DAIRY FARM MANAGEMENT BASICS A Farm Management Course by Glenn A. Shirk Penn State Extension Agent Lancaster County, Pennsylvania The first ten articles in this senes focused primarily on the personal and business side of dairying - goals, benchmarking, farm investments, costs of production , number crunching, etc Cows are the heart of the dairy business The big question is how can we manage them so they have an opportunity to help us meet our personal and business goals So, the next group of articles will focus on some key areas of herd management, such as feeding and nutrition, cow comfort and behavior, genetics and rcproducuon, herd health culling and merchandising cattle, and herd replacements. Let’s start with feeding and nutrition Feeding is one of the most important areas of herd management because it affects so many things, the most obvious of which is milk production It also atfects a cow s health, her immune status and her conception rates And, feed-related costs represent 50% or more of the total cost of producing milk Some general goals in feeding cows are - Maximize rumen activity - Maximize the production of microbial protan by the rumen - Meet the nutrient needs of ALL groups of cattle on the farm - Maximize dry matter intake (DMI) - Control not minimize teed costs 'SSSSSSSSSZSSS. 0 NEWFOUNDLAND P NEW AREA 6 DAY HUNTING PACKAGES Moose $2,737 Woodland Caribou $3,220 Combination Moose/Canbou $4,301 (Extra davs $414) (All Prices include H ST) HUNTING PACKAGES INCLUDE: • \on resident license • One guide per hunter • Meat de boned, packaged and chilled for shipping • Trophy preparation • Discount if booked b) Aug 15, 1198 (717) 838-1727 George * (2) 4” Irrigation reels by Ferbo 1 Reel w/1200’, 1 w/1000’, both reels w/gun stands & carts * PTO driven Caprari pump, w/5” suction pipe All Field Ready All excellent Condition 717-769-6546 Ask For Dean 717-769-6846 Fax POLRRIS If you’ve got a lot of land to cover and hard work to do, take a Polaris RANGER. Nothing beats it for farm work, construction, hunting and other recreational uses. LeROY’S SNOWMOBILES 1004 H *9 h P° int R ° ad Cochranville, PA 19330 610593-6280 :edim & Fencingj Round corners for safety & strength. Constructed with 1.9 tubing with al3 gauge wall. All steel [ Cattle Slats ] Heavy duty cattle slat is wet cast with a 1/2” diameter welded rebar cage. 6 1/2” thick throughout the entire slat with 1 3/4” slots. Slow cured for extra strength. W See us at Ag Progress Days L on West 6th Street J LEBANON VALLEY ENTERPRISES, INC. Some goals for maximizing rumen activity are - Establish the maximum number of the right kinds of microbes in the rumen - Provide rumen microbes the kind of environment and the kinds of nutrients they need - Sustain peak rumen function 24 hours a day with no slack off times 1 Benefits of a highly functional rumen - Dry matter intake improves when feeds are digested thoroughly and move out of the digesuve tract rapidly. More room is freed up for additional feed intake Thus it is beneficial to keep microbes woiking at peak activity 24 hours a day. - More microbial protein is produced This is a high quality bypass protein that is available to the cow - - and at no cost The more microbes there are that grow in the rumen, and the more feed that passes from the rumen into the small intesune, the more microbes there are that also get drug into the intestine to be digested as microbial protein This is very high quality, ammo acid nch protein, and tt is FREE If the rumen is functioning well, it can produce about 7lb of microbial protein per day. This is a very significant part of the cow's total daily need - Cows maintain more normal levels of fat tests, even at high levels of milk production 2 To tuncuon well, the rumen needs lop grade TGIC Polyester Coating and comes with a 20 Year Rust Through Guarantee. Manufacturing • Powder Coating • Precast P.O. Box 187, Myerstown, PA 17067 • (717) 866-2030 The rumen feeds the cow, so the cow is only aq good as her rumen Feeds are utilized more efficiently when the rumen is functioning well That means the feeds arc better utilized, more of the feed nutrients end up as milk in the tank and flesh on the cow s back, rather than in the gutter as wasted nutrients and expensive fertilizer Good working environment, which means a properly buffered rumen that remains at a proper pH level (not too acid) Good quality fiber for microbes to attach to and digest The forages a cow consumes provide the fiber the microbes need, and it forms a floaung, fibrous mat in the rumen. This fiber also encourages cows to chew their cud As cows chew then cuds, they produce gallons and gallons of saliva which is an excellent quality buffer for the rumen, and it's a buffer that has no palatabihty problems and it is FREE Continual supply of other nutrients, such as soluble protein and soluble carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals laxjmizmg Rumen Acti Versatile design offers generous lunge space between loop. Heavy construction with 2 3/8” high yield steel tubing with 12 gauge wall. EHead Locks ] Auto release for downed cows Adjustable neck opening for calf to cow Heavy 1 ’’ schedule 40 pipe for uprights
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