD,” he says, although you won’t know if the calf has BVD until it hits the ground.

He says cows that are 60 days fresh are currently going for $2,500.

“That might seem like a lot, but remember you’re paying for a low-risk animal that’s been through the hardest part of that first 60 days,” he says. “Yes, there is some stress from the change in environment and being in a new place and all of those things, but they are a lower-risk animal, and you didn’t have to pay for the cost of raising that animal through that first two years of her life.”

Armstrong says it costs on average $2,000 to raise a heifer calf before she hits the milking string. He says some farms can do that cheaper and some more expensive, but producers must be honest about what the total picture looks like.

“For a lot of dairies, it’s very reasonable to consider should I be raising my own or should I take that time and that labor that I’m using on calves and put it towards something else,” he shares.

To listen to The Moos News podcast in its entirety, go to The Moos Room | All Episodes (transistor.fm)

How Will This Year’s Heat Stress Affect Future Offspring?

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 16:21:56 GMT

Whether you dairy in Texas, Minnesota, New York, California, or somewhere in between, it’s been one long, hot summer.

A growing body of research shows that heat stress not only affects cows. It also can impact the fetuses being carried by close-up dry cows. Two studies recently published in the Journal of Dairy Science explore the impact of heat stress on the babies-on-board of near-term cows, and possibly even the next generation.

Effects of heat stress on birth weight, and comparison of environmental versus genetic parameters. This German study evaluated data from 171,221 Holstein cows to assess the effects of heat stress on calf birthweight. Specifically, the researchers sought to determine whether phenotypic responses or genetic breeding for heat tolerance were transmitted more prominently via calf birth weight when dams were under heat stress in their last 8 weeks of pregnancy.

Prenatal heat stress – measured via daily temperature-humidity indices (THI) -- reduced calf birth weight by a range of .66 to 1.38 pounds per calf. The researchers concluded this decline in birth weight was most likely caused by maternal permanent environmental effects versus genetics.

As a result, they recommended that dry-cow cooling efforts are more important in protecting fetal growth than using genetic evaluations for heat tolerance. But they also noted that the overall impact of maternal heat stress on fetal birth weight was relatively small from a practical perspective.

Changes in skin and hair characteristics in offspring of heat-stressed dams. This study , conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, looked at the influence of heat stress in the pregnant dam on skin and hair development of the offspring.

They noted that the fetal germline in the developing reproductive organs of the fetus (F1) will eventually give rise to the next generation (F2), and also experience heat-stress insult. Thus, heat stress has the potential to impact the dam (F0), the fetus she is carrying (F1), and the eventual offspring of that fetus (F2).

Looking specifically at hair and skin adaptations triggered by in-utero heat stress, the researchers noted that heat stress in the last 56 days of gestation did, indeed, influence skin and hair characteristics in the granddaughters of those dams. The F2 offspring of heat-stressed dams had shorter and thicker hair, thinner skin, and more but smaller sebaceous glands.

Similar skin and hair adaptations in other animals species have been shown to aid in dissipating heat from the skin’s surface. Whether the same effect will occur in cattle remains to be investigated.

Seasonal Depression In Colostrum Yield

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 11:26:41 GMT

When a cow freshens during the fall or winter, she tends to produce less colostrum than her herd mates who calved during the spring and summer. It’s not a coincidence, yet little is known as to why this phenomenon occurs. Recent research, however, is shedding a little more ‘light’ on the situation.

A study by Gavin and colleagues conducted on a Texas dairy herd evaluated the colostrum production and quality of 2,988 Jersey cows during a year to assess possible effects of photoperiod, temperature, and cow factors on colostrum production. The average colostrum production for the herd stood at 9.4 lb. with a range of 0 to 58.4 lb. produced.

Key Months Observed

The research team noted a considerable variation in colostrum production throughout the year, with average colostrum production of 14.5 lbs. in June, 5.5 lbs. in January, and 10.6 lbs. in May. They also observed that cows with more than one lactation had a more significant decline in colostrum production from June to December, on average, compared to first lactation heifers, with 35% of them producing no colostrum in December compared to 1% of the first lactation heifers.

It was discovered that an animal’s photoperiod, also known as the amount of time a cow receives light, was the main factor that affected colostrum production. They observed that longer sunlight duration 21 days before and at calving day strongly correlated with greater colostrum yield.

Findings Similar In Other Studies

A similar study conducted in Michigan found corresponding results. The study, which was conducted by Rossi and co-authors, evaluated three commercial Michigan dairy farms. It was observed that the lowest colostrum yield was produced during winter (4.5 quarts) by cows milked within 6 hours after calving when compared to the other seasons (5.7, 6.2, 5.7 quarts of colostrum during spring, summer, and fall, respectively).

While there’s no known way to prevent this season depression in colostrum yield, there are tactics farmers can take to help combat it. Banking additional high-quality colostrum during the spring and summer months can help farmers get through periods of lower colostrum production, along with the use of colostrum replacement packets when necessary.

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How One Farm Nearly Doubled Their Pregnancy Rate

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 15:02:00 GMT

Getting cows pregnant is vital to literally keeping the pipeline full on a dairy. According to Jeremey Natzke of Wayside Dairy LLC near Green Bay, Wis., a 35% or better pregnancy rate equates to an outstanding repro program and a number his dairy worked hard to achieve.

Wayside shares that in order to reduce days on feed for heifers, a producer must have a maximum number of times that they breed an animal.

“At some point, you just need to pull the pin if they are not getting pregnant,” he says. “If those DNB (do not breed) cows are milking well, leave them alone and let them milk.”

Alongside Natzke, Wayside Dairy LLC is managed and owned by his father, Dan, his sister Jenna Nonemacher, new partner, Jesse Dvorchek, and himself. Milking around 2,000 cows with 1,850 replacements, the herd has a rolling herd average of 32,171 lbs. of milk and has a 4.3% butterfat with a 3.3% protein.

Natzke serves as the farm’s herd manager, overseeing the farm’s team that works with the cows from reproduction to maternity to milking, and does a lot of the scheduling for the team. About five years ago, they implemented a double lutalyse shot program which improved their conception rates.

Other changes that Wayside Dairy made that boosted their herd’s reproduction include:

Implementing a 4 mL dose of GnRH 10 days before the first breeding
Purchasing and utilizing Cow Manager monitoring system, installing tags in all their cows.

“Our heat detection rate has gone up,” Natzke shares. “The percent of cows being pregnant on herd check day has gone up. The repeat breeders show up on the system earlier so we can breed them before finding them open on herd check day. The Cow Manager tags have also helped improve our cow health. We find sick cows quicker now that we can visibly see them being sick. They get back on their feet so much faster.”

A 35% preg rate seemed nearly impossible 17 years ago for Wayside Dairy. Their preg rate hovered around 18%.

“We kept asking consultants how we can improve,” Natzke states.

Wayside brought in another set of eyes with a new veterinarian and changed nutritionists, which improved the whole team around them.

“They both challenged us and got us out of our comfort zone at times,” Natzke shares. “Double ovsynch has really improved our reproduction. There is a lot of management that takes place to get these programs in place and keep them running smoothly.”

