Dairy Science Digest

Florida researchers began a generational study in 2007 that is still years in the making. It all began with the investigation of the impact of heat stress on dry cows to measure changes that might occur to the calf incubating inside the hot dam, like a crock pot. In addition to seeing negative production impacts on mama, the researchers began to measure numerous changes in the damaged calf coming out of the heat stressed dry cow. This month’s edition, we’ll be interviewing Dr. Jimena Laporta, of the University of Wisconsin, to better understand the physiological changes of the calf that results in lost production for her entire life. She and her team measured changes in mammary and adrenal gland development. Several separate papers have been peer reviewed over the 17 years of research. Many are linked at the bottom of the show notes for additional reference. Listen in to understand how heat stressed dry cows can destroy your favorite cow families’ production records. This month features two released paper titled: (1) Carry-over effects of maternal late-gestation heat stress on granddaughter’s growth and mammary gland development (ck out histology – Fig 1&2) (2) Programming effects of intrauterine hyperthermia on adrenal gland development Topics of discussion 1:58 Introduction of Dr. Jimena Laporta 4:17 Describe the experimental design 6:19 Description of the generations impacted through in utero heat stress 7:29 The biological link between the grand dam and the grand daughter (F2) 9:16 Eight years of research to collect multigenerational data 10:39 F1 management in WI beginning at 8 weeks 12:00 F1 mammary implications following heat stress while developing in utero 13:32 F2 calves – changes as a result of dam’s exposure to heat stress while developing in utero 15:01 Early mammary growth 15:32 What is causing these differences in F2 17:35 Lumen space and estrogen receptors 19:06 Summary of 3 generations of damage 20:34 Should I build a lactating barn or dry cow barn? 22:39 The Adrenal Gland 27:38 Adrenal effect on inflammation 28:56 What do you want Boots on the ground dairyman to know Background Information: Temperature Humidity Index (THI) 2020 Dairy Science Digest Podcast interview 2020: Late-gestation heat stress impairs daughter and granddaughter lifetime performance (economic impact) 2016: In utero heat stress decreases calf survival and performance through the first lactation #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #heatstress; #fetalprogramming; #F1; #milk; #adrenal; #mammarydevelopment; #mammary; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel;

Choline, a pseudovitamin, is required by all mammals including the dairy cow for many essential functions. Research in supplementing rumen protected choline really took off about twenty years ago, however continues today to best understand how this feed through additive can positively influence profitability. Dr. Usman Arshad joins the conversation for this episode to highlight his comprehensive summary of all the peer reviewed, published research completed on Choline. Listen in to best understand the assumed mode of action choline uses to help provide an improved efficiency in milk production for the majority of the lactation, even when only fed during the 42-day transition period. The findings we discuss are published in the recently released paper titled: Exploring choline's important roles as a nutrient for transition dairy cows Topics of discussion 1:19 Introduction of Dr. Usman Arshad 2:17 What is Choline? 3:45 Phospholipid production – choline’s role 6:15 How does choline impacts the transition Cow 7:46 Fatty acid impact on the Liver 8:39 Major factor choline plays on fatty acid transport 13:16 Twenty year average Milk Response when feeding choline for 42 days (-21 to 21 dim) 15:47 Milk Response when feeding choline – more current average from 2020-2024 17:18 Mode of action, intestinal lining? 20:02 Additional possible modes of action 21:47 Choline as a treatment for fatty liver 23:24 Choline results in elevated milk yield, regardless of body condition score 26:16 Inflammation through in early lactation 27:29 Energy cost of bacterial infection 30:30 What’s the one take home message for boots on the ground dairymen 31:35 Return on investment calculations Featured article: Exploring choline's important roles as a nutrient for transition dairy cows #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #Choline; #transition; #transitiondairy; #vitamin; #fattyacid; #negativeenergybalance; #TMR; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel;

