Va. Dairy Conferences Keep Farmers Up To Date
CAY BROWNLEE
Virginia Correspondent
DAYTON, Va. At the Mon
tezuma Hall on Dec. 11, a group
of dairy farmers that gathered for
the 2003 Valley Dairy Confer
ence heard in-depth information
from Virginia Tech representa
tives and guest speaker, Phillip
Jardon, from West Central Soy,
Ralston, lowa.
The local conference was third
in a series of five being conducted
in the state. The four other events
scheduled were in Southwest Vir
ginia, Rocky Mount, Farmville,
and Culpeper.
The topics presented included
the latest studies relating to nu
trition and management of dry
cows, monitoring anionic salt
programs by urine pH, shorter
dry periods, mastitis control, se
lecting sires for daughter preg
nancy rate, and manipulation of
light (photoperiod) to increase
milk in lactating dairy cows.
Also, farm management when
milk prices are low, farm efficien
cy in difficult times, and manag
ing finances well in difficult times
were also on the agenda.
Speakers included Dr. Steve
Nickerson, head of the Virginia
Tech Department of Dairy Sci
ence. When he discussed new de
velopments in mastitis control,
everyone was listening.
Nickerson said the association
of bulk tank somatic cell count
with herd mastitis status and re
sults in financial losses to the
tune of $lBO per cow every year.
At that rate, a small herd of 50
head will generate an annual loss
well above $9,000. When the herd
is comprised of 400 cows, the
losses climb to $72,408.
“Its a very expensive disease,”
Nickerson said. “We need to do
all we can to decrease the somatic
cell count.” ,
In addressing the problem,-dry
cow therapy has a number of ad-
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Following the 2003 Valley Dairy Conference Jerry
Swisher, left, from Fairfield, and Dennis Showalter, a
dairy farmer from Montezuma, discuss relevant topics.
Photo by Gay Brownlee, Virginia correspondent.
vantages. It reduces the IMI dur
ing early dry-off, reduces infec
tion at calving, cure rate is higher
than lactation, tissue may rede
velop before calving, clinical mas
titis at calving is reduced, and
antibiotic contamination is mini
mal.
While exterior teat sealants for
deterring bacteria may look good
on the surface, Nickerson said
they dont really work. Those who
are using the teatseal product Or
beSeal in conjunction with dry
cow therapy, however, are defi
nitely on the side of prevention,
he said.
“1 always say treat with a dry
cow product and follow with Or
beSeal,” Nickerson said, assuring
those present that the product is
officially approved for organic
use.
“ Basically, we are looking at
prevention during the dry peri
od.” Nickerson said.
He also said that with heifer
mastitis, flies are definitely in
volved.
“Heifers are our future cows.
me’s
merit
Hogs
\\
Weve got to take care of them.”
Phillip W. Jardon spent con
siderable time discussing the nu
trition and management of dry
cows the rumen, immune sys
tem, normal calcium levels, and
positive energy balance.
He also discussed the high
(bad), low (good), and variable
DCAD (dietary cation-anion dif
ference). in feeds.
Jardon said that sometimes
farmers over-fertilize fields.
“In general, we put too much
emphasis on alfalfa,’’ Jardon
said. “Cows like grass and 1 like
grass in a close-up diet. It has a
good scratch factor.”
“Even experts disagree,” he
said, about the controversy over
fiber content in the diet of a
close-up cow. “We dont have it
figured out, although we think
we do.”
Jardon also referred to a recent
article, “Shorter Dry Periods
Look Good,” written by Robin
Rastani and Ric Grummer, in
Hoards Dairyman (December
2003) and copied with permis
sion.
During a break in the con
ference, dairyman Dale
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Heatwole from Dayton said that
he was interested primarily in
learning about close-up and dry
cow management for his mixed
herd of 60 Holstein and Brown
Swiss cows.
“I would like to try some Orbe-
Seal in the teats of a dry cow, and
shorten the dry period 111 be
doing more of that,” he said.
“Im going to try dry-treating
heifers before they freshen,”
Heatwole said.
Bennet Cassell, extension dain
scientist in genetics and manage
ment, covered the gamut of in
formation relating to sire selec
tion in regard to daughter
pregnancy rate (PR).
This covered fertility, genetics,
breeding values, and selection
programs to reduce the costs of
production.
Manipulation of photoperiod
to increase milk yield in lactating
cows was a topic Iris D. Peeler
discussed. Peeler is a masters de
gree student in the Vermont De
partment of Dairy Science.
She referred to a number of
sources supporting her presenta
tion and concluded that b> sim
ply manipulating light (a long
day of 16 hours light and eight
hours dark, for example) is a sim
ple and cost-effective way for
dairies of all sizes to increase
milk yield in lactating dairy cat
tle.
The light technology that is se
lected should be as close as possi
ble to natural light.
Aaron Musick addressed the
issue of how to manage the dairy
farm when milk prices are low.
Musick is the herd manager at
the Tifton Research Station, Uni
versity of Georgia.
He defined a good manager
and talked about short and long
term planning, noting the specific
issues that are entailed in sound
management practices.
The dairy business person
must have intimate knowledge of
his/her operation, past and pres-
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 27, 2003-A33
ent, before he/she can plan its fu
ture. Facilities, diary animals,
equipment, employee relations,
and financial accounts (business
and personal) are all part of the
picture.
Maintaining a records system
accurately is essential to a suc
cessful operation.
Professor Ronald E. Pearson,
the Vermont Department of
Dairy Science, in his presentation
on managing dairy operations in
difficult times, said “The extreme
fluctuations in milk price accen
tuate the need to use times of
higher price to pay down debt,
improve efficiency, and stockpile
cash to survive the next down
turn.”
When problems arise they first
have to be identified and the
cause of them diagnosed. Alter
native solutions must be examin
ed, followed by the decision about
how to solve the problem. Form a
tactical plan about who does
what, when, where. Last, follow
up to determine if progress has
been made.
“You have to go back and
check if the problems are solved,”
Pearson said.
The financial aspect of man
agement was covered by Gordon
Groover, the Vermont extension
economist.
“Critical decisions are made
when times are good. When
times are good, thats when you
set the stage foi whats going to
come back and haunt you,”
Groover said.
Groover said farmers need to
understand why they farm and
they need to learn how to focus
on the opportunities rather than
the problems.
The conference was hosted by
Alan Grove, extension dairy
agent working out of the Rock
ingham Extension office and
Tina Horn, extension dairy agent
from the Augusta Extension of
fice.
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