Reproductive Hormones Found to Impact Gut Microbiota

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 20:35:38 GMT

Increasing awareness of the importance of microbial populations in proper functioning of various body systems led a group of Chinese researchers to explore what, if any, influence the use of reproductive hormones has on the gut microbiota of cattle.

Researchers at Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China, recently explored whether or not the bacterial population in the intestine of grazing Simmental cattle changed over the course of estrous synchronization for breeding.

Their study, published in the journal, Animals , evaluated 14 postpartum Simmental cows on a fixed-time A.I. protocol. The researchers noted that there is a large amount of research-based evidence that shifts occur in the vaginal and uterine microbiota during estrous synchronization. But changes in the intestinal microbiota in cattle undergoing synchronization had never been studied previously.

They hypothesized that changes in the intestinal microbiota occur during estrous synchronization, and that these shifts are caused by reproductive hormones.

The breeding protocol consisted of placing an intravaginally controlled internal drug release (CIDR) device containing 1.9 g of progesterone on Day 0, which was accompanied by a 5-mL intramuscular injection of vitamin ADE. The CIDR was removed on Day 9, at which time each animal received 3 intramuscular injections of cloprostenal at a dose of 0.2 mg prostaglandin F2α per injection. Fixed-time A.I. then was performed on all animals on Day 12.

Blood and fecal samples were collected prior to treatment on the same days. Blood samples were monitored for 7 reproductive hormones – estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone (PROG), prolactin (PRL), and oxytocin (OT).

Fecal samples underwent DNA extraction to monitor microbial populations for both quantity and diversity over time. A total of 30 intestinal organisms was studied.

The researchers found:

Systemic increases in estrogen (E2) were strongly correlated with higher abundance and diversity of organisms in the intestinal microbiota, confirming earlier research showing the intestinal microbiota is a principal regulator of systemic estrogen.
Induction of estrus resulted in an increase in intestinal microbiota function in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and fatty acid elongation in the mitochondria.
The reproductive hormones FSH, LH, PROG, PRL, and OT correlated with some biomarkers of the intestinal microbiota of the host. A similar relationship was not observed for GnRH, but the authors said this may be due to the fact that GnRH is produced in the hypothalamus only, or that there is no receptor for it in the intestinal microbiota.
Intestinal microbiota changed significantly during conception.
The functions of both metabolism and immunity were enriched in the intestinal microbiota during estrous synchronization.

The researchers stated the microbiota, especially in the intestine, coexists with the host for mutual beneficial purposes, and is now considered a virtual organ, with properties that are integral to the host’s endocrine, metabolic, and immune systems.

They said based on their results, some nutrition- and immune-enhancing strategies could be applied during estrous synchronization. However, they noted before such measures were taken for lactating dairy cows, more research would need to be done with that population specifically, because their hormone profile, particularly related to prolactin, would be different than that of the animals in this study.

Are Dairy Crossbreds Harder to Calve?

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 19:32:16 GMT

Dairy producers who use crossbreeding often cite improved fertility, health, and longevity as their main reasons for doing so.

But how does calving crossbreds compare to full-blood Holsteins? A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota recently published a study in the Journal of Dairy Science that compared calving data from thousands of cows. Specifically, they examined gestation length, calf weight, calving difficulty, and stillbirth.

The study encompassed data spanning more than a decade from two University of Minnesota research facilities. Data from the larger herd (“Herd 1”) compared 1,121 Holsteins to 1,393 crossbred animals containing Montbeliarde, Viking Red, and Holstein (MVH) genetics. The second herd (“Herd 2”) compared 476 Holsteins to 922 MVH dams and 405 Normande-Jersey-Viking Red (NJV) crossbreds.

Data were analyzed separately for first-calf heifers versus multiparous cows, but ultimately the results varied little between these two factors.

Regarding each of the four traits evaluated, results were as follows:

Gestation length – Holsteins in both herds had 1-4 days shorter gestation length than MVH calves. When compared to NJV calves, Holstein gestation length was 2-4 days shorter.
Calf weight – Individual birthweight for Holstein calves was lower than MVH calves in both herds. Holsteins averaged about 2.2 pounds lighter than MVH when sorted by parity. Compared to NJV dams, Holstein birth weights were 7.7 to 10.8 pounds higher, depending on parity.
Calving difficulty – There was no significant difference in the incidence of calving difficulty among any parity or breed.
Stillbirth – Neither parity nor breed had any bearing on the incidence of stillbirth across the study.

So, even though crossbred calves had slightly longer gestation length, and MVH calves were heavier than Holsteins, calving difficulty and stillbirth rates were not impacted by these factors.

The researchers concluded that producers can utilize 3-breed rotational crossbreeding systems without increasing risk for calving difficulty or stillbirth. They did advise making it a standard practice to record calf birth weights to manage calf growth and performance. They also said use of multiple breeds in a crossbreeding rotation is critical to maximize heterosis and minimize calving difficulty and stillbirth.

For more on genetics, read:

On-farm Bovine Pregnancy Test Kit Technology Finally Arrives

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 18:29:48 GMT

For decades, women have been able to find out if they are pregnant in a matter minutes, using inexpensive, urine-based test kits in the privacy and convenience of their own homes.

Unfortunately, the same has not been true for cows. While many alternatives to palpation have evolved over the years, a quick, convenient, on-farm pregnancy test kit has remained elusive.

Now, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. has brought to market the Alertys OnFarm Pregnancy Test , which can be used cowside to determine pregnancy as early as 28 days post-breeding or 70 days post-calving. Results are available in 5-20 minutes.

Alertys evaluates for pregnancy using a sample of whole blood, serum, or plasma. It determines pregnancy by measuring pregnancy associated glycoproteins (PAGs), which only are produced in the presence of an embryo or fetus. And, just like a human test, it indicates pregnancy with a reading of two pink lines.

The tests are available worldwide and are sold individually or in boxes of 25. They retail for around $8.00 per test. A list of distributors can be found here .

Dairy Semen Sales hit 17-Year-Low: What Will the Trend be Going Forward?

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 18:34:48 GMT

With the cost of inflation impacting every corner of a dairy, including the costs to feed heifers, the producer’s breeding strategy has been forced to become finetuned. More and more producers are keeping just enough replacements to fill the pipeline, so it is not surprising that the market for dairy semen sales has hit a 17-year-low, with year-over-year sales dropping nearly 7%, according to the National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) data.

With beef-cross calves creating a value-added revenue stream for producers, Beef x Dairy numbers have indeed skyrocketed. The 2021 NAAB year-end report showed that Beef x Dairy sales totaled 8.5 million units, an increase of more than 30% over 2020.

According to Lyle Kruse, Vice President of U.S. market development for Select Sires, Inc., Holstein dairy owners will continue to prioritize strategic use of sexed and Beef x Dairy due to the increased costs of rearing replacements.

“We could still see some growth in Beef x Dairy in the U.S.,” Kruse says. “Most Jersey dairy owners are already intensively using sexed semen and Beef x Dairy, as well as pure-beef embryos.”

