Are you ready for Brexit? We have published Newsletter 117, discussing rumen buffering, the use of yeast for beef, and cow alert monitoring!

Download LS Newsletter 117…

Newsletter 115 has been published! Covering the re-launch of Britannia Energized Calf Milk, the benefits of Oregano (!), essential fatty acids, maize silage and much more!
Download LS Newsletter 115…

We have published Newsletter 116, discussing updated COVID 19 working practises, and more!

Download LS Newsletter 116…

Organic or Inorganic?

Current research is showing that inclusion of inorganic minerals from Copper, Manganese, Zinc and Iron is far from desirable for mineral supplements.

Sulphates, Oxides, Chlorides and Carbonates all have serious negative effects and whilst history has shown some benefits when used sparingly we now know that the variation in Ph through the GIT (Gastro-intestinal Tract) causes some very negative interactions during digestion, and some of the compounds produced are toxic at a cellular level.

We also know that the loading of unused trace elements is also both wasteful and has a negative impact on the environment.

Chelated organic minerals (Trace elements bonded to peptides or amino acids), have been proved to be highly bi-available and can totally replace their inorganic counterparts at lower levels and will often save money.
They significantly reduce negative environmental impact and have been shown to have major advantages in improving, health (mastitis, somatic cell counts, lameness, ante-natal metabolic disease issues) fertility, and neonatal and post-natal heifer growth and performance through first lactation.

It therefore makes sense to focus on TRT (Total Replacement Treatment) of these key trace elements in supplemental formulation.

The fundamental starting point with introducing TRT has to be the dry cow period. There is much compelling evidence to show both better calving and long term benefits by replacing standard formulations with chelated trace zinc, manganese, copper and selenium as the only sources.

£50 per Tonne off

We have decided to run a little campaign from August 1st as a result of this new focus.
Anyone ordering TRT minerals forward on contracts to next spring will get £50 per Tonne off the RRP

There will be a further reductions of:

• £10 per tonne for 5 tonne drops
• £20 per tonne for 10 tonne drops
• Full Loads POA

…

The hot weather back in May 2020 and the high relative humidity seen from time to time since then has resulted in increased levels of heat stress.

Dairy cows are homoeothermic animals and need to maintain a constant body temperature of around 38.8°C +/- 0.5°C. They are sensitive to factors which influence their thermal exchange with the environment.
These factors include air temperature, radiant temperature, air velocity and relative humidity. Their internal temperature regulation is also affected by their state of equilibrium in the digestive tract. Acidosis has a major effect on temperature regulation.

A key symptom of acidosis is increased body temperature, increased body temperature is a symptom that for the most part goes un-noticed.
The recent weather temperature and humidity spikes have led to a re-focus on the use of rumen buffers to help regulate heat stress as well as acidosis.
For the most part both heat stress and acidosis are sub-clinical and un-seen but both conditions are serious enough to reduce production and fertility.

Heat stress costs you money.

Heat stress – the dairy cow

• Heat-stressed lactating cows have reduced dry matter intake, milk production and pregnancy rates.
• Heat stress also leads to increased lameness, disease incidence, days open and death rates.
• Heat-stressed late gestation cows have shorter gestation periods, calves with lower birth weights, reduced milk production and impaired immune function.
• Heifer calves from heat-stressed cows produce less milk for the first 30 weeks of lactation after freshening.

Heat stress – the calf

• • At environmental temperatures above 25°C, the calf’s body temperature will rise
  • In an attempt to keep cool, calves will : –
    – Breath quicker
    – Drink less milk and eat less feed
    – Drink more water
    – Spend longer standing and less time lying
  • Energy is diverted to maintain core body temperature, making less energy available for growth.
  • Immune system is suppressed which reduces the calf’s ability to fight off disease.

Preventing Heat Stress

Many dairy farmers use many different approaches to help their cows regulate body temperature in hot, humid, and sunny weather.

Shade

Shade can help reduce the solar heat load and remains one of the first recommendations to help lactating cows and dry cows manage their body heat in hot weather.
Well ventilated housing and open sided shelter sheds are good options for providing shade. There are several shade structure options that can be used.
When providing shade, it is important to provide plenty of cover for all of the animals at the same time without crowding. Around 40 square feet per animal is recommended.

Ventilation

Air exchange
Housing ventilation cools cows by providing air flow exchange between inside and outside. Ventilation can be by either natural or mechanical means.
In hot weather, provide as much air flow as possible. The target air movement should be between 60 and 90 air exchanges per hour.