DSD 5.3 | Slight modifications of CIDR Sync - help or hinder? In this time of heifer inventory shortage – getting heifers pregnant (in a timely fashion) is even more important than ever. Contract heifer growers in California sought the help of Dr. Fabio Lima and his team at UC Davis to best understand the use of a 6-day CIDR sync with variable rates of GnRH could increase pregnancies when bred to sexed semen. The findings we discuss are published in the recently released Journal of Dairy Science article titled: Effect of 200 μg of gonadorelin hydrochloride at the first GnRH of a CIDR Synch program on ovulation rate and pregnancies per AI in Holstein heifers. Listen in to hear the results and nuanced details of controlling reproductive structures using timed AI protocols. Topics of discussion 1:03 Production costs of heifer rearing - survey results 2:09 Introduction of Dr. Fabio Lima 3:46 Description of the project 4:20 TAI protocol description 5:31 Varying GnRH dose 6:34 What is the function of GnRH in the heifer? 7:51 Hallmark of a successful synchronization 8:24 Results of ultrasound (ovulation) and P4 blood sample analysis 10:04 Did increased ovulation translate into improved pregnancy outcome? 10:44 Pregnancy at d47, 100% sex semen discussion 13:41 Relationship of Luteinizing hormone and progesterone 15:16 What causes elevated circulating progesterone 16:30 How did we land on 2cc of GnRH to begin with? 18:34 Does increased GnRH cause increased twinning? 21:02 What do you want boots on the ground dairymen to know 23:01 What if you cherry picked? 23:32 Sometimes the plan doesn’t work – but that’s why we do research! Featured article: Effect of 200 μg of gonadorelin hydrochloride at the first GnRH of a CIDR Synch program on ovulation rate and pregnancies per AI in Holstein heifers Articles also discussed in the podcast: Heifer study using 100 and 200 ug in 5-d CIDR Synch protocol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.04.026 Studies showing the implication of progesterone for double ovulation (a proxy for twining) and progesterone. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2018-14410 #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #gnrh; #CIDRsync; #twinning; #pregnancy; #heiferdevelopment; #TAI; #lutenizing; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel;

Getting the fresh cow off to a strong start has ripple effects for her entire lactation. Subclinical mastitis rarely gets treated due to an unawareness or a lack of interest in pulling her from the tank. Nisin is a naturally occurring antimicrobial that’s been used widely as a food preservative. Dr. Zelmar Rodriguez and his team from Michigan State University looked at using this familiar antimicrobial to treat subclinical mastitis. The result, reduced clinical cases of mastitis. Listen in to learn more about the return on investment of using Nisin on subclinical mastitis found in the first week of milk using CMT. These findings are published in the recently released paper titled: Economic impact of treatment of subclinical mastitis in early lactation using intramammary nisin Topics of discussion 1:20 Introduction of Dr. Zelmar Rodriguez 2:20 What is nisin 3:42 No dump milk 4:10 Subclinical mastitis assessment 5:00 CMT discussion 6:00 What day should we sample 7:00 Subclinical mastitis prevention 7:39 How does CMT work? 8:46 Factors that impact effectiveness 9:18 What will nisin not work on – gram negative discussion 12:36 ROI/cow 13:23 Treatment regimen 13:42 Assessment to begin protocol 15:36 Effect of employee training 17:16 Model at herd level – ROI 19:33 FDA status 20:22 Limitations of using DHIA hot sheet 22:13 What do you want boots on the ground dairymen to know Featured article: Economic impact of treatment of subclinical mastitis in early lactation using intramammary nisin #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #nisin; #earlylactation; #subclinical; #mastitis; #treatment; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel;

Efficient production is the name of the game, and the key to an efficient cow is her rumen microbiome. The highlighted research this month focuses in on the intersection of Genome of the host cow, Microbiome within the rumen and the Intersection of the two. To best understand the rumen efficiency story we talk this month with Dr. Guillermo Martinez Boggio from University of Wisconsin, about his recently released paper titled: Host and rumen microbiome contributions to feed efficiency traits in Holstein cows. Here they studied how the rumen and the host interact and if that interaction can become a selection trait in the future. Much of the discussion today is focused around Carbon chasing. Just like “a penny saved is a penny earned,” whenever carbon is conserved by the rumen microorganism, energy is conserved. This carbon unit of energy can then be used to produce more milk when conserved. Listen in to learn more about the interconnected web between the cow and her microbiome. Topics of discussion 1:52 Introduction of Dr. Guillermo Martinez Boggio 3:15 Description of project 3:41 Dry matter intake vs Residual feed intake 5:09 Efficient use of Carbon 7:04 Saved energy yields more 8:25 Community of rumen organisms 10:29 What model best served to identify the most efficient digestion 11:35 Using microbiome as another source of information used genomic equation 12:02 Genome | Microbiome | Interaction of MicrobiomeXGenome 12:17 The cow controls the rumen microbiome 12:51 Sire selection traits 14:08 How to obtain the most reliable breeding values 15:35 Using the rumen microorganisms for prediction and selection 16:45 Future research What do you want dairy producers to know from your research 17:21 Identify the “extreme” cows 18:12 Proxy traits Featured article: Host and rumen microbiome contributions to feed efficiency traits in Holstein cows. #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #microbiome; #methanereduction; #sustainabledairy; #rumen; #stillbirth; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel;

