Industry Connection - Main

Calling all dairy farmers (8/9/2010)
Washington State University wants to know more about health record-keeping and evaluation on your dairies.Washington State University’s Veterinary Medicine Extension is conducting a survey of dairy farmers to learn more about how disease and treatment data are recorded, used and valued across the U.S.

Your participation will be invaluable in helping us better serve the dairy industry through the development of more efficient health data record-keeping and evaluation options.  

This survey should be completed by the individual most familiar with record-keeping on your dairy, particularly with respect to disease and treatment data. Dairy farmers from across the U.S. are encouraged to participate. The survey closes Aug. 31. For more information, please contact Sandy Poisson at (509) 335-8225, spoisson@vetmed.wsu.edu or Dr. John Wenz at (509) 335-0773, jrwenz@vetmed.wsu.edu.

Mind your needles and syringes (8/9/2010)
Vaccinations, estrus synchronization programs and treatments for disease can add up to a lot of injections over the life of a dairy cow. Though they may seem small or insignificant, needles play an important role in administering injections properly. Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance (DACQA) certified producers pay careful attention to details, including needles, as they work to avoid injection- site blemishes that give beef a black eye in the minds of consumers.

When selecting needles consider the route of administration, size of the animal and site of the injection, as well as the thickness and volume of the fluid to be injected. The best needle is the smallest gauge possible that will not bend when used. Typically, 18- to 16-gauge needles, .5 to .75 inch in length, are best for subcutaneous injections. Intravenous injections often require a 16- to 14-gauge needle, an inch and a half long. For intramuscular shots, use a 1-inch needle that is 18- to 16-gauge or possibly 20-gauge for calves less than 300 pounds.

Strict sanitation helps to avoid infection at the injection site and the spread of disease between animals. Keep the contents of a vaccine or medication bottle sterile and do not put a dirty needle back into a bottle. Clean transfer needles after every use to avoid contaminating products. When vaccinating groups of animals, change needles frequently. Disinfect the needle after each use when giving a killed vaccine. Do not use disinfectant with modified live vaccines, as the disinfectant can destroy the vaccine. Finally, always be sure to inject into a clean, dry site.

The DACQA program recommends using disposable syringes and needles to ensure sanitation and prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases such as Leukosis. However, if reusable syringes or needles are used, DACQA recommends heat-sterilization of all equipment by boiling in water. Disinfectants must be rinsed from equipment to avoid chemical reactions that can occur with some antibiotics. If disinfectant is used, rinse syringes thoroughly with sterile water before use. Sterile water is not the same as distilled water. Work with your veterinarian to develop procedures for cleaning and sterilizing reusable equipment. Failure to properly sterilize this equipment can reduce or completely eliminate the effectiveness of injections and may lead to infections at the injection site.

Reusable needles should be changed after no more than 10 injections to prevent using a needle that is dull or has developed a burr on the end. Change needles immediately if the needle bends or becomes contaminated. Work with your veterinarian to develop a plan of action in the unlikely event that a needle breaks off in the neck muscle. This is an emergency situation that requires immediate attention to retrieve the needle before it can migrate deeper into the muscle tissue. Do not market animals that contain a broken needle.

Store unused needles to protect their sterility. Place used needles in a rigid, plastic-lined container with a secure lid. Dispose of injection equipment as solid waste in accordance with all applicable regulations.

DACQA is a voluntary, national certification program intended to enhance and demonstrate quality animal care practices, which assure food safety, quality and value as well as enhance consumer confidence in the milk and beef products that are harvested from cattle on America’s dairy farms.

Calling all entries for 'Why I Love Dairy' contest (8/9/2010)
Do you want to speak directly to the public and let them know all the great things about modern dairy farming? Are there consumer misperceptions about dairy that you want to set straight? Are you a fan of milk, cheese and yogurt and want to let others know why? Here’s your chance: enter the Why I Love Dairy Video Contest, sponsored by Dairy Management Inc. through the myDairy social media program. If you’re interested in the contest, your video should be fun, consumer-friendly and less than two minutes long. Possible themes include dairy product quality, safety and nutrition; animal care and well-being; sustainability and environmental stewardship; or dairy’s contributions to the economy and local communities. The most entertaining and creative videos will be posted to Dairy Farming Today channels. Entries are due by 5 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Aug. 31. For complete video contest rules and key messages to incorporate into your video, visit www.myDairytoolkit.com. Please e-mail mydairy@rosedmi.com if you have questions.

