February 2001

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Dairy Comp User Meetings

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Minnesota DHIA will be holding two seperate series of Dairy Comp 305 meetings
this winter. The first is open to all Dairy Comp users. You will be working on
your own herd on notebook computers we provide.
Topics include: The Command Line, Using Scheduler, Vet Lists, Bredsum, and Synch
Breeding.

Dates and locations are as follows:

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COWS FOR SALE

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Bruce Carlson of Rush City is selling his entire herd of 80 Grade Holstein
cows and heifers. For more information, please call him at 320-358-4225.

Tony & Gary Evans of Pipestone County are selling their entire herd of Jersey
and Holstein cattle. They have approximately 70 cows in milk. Please call
them for more information at 507-825-4401.

For Sale - Holstein Dairy Herd. 24 head, no BST, 30 years of AI, DHI records.
Please call John Timm of Yellow Medicine County at 507-768-3588.

Cows For Sale is a service of Minnesota DHIA. Members can advertise for just
$2.50 per animal with a maximum of $50 per herd (good for 60 days). For more
information, talk to your Field Rep on sample day or call us at 800-827-3442.

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Minnesota DHIA 2000 Annual Summary
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It's time once again to publish the Minnesota DHIA Annual Summary. This year in
addition to highlighting some of the many accomplishments of our members, we
plan to include listings of dairy service and resource providers. Our goal is to
make the Annual Summary a handy reference book for our customers.

If you, or someone you know, offers services or products that dairy producers
would find useful please let us know. We'll be happy to help spread the word.
We are offering advertising space to any of the following resource providers:

heifer raisers	hoof trimmers
cow de-horners	relief milkers
milking equipment dealers	custom forage harvesters
dairy-related artists	pest controllers

Please help us spread the word. In addition to the discount, we will give
referring member producers $5 for each name that gets published. We also have
full and 1/2 page ad space available for those with more to say. If you know
someone who would like to be included in the Annual Summary, please call us at
1-800-827-3442. Remember this summary goes to the cream of the Minnesota Dairy
industry, including the top producers, consultants, and extension types.

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YOU MAY BE A FARMER IF...

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You convince your wife that an overnight, out-of-state trip for parts is a
vacation.

You've never thrown away a 5 gallon bucket.

You have used baling wire to attach a license plate.

You know cow pies aren't made of beef.

You wave at every vehicle whether you know them or not.

You have used something other than paper as toilet paper.

You refer to farms by who owned them 50 or more years ago.

You have animals living in buildings more expensive than your house.

The meaning of true love is that you'll pose for a picture with both him and
his favorite cow.

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WIN THE FIGHT AGAINST MASTITIS

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Mastitis costs producers money in more ways than one. Studies have shown that a
high Somatic Cell Count (SCC) reduces a cow's milk production, adversely affects
milk flavor and shortens the shelf life of fluid milk. Cows that have clinical
mastitis in early lactation also have a significant increase in the average
number of days open.
Would you like to win the fight against this silent profit robber and improve
your bottom line? Minnesota DHIA, in conjunction with the University of
Minnesota, is now offering Bulk Tank Culturing and Individual Cow Culturing
for mastitis-causing agents.

The University of Minnesota is a nationally renowned leader in the diagnosis and
prevention of bovine mastitis. Our field personnel have received training in
sampling techniques developed by the U of MN and are proficient in both Bulk
Tank Culturing and Individual Cow Culturing.

BULK TANK CULTURING is a useful technique for determining the general types of
mastitis-causing bacteria present in cows within a herd, as well as the amount
of exposure to environmental bacteria. If Staph aureus is present in the bulk
tank, the dairyman should follow up with INDIVIDUAL COW CULTURES so those
infected cows can be managed to help prevent the spread of the organism. If
Strep agalactiae (Strep ag) is identified, cows should also be individually
cultured because they can be successfully treated. High levels of environmental
bacteria in the bulk tank usually indicates the need to focus attention on
bedding management and proper milking procedure, particularly cow preparation.

BULK TANK CULTURING:
Samples are taken for 5 days to give accurate results regarding contagious
agents (Staph aureus and Strep ag.). Our DHIA field personnel will provide a
sampling kit and review sampling instructions with the producer prior to
sampling. The herdowner will usually be responsible for taking samples.

INDIVIDUAL COW CULTURING:
The best time for taking individual cow samples is during milking, right after
the cow has been prepped and before the unit is attached. DHIA personnel will
do the sampling and will have the supplies they need from the University to
ensure that high quality samples are being taken. Arrangements will need to be
made about a week in advance of the sampling date to allow the University time
to send the right number of sample vials and alcohol swabs to the person doing
the sampling.

Culture results for Bulk Tank Sampling and Individual Cow Sampling will be sent
to you and your veterinarian. If you desire, you may also get information on
the interpretation of culture results from the University. Individual cow
culture results can be recorded in DC 305 and Scout herd management programs.
For more information on our culturing services, call Gabe Gieske at
1-800-996-1571.

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SCOUT & DAIRY COMP 305 UPDATES ON THE WEB & LOOP

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The Windows version of SCOUT and Dairy Comp 305 are being updated on a regular
basis. To get the most out of your program you should be downloading and
installing all updates as they become available. If you have internet access,
you can quickly and easily download updates via the web. For without internet
access, you can still download updates directrly from Minnesota DHIA via the
LOOP system. You may want to check every 4 weeks or so to see if a new update
has been released. For instructions on downloading, please refer to the January
issue of our Software Users Newsletter now available at www.mndhia.org.

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2001 MINNESOTA DHIA ANNUAL MEETING NOTICE

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The 2001 Minnesota DHIA Annual Meeting will be held at the Radisson Hotel in St.
Cloud on Tuesday February 27, 2001. Start time is 10:45 am. The Central
Minnesota Farm Show begins the same day at the St. Cloud Civic Center, located
directly across from the Radisson. Please call Minnesota DHIA at 1-800-827-3442
if you plan to attend.

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COMPUTERS AND PALM PILOTS AVAILABLE THROUGH MINNESOTA DHIA
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Looking for a new computer or the latest technological wonder -- the Palm Pilot?
Minnesota DHIA has both available for sale.

COMPUTER: Desktop PC with 64 MB SDRAM, 10 GB Hard Disk Drive, 48 X DC ROM, 56K
V.90 Modem, Monitor and Printer. For more information, please call Andy or Joyce
at 1-800-827-3442. Each PC can be set up to your individual specifications.

PALM PILOT: Palm m100. Price, including the Dairy Comp setup is $290. If you
already own a Palm Pilot and just want the Dairy Comp interface software, the
cost is $140. This includes installation and training.

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FARM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS
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The Farm Business Managment program is holding a workshop on using the Minnesota
DHIA Scorecard and Herd Summary reports on Wednesday February 21 at the Sauk
Centre City Hall from 12:30 to 3:00. Jim Salfer of the Stearns County Extension
office is the featured speaker.

The FBM is also sponsoring a meeting on March 7 from 10-3 at the Holiday Inn in
Alexandria and the Hayloft in Sauk Centre. Featured speakers include: Mike
Hutjens of Monsanto, Jim Salfer, Dr. Mike Moe of Sauk Centre and Dr. Florian
Lederman of Alexendria.