Tunnel ventilation brings air in at one end of a barn and exhausts it out the other.

• • • The size of fans and inlets should be correctly calculated and the fans should be well maintained and inlets opened to get the desired air velocity.

Cross ventilation brings air in on the side of the barn and exhausts it out the other side.

• • • Cross-vent housing can use a series of baffles to try to keep the air flowing and increase the total flow at cow level.
    • It is important to size fans and inlets correctly. Make sure the fans are well maintained and inlets are open to get the desired air velocity.

Natural ventilation depends mainly on wind in hot weather.

• • • Open ridges will allow some hot air to escape out the ridge.
    • Fresh air enters through the open sides of the barn.

Air speed

Increasing the air speed flowing past a cow can help her get rid of heat.
Tunnel ventilation, cross-ventilation with baffles and high-speed mixing fans are ways to increase the air speed past a cow.

Example of air speed impact
Research in America has shown that at a THI of 75 and an airspeed of three miles per hour (mph), a cow producing 45lires per day would be expected to have a respiration rate of around 68 bpm (mild heat stress). Increasing the airspeed past the cow to ten mph would lower her respiration rate to 57 bpm (no heat stress).

Mixing fans should be mounted above the cubicles and feed passages,
Mixing fans need to be mounted high enough to not be a hazard to people, cows or equipment moving underneath the fans.

• • • Point high-speed fans downward by 20 degrees so the air blows past the cows.

Cooling with water

Misters and sprinklers help cows get rid of body heat.

• • • Misting systems cool the air by evaporating water droplets using heat in the air.
    • Sprinklers wet the cow’s skin, and her body heat is used to evaporate the liquid water on the skin.

Both methods will increase the air’s relative humidity, but if the barn has good ventilation, the humidity levels shouldn’t become excessive.

• • • Sprinklers and misters are more effective in drier weather with lower dew-point temperatures.
    • Avoid constant spray, sprinklers need to cycle on and off to allow time for water evaporation.
    • Avoid excessive sprinkling that causes water to run down and wet the udder because this can lead to an increased risk of mastitis.
    • With high-pressure misters, the droplets need to evaporate before they hit the cubicles or bedding.
      • Place misters near inlets to give a better dispersal to the cow waiting areas and feed barrier.
      • Misters are not as effective when ventilation blows the mist out of the barn before the air cools.

Drinking Water

Hydration is incredibly important for a cow to regulate her body temperature, both during times of heat stress and cold stress. Adequate drinking water should be supplied at all times.

• • • In hot weather (32-35 degrees C for a high daytime temp), a lactating cow producing 36-45 litres of milk drinks 95-135 litres of water per day.
    • The recommended amount of space is two linear inches

…

Managing the health of the liver is a “Chicken or Egg” dilemma.
The best course of action is to start off with the assumption that you will need to spend a few weeks treating the liver with a product that will result in a clean fully functioning healthy liver.
You cannot tell if a cow has a fatty liver issue simply by looking at the condition of the cow!
I am not ignoring potential liver fluke or copper issues but focusing on the fatty deposits in the liver.

The liver is the key organ in the body for energy metabolism.

Liver Function

The liver is a fantastic organ; it has a fundamental role in processing the following nutrients:
Fats, Sugars, Starches, Fibres, and Proteins.

So it’s pretty vital then!

The livers main role is transforming energy from these nutrients into a form where it can be moved around the body to all the sites where it is needed.
It is also responsible for the synthesis of non-essential amino acids and getting rid of excess ammonia by detoxifying into urea.

It therefore follows that if the liver gets clogged up with fat deposits it doesn’t function as efficiently, and problems associated with energy deficit are harder to solve for example fertility and milk production.

The trade has succeeded in flooding the market with a whole range of products deigned to keep the liver healthy or treat the liver in a way that cleans the organ of excess fat and promotes better function.

But what should you choose to treat the liver in the first place?

This dilemma is hotly debated, lets take a product like LiFT for example. Cargill, (who make the product) have produced a complex formula that contains a number of nutrients that have a proven effect on improving liver function.

Balchem have promoted ReaShure a pure and simple protected choline product.
Both manufactures claim that their products will give a good return on investment by aiding the mobilisation of fat deposited in the liver and thus improving its function.

But there is a debate over whether a full dose of choline (ReaShure) for 3 weeks before calving and preferably another 3 weeks after will give a better result than a product like LiFT which contains a broader spectrum of liver aiding nutrients at a lower dose.
Both companies have published trial data that shows a good response and return on the investment in each product.

