Animal Industry News, April 2006, Vol. 7, no. 1

Newsletter produced by Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship about the animal industry in Iowa

Integrating fasciolosis control in the dry cow management : the effect of closantel treatment on milk production

The liver fluke Fasciola hepatica is a parasite of ruminants with a worldwide distribution and an apparent increasing incidence in EU member states. Effective control in dairy cattle is hampered by the lack of flukicides with a zero-withdrawal time for milk, leaving the dry period as the only time that preventive treatment can be applied. Here, we present the results of a blinded, randomized and placebo-controlled trial on 11 dairy herds (402 animals) exposed to F. hepatica to 1) assess the effect of closantel treatment at dry-off (or 80-42 days before calving in first-calving heifers) on milk production parameters and 2) evaluate if a number of easy-to-use animal parameters is related to the milk production response after treatment. Closantel treatment resulted in a noticeable decrease of anti-F. hepatica antibody levels from 3-6 months after treatment onwards, a higher peak production (1.06 kg) and a slightly higher persistence (9%) of the lactation, resulting in a 305-day milk production increase of 303 kg. No effects of anthelmintic treatment were found on the average protein and fat content of the milk. Milk production responses after treatment were poor in meagre animals and clinically relevant higher milk production responses were observed in first-lactation animals and in cows with a high (0.3-0.5 optical density ratio (ODR)), but not a very high (>= 0.5 ODR) F. hepatica ELISA result on a milk sample from the previous lactation. We conclude that in dairy herds exposed to F. hepatica, flukicide treatment at dry-off is a useful strategy to reduce levels of exposure and increase milk production in the subsequent lactation. Moreover, the results suggest that treatment approaches that only target selected animals within a herd can be developed based on easy-to-use parameters

The performance of heifers reared in a suckling system

In this study the effects on the performance of heifers reared in a suckling system (suckled heifers) compared to heifers reared in a bucket system (bucket heifers) were investigated. Heifers are young dairy cows that started first lactation. Focus was on the following parameters: age and live weight at first calving, milk production, and mastitis incidence. Also, attention was given to Paratuberculosis since suckling systems might increase the risks on its occurrence

Calf welfare in organic herds - planning for the future

These proceedings contain papers based on presentations and discssions at the workshop "Calf welfare in organic herds - planning on the future" held March 31st to April 1st 2008 in Stange, Norway

Development and Implementation of a Mandatory Animal Identification System: The Canadian Experience

This article provides a brief history of the animal identification (ID) system that previously existed in Canada along with details on efforts to ‘‘reidentify’’ the country’s cattle herd. The current state of ID for various species is summarized, and the state of regulations federally and for major agricultural province are outlined. A short background on the economics of animal ID is provided. Particular attention is paid to the operation of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency, an industry–government initiative charged with identifying the national cattle herd. The animal ID system in Canada is found to have performed well when called on in times of animal health crises, although there have been notable deficiencies in its performance on occasion. Canada’s animal ID system will continue to evolve as new technologies for tagging and database management (among others) are developed. It is expected the system will play an important role in future attempts to exploit traceability for value-added initiatives.animal identification, traceability, Canadian Cattle Identification Agency, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management, International Development, Livestock Production/Industries, H41, K39, Q18,

An empirical analysis of the cost of rearing dairy heifers from birth to first calving and the time taken to repay these costs

Rearing quality dairy heifers is essential to maintain herds by replacing culled cows. Information on the key factors influencing the cost of rearing under different management systems is, however, limited and many farmers are unaware of their true costs. This study determined the cost of rearing heifers from birth to first calving in Great Britain including the cost of mortality, investigated the main factors influencing these costs across differing farming systems and estimated how long it took heifers to repay the cost of rearing on individual farms. Primary data on heifer management from birth to calving was collected through a survey of 101 dairy farms during 2013. Univariate followed by multivariable linear regression was used to analyse the influence of farm factors and key rearing events on costs. An Excel spreadsheet model was developed to determine the time it took for heifers to repay the rearing cost. The mean +/- SD ages at weaning, conception and calving were 62 +/- 13, 509 +/- 60 and 784 +/- 60 days. The mean total cost of rearing was 1819 pound +/- 387/heifer with a mean daily cost of 2.31 pound +/- 0.41. This included the opportunity cost of the heifer and the mean cost of mortality, which ranged from 103.49 pound to 146.19 pound/surviving heifer. The multivariable model predicted an increase in mean cost of rearing of 2.87 pound for each extra day of age at first calving and a decrease in mean cost of 6.06 pound for each percentile increase in time spent at grass. The model also predicted a decrease in the mean cost of rearing in autumn and spring calving herds of 273.20 pound and 288.56 pound, respectively, compared with that in all-year-round calving herds. Farms with herd sizes100 had lower mean costs of between 301.75 pound and 407.83 pound compared with farms with <100 milking cows. The mean gross margin per heifer was 441.66 pound +/- 304.56 (range 367.63 pound to 1120.08) pound, with 11 farms experiencing negative gross margins. Most farms repaid the cost of heifer rearing in the first two lactations (range 1 to 6 lactations) with a mean time from first calving until breaking even of 530 +/- 293 days. The results of the economic analysis suggest that management decisions on key reproduction events and grazing policy significantly influence the cost of rearing and the time it takes for heifers to start making a profit for the farm

Organic Farming in Cornwall: Results of the 2002 Farmer Survey

A detailed survey of organic farming in Cornwall was completed duing the period August 2002 to February 2003. One of the main objectives of the survey was to describe current practices and constraints to organic production so as to aid the Organic Studies Centre in developing a research and training strategy that meets the needs of Cornish organic farmers. all 130 registered producer members of the Soil Association Certification Ltd (SACert) and Organic Farmers anf Growers Ltd (OF&G) were contacted. Of these, 120 were farming and 119 were interviewed. Data collected through closed questioning reflected a wide range of land-use, enterprise, marketing, husbandry, management, certification, income and environmental issues. Comments from farmers, recorded through open-ended questioning, are quoted and para-phrased throughout the report. The survey has provided the first detailed description of organic production in Cornwall. These data will be used by the Organic Studies Centre at Duchy College to form the basis of a strategy for organic farming research and development relevant to Cornwall. The information gathered will also be used to inform other parties concerned with development of the organic sector in the UK generally, at the south west of England specifically. A second follow-up survey will be conducted during 2005. This survey would not have been possible without the considerable efforts of the data collectors and the goodwill, time and expertise ofthe participating farmers. These contributions are gratefully acknowledged

CROSS-COMPLIANCE Facilitating the CAP reform: Compliance and competitiveness of European agriculture Specific Targeted Research or Innovation Project (STREP) Integrating and Strengthening the European Research Area : Deliverable 13 : Product-based assessments to link compliance to standards at farm level to competitiveness

This report summarizes the main results from the Cross-Compliance project The core aim of this EU funded research project is to analyse the external competitiveness impact arising from an improvement in the level of compliance with mandatory standard