This is a big deal (7/12/2010)
Last week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a draft guidance intended to help reduce the development of resistance to medically important antimicrobial drugs used in food-producing animals. The question becomes what does this mean to animal agriculture. Here is what three experts shared on AgriTalk this week. “There is concern at FDA regarding antibiotic use in livestock,” William Flynn told AgriTalk radio. Flynn is the Sr. advisor for science policy at the FDA center for veterinary medicine. “The broader public concern is about antimicrobial resistance, in general terms drugs becoming less effective because bacteria become resistant to them.” Flynn said that antibiotic resistance is contributed to by all different uses of antibiotics, including use in humans as well as animal agriculture. But the guidance released by FDA is specific to antibiotic usage in animal agriculture. Read full story,

Train employees to provide animal care (7/12/2010)
Training employees is essential to improving employees’ animal-husbandry skills and can provide motivation for improving their overall performance. Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance (DACQA) certification recognizes the importance of training and education in providing top-notch animal care. DACQA guidelines recommend the following:

• Animal caretakers are appropriately trained and periodically evaluated for skills in animal handling, observation and routine care. They should have written protocols to follow and access to record keeping systems in relation to their animal care/handling duties.
• In addition to training new employees, provide periodic retraining for existing employees.
• Establish standard operating procedures and review them annually, revising as necessary.
• Abuse of cattle is not acceptable under any circumstances; establish a zero tolerance policy for mistreatment.
• Develop an emergency management plan for the dairy farm that includes animal care procedures.
• Keep good records to evaluate effectiveness of animal management practices and protocols.

Training of employees that supervise others is especially important, because they will train new employees. For effective training, it is important to have written protocols, demonstrate procedures and set a good example for employees. Evaluate employees with periodic reviews to assess their performance. Post animal care reminders in the lunchroom, office or other visible area in both English and Spanish, if appropriate.

DACQA recommends training employees in the following areas related to animal care and handling:

• Basic feeding and nutritional management.
• Knowledge and understanding of the farm’s herd health plan and emergency animal care plan.
• How to handle and move injured or down animals.
• How to diagnose common illnesses and provide care.
• How to recognize early signs of distress and disease and when to notify a supervisor.
• How to administer animal health products and perform routine animal health procedures.
• How to recognize extreme weather stress and how to respond.
• Understanding flight-zone and point of balance.
• How to use handling and restraining devices.
• Handling and preparation of cows in the milking parlor.
• Avoiding sudden movement, loud noises or other actions that may frighten cattle.
• How to safely handle aggressive/easily excited cattle.
• Record keeping procedures, such as how to record treatments they have administered.

DACQA is a voluntary, national certification program intended to enhance and demonstrate quality animal care practices, which assure food safety, quality and value as well as enhance consumer confidence in the milk and beef products that are harvested from cattle on America’s dairy farms.

For more information or a copy of the DACQA manual, call (888) 423-3372.

For more information about BQA programs and guidelines, visit www.bqa.org.

Study to look at failure of passive transfer (7/12/2010)
A study to determine the prevalence of failure of passive transfer and colostrum management practices on Washington State dairies is under way.

A recent national dairy study estimated the prevalence of failure of passive transfer (FPT) of immunity (serum IgG<1000 mg/dL) on U.S. dairy calves to be 19 percent; however, the prevalence in Washington state is unknown. A Washington State University study is in progress (May to August, 2010) that will estimate the prevalence of FPT and its association with colostrum management practices on Washington state dairies. Preliminary results of the study show that, when using a serum total protein cutoff of 5.2 g/dL, 40 percent of the dairies where sampling has been completed (n=19) have a FPT prevalence of greater than 25 percent, and 33 percent of the calves sampled thus far (n=450) have FPT.</p />

Goals of this study are to improve colostrum management, and also identify herds for a future study to determine the effectiveness of a specific colostrum management plan to reduce FPT.

Herds of all sizes anywhere in Washington are eligible to participate. If you would like to participate, please contact Julie Caldwell (339) 236-146, e-mail: jcaldwell@vetmed.wsu.edu or John Wenz (509) 335-0773), e-mail: jrwenz@vetmed.wsu.edu.