Kruse reports that Select Sires has seen a decline in the U.S. on conventional semen sales over the last 4-5 years, while sexed semen sales continue to increase.

“Total dairy semen sales have also declined,” he notes. “Some of this is from the improvement in dairy reproductive efficiency (fewer units needed per pregnancy), but Beef x Dairy is nearing one unit per cow, which is clearly replacing dairy semen.”

Low Culling Rates

With Beef x Dairy ramped up, the question begs to ask, ‘Will we have enough dairy replacements?’ Kruse says he already sees some herds with a 30% or less culling rate.

Kruse shares that based on research from Dr. Albert DeVries and Dr. Chad Dechow, the optimal herd turnover rate to optimize production and not hinder genetic progress is between 25-30%.

“We are not there yet but heading that direction,” he notes. “To get there, dairies will need productive, healthy and reproductively fit older cows.”

However, he remarks that the trend in declining culling levels has occurred for several years, and he expects that to continue. Kruse also states going forward, this will lead to producers honing their genetic selection focus by using indexes that consider more factors affecting longevity, like Select Sires’ Herd Health Profit$^™ (HHP$^™) or Zoetis Dairy Wellness Profit$^® (DWP$^®).

Kruse says that dairy owners will start focusing on increasing the percentage of older lactation cows (third lactation and up) to eventually be equal to or more than 40% of total lactating cows.

“Herd management, cow comfort and utilization of technology, such as CowManager^®, to aid in accurate individual cow alerts for repro and health management will play a role also,” Kruse remarks.

While we are not there yet, Kruse believes this is what the U.S. is leaning towards. “It also fits our animal care and sustainability needs for the future. Most U.S. dairy owners want to continue to reduce herd replacement costs and harvest additional income by generating excess beef calves from uteruses not needed to gestate replacements,” he says.

With record inflation felt from every angle of the dairy, fine-tuning management must continue, and Kruse says he believes strategic breeding and smart replacement planning is here to stay.

“This includes planning for the most profitable outcome for every pregnancy generated based on the specifics of every individual cow and heifer in the operation,” Kruse notes. “This will include a mix of dairy conventional, dairy sexed and beef conventional and sexed semen and embryos.”

Based on estimates from the USDA-NASS, Chuck Sattler, vice president of the genetic program for Select Sires, shares with his team that the number of replacements is relatively low.

“We only have enough replacements to cull 31-32% of the current dairy cows and this will likely drive herd life and lead to less forced culling of older cows,” Sattler states.

Kruse believes the Beef x Dairy market for semen sales will continue to increase to eventually level off at around 10-11 million units sold per year.

“Some of this decision process is going to be driven by changes in the availability of native beef cattle, replacement dairy heifer prices and the Holstein bull calf prices as well as the level of adaptation for pure-beef embryos,” he says.

Minnesota Producer Perspective

Carlson Dairy, located in Pennock, Minn., has switched up their culling determinations in recent years, especially as they have strategically dialed in on their breeding program.

“We used to cull a lot more, but that has really changed,” one of the owners, Carl Carlson, shares.

Before, cows were culled for mastitis or low production and now cows are only leaving for low production. Carlson’s culling rate hovers between 31-32%.

“We want to keep older lactation cows in the herd longer because obviously we’re getting more milk out of them,” he notes.

Understanding their ultimate goals, the Carlson’s began utilizing Beef x Dairy a couple of years ago on both heifers and mature cows.

“Right away we went with using beef, as well as some conventional semen,” Carlson shares. “And now we’re strictly using either beef or sexed.”

The Carlson family milks 2,000 cows and basically raises all replacements on the home site, except for the 15% that are raised by a nearby family member. In addition, they farm 2,500 acres, including 1,000 acres of alfalfa and 1,500 acres of corn, all of which goes back to the dairy to feed cattle.

(Farm Journal)

Before breeding to beef, Carlson was raising excess heifers that they would later sell as bred heifers, but that changed when the market changed. Rising inflation costs increased (swallowed up sounds like lowered to me) the costs of raising heifers and selling bred heifers later didn’t always guarantee a returned profit.

“We weren’t getting the money back that we were putting into them,” Carlson shares. “We don’t want to raise more heifers than we need because obviously it costs a lot of money to raise a heifer today.”

While the prices for bred heifers have increased with rising milk prices, Carlson says they don’t plan to raise more heifers than they need.

The focus for this Minnesota dairy is to produce 60 heifer calves a month, and their breeding plan has become strategic to reach this goal. Today, 10% of cows are bred to sexed semen while the rest are bred to beef. For the heifers, 50% are bred to sexed while the other half is bred to beef.

An increase in conception rate is proof that the improved management is working. Carlson shares that their current conception rate is 51%. Additionally, the farm relies on a shot program, along with CowScout sensor collars from GEA for heat detection.

Limousine is the breed of choice for Carlson, and he shares that currently he has two buyers for his crossbred calves who pick up calves weekly. Fine-tuned breeding protocols that have introduced Beef x Dairy breeding now generate an additional revenue stream for the operation. Carlson gets $200 per crossbred calf and shares that in 2021 he sold approximately 150 crossbreds a month.

Creating just enough replacements has not only helped Carlson Dairy maintain its herd size, but also generate efficiencies throughout the operation to cushion their bottom line.

Cesarean Selection Success

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 14:17:53 GMT

Veterinarians have at least eight options for doing a cesarean section (c-section) in cattle, but most rely on only one. Loren Schultz did, too, until it didn’t work.

A mature dairy cow, carrying a dead fetus, had too large an udder for Schultz’s go-to method — a ventral midline celiotomy.

“I couldn’t make a big enough incision to do what I needed to do,” recalls Schultz, DVM and associate teaching veterinarian at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Schultz says that’s when he realized he needed to be ready to perform c-sections based on more than personal preference alone. Today, he also evaluates the condition of the cow and calf, environmental factors and whether another person is available to assist.

“Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of the various approaches helps you make the best decision,” he says. “Even if you haven’t done a certain approach, we have been trained in all of them, and we have that surgical knowledge.”

Here are some additional considerations that play into Schultz’s decision on which approach to use in a given scenario.

(Farm Journal)

For a standing cow or heifer:

If the fetus is alive and the cow is able to stand, Schultz prefers to use a left side paralumbar celiotomy, the most common approach veterinarians use in uncomplicated c-sections. “It’s easier on the cow, and it’s easier on you as the surgeon,” he says.

Before making a final decision, Schultz rectally palpates the cow to assess the size and the position of the calf.

“There have been many times when I’ve used a left-sided approach, but the calf’s been in the right horn with feet facing to the right side. If it’s a large calf, it’s hard to get that uterus up and out in that situation,” he explains. “So, at times, the right-sided approach is easier. Just be sure you’re prepared to deal with the intestines.”

He also prefers to make an oblique incision, versus a straight up and down incision, because “it follows the uterus more, making it easier to extract the calf.”

