Dairy Production Management
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Item Keep your guard up on HPAILynch, Rob; Capel, Michael (PRO-DAIRY, 2024-11)We are fortunate that our state’s dairy herds remain free of illness from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). To date 616 dairy herds in 15 states across the country have been affected. This pathogen has caused a great deal of illness and financial loss to the dairy industry. California now has more than half of the HPAI herds in our nation’s outbreak. The magnitude of the CA outbreak is a good example of how quickly this disease can spread in an area where dairy farms are concentrated, as is the case in many areas of NY. Managing the movement of lactating cattle and strict biosecurity protocols for employees and outside vendors are critical to minimizing the transmission of disease. Raw milk remains the best sample for influenza testing as affected cows shed high numbers of viral particles in their milk. Several affected states instituted bulk milk testing and USDA recently announced their plan to test bulk milk to better understand the prevalence of H5N1 nationally. Since the start of the outbreak in dairy cattle, 32 flocks consisting of over 20 million birds have been depopulated from infections with the dairy cattle strain of HPAI (H5N1 strain B3.13). Diligent biosecurity in the dairy industry is critical to the safety of our nation’s poultry flocks. The Influenza A virus is known to occasionally infect humans, particularly those exposed to high levels of the virus. Because of this, those individuals working closely with potentially infected animals and raw milk from those animals, should take extra precautions to limit their exposure. It is important to keep a bigger global health perspective in mind about Influenza A. This virus infects and replicates in many animal hosts. Influenza viruses are prone to mutation each time they replicate, creating an opportunity for the virus to develop a strain that can more easily infect humans and spread from person to person. Thankfully, this has not happened yet.Item Using the optical refractometer to manage calf healthLynch, Robert (PRO-DAIRY, 2019-05)Many research publications and resources are available to help calf raisers use refractometers. This bulletin summarizes current recommendations and references. The Brix refractometer measures sucrose concentrations in liquids like wine and fruit juice. When used to measure non-sucrose containing liquids, the Brix% approximates the total solids percentage. Questions that can be answered with a refractometer include: • What is the colostrum immunoglobulin content? • What is the passive antibody transfer success rate? • What is the total solids content of the whole milk or milk replacer?Item Separated manure solids for freestall beddingLynch, Robert (PRO-DAIRY, 2019)Mastitis is one of the costliest diseases for the U.S. Dairy Industry, and management decisions that may affect mastitis risk are considered carefully. One such decision is the choice of a bedding substrate that helps keep cows clean and comfortable. Maintaining good udder hygene does reduce mastitis risk. Several bedding options are available, and each has advantages and disadvantages. Separated manure solids (SMS) have been used as a dairy cow bedding substrate for many years. Some farms have used SMS successfully, meaning the transition to manure solids bedding did not increase mastitis and/or reduce milk quality. Other herds experienced increased mastitis around the time they switched to manure solids, and attributed this to bedding. Much research has been done to help the industry understand best management practices for use of this organic bedding substrate, but consensus still lacks on if and how SMS should be used.Item Low price margin herd health do’s and don’tsLynch, Robert (PRO-DAIRY, 2018-04)Each time the dairy industry experiences low milk prices, managers start looking for ways to save money. This is smart and something that all good businesses do. If less money is coming in, how do we cut down on how much money goes out without hurting the business in the long run? These decisions can be pretty challenging when it comes to herd health expenses since the consequences of a bad decision in this area might not be seen right away. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to consider as we all turn our attention again to reducing unnecessary expenses on the dairy.Item Using the Digital Refractometer to Manage Calf HealthLynch, Robert (PRO-DAIRY, 2019-02)Many research publications and resources are available to help calf raisers use refractometers. This bulletin summarizes current recommendations and references. The Brix refractometer measures sucrose concentrations in liquids like wine and fruit juice. When used to measure non-sucrose containing liquids, the Brix% approximates the total solids percentage. Questions that can be answered with a refractometer include: • What is the colostrum immunoglobulin content? • What is the passive antibody transfer success rate? • What is the total solids content of the whole milk or milk replacer?Item Changing Farm Profitability Through an Improved Forage Program: A Case StudyLasher, Shawn; Bru-Mar Farms (2017-01-31)This presentation was given at the 2017 PRO-DAIRY Winter Forage Meetings.Item Grass Breeding to Improve Fiber QualityBallerstedt, Peter J. (2017-01-31)This presentation was given at the 2017 PRO-DAIRY Winter Forage Meetings.Item The Financial Impact of High Forage Rations and Modern Crop RotationsLawrence, Joe; Overton, Thomas (2017-01-31)This presentation was given at the 2017 PRO-DAIRY Winter Forage Meetings.Item Linking Crop Rotations and Feeding ProgramsLawrence, Joe (2017-01-31)This presentation was given at the 2017 PRO-DAIRY Winter Forage Meetings.Item Fiber Digestibility: New Ways to Measure and Why It Is ImportantOverton, Thomas (2017-01-31)This presentation was given during the 2017 Winter Forage Meetings, organized by Cornell University PRO-DAIRY