Cargill also have another product in this arsenal, “Turbopro“. This is a complex product made up of liver function enhancing B vitamins (including palatability enhancers to encourage intake and Biotin (another B vitamin) to improve feet and help prevent lameness.

I quite like the idea of using Tubopro from the start of lactation or from 21 days as a liver maintenance agent right through the lactation.

I personally think that the initial approach to treating fatty livers in the dry period is best served with a full dose of ReaShure rather than a complex product.
I have discussed this with some of my associates and have to say that there is no clear consensus.
I guess you could play it either way!
Lakeland-Scottish Feeds & Services can supply any of the products listed below.

The answer is elusive but there is a clue in the cost of the treatments :

Reashure costs 42 pence per day or £8.82 for the close up three weeks.

LiFT costs 22 pence per day or £4.62 for the close up three weeks.

Turbopro costs 12.5 pence per day and is easily justified by maintaining the rewards provided by long term liver health!

• F 1 Elevator

This product is used in the close-up diet to trigger liver function, it is a blend of Glycerol and Mono-Propylene Glycol with a unique flavour added. It will provide a significant dose of energy just when the cow needs it.

F 1 Elevator also has a major effect on optimising appetite during this critical part of the dairy cow cycle.
F 1 Elevator is not a product that can reduce fat deposits in the liver. (It can be described as “More like taking it to the gym for a workout and improving its workload!”)

Feeding elevator is recommended only as a top dress product added (usually via a watering can).
The reason for this is that by exposing the digestive system to a significant dose of this very highly available energy source, the liver will be stimulated into a more vigorous response than the normal TMR would provide.

In simple terms “It is a kind of kick start”! This technique helps to improve the effectiveness with which the liver functions in general and the net result is a general improvement in energy metabolism.

The daily dose is 250 to 300ml costing 4.4 pence to 5.25 pence per day or 93 pence to £1.10 pence for 21 days.

We recommend that you continue to feed this to cows in the recovery pen and up to 21 days post calving if possible.

Proactively Manage Transition with ReaShure

The UK Dairy Sector is increasingly recognising the importance and financial returns associated with proactively managing transition.

The implications of getting it wrong on the profitability and general well-being of your herd can be significant, and feeding Reashure (Rumen Protected Choline) at this time will result in a healthier herd, improved fertility and increased milk yields/components throughout the lactation.

So, what is the problem?

• All cows at calving will enter a period of ‘negative energy balance’ where the energy supply cannot meet demand.
• During this ‘transition’ period, NEFFA’s (free fatty acids) are mobilised from her back and taken up by the liver, and it is how she responds to this challenge that determines the success or otherwise of her transition into lactation.
• As lactation begins, the cow’s choline requirements rapidly increase to ensure that these NEFFA’s are processed and packaged in a positive way as VLDL’s (Very Low Density Lipoproteins).
• However, the majority of dairy

…

We have released our Newsletter 114, discussing issues of F1 Fresh Start re-branding, the importance of water for ruminants, saving money without compromising performance, Soya vs Rape, calculating milk from forage, colostrum management, as well as mineral and commodity market updates.

We hope you find this to be helpful, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch of you need more information.

Download Newsletter 114…

Hi-Pro Soya meal vs Rape seed meal.

There are a few different versions of Soya and Rape seed meals available to the UK farming industry.

In order to focus the pros and cons of the debate, I have chosen to restrict the comparison to Hi-Pro Soya and both Extracted Rapeseed meal and Expeller Rapeseed meal.

“They say you can prove anything with figures!”

How should we evaluate the three products?

The key features of the products which have a direct effect on dairy production are as follows: –

• The Dry Matter (%DM, the same for all three).
• The Crude Protein. (CP % DM)
• The Energy. (MJ/Kg DM)
• The Bi-Pass Protein. (% DM) (contains essential Bi-pass amino acids)
• The Methionine. (% DM)
• The Lysine. (% DM)

These features should all be evaluated in order to arrive at balanced conclusion.

The evaluation is based on two elements: –

• Nutrients supplied
• Cost (price per tonne broken down to the cost of each nutrient supplied.)

There are two commonly accepted bench-mark costs for comparison used in the industry.

The cost of energy is based on the cost of a megajoule from barley.

The cost of protein is based on the cost of a percentage of crude protein from Hi-Pro Soya.

These figures are expressed on a dry matter basis.

The analysis of these figures is shown on the spread sheet attached to this e-mail.

The conclusions are not as obvious as they may seem.