(Farm Journal)

For the animal that won’t or can’t stand:

Schultz says his first consideration is whether the animal is a beef or dairy cow. If it’s the latter, and she has a big udder, Schultz says you probably won’t have enough room for a ventral midline c-section.

“You’re probably going to have to do a paramedian or something like that,” he says. “And if you have an emphysematous fetus, it’s easier to exteriorize the uterus through one of those functional approaches to remove it.”

Another factor to consider in this situation is you will likely need help to get the animal down and rolled onto her back.

Schultz says in dorsal recumbency, the cow should be leaning toward the surgeon at a 45-degree angle with both front and hind feet secured by tying them to a gate or wall.

“This positioning is critical,” he says. “If the cow is positioned either in exact dorsal recumbency or leaning away from the surgeon, exteriorization of the uterus becomes problematic, if not impossible.”

If you’re without help, consider using a winch to get the animal into position, advises Keenan Lewis, who says she frequently uses one to do midline c-sections by herself.

“I make an incision from the udder to the head, and when you open it, there’s the uterus and baby,” says Lewis, DVM and owner of Salt Creek Veterinary Hospital in Olney, Texas. “Plus, there are no big muscles to deal with or organs in the way.”

She routinely gives the animal an epidural, which gives her about 30 minutes to complete the task.

“I’ll throw a little towel over her ears, and they’ll begin flopping around when she starts coming out of it,” Lewis adds.

If the animal is severely dehydrated, the American College of Veterinary Surgeons recommends giving IV fluids prior to surgery.

(Farm Journal)

When to assist in delivery:

Schultz makes a practical assessment on whether he can safely pull a live calf.

“My rule of thumb is if I can put my fingers over the top of the head while it’s being pulled into the pelvic canal, without causing pain, then I’m going to have room to get the calf out of there,” he says. “If there’s not room for my fingers, and they’re getting smashed, or I’m concerned I’ll cause the calf or cow trauma, then I’m probably going to move forward with a c-section.”

Lewis says her personal stamina is also a consideration.

“I give myself 30 minutes to pull a calf. If I don’t have the calf on the ground by then, I’m going to cut,” she says.

Early in her career, Lewis says she would try too hard and too long to pull a calf and end up exhausted. Her advice to veterinarians tempted to go down the same path: “Don’t wuss out and waste time.”

“Black” is Not the Only Goal in Beef-on-dairy Breeding

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 19:00:34 GMT

If the dairy industry wants the beef business to embrace beef-on-dairy crossbreds long-term, we need to up our genetic selection game, according to Denise Schwab, Extension Beef Specialist for Iowa State University.

Schwab advised producers at Iowa State’s recent Midwest Dairy & Beef Day that beef-on-dairy breeding decisions need to be made with the same precision they devote to genetic selection for dairy replacement females. “It’s not likely you tell your semen rep, ‘Just give me Holstein semen that’s cheap,’” she stated. “Yet that’s what’s happening with a lot of beef-on-dairy breeding right now. We need to aim for more than just a black calf.”

Unfortunately, many of the dairy-beef crosses today are simply “black Holsteins,” with similar frame characteristics to full-blood dairy animals. “If you’re going to do that, you might as well just produce Holstein steers, because at least there is a specific market for them,” said Schwab. “The tall, black crossbreds don’t fit well into any production or marketing system.”

Many producers aim for black animals so they can qualify for Certified Angus Beef (CAB) premiums. But Schwab noted CAB quality standards specify details that a “black Holstein” animal probably won’t achieve, like 1,050-pound-or-less hot carcass weight, and superior muscling.

And while she is sympathetic to today’s economic conditions that can generate around $100 per head for “any” black calf versus about $30 for a Holstein, she is wary of long-term consequences. “If we flood the market with undesirable animals, that premium will be short-lived,” she stated. “I want to protect that value so we can continue capturing more dollars 3, 5 and 10 years down the road.”

To do so, she suggested focusing on the following characteristics when selecting beef sires to cross with Holsteins:

Breed – The natural inclination may be to reach for Angus semen to produce black calves. But the Angus breed has the largest beef registry in the country, which means it also has the greatest variability. Surprisingly, Angus also now has the highest hot carcass weight of the major beef breeds, which means a Holstein X Angus cross may very well be duplicating frame size. “Think specifically of the bull, not just the breed,” advised Schwab.
Frame size – To develop more compact animals that feed and finish more efficiently, Schwab suggested choosing moderately sized bulls, with frame scores of 5 or under.
Ribeye area – Holsteins tend to marble very well and can have excellent quality grades, but also have elongated, less-desirably-shaped ribeyes. “Select beef sires with ribeye EPDs in the top 25 percentile of the breed,because there is a high correlation between ribeye size and shape,” advised Schwab.
Muscling – Holsteins have a lower muscle-to-bone ratio, so choose bulls with higher muscle scores to enhance the beef composition characteristics – in terms of muscle size and shape -- of the offspring.
Calving ease – While selecting for moderately sized calves is a common decision, Schwab said it actually is less of a concern in beef-on-dairy breeding. “Most Holstein cows easily can lie down and have a 100-pound calf,” she stated. “You don’t need to choose from the top 10% of calving ease beef sires. The top 30-50% is a very reasonable range.”

Finally, Schwab noted beef sires should be one strategic element of a herd’s total genetic plan, and not just “cow fresheners” for repeat-service dams. “The fertility of beef sires is no better than dairy bulls, so beef breeding should not be viewed as a ‘service of last resort,’” advised Schwab.

Rather, she said carefully selected beef sires should be mated with dams based on pre-established criteria, such as genomic testing results, parity or genetic merit – with the overall quality and yield of a finished market animal in mind.

The Liver Functionality Index: A Measure of Transition-cow Health

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 15:26:37 GMT

The intricacies of transition-cow nutrition and its role in lactation success may be made a bit easier with the Liver Functionality Index (LFI).

Developed via a collaborative effort between Italian researchers and a team at the University of Illinois, the LFI is a composite index based on changes in plasma concentrations of biomarkers associated with liver plasma protein synthesis (albumin), lipoprotein synthesis (cholesterol), and heme catabolism (bilirubin).

In a study published in the Journal of Dairy Science , the researchers used the LFI to assess whether supplementing close-up cows with either rumen-protected methionine or choline could have a positive effect on post-calving heath and performance.

From 21 days before calving until 30 days after, 40 multiparous Holstein cows were randomly assigned to either the methionine or choline group. All cows received the same close-up ration. The methionine group was supplemented with the amino acid at an adjusted 0.08% of dry matter of diet. Choline was fed at 60 g/cow/day.

Liver and blood samples were harvested four times throughout the study period and assessed for biomarker levels. Based on this data, cows were assigned to low LFI and high LFI groups, regardless of supplementation treatment.

