Feeding Dairy Cattle

It is the purpose of the writer to give in this bulletin a few practical suggestions on the feeding of dairy cattle, particularly applicable to South Dakota conditions. The suggestions are based on scientific experiments in feeding, and such practices as have been developed by feeders. There are two basic factors in economical milk production one the cow, the other the feed. The characteristics which make one cow a heavy producer when fed the proper amount and kind of feed, and the other a light producer under similar conditions, are inherited, and cannot be altered by feeding. It is safe to assert, however, that the production of the average cow on farms in South Dakota could be increased considerably by more liberal feeding of the proper feeds. The largest single expense in the production of milk is the cost of feed. It is apparent, therefore, that the farmer who is engaged in dairy farming or contemplates dairying, must give careful consideration and attention to the feeding of his herd

Self Feeders in Dairy Calf Feeding

Self-feeders have been used with good results in feeding swine, cattle and poultry. The self-feeder has been particularly popular with feeders during the fattening period, since it usually results in the consumption of more feed and thus more rapid and economical gains than jn the case of hand-fed animals. The saving of labor is also an item, under some conditions, which justifies the use of self-feeders

Vitamin D in Milk

Milk still retains its enviable rating as our most nearly perfect food. It ranks alone as a superior food for infants, and is by no means of minor significance in the adequate nutrition of older children and adults. However, even with a liberal supply of milk, the problem of proper nutrition is not a simple one. A study of our public health statistics, and a consideration of the various factors stimulating refined nutritional research bear abundant evidence of the fact that our knowledge and practice of the science of nutrition is not as yet all that might be desired. The place of vitamins in nutrition constitutes one of the important fields which is being studied. Research in this connection has shown that vitamin D is concerned with the proper retention and utilization of calcium and phosphorous in the building of strong bones and good teeth. A deficiency of this factor contributes to the improper mineralization of bones and results in the disease known as rickets. Borovsky (1933) has recently stated, that rickets is the most common nutritional disease of childhood, variously estimated as present to some degree in 50 to 97 per cent of all infants is unhesitatingly admitted by all pediatricians. If this condition is to be improved upon, adequate amounts of vitamin D must be furnished to those most susceptible to rickets together with a diet that supplies a liberal amount of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D has a very limited distribution among our common, natural food products. Milk, certain milk products, and eggs are about the only ones containing appreciable amounts, so the ordinary diet is likely to contribute but little to the supply of this factor. The normal supply of calcium and phosphorus in cow\u27s milk makes this product of particular interest as one of the few natural food sources of vitamin D, for it simultaneously furnishes the minerals and the vitamin to assist in their proper retention and utilization in the body. The fact that milk often makes up a large part, if not all, of the diet of the child during the time when it is most susceptible to rickets, indicates the importance of a knowledge of the factors influencing the amount of vitamin D in milk and its efficacy in preventing and curing rickets, and in promoting the adequate nutrition of the older child and adults. It is the purpose of this bulletin to discuss some of the information available on these topics and to present the results of experimental work bearing on certain phases of the problem

The Detection of Mastitis in Dairy Herds

The tests considered in this work were applied to 1812 samples of milk taken from 54 cows. The tests showed a much more frequent occurrence of abnormal milk than was expected. Be- fore the experiment was started very few noticeable indications of garget or mastitis were detected by the milkers and herdsman. The study herein reported deals with the occurrence of abnormal milk in the college dairy herd and a comparison of the results of various tests including the brom thymol blue test, the catalase test, the leucocyte count and the examination for long-chain streptococci

Clarification versus Filtration of Milk

Most of our modern plants employ some mechanical process for removing the foreign material from milk as it is received from the producer. The two types of equipment in general use are the filter and the clarifier, both of which have been considered successful in removing this material. The most important points for study seem to be the effect of clarification and filtration on quality of milk and the composition of the materials removed by each process. The principle of the centrifuge embodied in the clarifier would lead one to conclude that all matter of a specific gravity greater than milk would be removed by the clarifier. The filter on the other hand depends upon enmeshing solid particles in the fleecy surface of the filter cloth. Obviously the clarifier may remove semi-soluble material of smaller dimensions than the interstices in the filter, while the filter can only remove material which is too large to pass through the cloth. Whether the removal of this semi-soluble material is of importance or not should be indicated by the tests on keeping quality of the milk and also in the analysis of the material itself. A comparison of the two processes must not only consider the efficiency of sediment removal but also the composition of the material removed and the effect of the process upon the quality of milk. The study herein reported considers these points under conditions of actual plant practice

Emmer (Speltz) for Dairy Cows

The term speltz is commonly used for both emmer and spelt by farmers and seedsmen in this country. However, according to the Agronomy Department of State College the crop grown in South Dakota and commonly called speltz is in reality emmer. Emmer was probably introduced into this country fourty or fifty years ago by German immigrants from southern Russia who settled in the Dakotas. It is still grown largely in the Northwest. Farmers with whom the author has talked have been enthusiastic in their praises of emmer as a feed for all classes of livestock. It yields about the same as barley according to their observations, and is preferable to barley to handle and feed. The desirability therefore of emmer as a crop to grow for dairy cows depends largely on its feeding value. Accordingly a project was outlined to determine the relative feeding value of emmer, barley and corn. These crops were chosen for comparison as the chemical analysis indicate that emmer has about the same composition as barley and corn and would naturally be used as a substitute for these feeds for the dairy cow

The Effect of Milk Foam on Dairy Calves

Many dairymen who would prefer to feed calves skim milk direct from the cream separator are reluctant to do so, because of the effects the foam, which normally accumulates on separated milk, may have on the calves. Despite this more or less prevalent opinion among calf raisers regarding the harmful effects of foam, the literature seems to contain no experimental work either refuting or corroborating this opinion. The foam on skim milk may affect calves in several ways: 1. In the physical appearance of the calves. 2. In the height of the calves at the withers. 3. In the gain in live weight. 4. In the general health. There is no definite and accurate measurement of the physical condition and general health of calves, except daily observations. Such observations may be very inaccurate, but it is believed that these observations are helpful in interpreting the data. The growth, as indicated by the increase in height at the withers, affords a definite means of comparing the experimental calves with calves on a normal ration and calves which are making normal growth. The weight of the experimental calves is also a definite measurement of growth, which makes possible a comparison of experimental calves with normal calves. Accordingly data were secured on these objectives, and the results interpreted on that basis

Oat Feed as a Substitute for Roughage

Because of drought and large number of grass hoppers in 1931 farmers in many sections of South Dakota were without adequate roughage feed for their livestock. The cost of shipping and handling roughages such as hays makes them rather expensive to ship any great distance. The problem, therefore, of providing roughage which would carry the livestock through the feeding season of 1931 and 1932 at a reasonable cost was a vital one. One solution to the problem was the use of oat feed which could be purchased in most sections of South Dakota at about the price of wild hay. Wild hay is fed very extensively in this state and provides a large portion of the dry roughage used. When hay could not be obtained many farmers purchased oat feed. Organizations assisting with the feed problem also shipped in many carloads of the oat feed. Questions concerning the feeding value of oat feed were soon coming to the college. These questions prompted the organization of the above experiment