The reason for this is because of substitution effects.

In simple terms 2Kg DM of Hi-Pro Soya will supply the same amount of crude protein as about 3Kg DM of Rapeseed meal (give or take a few grams).

This means that if we replace the soya with rapeseed meal, we have also reduced the contribution of the rest of the TMR by one Kg DM.

This makes a big difference because that Kilo is typically 12+MJ and around 17% Crude protein.

Here is the, “back of the envelope” calculation:

Note 1 Kg of TMR typically 40% Dry Matter costs @ 14pence
2 Kg DM Soya + 1 Kg TMR supplies	2 x 13.8 + 12 = 39.6 MJ/Kg DM.
	2 x 52.53 + 17 = 1.22 Kg CP
Cost	2 x 33.8p + (25p) = 92.6p
3 Kg Ext Rapeseed meal supplies	3 x 11.8 = 35.4 MJ/Kg DM
	3 x 37 = 1.11 Kg CP
Cost	3 x 22 p = 66p
3 Kg Exp Rapeseed meal supplies	3 x 13.2 MJ = 39.6 MJ/Kg DM
	3 x 35.4 = 1.062Kg CP
Cost	3 x 24.7p = 74p

The average difference between the soya diet and the rape diet is about 27 pence or for a 27 litre cow 1 pence per litre less!

However the difference of 4.2 Megajoules of energy should not be ignored because it equates to about 0.8 Litre or 0.8 x 27p = 21.6 pence!

But……is it really a true reflection of performance?

No!

• The NCGD (Neutral cellulase digestibility) of Hi-Pro Soya is 93%, Low-Pro is 84.2% and Rapeseed meal it is 70%.
• The bi-pass elements of the protein contain the amino acids that are not rumen degraded but are effectively absorbed in the abomasum and hind gut. These bi-pass proteins are invaluable in supplying the essential amino acids to the animal for production. Dietary methionine supplements are all protected Bi-pass products.

Soya contains about 35 % bi-pass protein so 52.53 x 0.35% = 18.4 %
Cost =	£338 / 18.4 = £18.4 per % DUP
Rapeseed meal contains only 20% bi-pass protein so 37.5 x 0.2% = 7.5%
Cost =	£220 / 7.5 = £29.33 per % DUP

On a Kilo for Kilo basis Hi-Pro Soya contains 2.5 times more DUP than Rapeseed meal at 63% of the cost!

Since the essential amino acids in the DUP are usually the limiting factor on performance this cannot be ignored and high yielding dairy cows will be limited by the supply of these essential Bi-Pass amino acids.

Kilo for Kilo Hi-Pro Soya contains around 4 times more bypass Lysine and twice as much bypass Methionine than rape seed meal.

This completely changes the evaluation from a simplistic approach based on crude protein to a more focused approach based on essential amino acid supply.

We know that it is this supply of nutrients which will limit or boost production of fresh calvers and high yielding dairy cows.

So, what do we conclude from this?

Well, my conclusion is low cost = lower nutrient availability = lower production + side effects

There is no doubt that the rather simple cost analysis that show the 1 pence per litre advantages of using Rapeseed meal over Hi-Pro soya meal, doesn’t reflect a reliable performance based prediction. This is why most modern rationing models would provide outcomes that would not endorse this advice.

The question of carbon footprint consideration may well serve to restrict or eliminate the use of soya in the future. If and when, this happens all ruminant nutritionists will have to adjust the approach to including soya meals. I am convinced that we can rise to this challenge, but our high output stock will need diets that do not solely rely on Rapeseed meal as the only protein choice!

There are quite a few other negative elements to using Rapeseed meal over Hi-Pro Soya meal.

The palatability of Rapeseed meal is a lot worse than Soya meal and TMR intakes will usually be lower.

Rapeseed meal can lock up Iodine to a small extent.

Rapeseed meal protein has a lower digestibility than Soya meals and this can be determined by asking the supplier to provide an ADIN (Acid detergent Insoluble Nitrogen) analysis which will show how much of the meal protein is effectively indigestible.

Historically, high rapeseed meal inclusions (3Kg plus) were not really advised and used to be avoided in monogastric species due to anti nutritional factors including erucic acid, glucosinalates, tannins and sinapine.

These challenges are rare in most modern varieties and …

We have released a brief newsletter discussing Coronavirus and it’s implications with regards to our working practises in the short term:

Download Newsletter 113…

Lakeland Scottish Feeds & Services Newsletter No. 112 is here!

Download Newsletter 112…