Among the results:

High LFI cows had higher close-up and lactation dry-matter intake (DMI); milk yield, milk fat yield, and milk protein yield, compared to low LFI cows.
Around the time of calving, low LFI cows had lower plasma cholesterol and albumin, but greater bilirubin concentrations.
Plasma haptoglobin concentration was lower in high LFI cows, but plasma paraoxonase, hepatic total, and reduced hepatic glutathione concentrations were greater.
Overall essential amino acid status did not differ with LFI status.
Overall concentrations of nonessential amino acids; total amino acids; and total sulfur-containing compounds was greater in high LFI cows.
Feeding supplemental methionine resulted in more cows classified as high LFI, compared to the cows supplemented with choline.

Developing the LFI helped the research team evaluate the impact of both supplements on fresh-cow performance, oxidative stress status, and plasma amino acid profiles. They determined that rumen-protected methionine was the more beneficial supplement.

Aside from the supplement evaluation, they also noted that low-versus-high LFI pre-calving could be an indicator of cows at greater risk of developing health problems after calving. A low LFI is indicative of a pronounced inflammatory response and less-favorable amino acid profile, which could lead to more challenges in transition.

In contrast, high LFI cows had a lower incidence of health complications, better lactation performance, and more favorable biomarker and plasma amino acid profiles, indicating a better pre-calving immunometabolic status.

Thus, the potential exists for the LFI to be used as a transition-cow health monitoring tool to assess pre-calving immune and inflammation status, as well as metabolic profiles, and perform nutritional interventions accordingly.

These 7 Transition Period Diseases are Costing You Money

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 22:37:36 GMT

When you think about the animals who are costing your operation the most money, transition animals usually sort their way to the top. Generally, most production problems can be traced back to the dry or transition period, one of the critical time frames in a cow’s production cycle.

According to Michal Lunak, Extension Educator for Pennsylvania State University, the most common management diseases that occur during the cow’s transition period on U.S. dairies are lameness, mastitis, retained placenta, metritis, ketosis, hypocalcemia (milk fever) and left-displaced abomasum. Here’s a breakdown of just how much these seven diseases could be costing you.

Lameness: $120-$333

Laminitis, claw disease, digital dermatitis and foot rot can wreak havoc on transition animals. In fact, it is one of the top reasons cows are removed from the herd. According to a study conducted in 2010, different lameness cases can range from $120 to $216 per case. Similarly, a study conducted in 2017 reported that the cost of lameness averaged at $185 and $333 per primiparous and multiparous cows, respectively.

“Prevention and control of lameness includes good herd hygiene and management, prevention of infectious and non-infectious lesions, regular use of footbaths, consistent hoof trimming, elimination of slippery walking surfaces, and good nutrition,” Lunak says.

Mastitis: $325-$457

The number one reason cows are removed from the herd spurs from mastitis cases. On average, 18.6% of cows leave the herd annually due to udder infection, making it the second most costly transition disease, according to Lunak.

A study from 2015 reports that the direct cost for mastitis is $100 and $146 for primiparous and multiparous cows, respectively, and the indirect costs is $333 and $305. Another study in 2017 found that the total cost of a clinical case of mastitis was $325 for primiparous and $426 for multiparous cows, with indirect decreased milk production costs averaging at $162 and $165, respectively.

Retained Placenta: $150-$389

If the placenta or membranes is not expelled from the uterus within 24 hours after birth, a retained placenta could be the culprit. This transition disease can lead to several other diseases if not treated in a timely manner.

It’s estimated that the cost of a single retained placenta case can be $389, according to a 2018 study. The largest portion of the estimate was reduction in milk yield, $287, increased time until pregnancy, $73 and increased disease risk, $25. Another research study conducted in 2017 showed the difference of retained placenta costs between primiparous ($150) and multiparous ($313) cows.

“Prevention and control of retained placenta includes proper nutrition during the transition period, including adequate intake of selenium, and vitamin E. Retained placenta is commonly associated with hypocalcemia,” Lunak adds.

Metritis: $171-$386

Metritis is an inflammation of the uterus and is generally caused by bacterial infection. The risk factors for uterine infection include retention of the placenta, poor hygiene in the calving environment, twins, difficult calving, and a poor transition diet. In 2018, it was estimated that metritis cost the dairy industry between $665 to $900 million.

A 2008 study reported that a single case of metritis costs between $330 and $386 depending on the therapy used, amount of milk discarded and the number of extra breedings an animal may require. Similarly, a 2017 study found that a single case of metritis costs $171 and $262 for primiparous and multiparous cows, respectively.

“Prevention and control of metritis includes maintaining cleanliness of the calving area as well as working with your nutritionist to ensure proper rations for adequate intake of nutrients and good feeding management on the farm,” Lunak notes.

Ketosis: $111-$232

Ketosis is a common, metabolic disorder caused by a negative energy balance that typically occurs in cows early into their lactation. A 2008 study reported that the total ketosis cost was $232 per case, including $5 for the treatment.

However, a 2015 study notes that costs per ketosis case was $134 and $111 for primiparous and multiparous cows, respectively, with the average cost per case of $117.

“Prevention and control of ketosis includes maintaining good management practices such as: feeding good quality forage and balanced diets, minimizing stress, monitoring body condition at dry off and calving, and eliminating factors that reduce dry matter intake. Some feed additives, including niacin, calcium propionate, sodium propionate, propylene glycol, and rumen-protected choline, may help prevent and manage ketosis,” Lunak says.

Hypocalcemia (Milk Fever): $246-$300

Hypocalcemia, more commonly known as milk fever, results from loss of calcium into the milk and from inadequate dietary calcium intake. This imbalance in calcium metabolism occurs because calcium mobilization from bone into the serum pool is insufficient to maintain the efflux of calcium leaving through the mammary glands.

According to a 2018 study, milk fever affects between 25% to 40% of primiparous animals, and 45% to 80% of multiparous cows. The cost associated with this disease were between $246 and $300 for multiparous cows, according to a 2017 and 2018 study.

“Prevention and control of hypocalcemia generally occurs through modifications to the pre-fresh or close-up diet. Consult with your nutritionist about incorporating low calcium or potassium diets or feeding anionic salts for 21 days pre-fresh,” Lunak notes.

Left-Displaced Abomasum: $432-$639

A left-displaced abomasum is the costliest transition disease out there. It is the most predominant type of displaced abomasum in the U.S. and typically occurs within the first few weeks after calving.

A study from 2017 indicates that the cost associated with a left-displaced abomasum ranges between $432 for primiparous and $639 for multiparous cows, depending on if surgery is needed.

“Prevention and control should start in previous lactation when cows enter dry off period. Proper body condition score monitoring, prevention of other metabolic diseases, sufficient feed bunk space, dry matter intake, and proper particle size length are all important for prevention of left-displaced abomasums,” Lunak says.

How Methionine Supports Reproductive Success

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 19:33:48 GMT

A dairy cow’s diet is a medical prescription for her health, performance and reproduction, according to University of Illinois associate professor of Animal Sciences, Phil Cardoso.

In a recent webinar hosted by the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council , Cardoso explored the intricacies between dietary supplementation with rumen-protected methionine, and the beneficial effects it can have on reproduction.

“We can achieve high milk yield and successful reproduction at the same time,” he stated, “but we must equip the cow nutritionally to manage both.” He said efforts to alleviate negative protein balance in the transition period – defined as approximately three weeks before until three weeks after calving – can have negative effects on reproduction.

