Watch as Dr. Ernsberger and Tom Klas from ANIMART’s ProHealth Team explain the basics of BRD.
BRD, or Bovine Respitory Disease, is caused by bacteria and viruses but can be controlled if proper environmental and nutrition conditions are provided and vaccination protocols followed.
What’s Your Return on Investment?
Less open days
Increased pregnancy rate
More cows producing milk
Less use of drugs, semen, hormones
Less labor for staff and farm management
Watch as Dr. Ernsberger and Tom Klas from ANIMART’s ProHealth Team explain the benefits of the NEW Legend Heat Detection System.
A. Good pregnancy rates (PR) are dependent on the rate of conception and the heat detection rate. Conception rate (CR) is the proportion of cows that are inseminated and become pregnant (US dairy herd average is 40%). And the heat detection rate (HDR) is the rate of heat detection in a 21 day period (national average is about 40%). The national average herd PR is approximately 16% (0.40 CR X 0.40 HDR=0.16 PR). So by improving detection of heat, a producer will improve their pregnancy rate.
Many farms are using heat synchronization programs to regulate estrus in their cattle. These programs work well but are dependent on staff that will give the proper injection at the right time. Failures of heat synchronization program typically are due to poor client compliance. In addition to heat synchronization programs, others depend on visual observation by employees for heat detection. Again problems will occur if employees are busy doing other tasks while doing heat detection or if the observer is unfamiliar with the signs of a cow coming into heat, in standing heat, and going out of heat. Conventionally, the timing of insemination should be based on the onset of standing estrus, i.e., inseminated about 12 hours after onset of estrus.
There are several brands of electronic heat detection systems available that are used to automatically monitor the movement of cattle. Most systems involve the use of a cow tag, receiver (that collects data from the tags on the cow) and a computer program on a farm laptop. ANIMART is now introducing the Legend Dairy Management, a complete system for continuously monitoring the activity of cows and heifers. This dynamic program provides advanced, high resolution heat detection with a system that continuously sends signals (every six minutes) to the receivers in the pens and is constantly updating information on the farm computer. Also the Legend system (exclusively available at ANIMART) offers tags that can be placed on the cow’s leg and, the best part, requires no maintenance. Beyond use for heat detection, users have used these systems to locate sick cows and cows due to freshen.
We want to make your life on the farm easier. Learn how the New Digital Refractometers can be used for checking quality of colostrum as well as Total Protein for evaluating failure of passive transfer.
A. The Brix scale was traditionally used to measure the percent of sugar in a solution. Brix refractometers have been used to measure sugar concentration in fluids of wine, fruit juice and honey. Recently the brix refractometer is being used on the farm to measure colostrum quality.
First some background information about what we are measuring. In order to ensure adequate transfer of antibody to the calf, the industry has the goal of 150 grams of IgG should be fed to the calf in the first feeding of colostrum. So if we assume a calf is fed 3 liters of colostrum, we want that colostrum to have at least 50 grams per liter of IgG.
Most calf raisers are familiar with the use of a colostrometer to check the quality of colostrum. The colostrometer measures the specific gravity; the colostrometer is placed in a cylinder containing colostrum and floats at a level dependent on the specific gravity of the colostrum (green is colostrum greater than 50 grams/liter, yellow is 20 to 50 grams/liter and red is less than 20 grams/liter). The problem is that the colostrometer should be read at room temperature (72F) and it is fragile.
Brix scale refractometers perform as well as a colostrometer plus are very convenient to use, not influenced by temperature and not as fragile. To use, just place a few drops of colostrum on the prism and lower the sample cover, hold it up to a light source and the Brix value is read at the line between the light and dark areas that appear on the scale. Digital models are available that are easier to use compared to the optical refractometer. The high fat content of colostrum often causes blurred band, rather than a distinct line; digital refractometers seem to be able to read these high-fat samples accurately. A reading of 22% on the Brix scale is equal to 50 grams per liter of IgG. The goal would be to get 3 liters (3 liters X 50 grams IgG per liter = 150 grams of IgG) of that quality colostrum into the newborn ASAP.
According to University studies, Bovamine can increase feed efficiency by up to 4.3%. Bovamine also helps with E Coli shedding and has a derived benefit to the overall health of the animal. This solution is Win-Win!
BioPRYN saves time and money and increases the safety and accuracy of pregnancy testing. ANIMART Sales Manager, Tom Klas, and Veterinarian, Dr. Richard Ernsberger, talk about the benefits of using BioPRYN pregnancy testing and how it works.
A: Not all carcass residue testing is random— some is mandatory. If the inspector sees signs of mastitis, metritis, peritonitis/surgery, injection sites and/or pneumonia, that carcass will be further examined for positive meat residue results.
Unfortunately, there are certain consequences associated with the presence of drug residues at slaughter. The FDA may want to know:
That farm may go on one of two ongoing, public USDA lists:
Residue Violator Alert List— “Repeat violators” are individuals or firms who repeatedly (i.e., on more than one occasion within a 12-month period) sell an animal for slaughter in which the carcass is found to contain a violative level of a drug, pesticide or other chemical residue.
Same Source Supplier— This residue violator list has 3 parts. Part I contains residue violations for the current week, Part II has source violations recorded for the current week with prior violation(s) identified within the past year and Part III has source violations collected over a rolling 12-month window. (Definitions from www.fsis.usda.gov website)
Once on these lists, the FSIS (Food Safety Inspection Service) can test two or more animals per shipment until the tests for four consecutive, separate shipments from the supplier are negative.
When an animal is rejected by the FSIS, that information is passed on to the FDA. Consequences of FDA investigation can vary depending on the severity of the violation(s). They can range from a warning letter and/or fine after inspection, to civil sanctions and/or criminal charges.
So be proactive:
Although cattle can suffer from pinkeye during anytime of the year, vaccinating cattle 30 days prior to fly season is key to preventing pinkeye in your herd. Dr. Ernsberger, Professional Services Veterinarian and Tom Klas, Sales Manager talk about pinkeye prevention and fly control solutions for your herd!
A: The goal of good udder prep is to give adequate teat stimulation to maximize oxytocin release for efficient milk let-down, speed and milk out. The following are some general ideas to consider when putting together your udder prep protocol.
Strip—This step can be done before or after cows are dipped. Mastitis can be detected by stripping each quarter. Milk should never be stripped into the hand because this spreads organisms from teat to teat and from cow to cow. Milkers should always wear clean gloves while milking. Gloves can be cleaned periodically during milking by washing them with warm water and sanitizer.
Dip—Pre-dip should remain in contact with the teat for 20 to 30 seconds.
Dry—Complete cleaning and drying with individual towels can reduce bacterial populations on teat surfaces by 75 percent. Make sure the teat and the teat end are wiped clean and dry.
Each towel should be laundered, sanitized and dried after each milking. Washing teats without thorough drying leaves many organisms on the teats. If teats are not dried, water which contains mastitis-causing organisms can drip down and be pulled into teat cups, exposing teat ends to bacteria. Milking wet teats increases the chance of mastitis and reduces overall milk quality.
Apply—The ideal lag time from the start of udder stimulation to unit attachment is 60 seconds, with a maximum of two minutes.
Tips to remember:
