October 2002

 Upcoming Milk Quality Seminars!

UPCOMING SEMINARS
Visit with peers, while learning from fellow producers and industry experts about different ways to make your operation more profitable.

Featured speakers include:
Dr. Paul Rapnicki, Dr. Ralph Farnsworth and Dr. Steven Stewart

Tuesday, October 22nd Alexandria Holiday Inn
Wednesday, October 23rd Hutchinson Best Western Inn
Thursday, October 24th Rochester Holiday Inn(Hwy 63S-S of fgrnds)

AGENDA
9:30 Registration opens
10:00 Seminar begins
  TOPICS include: Milk Quality, Somatic Cell Count information
12:00 LUNCH
12:40 Resume seminar
  Tri-plate culture system
  DC305 to monitor clinical disease (MAST)
  Monitoring Repro (BREDSUM and preg rate)
2:30 Questions/Answers
3:00 Seminar ends
**Look for more detailed information coming on this agenda.
Seminar fee $15 - covers handouts & lunch for this information packed seminar.
Please call Minnesota DHIA today to reserve your seat today, 1.800.827.3442*

Somatic Cell Counts less than 100,000!

Congratulations to the following members - your September Somatic Cell Counts were under 100,000.
Thank you for your quality to the dairy industry.

Herd Owner City SCC

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LeRoy Dropps Milaca, MN 28,000
Tracy Schafer Owatonna, MN 49,000
Bevendale Farms 2 Green Isle, MN 52,000
Lake Shore Farm Hanska, MN 53,000
Bob & Terri Ketchum Utica, MN 76,000
Steve Searles Pine Island, MN 79,000
Gilman Halbakken St. Charles, MN 87,000
Bill & Merri Post Chandler, MN 88,000
Steve & Sandy Siegle Cologne, MN 88,000
Veiseth Farms Zumbrota, MN 89,000
Daniel Hallberg Kandiyohi, MN 90,000
Rod Lorentz Janesville, MN 91,000
Sonn-Bell Dairy Chetek, WI 97,000


Standard Operating Procedures...Your Dairy Team's Playbook
by Richard Stup, Human Resource Specialist - Penn State Dairy Alliance


The dairy business is much like football; the game is won or lost in the trenches. Just like an effective offensive line, your front line dairy workers need to be highly trained and able to execute their assignments consistently or the whole game plan will fall apart. Would a good football coach attempt to prepare his team without a playbook? Certainly not, and neither should you. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are the playbook for dairy workers and the managers who coach them.

It really doesn't matter if your workforce consists of two people or twenty, a well-managed dairy operation needs to have consistent routines for critical jobs such as milking, feeding and managing reproduction. Don't assume that having a small workforce means that everyone is doing jobs the same way. In many cases, family members milk cows in different ways. This is unsettling for the cows and it will limit milk production and milk quality. Likewise, variation in how cows are fed by different people will reduce herd performance. These negative impacts caused by variation in how farm jobs are carried out make it essential for each critical job to be standardized.

Another important reason to have SOPs is that they make training new employees or temporary help a lot easier. When a learner has written step-by-step instructions and perhaps a diagram or picture to refer to, dairy procedures become much easier to learn, remember and perform consistently. Small family operators should keep this in mind for the next time they want to hire temporary help so they can take a day off.

SOPs can be as simple or as complex as the job demands. The most important thing for you to remember is that you are an expert in the job. Others are likely to be novices, so you need to make the document simple, clear and easy to use. Try not to make any procedure longer than 7 - 10 steps. If you need more steps than this, break the procedure into several shorter sub-procedures. Don't be afraid to draw some diagrams or take pictures that will help to explain how things should be done.

The process you use when developing SOPs is important. You want to involve your workforce and your advisors as much as possible. Getting their input and advice will not only help you to create a better SOP, it will encourage them to have a sense of ownership in making the procedure successful.