Beef on dairy is here to stay. These cross animals generate a revenue stream for dairies as it lubricates the parallel industry of beef production. Much research is being poured into this topic to ensure producers can make wise breeding choices going forward. This month we talk with Bailey Basiel from Penn State University, about their recently released paper titled: The impact of beef sire breed on dystocia, still birth, gestation length, health, and lactation performance of cows that carry beef x dairy calves. While we all know how desirable this cross calf is to the market, there’s very little knowledge about how these breedings impact the dam, until now. Listen in to how this research team sought to determine if there were any negative production implications to your dairy herd when you breed to beef. Topics of discussion 1:27 Introduction of Bailey Basiel 2:26 Objectives of the trial – Impact carrying beef on dairy calf might have on the dairy cow 3:24 Board invited review of Beef on Dairy 4:05 Historical background of Beef on Dairy 5:15 Calf fed Holstein model 7:54 Data set description 10:05 Beef semen description 10:47 Gestation length 13:00 Management changes based on gestation length 14:00 Wagyu crosses 15:00 Long gestation, does that equal stillbirth? 17:10 Health impacts for dams bred to beef semen 20:35 Next research / records needed for genetic assessment - 23:23 What do you want dairy producers to know from your research Featured article: The impact of beef sire breed on dystocia, still birth, gestation length, health, and lactation performance of cows that carry beef x dairy calves. Also mentioned in the discussion: Translational Animal Science Article - Beef on Dairy Review DSD 1.5 | Beef on Dairy – sire conception rate, Taylor McWhorter DSD 4.6 | Accounting for Accelerated genetic improvement, Dr. Asha Miles #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #beefondairy; #sexedsemen; #calffedmodel; #gestation; #stillbirth; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel;

Over the past 30 years the reproduction status of dairy has improved substantially, largely due to research around reproduction synchronization. This month we talk to Dr. Paul Fricke and Megan Lauber from the University of Wisconsin, about their recently released paper titled: Effect of postpartum body condition score change on the pregnancy outcomes of lactating Jersey cows inseminated at first service with sexed Jersey or conventional beef semen after a synchronized estrus versus a synchronized ovulation. We discuss the how to maximize the equation of fertility, through management. Once optimized, you’ll find your herd entering the “high fertility cycle”. When all the stars align, production is high – disease is low and you are able to begin to stack reproductive technologies – such as genomically determined breedings using sexed and beef semen use following the ideal synchronization. Listen in to learn how to get your herd there and the physiology behind it. Topics of discussion 1:54 Introduction of Dr. Paul Fricke & Megan Lauber 4:23 Objectives of the trial – stacking reproductive strategies 3:34 On farm monitoring – data collected 6:10 Getting all the cows on day 7 – the key to unlocking fertility 7:44 The history of Luteolysis – why is it so critical? 9:57 Rate limiting step of pregnancy 12:03 2019-2021 xx and beef semen usage 13:54 Research protocols and design 16:20 Equation of reproduction; comparing double ovsync vs estrus 17:50 Estrus or Double ovsync for Sexed semen 16:14 Day 19 – 40 pregnancy loss 17:30 What’s happening when the GnRH shot is given? 22:13 The impact of Body Condition Score (BCS) change on fertility | >0.5 24:53 High fertility cycle 25:52 Not all cows loose condition through transition, those that did were impacted 26:38 Results: Double ovsync helps mitigate poor transition (Figure 4) 29:09 Why does it work? What physiology controls it? 30:15 Fat regulates GnRH?! 32:30 What do you want dairy producers to know from your research Featured article: Effect of postpartum body condition score c hange on the pregnancy outcomes of lactating Jersey cows inseminated at first service with sexed Jersey or conventional beef semen after a synchronized estrus versus a synchronized ovulation. Also mentioned in the discussion: Characterization of semen type prevalence and allocation in Holstein and Jersey females in the United States #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #reproductionrevolution; #highfertilitycycle; #Ovsync; #DoubleOvSync; #transition; #transitiondairy; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel

