BY
GEORGE F.W. HAENLEIN
Extension Dairy Specialist
University of Delaware
NEWARK, DE.—The average
age of our dairy cows 10 years agp
was 54 months, and the average
Delaware Holstein DHIA cow
produced 14,952 pounds of milk
per year. Today, the average age
of our cows is 48, months, while
average production is at 17,907
pounds of milk. We have
increased milk per cow by 20 per
cent, but our cows are 12 percent
younger. And 48 months is pretty
young, considering that we do not
get the first drop of milk until our
cows are 27 months old in aver
age. This leaves us an average
Farm Calendar
(Continued from Pago AID)
Farm & Home Center, 7:00
p.m.
Friday, July 7
Eastern Pennsylvania Junior Hols
tein Judgdin School, Lancaster
County, noon to noon July 8.
Keystone Ram & Ewe Show, Ag
Arena, Penn State, University
Park, 8:30 a.m.; sale 9:30 a.m.
Saturday.
Saturday, July 8
Clarion Co. Towft & Country Day,
Ronald McHenry Farm, Knox.
Keystone Ram & Ewe Sale, 9:30
a.m. Ag Arena Penn State
Sunday, July 9
Jackpot Steer Show, Somerset
County fairgrounds, Moyers
dale, 1:00 p.m.
Mohday, July 10
BlakCounty Holstein Picnic. Leg
ion Park, Hollidaysburg, 7:00
pjrv.
Tuesday, July 11
PDCA Judging School, Troy fair
grounds; runs through July 12.
Talbot County Fair, Ag Center,
Miners Lane, Easton, Md.; runs
through July 13.
Wednesday, July 12
Baltimore County 4-H Fair, Balti
more County fairgrounds,
Timonium, Md.; runs through
mineral/
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production time of 21 months, or
only slightly more than two lacta
tions of 305 days each.
During these 21 months our
cows are expected to pay back the
27 months of being raised as herd
replacements, in addition to mak
ing us a profit! Are these last 10
years part of a trend? If we further
succeed in more milk per cow, at
the same time will we suffer furth
er declines in average age? Where
is the cutoff point where it will be
uneconomical to milk cows
because they leave the herd before
they could pay back the costs of
replacement and make a profit in
addition? And this assumes that
we will have 10 months lactation
within the 21 months of produc-
-n- f -
July 16.
Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers
Association summer vegetable
marketing tour, depart from
. King of Prussia, 4:15 a.m.;’call
717/473-8468 for more
information.
Thursday, July 13
Lycoming County Fair, Hughes
ville; runs through July 22.
Friday, July 14
Kent County 4-H Fair, Kent Ag
Center, Old Nike Base Site,
Tolchester, Md.; through July
16.
Caroline Cbunty Fair, 4-H Youth
Park, Williston, Md.; runs
through July 16.
Saturday, July IS
Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s & Col
onial Charolais Association
Ficl<l Day, Ray Grimes farm,
McKightstown. 9:00 a.m. For
information, call Dr. Wilson at
814/863-3659.-
Pensupreme Ice Cream Festival,
Lancaster Square, Lancaster.
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Allegany Ag Expo, fairgrounds,
Cumberland, Md.; continues
through July 22.
National Junior Angus Show,
Louisville, Ky.; runs through
July 20.
HFWMASTB'
GATES
Hot Hip Galvanized
Reg.
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s’ $37.99 14- $55.99
w $41.99 16’ $59.99
ROUND BALE FEEDERS
Reg. SALE
~..$169.99 ....$155,88
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...$139.99 ....$125,88
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From Younger Cows
don, which is not the case. The
average calving interval is at 13.9
months, or almost 2 months be
yond the ideal 30S-day lactation
length.
What this means is that our
cows are, more often than we like
it, reproductive failures after calv
ing. Theoretically, they should be
able to conceive for the next lacta
tion between 30 to 60 days after
calving. But our average days
“open,” that is before conceiving
again, are 130 days!
Is this part and reason of the
trend to younger cows in our
herds? Is this reproductive failure
causing cows to leave the herd
before they can make a profit? Is
this due in part to the increasing
demand and stress of higher milk
per cow, year after year?
