MONDAY, April 14, 2008 subscribe | view as web page | dairyherd.com
Welcome to Calf & Heifer Adviser, published by Dairy Herd Management® magazine. Calf and Heifer Adviser and its core sponsors are commited to providing you with the information you need to make informed and timely business decisions.
NUTRITION NOTES

Early nutrition means more milk later
Nutrient intake during the first 42 days can have a profound impact on a calf and her performance later in life, says Mike Van Amburgh, dairy scientist at Cornell University. Study after study has shown that enhanced nutrition — in the form of extra milk replacer or milk — results in more milk in the first lactation. Often, it means an extra 1,000 to 2,000 pounds per animal. For instance, the University of Illinois found there's a 1,841-pound advantage in the first lactation for calves on an enhanced nutrition program versus those fed a conventional diet. For more details, follow this link.

Hay too early causes problems
Feeding hay prior to three months of age has a negative effect on rumen function and development, says Al Kertz, nutritionist with ANDHIL, LLC. That's why Kertz suggests waiting to feed hay until the start of the third month of age. If hay is fed before a calf has reached three months of age, rumen papillae will not develop properly and the calf will not thrive. When do you start feeding hay? Give us your feedback in the "Question of the Month" section below.

Most unrecognized problem in calves
Failure to separate water and starter buckets is the most common unrecognized problem in calves, says Al Kertz, nutritionist with ANDHIL, LLC. Water intake is directly related to dry matter intake. If water and starter buckets are not separated, the calf will dribble feed into water and water into feed. This reduces the intake of both feed and water, and decreases daily gain.

MARKET MONITOR

Heifer prices ease
Springing heifer prices have eased slightly, but still topped out at $2,400 in the Portales, N.M., area. Heifer prices are expected to remain in check over the next few months as high feed costs and declining milk prices slow or end the expansion in the nation's dairy herd, says Greg Scheer, dairy analyst with Doane Advisory Services in St. Louis. Calf prices remain relatively strong with the highs ranging from $500 to $600 per head in the Wisconsin and Texas markets.

(See the table below)
 
Springing heifers
Heifer calves
 
Supreme/top grade
Approved/medium grade
90-120 pounds
Escalon, Calif.
$1,800-$2,250
$1,400-$1,700
NR
Portales, N.M.
$2,000-$2,400
$1,650-$1,975
NR
Ithaca, Wis.
$1,850-$2,250
$1,500-$1,800
$350-$600
Sulphur Springs, Texas
$1,200-$2,100
$900-$1,350
$50-$500
New Holland, Pa.
$1,900-$2,125
$1,700-$1,950
NR


Corn prices to remain strong
Corn prices could rise even higher if a USDA planting-intentions report comes to pass. Corn growers intend to plant 86 million acres of corn this year — 7.6 million acres, or 8 percent less than planted in 2007, according to the March 31 Prospective Plantings report. Meanwhile, acreage intended for soybeans was reported at 74.8 million acres — up 18 percent, or 11.2 million acres more than last year. For more details, click here.
HEALTH WATCH

How to submit ear-notch samples
Ear-notch testing can help you detect animals persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea virus. To prevent your ear-notch samples from being rejected at the diagnostic lab, use these recommendations from Kathy Toohey-Kurth, virologist with the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory:
  • Use wide, 5-milliliter ("red-top") serum tubes. Do not use EDTA, separator-gel or milk tubes, as these can interfere with test results.
  • Submit a 1-centimeter by 1-centimeter ear-notch sample. Be sure that it is actually tissue and not just hair. A hair sample can lead to a false negative.
  • Do not expose the sample to formalin or other liquids.
  • Organize the samples and send them to the lab right away.

Ear-notcher etiquette
Don’t forget to disinfect the ear notcher you use to take samples for bovine viral diarrhea virus testing. Disinfect it in a 10-percent bleach solution after each use, says Kathy Toohey-Kurth with the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Then, rinse it in fresh water to remove the bleach. To maximize efficiency, use two ear notchers, Toohey-Kurth says. That way, you can disinfect one while you are using the other. Remember to wear clean coveralls and gloves when taking the sample, too.

MANAGER TO MANAGER

Supervised headlock training
Calves at Avi-Lanche Jerseys in Dalhart, Texas, move into group housing at six weeks of age. To help calves adjust to headlocks, they put feed at the bunk and push the calves into the headlocks, says Victoria DeLeon, manager at the 2,500-head dairy. Calves stay locked up for a couple of hours per day, with constant supervision. DeLeon says it takes no time at all for the calves to associate the headlocks with food. Early familiarization with headlocks is important because calves will use headlocks in subsequent group pens.

Heifer-management tools
Dairy specialists at Cornell University have developed a series of downloadable heifer-management and decision tools. Use these Excel spreadsheets to evaluate your heifer enterprise from feed cost to labor efficiency to housing. Click here to access these tools.

Weighing is not optional here

You can't manage what you don’t measure. That's the mantra of New York custom heifer raiser Steve Bechard, partner in B&R Dairy Heifers, West Chazy, N.Y. Every one of the 1,500 heifers at his facility is weighed several times a year — upon arrival, as a part of various pen moves, at breeding time, and prior to going home to the dairy. "Without this information, we would have only a vague, visual idea of whether all of our inputs, including feed, vaccinations, and housing, were being fully maximized, and we wouldn't recognize potential problems nearly as soon," says Bechard. For more details, click here.


QUESTION of the MONTH

What age do you start feeding hay to calves?

 A) < 6 weeks of age
B) 7-8 weeks
C) 8-9 weeks
D) 9-10 weeks
E) 10-11 weeks
F) 11-12 weeks
G) > 12 weeks

Submit your answer here.

Web Poll responses will appear in the next edition of this newsletter.
INDUSTRY CONNECTION

Online dairy-beef training course
A consortium of extension educators has developed a first-of-its-kind online training course specifically addressing dairy-beef quality education. To learn more about "Dairy Beef: Maximizing Quality and Profits," click here.


Testing for new hires
When hiring for a position on your operation, Gregorio Billikopf, labor-management farm adviser for the University of California, suggests holding an orientation day to test all applicants for practical skills. He says it doesn't have to be complicated. Put together a phone recording that lists all of the details about the job opening, including information about the orientation day. "This gives employers an opportunity to see how each candidate would do things," notes Billikopf.
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