“Balancing transition rations based on crude protein is no longer viewed as useful,” he stated. “In high-producing dairy cows, especially those in their second or later lactation, elevated levels of circulating milk urea nitrogen (MUN) caused by overfeeding protein have been shown to have detrimental influence on liver and uterine function.”

Specifically, high MUN levels can lower uterine pH, which is not a conception-friendly environment. This is particularly true at first insemination, when cows also are likely to be in peak milk production and their livers are not clearing nitrogen as efficiently as later in lactation.

Rather than focusing on crude protein, the researcher advised targeting supplementation with specific amino acids to aid in fertility and pregnancy retention. According to NRC standards, methionine and lysine are the most limiting amino acids in lactating cow diets. He advised delivering these and other amino acids via metabolizable proteins, fed at greater than 1,200 grams per day in the transition period, with a goal of creating the next calf while also supporting lactation.

Cardoso shared his list of the seven factors needed to achieve a successful pregnancy:

Minimize body condition loss and resolve postpartum uterine infections efficiently.
Detect heat and inseminate at the correct time (Day 0).
Ovulation and fertilization of a high-quality oocyte (Day 1).
Have an early increase in progesterone secretions (Days 3-7).
Have early and appropriate histotroph production (days 6-13).
Have a large embryo producing adequate levels of Interferon tau (Days 14-18).
Maternal recognition of pregnancy, after uterine prostaglandin secretion (Days 16-18).

While many management and nutrition factors must work together to make this happen, Cardoso said dietary supplementation with rumen-protected methionine can directly influence #1, #6 and #7.

“Cows that have all of the pieces they need postpartum – specifically, the correct amino acids – are able to generate the cytokines, antibodies, and cell proliferation needed to clear infections and return to good uterine health (#1),” he explained.

After conception is achieved, Cardoso noted research-based evidence that methionine supplementation results in both greater embryonic survivability, and significantly larger embryos, which helps achieve #6.

This may happen because higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids delivered via metabolizable protein will help convert prostaglandin into cholesterol, which in turn produces higher progesterone levels. This support of the embryo then allows it to thrive and signal the cow’s system to recognize the pregnancy and stop cycling, achieving #7.

“The more we understand about how specific nutrition components influence health and performance responses, the more we can support cows in their production cycles,” Cardoso noted. “This also may require us to make paradigm shifts in the way we think about nutrition. Often, the most efficient formulation is not the one that maximizes full potential.”

Manage Body Weight at Calving, Improve Fertility

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 15:32:32 GMT

Despite a long-held notion that it’s acceptable for a dairy cow to carry excess weight at calving because she’ll “milk it off” once lactation begins, research has shown postpartum weight loss can lead to poorer reproductive performance and negative health events.

In “The High Fertility Cycle”, an episode of PDPW’s The Dairy Signal™, Dr. Paul M. Fricke, PhD, UW-Madison Professor of Dairy Science, shared new information showing that cows that lose weight after calving have reduced embryo quality and lower conception rates at first insemination. Those cows also had more health problems, including higher rates of retained placentas, metritis, twins, dystocia, ketosis, displaced abomasums and pyometra, or pus in the uterus.

Highlighting specific studies in the recent collaborative effort entitled “Relationships between fertility and postpartum changes in body condition and body weight in lactating dairy cows”, Dr. Fricke encouraged producers to avoid calving over-conditioned cows and set a goal to “get cows pregnant quickly.”

Dr. Fricke outlined three basic steps for producers to get their cows into the “high fertility cycle.” To start, identify the strategy for first inseminations.

“There are lots of good plans available,” he said. “Put together an aggressive plan for putting semen into cows.”

Next, determine what to do with cows that aren’t pregnant after being serviced. Finally, decide what the protocol will be for cows that continue to be open at subsequent pregnancy checks.

According to the research, cows calving with healthier body weights became pregnant in fewer days than their overweight herd mates. Specific to percent body-weight change from calving to 10 weeks postpartum, researchers found that cows in the top quartile gained weight and kept it on whereas the bottom quartile lost 8% of their initial body weight in the first 3 weeks.

The research also revealed cows that lost weight had elevated non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations, had more degenerate embryos than the other 3 groups, fewer quality-1 and quality-2 embryos and more degenerate-as-a-percentage-of-fertilized embryos.

“There is compromised embryo quality associated with animals that lose a lot of body condition and have elevated NEFA concentrations,” Fricke said.

A second study referred to by Dr. Fricke hypothesized cows losing body condition score will have decreased fertility at first insemination. In that study, 789 cows lost weight after calving, 675 cows maintained weight and 423 cows gained weight. Their respective conception rates were 25.1%, 38% and 83.5%.

Regarding the cows in the gained-weight group, Dr. Fricke said, “Okay, so that’s pretty high; I don’t expect an 83% conception rate across the board. It’s the trend I’m interested in watching.”

A critical take-away is herds in the study were submitted to the same reproduction program, ruling out a common perception that the reproductive program is to blame for a herd’s reproductive problems.

According to Dr. Fricke, “The right question to ask is actually ‘how do we get more cows to gain weight after calving?’”

For more details, including suggested updates to body condition score recommendations, an extreme case study, a sneak peek of upcoming research regarding heifer maturity in relation to the timing of first calving, and the back story of how former North Carolina State University reproductive biologist Dr. Jack Britt, PhD, inspired today’s research, watch or download “The High Fertility Cycle” .

All other episodes of The Dairy Signal™, including audio and video downloads, can be viewed here .

About PDPW

Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources, and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.

Watch The Dairy Signal™ at 12:00-1:00 P.M. CT each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The Fast Track to Polled Genetics

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 13:49:10 GMT

Transitioning the entire population of the U.S. dairy herd to polled genetics is a lofty yet admirable goal to improve animal welfare.

Concerned consumer groups cite dehorning pain as a primary welfare concern. While much progress has been made in using pain management techniques to lessen dehorning stress, creating a completely polled population would eliminate the procedure altogether.

In addition to improved animal welfare, erasing dehorning also would reduce labor and medication costs for producers.

But simply choosing polled sires doesn’t appear to be happening at a rate to significantly shift the population to date, according to University of California-Davis researcher Alison Van Eenennaam. She and her team with the UC-Davis Animal Genomics and Biotechnology Project have studied the issue of polled animal development extensively.

Van Eenennaam told the audience of the virtual 2021 University of California Golden State Dairy Management Conference that homozygous polled animals in both the Holstein and Jersey breeds typically fall about $150 less in genetic merit compared to horned animals.

“Producers don’t like to use polled animals because you have this big drag on genetic merit,” she shared.” Additionally, she said genetic change comes more slowly in cattle than other animals because they are a relatively large species with a generation interval of about two years. Compared to mice or rabbits, that’s a much longer period to wait for genetic changes.

That rate of progress could change with the introduction of genome editing. Technology, like the CRISPR/Cas9 technique, now exists to splice in DNA to “instruct” genes to express certain traits. This would allow breeders to introduce useful variations into livestock breeding programs for traits like disease resistance, milk production, adaptability, and appearance.

