January
Milk $15.78
ALEXANDRIA, Va.
Middle Atlantic Order Market
Adminiitrator Rex F. Lothrop
today announced a Class I milk
price of $15.78 per hundredweight
for January 1994. This price is up
29 cents from December and is 91
cents above last January’s Class I
price.
Mr. Lothrop announced a Class
10 milk price of $12.83 per hun
dredweight for November 1993
and a Class 111-A price of $10.97
per hundredweight for the month.
The Class in price was up 29
cents from the previous month,
while the Class 111-A price
increased nine cents. The January
1994 Class I price and the Novem
ber 1993 Class 111 price are based
on the November 1993
Minnesota-Wisconsin manufac
turing milk price of $12.75 per
hundredweight at a 3.5 percent
butterfat content.
The November 1993 butterfat
price was 74.59 cents per pound,
down 1.64 cents from October.
The November skim milk price
per hundredweight was $10.59.
1 Insist on Chore-Time
because you need the best equipment
GSSB& C-2 feeder
for broilers
•<*
•*>« - / f
nipples
Attention all Chore-Time customers, We want to assure you that Chore-Time systems,
Chore-Time repair parts and service are available to you from
Northeast Agri Systems, Inc., Pennsylvania's authorized Chore-Time master distributor.
DHIA rolling herd averages and
cows’ lactation records are nice to
look at. They show what you and
your cows have accomplished.
However, as a herd manager,
you also need to be looking to the
future to see where your herd is
heading and you need to hunt for
things you can change that will
help you keep your herd moving
in the right direction. Yqur DHIA
records can help you do this.
r- in. iii aw
m
QS9BB H-2 feeder
for broilers
FLEX-AUGER*
Northeast Agri Systems, Inc.
Flyway Basinets Park
139 A West Airport Road
Utitz, PA 17543
Where Is Your Herd
Heading?
mw wt^mmm
B»i
H-2 feeder
for turkeys
Swine
feeding
STORE HOURS Mon -M. 7 30 to 430
Sat SOO to Noon
24 Hr 7 Da/ Ropak Some*
GLENN’S
UDDERINGS
By
Glenn A. Shirk
Lancaster Extension
Dairy Agent
Peak Milk and
Persistency of Production
Peak milk per cow per day is
one thing to focus on. It affects
cows’ lactation records and herd
profits. Cows make about half of
their profit per lactation during the
first 100 days or so in milk. There
fore, how fast cows peak, how
high they peak and how well they
hold their peaks has a great impact
on profit Also of importance is
how you can answer these ques
tions: Can they stay healthy? Will
adult turkey
feeder with plastic pan
T 1
cage
systems
1-800-673-2580 "BE
Ph (717) 569-2702
tows breed back and sustain high
production levels without deve
loping problems that will cause
them to be culled prematurely and
sold at .depressed market prices? If
you haven’t been doing this very
successfully, can changes be made
that will enable you to do this?
Peak milk times 223-250 gives
you a rough estimate of what first
lactation heifers will produce in
303 days. For older cows, multi
ply peak milk by 200-223. First
calf heifers generally peak
80-83% as high as third lactation
and older cattle. A lot of this will
depend on how well heifers were
grown out and managed prior to
ULTRAFLO*
for layers, pullets &
breeders
Saihmpi, *6ls. NO&mW&fe
snd after calving. Compared to
alder cows, heifers hold their
peaks better. In other words, they
have a flatter lactation curve and
they should not drop much more
than 5% in milk from the previous
month's average daily production.
Older cows have a steeper curve
and can be expected to drop 8% or
so per month. These persistencies
appear on your Penna. DHIA Herd
Summary Report 11. On the
Raleigh DHIA Herd Summary
report, a test period persistency
index of 100 indicates that cows
are maintaining average lactation
curves.
If cows peak slowly, if they do not peak as
high as they should and if they do not hold
their peaks as well as you would like, you may
want to focus on some of the following areas
of management’ 1} heifer and dry cow prog
rams, 2) the 2-3 week transition period for
heifers and dry cows prior to calving, 3) early
lactation feed program, 4) feed quality, 5)
bunk space and other feeding practices, 6)
herd health program, 7) cows’ comfort, etc.
Also observe cows’ body condition.
Milk Components and
Cow Health
Fat tests can indicate the status of a cow’s
metabolism and how well her nimen is func
tioning. It can also be a predictor of problems
that cows may face in the hear future. Fat tests
and protein tests can also reflect the cow’s
emergency balance.
High fat tests soon after calving can indi
cate that cows are losing flesh too rapidly and
are developing fatty livers. This could lead to
ketosis, depressed appetites, loss of produc
tion, twisted stomachs, etc. If this is a prob
lem, be sure to review your dry cow and heifer
management program, the management of
heifers and dry cows during the transition per
iod prior to and shortly after calving, feed
quality, ration formulation, feeding practices,
cow comfort and anything else that may affect
cows’ appetites.
Low fat tests may indicate that cows have
an acid rumen, which depresses appetites and
milk production, and reduces efficiency of
digestion; more of the feed ends up in the gut
ter rather than in the milk tank. Acidosis can
also cause laminitis which can predispose
cows to other foot problems. Fat tests may not
add much to the market value of your milk,
but it is still important to feed cows for normal
rumen function. If you accomplish this, fat
tests for Holsteihs shouldn’tdrop much below
3.5; otherwise; there is a chance that cows’
rumens will not function properly and
efficiently.
When cows are undcrconditioned and body
scores drop into the low 2's, protein tests can
start dropping and fat tests may be at or below
protein tests. These cows are in a very severe
negative energy balance. Chances are they
won't display heats, and if bred, they probab
ly will not conceive. Look for calving inter
vals to stretch out and for cows to possibly
start calving at the wrong time of the year
in the heat of the summer, or slipping out of
the base-building period and into the excess
milk season which means their milk will be
worth less.
If tests are low be sure to check rations for
adequate forage dry matter intake and for for
age fiber intake. Also important are length of
chop, forage quality, fat levels in the ration,
how and when grain is fed, proper use of buf
fers, etc.
Stay attuned to some of these warning signs
and make necessary adjustments in your man
agement program in timely fashion so the
herd keeps moving in the direction you want it
to move. Keep the steering wheel in your
hands.
Penn State is an affirmative action equal
opportunity university.
ROPE IN
SOME EXTRA ft
CASH!
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