Pregnancy is the key to profitability, ensuring your herd remains in the most profitable phase of production. However, these early embryos are delicate and often are not carried out through the entire 283 days of gestation. This month we talk with Dr. Stephen LaBlanc, from the University of Guelph about quantifying the frequency of early pregnancy loss in healthy animal and his team’s quest to determine the impact of a failed transition on the cow’s ability to carry the pregnancy to term. Through management, a producer can prevent the spiral of negative events that result in increased odds of pregnancy loss. The research team determined day 19 pregnancy and tracked the success, or failure, through day 63. Listen in to hear what different parameters they found to have an increased probability of early pregnancy loss. These findings were published in the Journal of Dairy Science article titled, “The associations of inflammatory and reproductive tract disorders postpartum and early pregnancy loss in dairy cows” This open access article, is available for download to view while you listen in! Topics of discussion 1:32 Introduction of Dr. LaBlanc 2:15 Description of Research Herds 3:34 On farm monitoring – data collected 5:55 Uterine sampling 7:32 Uterine cytology at 5 weeks postpartum 8:53 Blood progesterone 9:53 Common cycling rate in early lactation 10:52 Day 19 pregnancy analysis 14:03 Figure 1: Predicted probably of pregnancy – Healthy vs diseased transition 15:19 Conception frequency 16:14 Day 19 – 40 pregnancy loss 17:30 Metritis hangover 18:34 Figure 2: Predicted probably of pregnancy – number of clinical disease 20:00 Single disease vs multiple clinical diseases impact on pregnancy loss 22:31 Driving force to what predicts pregnancy loss in a dairy herd 24:13 One in Five cows 24:49 One two punch of failure 25:05 Inflammation effect on the ovary 27:53 What do you want dairy producers to know from your research #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #earlyembryonicloss; #pregloss, #Ploss; #transition; #transitiondairy; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(23)00726-9/fulltext

Corn silage is such piece in your ration. Much work has been done by corn breeders to create the most ideal plant with high yields, digestible forage AND starch to support lactation. This month we talk with Dr. José Varela and feature a foundational silage project he and his team worked on at the University of Wisconsin to better understand specifically how zein proteins around corn starch particles change overtime when fermented. Corn breeders throughout the Land Grant University system collaborate and work hard to ensure the next line of genetically superior forage will perform on your operation - but genetics can only go so far. Silage inventory management ensures that the perfect alignment of fully fermented feed for your herd. This project studied the differences in nutrient availability between 0, 1, 2, 4 & 8 months of fermentation. Listen in to best understand the risks of feeding green chop. This timely topic is released while many dairies are in the field, or having just finished up with harvest. Take a listen in to best understand the value gained towards improving starch availability for your herd. These findings were published in the Journal of Dairy Science featured article titled, “Effect of Endosperm Type and Storage Length of Whole Plant Corn Silage on Nitrogen Fraction, Fermentation Products, Zein Profile and Starch Digestibility” Open access, available for download. Topics of discussion 1:51 Introduction of Dr. Varela 4:00 Kernel Research – Starch matrix 4:54 Description of the corn anatomy 5:30 Three major structures of the kernel 7:11 Vitreousness of the corn kernel 7:45 Role of land grants in research 8:41 Improving the kernel endosperm could also have agronomic flaws 9:58 The process of plot research – self vs cross fertilization to study kernel change 12:19 Chopping silage 12:33 Fermentation over time 13:17 How did the silage change over time 14:08 Results 15:28 α-zeins break down during fermentation 16:03 Figure 2 16:30 Feeding Green Chop 18:42 Drought and high temperatures 21:05 Silage analysis 22:17 Invitro starch digestibility: vitreousness or α-zeins? 23:53 What would you like boots on the ground to know about your research project? 25:17 Forage inventory – make a plan 26:26 Inoculate with protease? #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #protease; #landgrantresearch; #cornsilage, #starch; #milkyieldperacre; #agronomics, #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(23)00558-1/pdf

