Do you allow your cows to reach their potential?

Sep 10, 2021


Dairy Cow

Handing Cows Postcalving

This topic is one of the most talked about items by dairy cow nutritionists and dairy producers.  I wanted to add to prior newsletter articles written by my colleagues where they talked about setting the table for fresh cows by ventilating dry cows and feeding dry cows for success.  Building from that I will add on how handling postcalving animals is crucial to those lactating animals reaching peak milk.  

We need to start with monitoring these animals.  This can be done a couple of different ways. 

1. OLD School (low budget): visual observation and reading what that cow is telling you.  Look for general thriftiness and alertness that they have with you and other cows around them. Temping cows and monitoring for ketosis the first 7-10 days is paramount. 

2. NEW school (high budget): using monitoring devices like neck or ear sensors to monitor cow rumination and activity. This more modern approach allows you the opportunity to be treating cows earlier and before they are showing pronounced visual signs. Regardless of which approach you take, you still need to work with your veterinarian to step up a fresh cow protocol for monitoring these fresh cows.

Along with monitoring you should look at how crowded your pens are. Having a postfresh pen stocked at 75% works great and ideally having fresh heifers in a pen separate from mature cows is going to improve their performance.  This is probably not going to happen at some farms, so having your postfresh group at 75% will give heifers a better opportunity to take off.  In addition to this, having feed distributed the whole length of the feed bunk is crucial to maximize this stocking density. Pushing this feed up many times per day will encourage these animals to eat more and drive intake up quicker driving down health issues and increasing peak milk. During hot weather there is a tremendous benefit to feeding more times per day during the cooler times of the day.

Additionally, having a correct postfresh ration for these animals is the gamechanger on how fast the cow will get to peak milk. Many times when I visit farms these cows are being fed a ration that is almost the same as the high group. This is not a good practice as this ration is just too hot for these cows or you are not challenging the high group enough. Simple things to do are using the cleanest forage you have available that doesn’t have spoilage or mold chunks.  Avoid feeding wet butyric forages on this group. I believe this group of cows should have some high quality hay added to entice higher dry matter intake. Usually this means buying western hay which breaks up nicely for the feed mixer. The aroma this adds to the mix and can help drive intake. I don’t mind it being topdressed as this gives you a fast way to read if there are animals not feeling right because the cows will get up to eat this hay. Adding molasses will also help this group of cows as they like the sweetness. The number of days you have cows in the postfresh will determine what additives you should add here. You will need to spend some money here to set these cows up for a good start.  There are certain nutrient levels that need to be focused on that make cows happy.  Work with your Premier nutritionist to set up a correct postfresh diet with the right proteins-amino acids, energy levels, and fiber to allow your cows to hit the sweet spot in the diet.  We can help your cows reach their potential and increase your profits.

 

Kurt Breunig

Purina Animal Nutrition

Latest Posts

Mar 03,2023
With spring just around the corner, your cooperative is gearing up for another one of our seasonal rushes…spring planting season. Not only will we see our total employee count peak for the year, but nearly every asset in the company will be in use. While many businesses have equipment and buildings that are in use all year long, our grain and agronomy divisions have millions of dollars invested in some assets that only get used for a few months out of the year. It is critical that these assets are fully operational and ready to go when the season starts. Our agronomy operations team has spent the winter months going through all the equipment to make sure it's in good working order, unwrapping and greasing up the new sprayers, trucks and other equipment we’ve purchased this year, updating technology and precision tools on existing equipment, and conducting hours of training on its use and safety. 

In addition, the crop advisors and admin staff have been putting the finishing touches on crop plans and seed orders, wrapping up input financing and nutrient management plans, hiring and training new staff including college interns to help scout fields, and maybe taking a little time away to get rested for what is sure to be long days and short nights ahead. If you’re still looking to finalize plans for this planting season, please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our highly trained crop advisors.

Gearing up for spring is not only about the equipment, but also the additional staff needed to provide the products and services our members rely on to help feed the world. Each year we try to fill about 100 full and part time positions at our eleven agronomy locations. These positions can last from six weeks up to eight months. Most seasonal positions involve delivering product to our members or directly to fields to keep our custom application machines running smoothly. If you or someone you know is interested in seasonal or year-round employment, please contact Shayla at our Mt Horeb office or stop by one of the agronomy locations. The hours can be flexible and available up to seven days a week. If agronomy work isn’t for you, ask about openings at any of our other locations including retail associates, plant operations, truck drivers, administrative professionals and more. Premier is always looking to add quality people to our team.

Thank you for your continued support of Premier Cooperative and its staff. Have a great month and stay safe!
Mar 03,2023
Cattle nutrient requirements can vary by season and stage of production. Now is a great time to evaluate your cattle mineral programs and map out a plan to maximize impact.

While minerals are a relatively small portion of the diet, they control many vital functions in cattle and impact everything from cattle reproduction to feed efficiency and overall herd health. That's why it’s so important to make sure the mineral needs of your cattle are being met year-round.
Mar 03,2023
I know many of you have plans in place for a spring burndown herbicide application. If not, here are a few reasons for you to get in contact with your Premier agronomist to do so. Spring burndown applications typically target winter annuals and perennial grasses that overwinter and resume growing as soon as temperatures warm in the spring.  As they get going in the field they immediately begin stealing water and nutrients from the soil, and can create planting challenges. With the onset of resistant weeds like waterhemp, and standby challenges like giant ragweed, it is a best practice recommendation to add a strong residual herbicide to your preplant spring burndown application.  Doing so helps keep populations down and gets ahead of your first early post application. Here are some tips for establishing clean fields that give your crop a strong start.