QUESTION: Why did my
MUN (milk urea nitrogen) go
down this month, when I know for
sure that protein levels and com
position remained the same? I
talked to my nutritionist and he
said that the MUN test must be
wrong this month.
ANSWER: Please do not stop
reading this!
I know the question sounds like
one that we addressed a very short
time ago, but I assure you that it is
different
The beauty about MUN testing
is further exemplified in this herd
situation.
August test day showed a MUN at 13.5 for
the herd and, as always, we looked at the vari
ous breakdowns to find that this average held
up across the herd.
Next month the MUN changed slightly to
12.9 and again the range was acceptable and
herd performance was increasing throughout
Now, October test day has MUN dropping
to 6.6, production has fallen off, and the dairy
man is not happy.
Naturally the feed man is to blame, and he
in turn sliifts the blame to the DHIA lab.
After about a week of pointing the finger
and not solving the problem of falling produc
tion, I got a call from this dairyman.
The following is what we talked about and
the recommended solution.
After a few questions, it became very clear
that this dairyman knew his cows and is very
in tunc with changes that happen on his farm.
The biggest change that happens to most
farms during October is feeding new crop
silage.
The dairyman told me he felt the new silage
was much better than the old because of the
higher amount of com grain in this year's
crop.
He started to feed the new silage about
three weeks prior to milk test day.
His observation about his feed adds to the
information that his cows tell us when we
look at their MUN.
Low MUN says that his cows need more
rumen degradable protein.
His observation about his com may suggest
that rumen fermentable carbohydrates have
increased. No haylage is fed and dry hay
makes up the rest of the forage intake.
The hay is still the same crop that he has
been feeding. His protein concentrate makeup
has not changed for two months.
Now that we have the basic information
needed.for coming to some conclusion, we
can look at other performance parameters to
guide us in our planned solution.
Milk fat has been the same for the last three
lest periods, with a slight increase of 3.6 per
cent to 3.8 percent as we tested in October.
This suggests that even if the com silage has
more grain, thus more rumen fermentable car
bohydrates, we have not created an acid
rumen environment. We ate safe at current
fiber and concentrate levels.
Milk protein levels have also been steady
with a slight increase from 3.1 percent to 3.2
percent in October. - '
Increased milk protein levels
can be a sign that more rumen
degradable carbohydrates ate pre
sent in the diet. Milk pounds are
less in October and days-in-milk
ate virtually unchanged.
The next step is to answer the
“what-to-do" question.
Here I needed help from this
dairyman’s nutritionist
We reviewed the same ques
tions and comments that I had dis
cussed with the dairyman. We
talked about possible solutions and
the nutritionist indicated that the
new protein mix was to be deliv
ered the following Monday. He
recommended adding urea to the
diet to increase the soluble or
degradable portion of the protein.
Once again, we sec ways to eva
luate our day-to-day feeding man
agement with DHIA tools like
MUN.
PA DHIA is committed to edu
cating dairymen and their on-farm
professionals to make DHIA a
Weigh Better
On Your Bottom Line
COOPERATOR
BEILER FARMS
RONKS, PA
LANCASTER COUNTY
PLANTED 428/98
HARVESTED 10/2/98
COOPERATOR
JAY BOMGARDNER
EPHRATA. PA
LANCASTER COUNTY
PLANTED 5/21/98
HARVESTED 11/2/98
COOPERATOR
■■■■■ " ’ COOPERATOR
TED ESBENSHAOE PIONEER 33Y18 170 3 16 5 59 5 $335 46
DEKALB DK546 142 9 17 2 56 5 $279 52 DALE HOFFMAN
MANHEIM, PA PIONEER 33V08 (BT) 1752 162 580 $33922
LANCASTER COUNTY NK BRAND MAX 496 161 9 185 580 $31254 RICHFIELD PA
PIONEER 33A14 (BT) 1860 19 2 565 $356 38 SNYDER COUNTY PLANTED 5/26/98
PLANTED 5/20/98 NK BRAND N75-T2 152 6 208 57 0 $287 57
HARVESTED 11/4/98 PIONEER 33Y09(8T) 180 2 17 8 585 $350 29
s— COOPERATOR
COOPERATOR
FELMLEE S DAIRY PIONEER 3260 115 5 26 0 560 $205 67 MANCHESTER MD
MYCOGEN TMFII3 1062 2SO 560 $16467 CARROLL COUNTY
FT LOUDON. PA
BEDFORD COUNTY PUNTED 5/1098 HARVESTED 1077/9$
COOPERATOR
ELWOOD MYERS PIONEER 3260 196 6 21 9 55 0 $36614
PIONEER 3140 229 7 21 9 54 0 $427 76 WAYNESBORO, PA
WAYNESBORO, PA PIONEER 33Y09(8T) 2382 18 7 56 0 $458 69 BEDFORD COUNTY PLANTED 5/26/98 HARVESTED 1 (VI9/98
BEDFORD COUNTY OOEBLERS 636XP 181 0 17 6 54 0 $352 66
IJJI **9 525? il Pioniir® bnnd hybrids with ttif YitWGard' gn» 1 Rtgistirtd tracrtmirV ol «r>d us#d und«r 1»c«ns« Irom
PIONeIr 5 Ifu 1193 55 0 Zm “^ bUsh " dry '"° °' *°
PIONEER 53026 2125 16 8 570 $41736 port of moislurt Yuld is reprtsenlid m bu/A al 15%moislure
AabA
{ ) PIONEER® brand products are provided subject to the terrps and conditions of purchase which are
1 1 J part of the labeling and purchase documents Pioneer is a brand name numbers identity varieties and
PIONEER products ®SM TM Trademarks and service marks registered or applied for of Pioneer Hi-Bred
International Inc Des Moines lowa USA © 1998 PHII
BRjtNO PRODUCTS
more valuable tool as we head into
the next centuiy.
