Monday, Feb 12, 2007
Volume 2, Issue 3  

Plenty of heifers around
Heifer numbers are at their highest level in 20 years, according to USDA’s “Cattle” inventory report released on Feb. 2. The number of replacement dairy heifers stood at 4.31 million head on Jan. 1. That’s an increase of 0.8 percent compared to year-ago levels, says Greg Scheer, dairy analyst with Doane Advisory Services in St. Louis. And the percentage of heifers to the milking herd is the highest on record.
     However, the number of heifers expected to calve in 2007 is down 2 percent from last year at 2.842 million head. High feed cost and poor profitability are expected to trim the size of the dairy herd, which means replacement-heifer prices will likely pull back slightly this year as demand eases.


Welcome to the Feb. 12 edition of Calf and Heifer Adviser, published by Dairy Herd Management® magazine.

Calf and Heifer Adviser and its core sponsors are committed to providing you with the information you need to make informed and timely business decisions.

Land 'O Lakes


Pastured heifers benefit from teat sealant
 Infusion of a teat sealant about 30 days before first calving reduced the risk of clinical mastitis after calving by 68 percent, according to a New Zealand study in the January Journal of Dairy Science. Infusion also reduced the risk of post-calving Strep. uberis infection by 84 percent. The 255 animals used in the study were from five seasonal-calving, pasture-fed herds. Strep. uberis is the most common cause of clinical mastitis in grazing herds in New Zealand, say the authors.

Don’t wait to harvest colostrum
 Waiting to harvest colostrum until the next scheduled milking time may be detrimental to colostrum quality. Jerry Olson, technical services veterinarian with Pfizer Animal Health, told attendees at the Colorado Dairy Nutrition Conference that the immunoglobulin concentration decreases as the interval between calving and colostrum collection increases. The study, conducted at the University of Missouri by Malantus Moore, shows that colostrum harvested within two hours of birth had an average IgG concentration of 11.3 grams per deciliter. By 14 hours after birth, IgG concentrations had dropped by a third to 7.2 grams per dl. Make it a rule to harvest colostrum sooner rather than later on your farm.

www.elanco.us/species/dairy/resources/about_cocci_redo.pdf


Colostrum worth $423 per gallonMSC Specialty Nutrition
Everyone knows it’s important to feed colostrum to calves. But what is the value? Jerry Olson, technical services veterinarian with Pfizer Animal Health, wanted to find out, so he reviewed all of the research on the topic. He calculated that the collective value of feeding 4 quarts of colostrum in terms of reduced mortality, reduced treatment cost, improved rates of gain and larger-size calves at breeding and improved milk production suggests that one gallon of colostrum is worth about $423.

New arrivals get rest, food, water first
When calves arrive at one particular heifer-raising facility in northern Colorado, they may have already traveled 12 to 16 hours. Instead of being processed right away, heifers are unloaded into a well-bedded quarantine pen and given 48 hours to eat and rest before being processed. “We do a visual inspection right away to look for any animals that may need immediate attention,” explains Greg Goodell, veterinarian and partner in The Heifer Authority. “We take this step so as not to add any more stress on the animals. They have already traveled a long way, and the added stress of being processed upon arrival could be that extra straw that causes them to break with disease.”

PDHGA educational scholarship available
The Professional Dairy Heifer Growers Association is sponsoring a $500 scholarship for members’ children who are currently enrolled in agriculture or a related field at an accredited college or university. Applications should be postmarked or submitted online by March 5. The winner will be announced on March 22 at the Eleventh Annual PDHGA National Dairy Calf and Heifer Conference. For more information, follow this link.

Heifer seminar on tap
The University of Wisconsin Extension Dairy Team and Pfizer Animal Health will offer a heifer-raising seminar next week. Topics include: how to utilize low-cost roughages and by-products, new research on earless corn silage in heifer diets, gender-enhanced semen, and programs to get heifers pregnant. Results of a recent survey on producers’ perceptions of custom-heifer-raising also will be shared. The same program will take place Feb. 20 in Green Bay, Wis., and Feb. 21 in Fond du Lac, Wis. For more information, contact Tina Kohlman at (920) 467-5740, or send e-mail to: tina.kohlman@ces.uwex.edu.

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