Proponents of the technology say it could improve animal welfare and resilience; reduce the need for antibiotic use; and lower the carbon footprint of food animal production via improved production.

In the case of polled genetics, gene editing would allow the polled trait to be introduced into the next generation of high genetic merit sires, creating polled offspring from the most elite dairy genetic lines.

Currently, there is a regulatory patchwork of oversight of the technology worldwide. In countries like Brazil and Argentina, no additional regulation of the technology is required, as long as the trait being modified is one that could be produced through conventional breeding – albeit at a slower pace.

In the U.S., law-making efforts are underway to transfer regulatory oversight of livestock gene editing from the FDA to the USDA. At present, the FDA is regulating the technology as a “New Animal Drug Application,” which Van Eenennaam says is an awkward fit, costly, and excessively time-consuming.

The USDA, on the other hand, already has a review process in place for gene editing in plants, which could serve as a framework for food animals.

Van Eenennaam is hopeful the regulatory tug-of-war in the U.S. can be resolved sooner versus later, so gene editing research can progress, and its benefits can be realized. “We have the ability to precisely knock out undesirable traits and knock in desirable traits like polled,” she stated. “This technology has the potential to dramatically impact global agriculture for the better.”

“She’s A Poor Doer…”

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 14:25:33 GMT

“She just seems broken Doc,” Chris said. “She came in ok, cleaned, milked well for the first 4 or 5 days and now this is her.” I’m standing in Chris’s little red barn of 55 cows looking at a 5-day fresh cow that just isn’t right. She looks depressed, lethargic and has droopy ears. The unfortunate thing is, there’s nothing clinically wrong with her, no metritis, D/A, pneumonia or ketosis. She’s just off.

As dairy caregivers, all too often we see “Poor Doer Syndrome.” These are cattle that struggle for unknown reasons until they subsequently develop an infectious disease, a surgically correctable condition or are culled. Theoretically we “fix” them, but what if I told you that a depressed, lethargic attitude was a sign of a deeper problem; something known as sub-clinical inflammation.

Anyone who has witnessed a birth knows that it is a traumatic event. The female goes through rapid uterine, mammary, and hormonal changes, each of which necessitate significant tissue remodeling. These changes often are caused by sub-clinical inflammation or cause sub-clinical inflammation to onset within the cow This type of inflammation is a natural and necessary process meant to prepare the dam for rearing offspring as well as activate the immune system to fight off common transition diseases.

However, if allowed to occur for a longer duration than physiologically normal, sub-clinical inflammation can alter metabolic functions, inhibit mammary gland development, foster infectious disease onset, and even alter mood. These changes can cause a vicious cycle in which the dam continues to draw more and more energy reserves for the immune system which increases her negative energy balance causing her to mobilize fat from her body reducing body condition score (BCS) and inhibiting the natural clearance of the inflammation. The result of this cycle being a cow that is predisposed to every common transition disease as well as decreasing milk production.

Controlling sub-clinical inflammation is a difficult process and is not standardized If we attempt to mitigate too much inflammation, we risk shutting down the normal processes that transition the cow into lactation, but if we do too little we risk “Poor Doer Syndrome.” Current research suggests the sweet spot lies in the first 2 days of lactation Researchers have found that using a treatment as simple as a standard aspirin dose 2x per day for the first 2 days in milk appears to have significant positive benefits such as reduced somatic cell count, improved 1st service conception, reduced days open, decreased BCS losses and improved milk yields.

With a simple low-cost fix such as this, could we begin to see the death of “Poor Doo’er Syndrome?”

Don’t Lose Another Cow to Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 19:28:00 GMT

An emerging, highly fatal intestinal disease of adult cows, Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome (HBS), draws concerns from dairy producers, veterinarians and nutritionists, as it is also known as the sudden death disease of dairy cattle.

According to Dr. Angie Rowson, a board-certified dairy practice veterinarian who has been working with HBS for nearly two decades, there is still not much known about HBS. She says that producers have either never heard of this disease, have sporadically seen HBS on their farm, or are constantly battling the disease.

HBS is characterized as an acute and sometimes massive hemorrhage in the small intestine, which can subsequently lead to the formation of intraluminal blood clots and obstruction. Furthermore, affected cows suffer from the collective effects of blood loss, intestinal obstruction and necrosis of the bowel.

As a veterinarian, Rowson’s boots on the ground work in central California allowed her to see firsthand the impact of this fatal disease in dairies, as she performed several HBS necropsies in dairy cattle. “One herd I worked with was losing eight to 10 cows a month from HBS,” Rowson says. “We wanted to get to the root of why this was happening. Not just because of the financial loss, but also because of the pain associated with the disease.”

Despite being a fatal disease, little attention regarding funding and research has been conducted. Many details surrounding HBS, including contributing factors, continue to be a mystery. “It is frustrating that no one in the U.S. is doing any new research on HBS,” Rowson adds. “The problem is we cannot recreate it in a lab, so we don’t know exactly what causes HBS. We only know bits and pieces and that the cause is multifactorial.”

Dr. Scott Bascom, technical services manager for Phibro Animal Health, agrees that much is unknown about what causes some cows to develop HBS and not others. “HBS cases are most common following stressful periods in a cow’s lactation cycle such as calving and early lactation, when cows are subject to several different stressors. These stressors can reduce immune function,” Bascom says. “The cow’s immune system plays a role in whether a cow becomes an HBS cow. If the cow’s immune system becomes compromised the cow is more susceptible to the effects of invasive molds, toxins and pathogenic intestinal flora which can lead to HBS.”

Common Denominator

Any dairy breed can be associated with HBS, though Brown Swiss have been reported to be more predisposed. While HBS is reported to be sporadic, some dairies will have multiple cases within a few days. Other common denominators of cows with HBS are:

Second lactation or greater (although cases of younger lactation cows have had HBS).
Under 100 DIM (However, cows are usually between 100 and 120 DIM when diagnosed with HBS, though HBS can occur at any time during the lactation cycle.).
Producing larger volumes of milk and consuming larger volumes of feed.
Immunosuppressed.
Larger, higher production herds.

Rowson states that often cows who are higher in production levels consume a large volume of feed, and the diet at that stage of lactation is often high in protein and energy but lower in fiber. She also notes that feed is passing through the intestine at a faster rate. However, little research has been conducted to determine what impact this has on developing HBS. “Research from University of California-Davis shows that the bleeding starts in the wall of the intestine, but we don’t know what starts that process,” Rowson states. “Maybe the diet the cow is consumingor her intestinal motility contributes?”

Although it is more common in the fall and winter, HBS can happen any time of the year. Bascom says this is likely a result of dairies starting newcrop feed coupled with inadequate fermentation. Feed management goes beyond silage, and Bascom reminds producers that mold can occur in other feedstuffs. “Silage management practices at harvest and feed out can minimize the growth of molds,” Bascom says. “At harvest, put it up at the right moisture, pack it and cover it. At feed out, manage the face to reduce mold growth and avoid feeding moldy silage.”