Research in Ireland is focused around better understanding the intersection of management and cattle nutrition on the quality of the milk produced within a system. This month we talk specifically about three different feeding strategies – TMR, PMR or grass based investigated for an entire lactation. The vast majority of Irish dairymen attempt to maximize use of grass as the primary feed source for their nation’s dairy herd. Therefore food scientists Dr. André Brodkorb and Mark Timlin and team at Teagasc in Ireland set out to capture quantifiable differences in the milk between systems. Listen in this month to learn more about the changes in milk quality that could have marketing implications. In addition to shifts in fatty acid profile they also captured milk processing parameter changes. We discuss the possible role that might have on preparing milk for their export markets. These findings were published in the Journal of Dairy Science featured article titled, Impact of varying levels of pasture allowance on the nutritional quality and functionality of milk throughout lactation” Open access, available for download. Topics of discussion 2:23 Introduction of researchers 7:11 Describe the Research Herd 8:27 Fatty Acid Analysis 11:00 Biologically relevant CLAs 11:26 Description of 2 types of trans-fatty acids 11:58 CLA concentration differences 12:25 Omega 3 Fatty Acid concentrations 12:44 Increase of ‘good fats’ 13:39 Decreased total fat production 15:16 Somatic Cell count differences – Figure 1 17:38 Figure 3 – separate feeding systems visually by FA 17:56 Figure 4 – visual heat map distinguishing dietary trt 18:42 Biomarkers to determine the difference between grass and TMR 21:36 Expect a production volume decrease 22:43 Grass fed dairy standards 24:21 Pilot scale test products for human intervention trial 27:49 Changes in milk and the impact on processing 30:52 UHT pasteurization and impact on nutrition, AA & FA 34:32 What would you like boots on the ground to know about your research project. #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #grassbasedmilk; #CLA, #grazing; #seasonaldairy; #fattyacid, #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(23)00433-2/fulltext

DSD 4.7 | Is there a relationship between Ketosis and antioxidant ability For years, dairy producers have worked towards best understanding all the challenges a cow experiences as she transitions from dry into lactation. If we can best identify the animals who take this transition in stride, we can work towards improving the single most challenging part of dairy production. This month, we are joined by two Belgium researchers looking to examine the relationship between antioxidant activity and ketotis, specifically BHBA. Dr. Fievez, ruminant nutritionist at Ghent University - in Belgium, worked with PhD candidate MQ Zhang to study the metabolic and antioxidant parameters of 110 animals through transition. Listen in to hear what you can learn about the complex transition dairy cow! These findings were published in the Journal of Dairy Science article titled, “Transition cow clusters with distinctive antioxidant ability and their relation to performance and metabolic status in early lactation.” Open access, available for download. Topics of discussion 3:17 Importance of determining Antioxidative Ability 4:44 Hypothesis – structure of the project 5:16 Metabolic parameters studied and their relationship to oxidation 5:31 Background of BHBA 6:02 Negative energy balance - 6:27 NEFA and Low or High antioxidant activity 6:58 Cows with Lower Antioxidant activity have lower milk yield 7:46 Oxidative Stress and damage – what does it look like? 9:29 How the cow Balances – monitor enzyme profile 10:19 Description of the research herd 11:07 Results – Figure 6; cows with HAA in early lactation, rarely develop metabolic disease 12:33 How NEFA add to oxidative status 12:49 Oxidative action and immune function 16:09 LAA – Higher BHBA – tended to be higher NEFA 18:01 What do you want boots on the ground dairymen to know? 18:49 Dietary inclusion 19:20 Closure #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #antioxidant; #earlylactation, #transition; #transitiondairy; #ketosis, #BHBA; #ReaganBluel https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(23)00351-X/fulltext

