A32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 21,1998
Belleville Hoof Trimming Clinic Draws A Large Crowd
GAIL STROCK
Mifflin Co. Correspondent
BELLEVILLE (Mifflin Co.)
In the push for higher and higher
milk production per cow, dairy
producers often walk a fine line
between maximizing profits and
risking animal health. Unfortun
ately. farmers often share that path
with a lame cow. When hoof trim
mer Paul Neer from Belleville,
Mifflin County, began noticing
more and more cows with sore
feet, he organized a prevention
and awareness clinic.
He enlisted the help of Michael
Lormore, a veterinarian with
Monsanto, and Christopher Can
ale, director of Technical Services
with Agway, to talk about foot
health through rumen health. It’s a
sore subject farmers are growing
more concerned about —over 250
people showed up.
“I’ve been a hoof trimmer for
over eight years,” began Neer. “In
the last year and a half, foot trou
ble has virtually exploded. We
hoof trimmers, veterinarians, milk
haulers all depend on the dairy
men. When I see this kind of trou
ble, it’s tune to talk about preven
tion and awareness.”
Research shows that laminitis is
one of the most significant sources
of lameness in dairy cattle. Lami
nitis is an inflammation in “one of
the narrow thin parallel plates of
soft vascular sensitive tissues that
cover the flesh within the wall of
the hoof.” Nutrition is recognized
as a major cause.
“It’s all about rumen function,”
says Lormoie. “Good feedbunk
health. Laminitis is metabolic and
is far more expensive than an in
Jersey Production Nominations
REYNOLDSBURG,
Ohio Entries for the
Leading Living Life
time Production awards
are due in the office of
the American Jersey
Cattle Association by
March 1, 1998.
DHIR records only
are eligible. Minimum
production levels for
nominations are
150,000 pounds milk
and/or 7,500 pounds fat
and/or 5,000 pounds
protein
Cows alive as of De
cember 31,1997 are eli
gible for die contest
Leading Living Life
time winners for 19%
are, for protein, Glen
Meadows Maple
Sweetnes owned by
Glen Meadows Farm,
Fultonvillc, N.Y., with
9,636 pounds; for milk.
Maplerow Mercury
Aron-PTL-P, owned by
Peggy A. Bennett, Alb
ion, N.Y., with 268,070
pounds; and for fit,
Maplerow Mercury
Aron-PTL-P, owned by
Peggy A. Bennett, Al
bion, N.Y., with 12,305
pounds.
The Lifetime Milk
trophy is sponsored by
Ogston Farm, Colum
bus, NJ.; the Lifetime
Fat trophy is sponsored
by High Lawn Farm,
Lenox, Mass.; and Edy
vean Farm, Hughson,
Calif., is sponsoring the
Lifetime Protein award.
In addition, awards will
fection. Regular foot trimming is
an important part in managing a
herd. Laminitis will be a big prob
lem in the next 10 years, as we
push toward 35,000-pound herd
averages and get feed into the
cows for energy. Laminitis will be
a major problem.”
Canale agrees. “Through man
agement technology and strategy
nutrition, forages, health and
cow comfort— we can control ru
men health. Taking care of the
rumen can help feet It’s a disease
of management.”
In laymen’s terms, the problem
can begin with when a cow is fed
excessive fermentable carbohy
drates. finely chopped forage, and
slug grain. Some metabolic and
digestive disorders, hormonal
changes, and infectious diseases
can add to the problem, as well as
environmental aspects such as
lack of or little bedding, hard stall
surfaces, lack of exercise, or too
much exercise on improper sur
faces.
According to Dr. LE. Nocek erf
the Spruce Haven Research Cen
ter in Union Springs, New York,
carbohydrates make up approxi
mately 70 to 80 percent of the
dairy cow’s radon. The level and
availability in a cow’s radon can
have significant impact on rumen
metabolism. Increases in the
amount of concentrate or ferment
able carbohydrates decreases sali
va production, an important factor
in neutralizing acids produced by
ruminal fermentation.
A related study came to this
conclusion; “Cows fed high con
centrates had more lameness, of
milk, fat, and protein
winners.
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greater severity and duration, with
sole lesions being the major prob
lem. However, cows fed more
grain produced 3.2 kg more milk/
day with .06 percentage units
higher milk protein.”
High levels of rumen degrad
able protein has been shown to
increase lameness and laminitis in
several studies conducted in the
late ’Bos and early ’9os.
As for forages, particle length is
required to ensure proper rumen
function. In an evaluation con
ducted at Penn State, Jud Hein
richs concluded that “Reduced
forage particle size has been
shown to decrease the time spent
chewing and cause a trend toward
decreased rumen pH. When cows
spend less time chewing, there is a
decrease in the volume of saliva
Landis Bros., Inc.
2710 Mt. Joy Rd.
Manheim, PA 17545
1-800-524-3276 717-653-2340 1-800-327-6524 717-228-2650
Paul Neer leads discussion about the need for hoof trimming to keep daily animals
In good physical condition.
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Nocek concludes, “Nutrition
and laminitis are linked tdhrough
imbalances in carbohydrate nutri
tion: overload of ruminally fer
mentable carbohydrate in con
junction with inadequate effective
fiber. The sub-clinical phase of
both disease processes is most
costly and damaging because they
are often dismissed for other prob
lems, allowing the disease to pro
gress to an irreversible chronic
phase. Since the highest incidence
of laminitis is detected during the
first 30 to 40 days post-partum, it
is also associated with the occur
rence of infectious and metabolic
diseases, as well as environmental
stress. It is important to profitably
manage acidosis and laminitis
since both are a consequence of
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maximizing energy intake, milk
production, and found in well
managed herds. Critical areas of
management include: feeding and
management practices, attention
to cow comfort, routine hoof trim
ming (twice/year), maintenance of
adequate body condition, etc.”
As news of the hoof-trimming
clinic spread, families filled the
auction area at Kish Valley Dairy
Sales in Belleville, owned by
Sherm Click. Paul Neer intro
duced retired classifier Paul Miller
who spoke about breeding
strength back into herds. The
group then moved outside for hoof
trimming demonstrations on
several cows with various foot
problems. Neer urged farmers to
learn the difference between
warts, corns, and foot rot and to
look for hemorrhaging.
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