C36—Uncaster Farming, Saturday, March 29,1980
Dairy specialist shares formula for heifers
UNIVERSITY PARK -
The objective of any suc
cessful heifer rearing
program should be to keep
the calves alive, keep them
healthy and have them big
enough to breed at 15
months, according to
Richard Warner, depart
ment of animal science,
Cornell University.
Speaking at the dairy herd
management conference
held recently at Penn State
University, Warner said one
of the best ways to meet
these objections is for
dairymen to lure their wives
to do the calf raising.
Warner said data support
the fact that women are
more successful in calf
raising than men.
Warner said the most
important consideration is to
immunize calves with
colostrum, since they have
no immunity at birth
because immune golobuhns
won’t cross the placenta as
they do in humans and
rabbits.
He said, “Calves get no
passive immunity except by
drinking.” There are im
portant immunities in the
mother’s milk which a calve
can absorb only during the
first 24 hours after birth. The
sooner the calve drinks the
better off it will be, ac
cording to Warner.
He added, “Immunity is a
race to see which gets to the
gut first - colostrum or
bacteria.” Warner made it
clear that it is vital to feed 15
pounds of first and second
milk colostrum during the
first four feedings.
Also important in the
rearing of herd
replacements is to have a
clean calving site. If none is
available, Warner suggests
dairymen move the tractors
and equipment out to make
room for clean calving
facilities.
The smaller the herd size,
the lower the mortality rate
will be, according to Cornell
research Warner also noted
that variations in tem
peratures can be crucial in
calf rearing, with wide
fluctuations worse than the
extremes of weather.
Windbreaks and housing
therefore become important
considerations in a good
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herd
management
replacement program.
Warner said it is im
portant to have a planned
feeding program, not a
haphazard approach. “The
system is just as good as the
feeder. Poor feeders will not
be happy with the results of
low levels of milk. ’ ’
He cautioned, “Never
wean a calf unless it is
consuming at least one and
one half pounds of gram per
day.”
For the calf winch insists
on eating hay to the ex
clusion of gram, Warner
suggests removing the hay.
He says the removal of hay
won’t hurt the calf and gam
will be superior m that way.
While once-a-day feeding
usually works well, Warner
said dairymen must
nevertheless check calves
twice daily.
Warner discussed alter
natives in feeding calves and
said that while whole milk is
good, it is expensive. Milk
replacer, he said, makes an
effective, highly useful
substitute. “Hospital milk”
can be fed with no adverse
effects, if this dairyman
avoids garget.
Fermented colostrum is
good to feed, and Warner
offered some guidelines,
suggesting that the
dairymen collect the first six
milkings after the calf has
nursed. Clean plastic cans
are required, and it must be
used within one month.
Warner said colostrum
should be started with one
cup buttermilk and fresh
milk can be added Fer
mented colostrum should be
fed at a two-to-one ratio with
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The ideal way to handle
fermented colostrum is to
have three cans: one clean
and waiting, one full and
waiting, and one filling and
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USDA to test electronic marketing
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture will test an
electromc meat marketing
system, along with
traditional methods, in
buying meat for school lunch
and other feeding programs,
Secretary Bob Bergland
announced Monday.
The system, called the
Computer Assisted Trading
System-or “CATS”-is a
bidding and trading
procedure which uses a
central computer in con
junction with remote
computer terminals CATS
also stores and compiles
transaction data and fur
nishes market information
to subscribers. It was
developed by the American
Meat Exchange, Inc., with
technical assistance from
the General Electric In
formation Services Com
pany.
Bergland said his decision
to test the electronic system
was the result of a recom
mendation submitted to him
by meat pricing task force
last year
The task force, composed
of meat producers,
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switched to milk and back to
colostrum if necessary.
Warner gave ingredients
for a calf starter used by
Cornell up to eight weeks,
but added that prices affect
which ingredients are in the
formula.
The Cornell formula is:
Corn and cob meal, 20
percent; crushed oats, 25
processors and consumers,
was established m March
1979 to recommend ways to
improve meat pricing
systems.
The group met several
times and held a senes of
public hearings. Their
report, issued m June 1979,
concluded that the potential
benefits from electronic
trading in improving market
information and enhancing
competition were promising.
The group recommended
that the meat industry be
encouraged to develop and
test the system and that
USDA participate in such
testing.
USDA’s general counsel
subsequently ruled that
USDA had the authority to
participate in a pilot test of
such a system.
The Department of
Defense, the other major
federal meat buying
department, has also agreed
to test the system, and will
work alongside USDA m
acquiring, installing and
programming the necessary
equipment.
percent; beet pulp, 15 per
cent; brewers grain, one
percent; soybean meal, 20
percent; molasses, eight
percent; dicalcium
phosphate, one percent; and
salt, one percent
Warner also showed
statistics which illustrated
the response of calves to
mash was far superior to
USDA’s Food Safety and
Quality Service will continue
to buy meats on a com
petitive basis. Prospective
contractors may bid using
either CATS or the
traditional electronic or mail
methods. The agency will
also use the system, along
den Rock 4«H
changes meeting date
GLEN ROCK - The Glen
Rock 4-H club held it’s
monthly meeting recently at
the Susquehannock High
School Administration
building.
In connection with the
club’s health project,
members responded to roll
call with their favorite foods.
The members with the most
w i
pellets. Their rumination
started earlier and was
observed more frequently.
Warner said feeding all-in
one starter after eight weeks
probably has merits
He added heifers on
pasture may not do as well
as expected, but concluded;
“They can recover.” SBB
with traditional procedures,
to announce meat purchase
programs, invite offers and
award contracts.
FSQS officials said the
system should be in
operation when meat buying
for the 1980-81 school year
begins
nutritious foods received
prizes.
The next meeting date-was
changed to Thursday, April
10.
All members between the
ages of 8 & 12 were en
couraged to attend the
county-wide Junior Pun
Night April 11.