Producers are becoming increasingly willing to make strides in the herd’s genetic progress through using embryo transfer (ET). We’ve seen a 12% increase in this management practice. Dr. Asha Miles, a Research Geneticist from USDA, talks with us about the sire evaluation program and specifically about the impact of on farm reporting of embryo transfer on the data set. Dr. Miles describes a dataset, updated 3x/year, available to all - accessible through the US Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding portal. This dataset can help producers unlock answers to questions about ideal sires for the herd. She recommends (1) the queries tab if you’re looking for a specific animal who has been genotyped and (2) Top Animal Listing where you can identify the ideal sire on specific indexes or traits. These findings were published in the Journal of Dairy Science article titled, “Improving national fertility evaluations by accounting for the rapid rise of embryo transfer in US dairy cattle.” Open access, available for download. Topics of discussion 2:34 Greater than 90 million data points, verification of reproductive performance and collection of data 3:43 Overview of trends in the industry 4:04 Figure 1: Embryo Transfer – recent changes (Figure available on page 5) 6:09 Why has ET increased so much over the past 2 years? 8:14 Sire conception data – identifying / addressing unreported ET implant in dataset to improve genetic evaluations through an edit, to limit bias. 10:28 Talk about Young sires – how can producers be sure that they are using reliable sires 11:55 Some of the bulls with the biggest change in PTAs with our edits were Young Bulls 14:37 How can dairy producers better report data to ensure they are captured 16:44 Transfer of data from herd software 17:44 Sires of the next generation (Figure 6 available on page 10) 18:38 US Council of Dairy Cattle Breeding (USCDCB)– where can they find and what should producers be looking for? 20:10 Net Merit – economic index – Lifetime profit potential 21:11 Personalizing matings 22:44 Reach out – ask for help if you want to advance your herd 24:13 If you have research ideas for USDA reach out #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #sireconception; #SCR, #ET; #embryotransfer; #youngsires, #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(23)00286-2/pdf

Protein is expensive. Farms decreasing protein to save cost or save the environment creates a need to tweak a few things to keep your herd’s rumen running smooth. A rumen starved of protein will result in less branch chained volatile fatty acids (BCVFA) production in the rumen. These BCVFAs help fuel fiber degrading bacteria, and when concentrations are right, digestive efficiency improves – unlocking home-grown, fibrous energy for your herd. This month we talk with Ohio State’s Dr. Jeffrey Firkins about the work he’s done with Zinpro to find the ideal concentration and combinations of isoacids in your ration. A discussion about how isoacids will change efficiency through improved milk fat production in your multiparous cows and even how this could impact the overall quality of your milk for the consumer. These are all part of this month’s discussion featuring the Journal of Dairy Science article: “Assessing milk response to different combinations of branched-chain volatile fatty acids and valerate in Jersey cows” Unlock nitrogen efficiency through improved fiber digestion and see how it impacts your farm's bottom line. Listen in to learn more today! #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #fiberdigestability; #Zinpro; #isoacid; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel

What if you were able to tell within the first 10-14 days of lactation, if a cow would settle to first service – two months later? What tools are being developed to help answer that question? This month we talk with Dr. Stefan Borchardt about work his research team recently completed using AMS (activity monitoring systems) to track the impact of transition, on estrus expression and corelate that to reproductive success or failure. Understanding the correlations described in this month’s feature article: “Effect of transition cow health and estrous expression detected by an automated activity monitoring system within 60 days in milk on reproductive performance of lactating Holstein cows” will help managers link physiological changes to an AMS data set and make tangible changes to improve their reproduction program. Early estrous sets the cow up for success, and AMS will become a data driven way to assess this. Listen in today! #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #AMS; #estrous; #VWP; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel

The dairy industry is capital intensive. Maintaining strong relationships with your lender, based on YOUR farm’s financial data, will help navigate through all the different market conditions. Specifically, using financial thresholds and benchmarking against similar farms will help your farm’s financial resiliency over time. This month Dr. Chris Wolf joins us from Cornell to discuss the article is titled, “Financial risk and resiliency on US dairy farms: Measures, thresholds, and management implications”. Listen in to this deep dive into the metrics the Cornell dairy team used to benchmark over a 10-year period. Additionally, we discuss the recent Silicon Valley bale out and if we should expect it to have any impact on Ag Lending. Understanding these key financial thresholds is an effective management tool for successful herds throughout New York, listen in to see what they can do for your farm! #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #benchmark; #FINBIN; #CornellBusinessSummary; #financialresiliency

