Last year’s relatively mild and dry autumn allowed many livestock farmers a welcome extension of the grazing season, which reduced some pressure on forage stocks following the summer drought conditions. Despite the extended grazing period, some farms have been rationing silage stocks this winter by supplementing diets with lower quality forages such as straw, whilst others have continued with their standard winter diets with one eye on spring.
The transition period for a dairy cow is generally from 3 weeks before calving to 3 weeks post-partum. This period is extremely challenging for dairy cows, so managing this time correctly is vital to achieving optimum cow health and is heavily linked to the overall success of the farm. The successful management of the transition period can determine, future lactations, milk production and quality, calving ease, and longevity in the herd.
Inclusion of maize in the dairy ration has long been favoured by many dairy farmers and with the current costs of other crops and inputs, 2022 represents an even better opportunity for maize.
Life without TB no doubt would make farming a happier, more profitable experience for many of us. Saying this some have adapted within their areas and founded their businesses due to the disease, but we still need to aim to reduce the total number herds under restriction.
Some worm species can cause significant damage when the larvae emerge in the spring (Type II Ostertagiasis). Therefore, it is crucial to treat the housing with a solution that will eradicate the worms' eggs.
This summer, there have been reports of lungworm infestations at high levels across the nation. Any sub-clinical lungworm that may be present will be eliminated with treatment at housing.
In order to give the animals' lungs a chance to recuperate, it's crucial to treat them with a proper wormer before housing if they are displaying clinical lungworm symptoms. There is a greater danger of the animals acquiring pneumonia at housing if the lungs have been harmed by lungworm.
Instead of postponing or providing no treatment at all, treating cattle for fluke at housing can aid in accelerating growth and lowering stress levels in the animals. Because a cow's liver is big and can support a heavier fluke burden, abrupt deaths are uncommon in cattle. Subclinical illness brought on by a fluke, however, is possible and can be expensive due to the influence it can have on lowered weight gain.
Joe and Ro Collingborn run a very traditional dairy farm which was founded in 1910 and has virtually been a closed herd ever since. Their daughter Ceri and son-in-law Chad are partners in the business. They also run the very successful Brinkworth Dairy, using a proportion of the farm’s milk, which produces artisan cheese, butter, kefir, yoghurt and ice cream, as well as a milk round. The rest is sold to First Milk.
Lungworm disease in cattle is caused by the Dictyocaulus viviparus parasite, and is normally seen in mid to late summer, although infections can start as early as July. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is urging cattle producers to lessen the risk of disease outbreaks by proactively managing pasture larvae levels throughout the grazing season and using an appropriate disease control programme.
Cattle may gain some immunity to lungworm either through vaccination before turnout, or through low level exposure at grass. However, this immunity can be short lived and if natural boosting does not occur during the grazing season, animals may be susceptible to disease when larvae populations on the pasture rapidly increase.
With the spiralling costs of fertiliser this year, more dairy farmers are looking at ways of increasing slurry or manure utilisation and growing more forage from less. Most farms appreciate the value of slurry and use it efficiently, but it is possible to further improve utilisation whilst increasing your farms forage utilisation or milk from forage figure – which is where the true value lies.
