DM-Uncnfer Fanning Saturday, October 1, 1988
Management Approach Yields Profits in Beef, Dairy Industries
SAN ANTONIO, TX.—A total
management approach to increas
ing the profitability of dairy and
beef cattle herds will yield signif
icant returns, speakers represent
ing the American Association of
Bovine Practitioners (AABP) told
more than 100 editors, publishers,
and advertising executives at a
meeting of the Livestock Publica
tions Council in San Antonio.
Donald B. Hudson, D.V.M., of
North Platte, NE, president of the
AABP, discussed beef cattle prac
tice, and Thomas J. Fuhrmann,
D.V.M., of Tempe, Az., AABP
vice president, discussed dairy
cattle practice. The importance of
herd-health management was a
common theme for a team a veter
inarians representing the Ameri
can Veterinary Medical Associa
tion (AVMA), AABP, and two
other national veterinary organiza
tions at the meeting.
Hudson said the first step in
establishing an effective herd
management program is to assess
the needs of the herd. “Once we
establish what’s occurring in the
herd, we can set up vaccination
programs, nutrition programs,
reproductive efficiency plans, and
other management programs to
prevent disease. It takes a continu
ing effort over a period of years to
develop an effective herd-health
management program, and what’s
right for one herd will not work for
another-even for a neighboring
herd,” he said.
Key tools in a herd-health man
agement program may include bull
breeding-soundness evaluation,
pregnancy evaluation, heifer
replacement, control of internal
and external parasites, implanting,
nutritional supplementation, vac
cination, castration, dehoming,
crossbreeding, and pasture rota
tion. According to a study at Mis
sissippi State University, such a
program will increase income
from a 100-cow herd by $5,600 to
$lO,OOO at a cost of $1,500 to
$2,000.
“We’re talking about a total
program of production medicine
that can be applied to both cow/
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calf and feedlot operations,” Hud
son said. For example, a cow/calf
program covers all the factors
influencing pounds of calf weaned
per cow exposed, including heifer
selection, development and breed
ing, post-partum cow reproduc
tion, and weaning weights. The
goal is to integrate production,
health, and financial information
to maximize profitability.
Fuhrmann said an effective
dairy herd-health program breaks
down specific functions within the
management process and evalu
ates the cost-effectiveness of each.
“It requires a strong working rela
tionship between practitioner and
dairyman,” he said. “It’s not effi
cient to spend valuable profession
al time diagnosing individual ani
mal problems. We need to be deve
loping a program to prevent health
problems by honing in on the
needs of the whole herd.
“Milk production at our best
herds now averages over 23,000
pounds per cow per year, up from
17,000 pounds just a few years
ago. Some individual cows are
now producing over 40,000
pounds of milk,” Fuhrmann said.
This increased efficiency is due
to improved herd management and
application of new technology,
Fuhrmann said. For example, use
of efficient reproductive health
management practices before, dur
ing and after calving can earn pro
ducers thousands of dollars more
each year, he said.-
A 95 percent net calf crop is a
realistic goal for a reproductive
health-management program,
Fuhrmann said, but it is too rarely
achieved. “Management observa
tion of heat will significantly
increase results,” he said.
A Fuhrmann said a dairy herd
health program might include
reproduction, mastitis control,
nutrition, and replacement rearing.
Computer software programs now
available make it possible to moni
tor performance using microcom
puters, he added.
“Dairy profitability is
influenced greatly by management
decision-making on herd replace
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assisting them in making appropri
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Fuhrmann said.
Among new technologies now
increasing productivity in dairy
herds is a fast and reliable proge
strone test, used to determine when
the cow is in heat. Artificial inse
mination and embryo transfers
also are yielding significant results
in increased productivity.
Valiant Daughter Tops Sultra
BY BARBARA MILLER
Lycoming Co. Correspondent
TROY A Valiant daughter
sold for $5,500 to Tom Comstock,
Rome, and was the top selling
bovine in the seventh annual Sulb
ra Sell-A-Bration Sale at the Troy
Fairgrounds on Sept IS. Consig
nors were Ken Young and Dwayne
Haight
According to Ron Wood, reader
of pedigrees, Kenview Valisa ET
possessed a plus $l6O value and
was out of an extremely high test
ing family. He said an A 1 firm had
expressed interest in mating her.
Bringing $3,300, an Arlinda
Rotate daughter just recently fresh
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The availability of high-quality
genetic semen for artificial insemi
nation has made possible a degree
of selectivity never before possi
ble, according to Fuhrmann.
Growth-promotant implants are
being used successfully, and other
promising advances in technology
are on the horizon, including the
use of growth hormones and appli
cation of techniques of genetic
engineering.
Nutrition is another area where
new knowledge is providing
commanded the second highest
selling price which was paid by Dr.
Ben Turner and Jim Repart ofNew
York state. Consignor was John
Lehman, Harrison Valley, Pa.
Jo-beth Nutmeg Rotate Nel-
Twin is a Rotate daughter from an
Excellent Nugget and was sold
with her heifer calf.
The third highest selling entry
was a two-year-old Mandingo'
daughter, Hidden-View Mandingo
Lacey, purchased by Teresa Kis
sling, Hidden View Farms, Robe
sonia, Pa. Lacey was making close
to 22,000 pounds of milk as a two
year-old and sold bred to Trifecta
for $3200. Consignor was Don
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opportunities for increased repro
ductive efficiency, he said. Cows
in a dairy herd are now commonly
grouped according to productivity
and fed different rations to maxim
ize results.
Joining Hudson and Fuhrmann
in meetings with the Council were
representatives of the American
Association of Swine Practitioners
(AASP) and the American Associ
ation of Sheep and Goat Practition
ers (AASGP).
Welk of Stonehurst Farm, Pa.
Although the sale average of
$1514 for 62 mature head of cattle
was down some from last year’s
sale average, Ron Wood, reader of
pedigrees, said he thought the sale
went well taking into account pre
sent farming conditions.
‘This was the best line-up cow
for cow, in my opinion, that we’re
had in the past seven years. They
were an extremely uniform group
with no poor ones in it,” he
remarked.
The sale was sponsored by Sulb
ra Breeders Holstein Club. Sale
chairman were Tom Comstock and
Ray Hoppaugh.
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