Colostrum: the liquid gold of life for newborn dairy calves. While it’s fairly universally understood how important colostrum is, we occasionally encounter the bizarre situation when a cow comes in with very little or no colostrum. Then, shortly later another cow comes in and nearly overflows the bucket. This situation intrigued researchers out of New York to closely study 19 Holstein herds in attempt to find associations of management to colostrum yield and quantity. Listen in to Trent Westhoff from Cornell as he discusses the recently published article titled, "Epidemiology of bovine colostrum production in New York Holstein herds: Cow, management, and environmental factors". You'll learn about the all the associations that can impact colostrum quantity and quality such as barn lighting, dry period management, parity and more. By anticipating these colostrum inventories you'll ultimately become a better manager of your newborn calves - Listen in! To read the full Open access JDS article: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(22)00750-0/pdf #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

A good rule of thumb many nutritionists work by; when the cow increases intake - every 1 pound of feed increase will result in 2.5 additional pounds of milk. Capturing this “marginal milk” helps increase profits for dairy producers who are already covering all the fixed costs of the herd. For years, Dr. Mike Allen and others have studied the mechanisms that control intake so we can learn how to tweak our diet to maximize intake. This month Dr. Barry Bradford joins us from Michigan State University to discuss the article is titled, “Fueling Appetite: Nutrient metabolism and the control of feed intake”. Listen in to this symposium review on this important topic to learn how we can manipulate the ration ingredients, or fuel source, to help increase her drive to eat and prevent negative feedback. Understanding these mechanisms can help us better read and manage the herd’s needs through all phases of production and capture these profit margin opportunities. #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

On-farm data mining from your parlor equipment could help you identify bimodality in your herd. Bimodality refers to delayed milk ejection during the early phase of the milking. Previous research and repeated work by M. Wieland’s team has shown that a delay in milk let down can result in a significant loss of milk. Equipped with this information our guest this month, Dr. Matthias Wieland, would take a sophisticated tool on farms to test parlor efficiency and effectiveness in milkout. One trip he wondered – Could we reliability use parlor equipment to make similar assessments? This month we learn the answer to that question highlighted in the featured article, “Comparison of 2 types of milk flow meters for detecting bimodality in dairy cows”. Listen in to learn more about the negative impacts of bimodality in your herd, what parlor equipment can do to help and ultimately how to motivate the parlor staff to break the cycle of bimodality. A little attention on this low hanging fruit could make a big impact in your bottomline - your software may be collecting all the information needed to manage through bimodality. For more information visit: Quality milk production services (QMPS) https://www.vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnostic-center/programs/quality-milk-production Other Recently published, relevant articles from Wieland Risk factors for delayed milk ejection in Holstein dairy cows milked 3 times per day, Wieland et al. Journal of Dairy Science June 27, 2022 The effect of 2 different premilking stimulation regimens, with and without manual forestripping, on teat tissue condition and milking performance in Holstein dairy cows milked 3 times daily J. Dairy Sci. 2020 #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a costly concern primarily during the calf phase production. This is especially relevant to veal production, when young and venerable calves are commingled from many farms. However, BVD breakouts can also occur on calf ranches raising dairy x beef calves or even individual dairy farms. This month Dr. Stan Jourquin joins us from Ghent University in Belgium to discuss his article is titled, “Dynamics of subclinical pneumonia in male dairy calves in relation to antimicrobial therapy and production outcomes”. Listen in to learn how pneumonia might be lurking in your herd without your knowledge. Consider ways to use ultrasound as a tool to quickly and reliability assess animals upon receipt to allow for differential management. Overall losses, from chronically ill animals, could be decreased by warding off the spread of infection and promoting early cure. Once lungs are severely consolidated, these animals are 4.2x more likely to become chronic and experience -0.25 lbs average daily gain over this phase of production. For more information visit: Open access Journal article: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(22)00644-0/fulltext UC Davis BRD Clinical symptom scoring system: https://www.vmtrc.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk5141/files/local_resources/pdfs/BRD_ANR_Brochure_Nov%202016%20FINAL.PDF #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

Fetal programming is an emerging topic. This month listen in to learn more about how feeding Choline to your transition pen could transform the metabolism and next generation of the herd. Researcher Dr. Tucker Swartz at the Michigan State University and his team in Bradford’s lab fed choline 24 days prior to freshening and measured the impact on the calf's success through the preweaning phase. These results are in press in the Journal of Dairy Science titled, “Effects of prenatal dietary rumen-protected choline supplementation during late gestation on calf growth, metabolism, and vaccine response.” They found impacts in the energy metabolism and immune function. Listen in for more information on how this affordable addition holds a large ROI on this phase of production and more. #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY