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National Animal Identification System Update

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 grandfathered 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 approved by USDA technology wizards from Ft. Collins Colorado, where the National Premises Allocator resides.  They are currently keying applications and it may be a month before they get caught up.  You will receive a card in the mail with your number on it when it is assigned.  There are over 10,000 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.mn.us.  You will need to have a premise ID to order tags, and in the event of any disease outbreak that accelerates the implementation dates, you will want to have your Premise ID and not have to wait in line!

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.

 

Please

We ask that you please report the outcome of calvings to your DHIA Field Rep.  Was it a bull or heifer, or twins, alive or dead?  We plan to summarize this data for you in a new report we have developed, providing you with your data, and enabling you to see the averages for DHIA.  There is a place on the Barn Notes or in your on-farm software to report this information.

 

You may also wish to consider tagging your bull calves and entering them into your DHIA records, especially if you plan to feed those animals out yourself.  It appears there may be added value at slaughter if you can verify a farm of origin and a birthdate.  Field Rep and on-farm versions of software allow the option of “bull calf add to cowfile” and allow a tag to be recorded for these animals, and allow separate inventory.  Note that there is no charge for handling youngstock data in DHIA.

 

 

 

March Milk Quality Leaders

	SCC	Cows			SCC	Cows
ALAN/OVERLAND	35	22		VERYL & CAROL/BECKER	88	28
DAN AND JOLENE/SCHLANGEN	37	63		FRANK/PATRICK	88	55
NORBERT/BROWN	50	49		MIKE MORRIS	91	38
MARK/KLEHR	54	52		SIBERT FARMS	91	46
DAVID AND MARIE/BENDIX	55	41		JAY/BEKIUS	91	123
WALLACE + ROGER/BRADLEY	56	36		JIM/STORTZ	92	31
DAVID/BUCK	56	65		JOHN+MARY/RADEMACHER	92	80
KENNETH/ANDERSON	57	31		JOSEPH/SPELTZ	93	11
ART AND JANE/STUMPF	58	49		RICK + JOE/FLANDERS	93	52
AIMEE/FINLEY	59	70		DUANE CAROL DENNIS/HAIBY	93	83
OAK GLEN/JOHNS	60	30		BOB & TERRI KETCHUM	93	115
DUANE + CARLA/MANN	61	31		DANIEL/HALLBERG	94	58
KIDMAN DAIRY	63	84		BRUCE AND JODI/HEIM	95	139
PRAHL DAIRY	65	31		EUGENE/ARNDT	96	49
GARY AND CINDY/KRAHN	65	54		KEVIN/SPLETT	96	53
CHARLES-DOUG/ARVIDSON	66	35		SCHREIBER BROS/	96	82
LUX-URY HOLSTEINS INC.	66	117		DALE SMITH	96	164
JIM/KULINSKI	67	51		MARK & CARLA BRUNHOLZL	97	25
SWENSON DAIRY	68	43		JAMES J/MULLENBACH	98	60
ANTHONY/LEMMER	68	49		GRIEBELS BLACK AND WHITE	98	71
REUBEN AND JANICE/STOMMES	68	64		RANDY + PEG/NORMAN	98	408
JOHN/NATHE	68	226		BRUCE AND WENDY/HILKE	99	61
JOHN W/WENNINGER	69	37		JAMES AND PAUL GREGORY	100	89
GERALD+LISA/BURG	69	42		JASON & JOHN SCHROEDER	101	55
RICK/HEUER	69	71		LEO/LENZMEIER	101	57
BOB/KUMMET	70	37		FRED/VIERE	101	85
LELAND & PAT/BUCHHOLZ	70	51		MICHAEL/BRUCE	101	101
LARRY/LEXVOLD FAMILY	70	69		L & D DAIRY	101	306
SHAWN/BERGEY	71	54		RON/KEMPER	102	36
KEVIN/ANDERSON	72	46		MILKY WAY DAIRY FARM	102	42
LARRY AND SHARON/WISTE	74	27		STEVE AND SANDY/SIEGLE	102	52
DEWEY/HERBER	74	132		BRUCE/RUNDHAUG	102	56
JEFF/BLENKER	75	39		JIM/NELSON	102	60
Cargill	75	77		BREEZY HILL DAIRY	102	312
ROBERT SWYTER	78	70		JOHN  ROBERS	103	19
JOPPS CENTURY FARMS	78	90		JEFF/KRYCH	103	38
KEVIN & DELORES/CARLSON	79	68		EXODUS/ HOLSTEINS	103	49
VALLEY VIEW FARM 1/	79	100		RAY+CHERYL/SEIBERT	103	56
GOODVUE AYR FARMS II	80	52		DENNIS/FISCHER	103	60
GATEWOOD FARM/	80	73		LESTER AND GARY/RYDEEN	104	51
MARK/PIEPER	81	42		GARY + LIZ/LEHNERTZ	104	100
MIKE/HAGLUND	82	50		SCHUELER FARMS/	104	230
HAPPKE HOLSTEIN FARM	82	62		KEVIN & CARAL/SCHAFER	105	36
WAYNE & KATHERINE/VOTH	82	101		BERNARD/WIELENBERG	105	44
MICHELS BROTHERS	83	20		LEROY AND DON/ANTONSEN	105	45
HAZEL-BUSH FARMS INC	83	50		DAVID/HALLBERG+STEPH LARSON	105	61
KIMM'S DAIRY	83	76		MIKE + MANDI/HOERNEMANN	105	85
HARLEY / WELSCHER	84	28		FJEL-MAR DAIRY	105	97
JOEL & NICOLE/GROSS	85	49		HAROLD/GUENTHER	106	33
SELKE FARMS/	85	127		PAUL/NIES	106	39
D & J  DAIRY	86	52		ERNIE/NORTON	106	81
RICHARD/SCHNOBRICH	87	44		OREN AND JULIE/OLSEN	106	88
SCHEFERS BROS/	87	75

 

We are now at 21 straight months (and counting) of monthly average SCC that is at a 5 year low.  The average for March was 339,000, a slight decrease from February (unusual – March usually goes up), and an improvement of 35,000 from last March.  Congratulations and Thank You!

Measure of Accuracy and Service

 

Your DHIA Field Rep reports the last 3 milk shipments on each sample day.  The purpose of this Standard Operating Procedure is to compare the milk produced on DHIA sample day to the amount of milk produced on the 3 or 6 days prior to sample day.  We don’t expect the data to match perfectly, because we are comparing different days and herds are dynamic.  Dynamic means you never have the same herd 2 days in a row.  Most cows are one day in milk more than they were yesterday, some have dried off, some have calved, some are in heat or off feed.  The beauty of this system becomes apparent when we look at the results. 

 

We take this sample day comparison and combine it with all the other sample days for the last year to give us an annual comparison to milk sold.  We find that over time, the numbers tend to balance out.  67% of Minnesota DHIA herds are at or under national average of 103% milk sold.  The average is not 100% because of milk fed to calves, cats, kids, and milk that is produced but not put in the tank (high SCC cows for example). 

 

97.6% of our herds are at or below 108%, and only 43 herds are above 110%.  Take the average herd with 100 cows and a 20,000 pound herd average.  If that herd is at 110% milk sold, it is producing an average of 10% more milk on each sample day than it is selling on the days ahead of sample day.  If our numbers are reported correctly, 10% of 20,000 pounds equals 2,000 pounds per cow per year, times 100 cows equals 200,000 pounds of milk being produced on that farm that is not being sold.  That amounts to $28,000 at $14 per cwt.  We have found a couple of herds again this year where the tank was out of calibration.

 

All Field Reps have a troubleshooting form that can prove helpful in looking at causes of abnormal milk sold.  Abnormal herds may have an on-farm visit to help solve the problem, after completing the troubleshooting form.  Milk shipment records should be available to the DHIA Field Rep on the form left by the milk hauler.

 

The weakness of the system is that it is based on the accuracy of the bulk tank.  The most common cause of abnormal milk sold percents is the milking system used in combination with meters.  We note that on a huge portion of the herds we service, this is not a problem. 

 

A new DHIA policy that takes affect for the 2005 testing year states that in order for a herd to be eligible for recognition and awards from Minnesota DHIA, it must have an annual percent milk sold of no higher than 108%.

 

 

 

Minnesota DHIA Rookie of The Year

Craig Dold joined the DHIA Field staff in Stearns County in October of 2003.   Craig serves 57 Minnesota dairy producers. Craig comes from a farm background and understands how important DHIA information is to his customers for managing their operations. Craig participated in an Internet Dairy Comp class last year to improve his knowledge of the program.  This has enabled him to provide the best information his producers request in the format they desire. Milk quality is an issue of great importance to dairy producers. Craig recently received training and certification in Mastitis Culturing Services so he can offer that management tool as well to his producers.

Craig and his wife Jenny and 1 1/2-year-old daughter Ella live in Sauk Centre. He is a versatile person, with a degree in Computer programming and Web site development, as well as possessing excellent handyman skills. He spent much of his "free" time last summer adding on  to their home. Craig also enjoys the outdoors.

Please extend your congratulations to Craig for the fine service he provides the next time he visits your operation.

Farm safety message:
Safety Savvy - An Ounce of Prevention Saves...

Consider these maintenance items that could save your life as well.

n       Stick a new SMV emblem over the old faded ones so motorists can see you better on the road. It's cheaper than defending yourself in a lawsuit if a car runs into your unmarked equipment.

n       Apply the reflective markers that outline the extremities of your equipment.

n       Repair any lights that are not working on your tractor, combine or drawn equipment.

n       Check all guards and shields for proper function and replace any that are bent, broken or missing. Lubricate PTO spinner shields according to the owner's manual so they will telescope and spin freely.

n       Starting a tractor while standing on the ground kills a farmer nearly every year.

n       Order a ROPS kit and seat belts for your older tractors that don't have them. (Tractor roll-over is the number one killer of farmers—without a ROPS you have a 20% chance of survival; with a ROPS and fastened seat belt you have better than a 99% chance of walking away.)

n       Install a fire extinguisher on your tractors and combine. A first aid kit is a good—and inexpensive—idea too. Consider providing a means for two-way communication (a cell phone, CB, or business radio) so you can call for assistance from the field if needed.

Some think of preventive maintenance as a way to save time and money. Think of it also as a way to save the farm—and the lives of those that live and work on it. ©2004 NYCAMH.

 

“Events” this month’s taste

 

The “Taste of Dairy Comp 305” report for this month is the events table.   It lists all the events you have been reporting over the last year, sorted by month.  Note that if you report mastitis events, ketosis, DAs, or any other health events, those will be listed on this report.  The report is available any time from your Field Rep, or in your on-farm software.  There are special barn notes available from your Field Rep if you would like to have the Field Reps record health data for your purposes.  Health data is not included in anything sent to USDA, but may be of interest to your consultants.