Working together is the way to
accomplish our goals. Placing
blame is just another stone to step
over.
Let us know how we can help
and serve you.
MILK
Where's your mustache?
'Buyers of the high seller are, from left, are Harry and William Moshoider on behalf
of Matthew Moshoider of Rockwood, who bought Reeber Astre Gorgeous from con
signor Emily Cloninger of Centre Hail, represented by her mother Ellen and her sister
Rebecca, for $4,000. Sale chairman was Chris Connelly, assisted by Diane Clock. In
the auctioneer’s box are Mike Weimer and Harry Bachman.
loneer® brand corn hybrids deliver more yield, more value and
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD HBT. WT. ACRE
PIONEER 33V08 (BT) 203 9
PIONEER 33Y18 2021
PIONEER 33Q26 208 5
DOEBLER S 636XY 197 5
PIONEER 33A14 (BT) 231 7
PIONEER 33Y09 (BT) 2131
DOEBLER S 746XY 214 2
PIONEER 32K61 222 5
PIONEER 3335 2361
TEST INCOME/
YIELD MBT> WT. ACRE
HYBRID
BRAND
8H4660 1453
33A14 (BT) 202 4
HT7746 166 4
33G26 187 4
8464 179 6
33Y09 (BT) 182 9
6396 171 6
3335 206 7
LG2S79 1831
33Y18 198 5
NBTS9S 142 3
33V08 (BT) 192 6
HYTEST
PIONEER
HYTEST
PIONEER
GARST
PIONEER
GARST
PIONEER
LG SEEDS
PIONEER
LG SEEDS
PIONEER
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MBT. WT. ACRE
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MBT. WT. ACRE STERLING S ALBAN DEKALB 0K546 171 4 17 5 57 0 $334 23
PIONEER 34K77 167 6 16 7 58 0 $36123
DEKALB DK546 170 4 17 9 57 0 $330 88
* PIONEER 34K77 189 0 18 9 58 0 $363 33
PLANTED 5/1/98 HARVESTED 10/17/98
TEST INCOME/ COOPERATOR
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
Lancaster
15 th Nittany
Fall Classic
Held At Penn State
JUDITH PATTON
Union Co. Correspondent
UNIVERSITY PARK, Centre
Co.) - Higher milk prices this fall
brought an enthusiastic crowd to
the Penn State Ag Arena on No
vember 7 lh for the 15 lh annual Nit-
COOPERATOR
ELAM S STOLTZFUS
$40043
$40019
$405 76
$383 06
$446 35
$413 42
$404 91
$431 24
$461 77
NARVON, PA
LANCASTER COUNTY
COOPERATOR
ELMER G STOLTZFUS
HONEY BROOK. PA
UNCASTER COUNTY
$260 18
$3BO 99
$30655
$355 74
$33911
$354 77
$325 63
$397 34
$349 81
$385 12
$262 08
$365 95
COOPERATOR
CATALPA FARMS
MIDDLETOWN. PA
UNCASTER COUNTY
COOPERATOR
DAVID W MARTIN
EPHRATA PA
UNCASTER COUNTY
ARNOLD DILLER
■arml
tany Lion Fall Classic Sale.
Jointly managed by the Penn
State Dairy Science Club and the
Pennsylvania Holstein Associa
tion, the sale grossed $97,650,
averaging $1,878 on 52 Hol
steins.
lORE BOTTOM LINE POWER.
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD HST. WT. ACRE
PIONEER
NK BRAND
33A14 (BT) 136 5
MAX6O7 115 8
PLANTED 5/25/98
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MBT, WT. ACRE
PIONEER 33Y09 (BT) 190 6 21 2 57 5
PIONEER 3335 209 7 21 5 56 0
DOEBLERS 75XMOD 1605 207 51 5
PLANTED 4/30/96 HARVESTED 10/16/98
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MBT. WT. ACRE
PIONEER 3523
DOEBLERS 679XP
PLANTED 5/23/98
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD HST. WT. ACRE
NK BRAND MAX4S4 168 3 17 1 57 0
PIONEER 3394 166 3 17 7 57 5
PIONEER 33V08 (BT) 190 8 19 2 58 0
PLANTED 5/25/98 HARVESTED 11/2/98
TEST INCOME/
■RAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
NK BRAND MAX 496 1198 234 570 $21946
PIONEER 33V08 (BT) 132 5 24 2 58 0 $240 66
TEST INCOME/
■RAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
PIONEER 33Y18 201 6 20 8 56 0 $379 90
DOEBLERS 75X2 165 1 26 3 53 0 $292 84
yggsßßEO YIELDS
PIONEER
lovemi
'f
Lion
Sale
(Turn to Page A3B)
$237 80
$196 33
HARVESTED 10/16/98
$357 64
$392 20
$27702
$471 20
$374 57
199
21 14
247 7
2001
HARVESTED 11/7/98
$329 52
$362 44
$365 49
HARVESTED 11/2/98
StfO
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