June 2001

MASTITIS CULTURING - GET TO KNOW WHO IS STEALING YOUR

Mastitis continues to rob our dairy producers of millions of dollars each year.  As many of you know, trying to fight this silent thief can be frustrating and costly.

According to a recent Hoards Dairyman article, to prevent the losses from mastitis, "you need a consistent program to monitor the organisms in your bulk tank. A solid program will help you reduce the losses from contagious and environmental mastitis."

The article further stated, "Although not all farms will realize immediate responses from their mastitis control strategies, knowing the enemy (organism) and infection level will go a long way in winning the war on mastitis. Taking an accurate bulk tank culture on a regular basis is one way to identify the enemy. This will help producers develop a cost-effective plan to reduce their SCC and mastitis infection rates."

Minnesota DHIA now offers, in partnership with the University of Minnesota, a cost-effective and reliable method of mastitis culturing. We offer both Bulk Tank Cultures and Individual Cow Cultures. For more information or to schedule a culturing session and find out who (or what) is robbing you of your profits, please talk with your field rep on test day or contact our office at 1-800-827-3442. You can also contact Gabe Gieske directly at 1-800-996-1571.

WHY COWS LEAVE HOME

Why do cows leave home? Knowing the answer to this question can be a good indication of areas that may need improvement.  Based on a study of Minnesota DHIA data, the majority of cows were culled (32%) in the year 2000 because they were sick. Reproductive problems, mastitis and low milk production were also common reasons for culling. This data is derived from the information you supply your field rep on test day.

ANNUAL SUMMARY CORRECTION - LIFETIME HIGH COWS BY MILK

In our 2000 Annual Summary, two cows were mistakenly omitted on the list of Lifetime High Cows by Milk. Cow number 6-25 actually ranks 7th in our overall Lifetime High list. Her correct records and those for Coreta are listed below.
We apologize for this oversight and congratulate the owners of both animals.

STANDARD DEVIATION

The Standard Deviation is essentially a measure of variability. It tells us how tightly all the data points in a group are clustered around the mean (average) of the group. In general, when the data points are tightly bunched together, the standard deviation is small and when they are spread apart the standard deviation is large.

One standard deviation away from the mean in either direction accounts for approximately 68 percent of the data points in a group. Two standard deviations away from the mean account for something like 95 percent of the data points, and three standard deviations account for nearly all (99.7 percent) of the data points.

For example, the cows in the herd below have an average calving interval of 13.7 months. Since this is only an average, we know that some animals have longer CI's and others have shorter CI's. In fact, some may be a LOT longer or shorter.  The standard deviation helps us determine how close most of the cows are to calving at intervals of 13.7 months.

REPRODUCTION SUMMARY

Pregnant Animals	Cows	Heifers
----------------------------------	-------	---------
Calving Interval (months)	13.7	25.2
CI-Standard Deviation (mo)	2.6	1.2

In this herd, the standard deviation of the cows' calving interval is 2.6 months.  Subtracting one standard deviation from the average gives us 11.1 months and adding one standard deviation gives us 16.3 months.  Thus, the calving interval of 68 percent of the cows in this herd lies between 11.1 months and 16.3 months.

The average "calving interval" for heifers (age at first calving) is 25.2 months.  However, the standard deviation is only 1.2 months. Thus, approximately 68 percent of the heifers calve between 24.0 months and 26.4 months of age.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE ... THE COW FROM MISSOURI

The only cow in a small Minnesota town stopped giving milk. The people did some research and found that they could buy a cow in Missouri for $200.

They brought the cow from Missouri and the cow was wonderful. It produced lots of milk all of the time, and the people were pleased and very happy.

They decided to acquire a bull to mate with the cow to produce more cows like it. They would never have to worry about their milk supply again. They bought the bull and put it in the pasture with their beloved cow.

However, whenever the bull came close to the cow, the cow would move away. No matter what approach the bull tried, the cow would move away from the bull and he could not succeed in his quest.

The people were very upset and decided to ask the Vet, who was very wise, what to do. They told the Vet what was happening. "Whenever the bull approaches our cow, she moves away. If he approaches from the back, she moves forward. When he approaches her from the front, she backs off. An approach from the side, she walks away to the other side."

The Vet thought about this for a minute and asked, "Did you by chance, buy this cow in Missouri?"

The people were dumbfounded, since no one had ever mentioned where they bought the cow.

"You are truly a wise Vet," they said. "How did you know we got the cow in Missouri?"

The Vet replied with a distant look in his eye, "My wife is from Missouri."

COW NUMBERS AND OTHER INTERESTING STATISTICS

Here are some interesting statistics based on herds currently testing with Minnesota DHIA:

- On June 1, the number of cows on test with Minnesota DHIA totaled 305,235.
- The number of herds enrolled with Minnesota DHIA dropped 268 from a year ago to 3,525.
- Average herd size has increased to 87 cows per herd.
- Nearly 96% of all members tested in May.
- Approximately 28% of all herds have data accessed by a consultant.
- Between January and May of this year, we enrolled a total of 160 new herds!

 JENNY VAVRA RECOGNIZED AS OUTSTANDING FIELD REP

Earlier this year, Minnesota DHIA presented Jenny Vavra of Stearns County with one of six Outstanding Field Rep Awards.  Jenny was chosen on the basis of test interval, quality of service, herd recruitment, equipment care and overall professionalism. Her dedication and exceptional service to her herdowners is undeniable.

Jenny joined the Stearns County Field staff just about 2 years ago and has been through a few changes since then. She is now married with children and still doing an outstanding job for herdowners.

At the present time, Jenny is testing 60 herds with a total of 4200 cows. She is getting them turned around and processed in an average of 1.43 days. Being on a sample route and keeping a turn time that low is quite an achievement. In the last year, Jenny added 2 new herds with a net gain of 70 cows.

Jenny is spending about 212 days a year in the barn, plus has 27 owner sampler herds that don't even count toward days of work. She currently has 5 on-farm DairyComp or Scout users.

We at Minnesota DHIA hope that she stays for a long time to come. Thank you, Jenny, for your dedication and hard work!

COWS FOR SALE

For Sale - 3 registered Holstein heifers. For more information, please call the Heins & Fredericks farm at 507-536-0060.

Warren Kamstra of Mille Lacs County is selling his entire herd of 47 Holsteins.  Call 763-389-3196 for more information.

For Sale - 5 Springing Holstein Heifers, due to calve from July to October. All are registered, AI & AI bred. For more information, please contact Leonard Hoen, Jr. at 952-466-2088.

Springing Holstein heifers for sale. Due to calve in July and August.  Call Mike & Kate Steinhagen at 952-442-2581 for more information.

For Sale - Holstein dairy herd. 18 stall cows. For more information, please contact Louis at 218-253-2511 Schafer Farms, Red Lake, MN.

Guernsey National Convention Sale - June 25, 2001 - Jordan, MN - Scott County Fairgrounds. 50 lots selling. For free catalog or more information call the American Guernsey Association at 614-864-2409 or visit them on the web at www.usguernsey.com. Or Call Paul Fritsche of New Ulm, MN at 507-359-7766.