DHIA Question: What are some nutritional considerations during transitional cow care? Should we use anionic salts? The biggest challenge dur ing the prcfresh or transitional period is dry matter intake (DMI). We know that DMI is suppressed by anionic salts simply because the cows do not like them. We should avoid feeding these salts whenever possible. Some care in our feeding programs can avoid the Most Insurances Accepted • New state-of-the-art Open MRI • Most experienced Radiologists in the area need for these products. We spend all of our time and energy making the best feed for the milking animals and little to no time planning the feed needs of the dry cows. Some land should be set aside for the sole purpose of growing forage for our dry cows. Obviously, this is not practical for most farms in the northeast when it comes to feeds such as com sil age. The number of dry cows simply is not large enough to warrant special facilities for the storage of such feed. Hay, on the other hand, is a different story. It is easy to set aside a small field or two to grow hay that is more suitable for our dry cows. By watching soil nutri ent levels and restricting the use of manure on this land, we can produce low-potassium forages that can eliminate the need for anionic salts in the transition diet Another alter native would be to purchase the forage needs of the transition group from farms that have no animal units on them. Hay from these farms typically is lower in potassium due to cost of applying this nutrient and lack of potassium from animal waste. There are many farms in the noitheast that can do little to reduce potassium levels of the forage that is fed. It is common to see alfalfa testing between 3 and 4 percent potassium. Even grasses, which are commonly used for dry cow diets, ap proach 3 percent due to heavy manure usage on farms. When we couple this with com silage potassium levels at 1.5 to 2 per cent, we can experience some real problems. High dietaiy po tassium increases blood pH and if severe, can reduce the cow’s ability to mobilize cal cium. This triggers milk fever, either clinical or sub-clinical, and leads to increased nutri tional stress. This stress contri butes to retained placentas, ke tosis, displacements, and sometimes mastitis. How can we tell if we need to use anionic salts? Milk fever is certainly a clue that we may To offset the falling prices over the years farmers have followed the advice of agri-industry, agri-business, government and economists... \ * r Have you tried the National Farmers Organization ? g NFO believes that it is better for producers to partner g with their neighbors in the marketplace -- g Than to partner with agri-industry and be absorbed! a WhatiaTOU think! M Phone: 800-247-2110 g E-Mail: NFO@netins.net jj Internet site: http//nfo.org g 2505 Elwood Dr., Ames, IA 50010 g ORGANIZATION Weekend Dairy Lane: 800-247-2199 | Stop by and see us at the PA Farm Show g Booth 533 on the Main Floor. ... .b isunsun PRICES!! SUPER TOUGH STEEL BUILDINGS Factory Direct 800/825-5059 need to use the salts. We need to make sure of the dietary bal ance for these prefresh cows because even the correct type of forage can cause problems when not balanced properly. A useful tool when we are not sure about the need for anionic salts is the urine pH. Dry Hol stein cows and especially those in the last three weeks before calving should have urine pH readings between 6.0 and 6.5. Jerseys should be 5.8 to 6.2. Levels below these may not be a problem but we need to be certain that we are not reducing intakes due to too much anion ic salts. Everyone seems to have a different answer about the mineral balance for transition cows. Remember these are only guidelines and should be used just as a starting point. Calcium Phosphorus Magnesium Sodium Potassium... Sulfur Chloride As a final note, I must say that I see a wide range of qual ity when it comes to feeding our dry cows. We may be able to get away with something less than optimal for forages on long-term dry cows. When it comes to prefresh cows there is no room in the diet for less than the best we have to offer. We We got efficient. Got bigger. Used the beet technology. Got lean and mean. We tried everything - or did we? niMcicuam Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 8, 2000-A29 l%-1.2% 0.4%-0.45% ...0.4% 0.1% ...0.7%-1.5% ... 0.3%-0.4% o8;S«L10>o4