August 2001

VACUUM ON TEST DAY: To Raise or Leave Alone, That is the Question!

Do you ever notice more air squawking or units falling off on test day? Is your percent Milk Sold (%milksold) outside of normal limits (96-110%)? If so, it may be a sign of insufficient vacuum. Without enough vacuum, the milk does not hit the top of the meters with enough force and may just dribble over the meter rim and diverter. Depending on the angle of the meter, it may read too high or low.  (Remember the meters need to hang within 5 degrees of level to be accurate.)

Each farm is different, with different equipment, a different number of units, age, size of compressor and milk line. Each of these factors play a part in how your vacuum works on test day versus every other milking. Our Tru-test meters are calibrated to work on vacuum ranges from 12-15 inches vacuum, but tend to work best with 14-15 inches. This depends on the factors listed above.

Our meters also have adapters for certain brands of equipment, including Bodmin with a single vacuum/milk line and Zero with no air inlet into their system. If you have one of these systems, please make sure your Field Rep has the proper adapters in use with the meters.

Each system is rated to work with a certain number of units attached. If for example, your system is rated for 10 units and you have 8 units every milking, when you attach 8 meters (the equivalent of 2 more milking units) on test day, your system is maxed out with 10 units. The vacuum may or may not be sufficient to get accurate readings from the meters. Generally, the older the vacuum system, the less vacuum it is capable of producing. So even though your system is rated for 10 units, it may only be capable of functioning properly with 8 or 9 units.

Your vacuum system should be checked periodically to make sure it is working at peak performance. Some of the key items to examine are:

1) Is the vacuum gauge working properly?
If the gauge isn't working properly, you really don't know what your vacuum is set at. Remember the vacuum gauge measures the vacuum at the gauge, not at teat end.
2) Does the pipeline have the correct slope and no low spots?
If there are low spots in the pipeline or the line is too small, there could be slugging in the line, affecting the vacuum on individual cows or groups of cows.
3) Is the regulator clean and working properly?
Dirty regulators or regulators that aren't working properly can cause major SCC flare-up due to problems with vacuum.
4) Is there enough vacuum reserve?
Without enough reserve vacuum, you may have even more slipping and fall-off of units. Each time there is an air slip, milk potentially gets pushed back up into the teat end, allowing bacteria to get into the teat canal and possibly causing an SCC infection.
5) Are the air intake and outlet areas clean and free of debris?
If the air inlet and outlet areas are being blocked, vacuum can be affected. One herd had problems with the outlet and their %milksold dropped from 101% on one test to 88% on the next. That means they weren't getting credited with enough milk per cow.

Some things to watch for include changes in %milksold, changes in SCC and more fall-offs or slippage, especially on test day. You may want to raise the vacuum by 1 inch on test day to help with milksold and slippage. If you do decide to change the vacuum level on test day, remember to change it back after testing is complete. If you notice any of the above changes, please have your authorized dealer check the vacuum system out.

Minnesota DHIA offers services to help with Milk Sold problems. Talk to your Field Rep or call 1-800-827-3442 for more information.

JOIN US FOR A DAY AT THE STATE FAIR MOO BOOTH

STOP BY AND VISIT US AT THE WORLD DAIRY EXPO

 The 35th Annual World Dairy Expo is just eight short weeks away! This year's Expo will take place October 3rd through the 7th at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Come to learn and join in the fun at national and international dairy judging contests, breed shows, sales, virtual farm tours, educational seminars, craft forums and the World's Forage Analysis Superbowl. While there, stop by and visit us in the Minnesota DHIA booth located in the lobby of the Exhibition Hall.

 MORE THAN JUST MILK TESTING

 Minnesota DHIA offers more than just milk testing services. We have a wide variety of dairy management tools and services available, including:

LAB SERVICES:
- Milk Analysis including Other Solids - Water Testing
- Milk Urea Nitrogen Testing - Manure Testing
- Feed & Forage Testing

MASTITIS CULTURING: Both Bulk Tank and Individual Cow culturing services are available.  Samples go to the University of Minnesota's premiere culturing lab unless otherwise specified.  Remember one of the keys to getting an accurate reading is to take the sample correctly.  We have several field reps who are certified to take samples and send them to the lab of your choice.  Call our office for a list of certified reps near you.

EARTAGS: Z-tags and Fearing brand available.  Studies show the Z-tags have up to a 95 percent retention rate.

COWS FOR SALE: Looking to buy or sell animals? We can help. To list animals for sale, just indicate to your field rep on test day which animals and we will add them to our Cows for Sale system. To list whole herds, you can also call our office.

MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE:
- Dairy Comp 305 => Designed for the large dairy with unlimited customizable reports. Daily Milk interface software is available to support interaction between DC305 and the parlor.
- Scout => Designed for the small to average dairy. It gives you day-to-day herd management information at your fingertips.

COMPUTERS: Some of the latest in technology at a very affordable price.  We offer Desktop systems, Laptops, Palm Pilots and Handspring Visors. Desktops and laptops are available with or without the Dairy Comp 305 or Scout software installed (sold separately).

PC CLEAN: Protect yourself from a sudden loss of data and hours of frustration.  PC Clean can alert you to many possible problems before they occur. Trained technicians will visit your farm and perform a comprehensive cleaning and diagnostic routine. These people can also assist you with DHIA records and services.

To learn more about these services or schedule an appointment, please visit with your field rep on test day or call our office at 800-827-3442.

 ANGIE HOPP RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE

 Angie Hopp of Kandiyohi County was one of six field reps in the state to receive an Outstanding Service Award this year.  All were chosen for this award on the basis of test interval, quality of service, herd recruitment, equipment care and overall professionalism.

Angie has been serving dairy producers in Kandiyohi, Meeker and several neighboring counties for nearly six years now.  Her unit takes her all over central Minnesota, including herds as far away as Cottonwood. She currently tests 45 herds with a total of 6,480 cows. On average, she visits each one once every 34 days, and her turn around time (test date to process date) is below the state average at 1.97 days.

When other field reps have left or needed relief, Angie has eagerly stepped to help out.  She's readily taken on extra herds and put on extra miles to relief test.  Angie is also one of the first to offer new services and options to  herdowners.  She currently has 7 Dairy Comp and Scout software users, and is certified for both Bulk Tank and Individual Cow Mastitis Culturing.

Angie, we are sure glad you joined our team and we hope that you stay for a long time to come.  Keep up the great job!

 COWS FOR SALE

 For Sale - 30 Holstein cattle. Half registered, ID grade, all are used to a parallel parlor. Call Terry Waggoner at 218-785-2241 for more information.

John Neisen of Mahnomen County is selling his entire herd of Holstein cattle.  23 cows in milk.  For more information, call 218-935-2601.

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.


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.