Many people in the dairy indus
try, especially in the veterinary
portion, think so. Thus, does that
mean that eventually our cows
will concentrate their resources
physiologically and nutritionally
on milk production so much that
they have none left for reproduc
tion?' When, then do we get our
future herd replacements, if our
cows become worse reproductive
failures year after year?
Should we not start rethinking
our breeding program in the face
of these facts? As dairy farmers,
dairy geneticists, dairy nutritionist
and artificial insemination stud
managers, we have been extreme
ly successful in concentrating on
one goal: more milk per cow. We
have proven that concentrating on
a single goal results in faster prog
ress than breeding for several
goals simultaneously. In 10 years,
we have achieved 20 percent
progress in milk per cow per year.
But we have lost on regularity of
reproduction and on economical
longevity of our cows, brought on
by more milk production, to the
point where the diminishing
returns are beginning to concern
us.
Should we not pause and re
examine our one-goal breeding
preference and policy? The Nor
wegians have done just that, and
they sound happy and confident
about the results. They have
always had an outstanding world
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reputation in dairy cattle genetics,
and they have decided to use a tot
al index or ‘Total Breeding Val
ue,” as they call it, instead of a
single goal (milk).
They have admitted that herita
bility for milk yield is much high
er than for reproduction and
health. Even so, they have been
unwilling to exclude these impor
tant considerations from their
breeding program. The U.S. sire
evaluation system calculates pre
dicted difference (PD) values for
milk or fat or protein or type
scores and some combination of
these. But most U.S. dairy people
use PD milk for their breeding
program because the other values
are correlated with milk to some
extent.
The Norwegians, on the other
hand have developed the idea of
the Total Breeding Value. Thanks
to today’s computers, they syste
matically collect many data on
Cattlemen’s Day To Take
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) The 15th annual Pennsyl
vania Cattlemen’s Summer Field
Day will be held at Ray and Mary
Grimes’ South Mountain Farm in
McKnightstown near Gettysburg
on Saturday, July IS.
Open to large and small-scale
beef producers, 4-H and FFA
members and everyone else with
an interest in cattle, the day will
feature tours, discussions and
family fun. Events will start at
9:30 a.m. Admission is free.
Highlights of (the field day in
clude free toun of historical sights
and area farms, including the Get
tysburg Battlefield and the Eisen
hower Farm, or < visit to the Ma
son-Dixon Rum, which is home to
a 1,300-head dairy and features
innovations in field crop manage
ment, methane generation and
waste recycling.
Other events include a panel
discussion among several beef
producers who will discuss prob-
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their future bulls in their young
sire proving program, not only on
milk, fat, protein and type scores,
but also on nine other reproduc
tive and health concerns. They
then incorporate all these data into
the Total Breeding Value index
for each bull and decide on that
basis whether he will be released
to the dairy industry for general
use or not.
In the attached table is a list of
the data categories and their rela
tive importance within the index.
The Norwegian dairy industry has
called this approach very success
ful in achieving progress in repro
duction efficiency and health of
their dairy cows, not just in prog
ress of more milk per cow. Should
we not re-examine their data in
light of our recent trends and
rethink our breeding program ulti
mately for more profits on our
dairy farms in the long haul, too?
lems and opportunities in beef
production as well as demonstrate
irrigation, hoof trimming and
fencing methods. Sponsors will
also conduct a judging contest.
Participants are invited to taste
the traditional Keystone Eye Steak
on a Roll, which will be served at
lunch for only $2. “Where else can
you get a ribcye steak for so little?
We all expect a good turn-out,”
says John Comorford, assistant
professor of animal science at
Penn State and one of the field day
coordinators.
The field day is sponsored by
the Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s
Association, in cooperation with
the Penn State Department of
Dairy and Animal Science, the
Adams County Beef Producers
Association and the Pennsylvania
Charolais Association. For more
information, contact John Comer
ford or Lowell Wilson in the De
partment of Dairy and Animal
Science at Penn State at (814)
863-3661 or (814) 863-3659.
Dealer Inquiries Invited