HBS Symptoms

Diagnosing HBS based on clinical signs alone is generally not possible, because these symptoms can also be found in other diseases. Clinical symptoms connected with HBS include:

Sudden onset of depression.
Dehydration.
Decreased feed intake and milk production.
Abdominal distension and pain.
Either no feces or a decreased amount of feces that are dark and contain clotted blood

An additional symptom associated with HBS is cold extremities. A rectal examination may reveal distended loops of the small intestine or even no stool, due to the blockage. Often, most cows appear to be in good health before the development of this disease, hence the name of “sudden death disease,” as many times a producer finds a cow down or even dead.

Rowson notes that often HBS is either under- or over-diagnosed, and she says the latter is frequently the case. “Producers do not perform a necropsy and chalk a sudden death cow to hemorrhagic bowel syndrome,” she says.

A proper diagnosis is often made through necropsy, while ultrasound is only able to make a definitive diagnosis of HBS a quarter of the time. Exploratory surgery is needed to confirm and treat HBS, but this can be expensive and is time-sensitive, as cows would need to be rushed to a veterinary medical school.

Rowson notes that statistics show that the University of Wisconsin veterinary school has a high success rate with surgical treatment, but they have also reported a high rate of recurrence, with nearly 40% recurring within the first 12 months. “We don’t know exactly why some cows that survive the initial surgery develop HBS again. It’s been speculated that there might be a genetic predisposition to HBS or maybe, management practices designed to achieve high milk production increases the risk of developing HBS, and these cows are going right back into that environment,” Rowson states.

Management Tips

Make no assumptions, Rowson advises. When a cow dies of what is believed to be HBS, “open her up,” she says. “It could be a Hardware Disease or abomasal ulcers or something else.”

Bascom agrees and says producers? that feed additives can’t properly evaluate whether the product is helping minimize HBS if they don’t accurately know why cows are dying. “Oftentimes, producers might make an abrupt change to the ration, taking out a supplement because they feel like it’s not working,” Bascom says. “However, without performing a necropsy, they easily could be dealing with a completely different cause of death.”

Recommended management tips to help prevent HBS:

Make sure feed is in front of the cow 22 to24 hours a day.
Push feed up frequently.
Prevent sorting and slug feeding.
Ensure enough fiber is in the ration.
Use a consistent time for feeding, day-after-day.
Limit spoilage with haylage and corn silage by ensuring proper fermentation, packing right, chopping at the optimal moisture level, using an inoculant.
Remove mold before feeding – pitch the crust on the silage and side walls.

Takeaway Advice

Both Rowson and Bascom encourage limiting stressors that cows encounter. In addition to monitoring feed quality, be sure to evaluate and manage the cow’s environment for potential stressors. Excessive cow movements that disrupt an established social order can cause cows to go off feed. Minimizing overcrowding, focusing on cow comfort and keeping heat stress at bay can lead to a less stressed cow and, therefore, help her maintain an overall healthier immune.

Furthermore, minimizing the stressors that cows are subject to, especially around the time of calving and early stages of lactation, is essential. Bascom notes that some cows are more susceptible to the effects of stress than others which can affect immune function and predispose cows to developing HBS as well as other disorders.

Several feed additives are in the marketplace claiming to boost the immune system. While feeding additives can help boost immune health, Bascom reiterates that identifying and minimizing stressors is key. “A cow can live in the best environment and still be exposed to stressors during a normal lactation cycle, because events such as calving and dry off are stressful,” Bascom adds. “Try to recognize and manage the stressors, so when a cow experiences stressful events, like calving, she is better positioned to handle that stress.”

To better understand this fatal intestinal disease that could be impacting your herd, don’t make assumptions. Learn what the true cause is behind the death of any cow, and then manage the symptoms from there.

Blood Pregnancy Tests Keep Repro Humming at this Iowa Dairy

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 16:25:09 GMT

Reproduction clicks along like a well-oiled machine at Schanbacher Acres near Atkins, Iowa, thanks in part to the farm’s routine use of blood pregnancy tests for the past 17 years.

“We’re located 90 minutes away from our veterinarian,” said Carissa Buttjer, assistant herdsperson for the 280-cow Holstein herd. “The ability to do our own pregnancy testing – at an earlier stage and on a more regular basis than palpating – really helps us keep our pregnancy intervals tight.”

Schanbacher Acres uses tests and diagnostic services supplied by Idaho-based BioTracking LLC . The company’s blood pregnancy test, bioPRYN , diagnoses pregnancy by detecting significant levels of a pregnancy-specific protein in the blood of pregnant ruminants.

The test can deliver accurate results from blood samples drawn as early as 28 days post-insemination. At Schanbacher Acres, they draw blood at 30 days post-breeding for cows and 45 days for virgin heifers. Cows confirmed pregnant receive a second, confirmatory test at 60 days to identify any that have experienced early embryonic death.

“Heifers don’t lose pregnancies very often, so they don’t need a second test,” shared Buttjer. “That’s very convenient, because we’re not handling them every day like we are the lactating cows.”

Every Tuesday is “repro day” on the farm, and a computer-generated list signals to Buttjer which cows need blood samples drawn. The necessary supplies are minimal, consisting of 3-mL vacuum tubes and blood-draw needles.

“The needles are technically called ‘multi-sample’ blood-draw needles, but I switch needles between every animal,” said Buttjer. She orders both the vials and needles from veterinary supply company Leedstone . The only other essential tool is a Sharpie® marker for labeling vials.

Buttjer draws around 15 samples a week, which are boxed up and shipped out to a lab in Washington state the same day. The vials must be carefully packaged for shipping via the U.S. Postal Service, but do not require cooling or refrigeration. Results typically arrive in her e-mail inbox by Friday of the same week.

The cost of each test is $2.50. When equipment and shipping costs are added, the total expense per sample is about $3.22.

There are a few drawbacks to the technology, including the fact that feedback is at the mercy of shipping efficiency. “When the Post Office gets busy, especially at Christmastime, it sometimes can take 2-3 weeks to get our results,” shared Buttjer. Other limitations include the fact that fetuses cannot be aged or sexed, and twins are not detected.

Perfecting the technique of drawing the blood samples was a bit of a learning curve for Buttjer, but the process – which she demonstrated on a recent Iowa State University webinar – now is routine for her.

On the webinar, she also explained the herd’s use of basic activity monitoring collars for heat detection. Cows that do not show natural heat shortly after the herd’s voluntary waiting period of 70 days post-freshening are enrolled in a timed-A.I. protocol.

The combination of systematic breeding procedures and quick, early pregnancy information has helped Schanbacher Acres achieve a highly efficient average calving interval of 13.0 months. The trickle-down benefits compound as a result: more calves born per year; higher fresh-cow frequency that boosts milk production; more consistent body condition; and greater lifetime performance per cow.

“I think the simplicity of this technology is one of the reasons it works so well for us,” stated Buttjer. “It’s just a very easy-to-use and reliable tool, and I really wouldn’t want to be managing breeding without it.”