Bovine respiratory disease survey (7/12/2010)
The Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) NC-1027 Committee is asking dairy farmers for their participation in a survey on risk factors and limitations associated with BRD.

Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC, "shipping fever" "pneumonia") continues to be the most common health problem facing the cattle industry today. An opportunity has arisen to develop a proposal for a long term bovine respiratory disease research and education program. 

The committee strongly feels that projects such as this should reflect current real-world needs of today's cattle industry. The committee wants this program to reflect the current needs and desires of the industry and is requesting your participation in this survey. Click here to complete the short survey.

For more information on the committee's research efforts, contact Chris Chase, Department of Veterinary Science at South Dakota State University (605) 688-5652 office or e-mail christopher.chase@sdstate.edu.

Source: Bovine Respiratory Disease Committee, Dairy Calf and Heifer Association

Save the date (7/12/2010)
The following list highlights some of the upcoming educational opportunities available to you. For a more detailed calendar of events, click here.

• AVMA Annual Meeting, July 31-Aug. 3, Atlanta, Ga. More information.
• Conservation in Action Tour, Aug. 2-3, Virginia. More information.
• Kentuckiana Dairy Exchange, Aug. 3-4, Russelville, Ky. For more information, email: Jbewley@uky.edu.
• PDMP Forum: How to Make Money Dairying, Aug. 5, Martinsburg, Pa. More information.
• Dairy Policy Summit, Aug. 18, Wisconsin Dells, Wis. More information.
• 2010 Risk and Profit Conference, Aug. 19-20, Manhattan, Kan. More information.
• AABP Annual Meeting, Aug. 19-21, Albuquerque, N.M. More information.
• Central Veterinary Conference, Aug. 28-31, Kansas City, Mo. More information.
• Joint Industry and Regulatory Strategy Forum on Animal Disease Traceability, Aug. 30-31, Denver, Colo. More information.

Spanish calf classes available (6/14/2010)
Washington State University Veterinary Medicine Extension has developed some educational programs that address the following issues: reducing death loss and illness, growing heifers that perform, lowering drug costs and reducing risk for antimicrobial resistance. Classes are designed for dairy producers, veterinarians, animal science students, and now in Spanish for individuals caring for baby calves. Visit the Veterinary Medicine Extension Web site for these online programs.

• Evaluate the economics of your repro program (6/14/2010)
  Dairy producers know that evaluating the economics of reproductive programs isn’t always as easy as it sounds. However, there is a new tool available to help farmers assess those complex issues.

  UW-Dairy Repro$ is a decision support system that allows dairy producers to calculate and compare the economic value of dairy reproductive programs to help them make the best economic decisions for their situations. UW-Dairy Repro$ can be accessed at DairyMGT.info : Tools: Reproduction. Nothing similar to this tool has been available before.

  “An important part of milk production is the reproduction program that goes along with other management strategies a farmer uses when making production decisions,” said Victor Cabrera and Julio Giordano, University of Wisconsin-Extension dairy systems management specialist and Ph.D. student, respectively, who developed UW-Dairy Repro$.

  They noted, “Many times dairy farmers struggle when they have to select the best reproductive management program because some of these programs may be able to maximize herd reproductive performance by improving service risk and breeding efficiency, but they do not know if the cost incurred with their application will offset the extra income generated by having better reproduction efficiency.”

  Farmers may have a good understanding of the reproductive efficiency of current and alternative programs, but they usually have a difficult time assessing the economic impact of these programs on their farms because of the complexity involved in the calculations. The UW-Dairy Repro$ makes these calculations easy and straight forward.

  Cabrera notes that there are hundreds of variables a producer needs to look at when thinking about the economics of reproduction programs. “More important than the costs though is the income that will come with a good reproductive program and how to take advantage of peak milk production by ensuring that cows get pregnant at the right time,” he said.

  In UW-Dairy Repro$, calculations are based on user-input information. The tool is completely customizable and flexible allowing the user to represent any potential farm scenario and reproductive program. The tool is highly interactive and the user can always make changes to uncertain variables and see the impacts of those changes in the economic performance of defined reproductive programs.

  Read more details on the UW-Dairy Repro<p value =