On the Lactation and Barn reports, there is one column that has several options available. The options on both reports are: Standardized ME, Milk $ Value, ME Milk, ME Fat, ME Protein, Projected milk, LTD $ over Feed, ECM (Energy Corrected Mi lk). Only available on the Barn report are Sire and Service Sire.

On the lactation report, the optional column is located on the right side of the report, third column from last. The Barn report optional column is the first on the left.

Please ask your Field Rep to change the optional column on either of these reports if you would like to try another option. You may change this any and every sample day.

1. USDA plans to start issuing the Animal Identification Numbers (AIN) to tag manufacturers this July. AIN numbers will start with 840 (USA country code) followed by 12 numbers. Radio Frequency ID tags currently being sold are to be grandfat hered in. They start with a manufacturer code instead of a country code. It is expected those numbers will be discontinued once USDA is up with their system.
2. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health, regulatory arm within the state that is responsible for NAIS implementation and operation, has had their Premise Identification system reviewed by USDA technology wizards from Ft. Collins Colorado, where the Natio nal Premises Allocator resides. There will be a test of the Minnesota system in early March, to make sure technology matches and data protection procedures are in place and meet standards. When that test is successful, Minnesota will begin assigning Pre mise numbers in the order that farms have applied. There are over 8,000 farms that have already applied. If you haven’t sent your card back, we suggest you do so. You may also register on-line at www.bah.state.m n.us.
3. Minnesota DHIA will be working with the Board of Animal Health on early implementation of RFID on project dairy herds.
4. USDA has agreed that once the RFID system is up and running, animals with an RFID tag will not need any other tag for any animal health or regulatory purpose.
5. For those of you purchasing RFID tags from Minnesota DHIA, we will retain the data until Minnesota creates your Premise ID, and when you provide us with your premise number, we will forward data to the state database.
6. For our Wisconsin customers, you already have Premise IDs and we are already sending data to WLIC, agent for the Wisconsin Department of Ag, on the project herds.

Dairy Comp 305 can now interface with the Dell Axim hand held computer.  The Axim fits in your shirt pocket and allows you to bring your cow data with you. It can also be used for storing your calendar, to do lists, phone numbers, and much more. Dairy Comp 305 can send cow cards and action lists to the Axim. You can enter events on the Axim and transfer those to Dairy Comp 305 later.  

Gary Westrup from Richmond MN, says" I really like it to look up cow cards on the Axim on vet check day".   All the events and information for any animal is available in his pocket!

Pocket DC also has a pen walk feature useful for finding cows that are in the wrong pen.

For those of you using the new RFID tags, the wand sends the ID of an animal wirelessly to the Axim. Cow cards or action lists pop up as the ID is read. In addition to the screen information, the Axim will talk to you. As an example, using the vet ch eck list, when you read the RFID of a cow, the Axim will say "preg check" if the cow needs to be checked.

Milk that Investment in Records Now

With Spring just around the corner, now might be a good time to take a little more detailed look at your DHIA reports--before you get involved in field work. Many of you are in the habit of looking at a few favorite pieces of information on reports eve ry test, but miss out on some of the other valuable information available to you. Here are a few suggestions:

Page 30 of the February 26 edition of the Dairy Star has copies of the 2005 Scorecard and Yardsticks. Take your Herd Summary and compare your averages and your recent test results to them. Some of the items have a very strong correlation to both produc tion and profitability. The scorecard was also included in your January report packet, and is available on our website, www.mndhia.org.

Note the difference between the Average SCC and % Infected on the lower producing herds versus the higher producing herds. What % of your animals are coming fresh infected (% Infected by DIM; <30 DIM). What about fresh heifers? Look at recent tests under the Quality section of the herd summary and compare Fresh Infections to Fresh Cows--what percent of recently fresh animals were infected?

What is the average peak production for your animals? It is generally estimated that for each additional pound of peak milk, a cow will produce about 200 pounds more milk for that lactation.

Notice the huge difference between higher and lower producing herds on Average days to first Service. Lower producing herds are not getting animals bred back as soon. They also have fewer animals dry from 40-70 days--too many cows didn't get bred back and are sitting in the dry lot for longer periods of time. Take a look at the new "Taste of Dairy Comp" reports that are included in your packet. They have additional valuable information about your dairy.

After evaluating your current status the next step is to determine what areas you want to make changes in and what steps you need to take to make those changes. You have many resources such as Veterinarians and Nutritionists available to help with that process if you desire. Set some goals along with specific steps you will take to achieve those goals. Good Luck!

For the complete Minnesota DHIA 2004 Annual Summary, please visit www.mndhia.org

Much progress has been made in the past several months on reduction of somatic cell counts. However, Minnesota DHIA dairy producers realize the need for more progress. You also recognize that mastitis is not a disease that is likely to be totally eli minated. Many of the bacteria causing mastitis are present in the cow’s environment at all times.

On most dairies the challenge today is to reduce exposure of the teats and teat ends to these bacteria. There are several possible actions to take, but the key points revolve around:

• Keeping the udders and teats clean and dry at all times
• Using proper prep procedures to ensure teats and teat ends are very clean at milking

Pre-dipping with a quality germicidal pre-dip and proper drying of teats remain important aspects of pre-milking hygiene on many operations striving for high quality milk.

You can monitor how well you are doing in preventing new infections using your Minnesota DHIA data:

1. Look at the percent new infections on the herd summary each month. Overall, average new infections are about 9-10% of all tests each month.

Better herds can consistently achieve rates of 5-7%.

2. If you have DairyCOMP305 on the farm, you can do even more detailed examination of your data. Try these commands (there are many other possibilities) :
1. PLOT SCC=200 FOR LACT>0 BY SCC\ZR

This shows you the percent infected each month

Take a look at both the table and the graph

2. PLOT SCC=200 FOR LACT>0 BY SCC\ZRY

This shows you several items over several months, including the new infections

3. Add FOR LACT=1 to either the above commands to limit the analysis to only the first calf heifers or FOR LACT>1 to only look at older cows.

Ask your field rep about assisting you in submitting a bulk milk sample for mastitis culture analysis.