Finally, make sure that you use performance goals for the SOP and that you have some way to measure progress. For example, a milking procedure might have performance goals related to how many cows per hour will be milked and what level of somatic cell count (SCC) will be achieved. Monitoring actual cows per hour and SCC and posting this information for everyone to see will help to build interest and enthusiasm for constant improvement in the whole workforce. After all, football wouldn't be very fun either if nobody kept score.

For more details about SOP formats and tips for developing them, see the Penn State publication "Standard Operating Procedures: A Writing Guide," at the website http://www.dairyalliance.org/hrmgmt/organizationaldev/odindex.shtml. Or call Penn State publications for a free copy at (814) 865-6713.*

Minnesota Feedlot Rules for Manure Testing - Stearns DHIA

The Minnesota Feedlot Rules State the following: "Manure from all storage areas holding manure from more than 300 animal units must be tested for nitrogen and phosphorous at least annually for the first three years and at least once every four years thereafter." 300 animal units equal approximately 160 dairy cows plus heifers and calves on a typical dairy farm.

The rules also state: "Manure from all storage areas holding manure from 100 to 300 animal units must be tested for nitrogen and phosphorous at least once every four years, or more frequently if management changes could lead to varying nutrient content. Individual stockpiles and manure packs generated by fewer than 100 animal units are not requited to be tested." 100 animal units equal approximately 55 dairy cows plus heifers and calves on a typical dairy farm.

For a postage-paid manure analysis kit, please call the Stearns DHIA Lab at 1.800.369.2697. The charge for N, P and K testing is $20.00 for either liquid or solid samples. Guidelines on how to take a sample are included in the kit. The Stearns DHIA lab tests manure for 100+ custom manure applicators in the five-state area as well as producers of all types of livestock and poultry.*

NEW REPORT - Special Herd Summary

In September we started providing a new monitoring system. The Special Herd Summary will be included in your monthly reports if it is triggered by the statistical process control(SPC). This first phase of the system is only monitoring SCC. In order to get this report, a herd has to have a SIGNIFICANT increase or decrease in Linear SCC or New Infections this test compared to last or it has to have a trend of increasing or decreasing SCC or New Infections over the last several tests. The most weight is put on the most current tests, yet is looking at the last 24 tests.

If you do receive this Special Herd Summary ask yourself some questions ...
ex: Why has the percent of new infections increased? Did you make a management change? How are you going to reduce the number of new infections to a normal level for your herd?

We are only expecting about 1% of our herds on test to receive this report during a month, so if you do receive this report and have questions on how to interpret it, please give us a call @ 1.800.827.3442 and ask for Val or Bruce.*

Dave Susag presented Outstanding Field Representative Award

DHIA service is as good as the person who shows up on your farm each sample day. Each year Minnesota DHIA recognizes the very best Field Representatives. They represent the top 6% of the DHIA field staff.

Dave has a unique problem in his unit. He has so many herds he cannot get around to all of them in one month. Not too many Field Reps can say that in the time where herds are selling out. It also says something for his work ethic, customer service is key! Dave hales from Lake City and is testing herds in multiple counties as well as in Wisconsin. Dave has been a Field Representative for 13 years. A while back he was down so many herds that he was working part time at the creamery across the street, but I think he's so busy now, he probably hardly has time to wave to the creamery across the street.

Dave is testing 69 herds or 8847 cows on an average of every 37.2 days, and is getting them processed in 1.85 days. When he knows he missed the sample truck, he is willing to make the special effort to drive samples to the lab to get processed more quickly. This kind of dedication is one of the traits that make Dave an outstanding Field Representative.

He takes pride in providing his clients with the best care; many times MN DHIA has sent files to Dave so that he can work with a software program for a dairy. Dave currently has 15 pieces of DC305 or Scout software in the field, one of the highest in the DHI system. He knows the importance of having immediate access to information for the dairy today.

As busy as he is, Dave has even added 3 new herds to the system. It is so important to him to make sure dairy managers have the information they need to manage their herd. Dave you do such quality customer service - Keep it up!*

Cows for Sale

FOR SALE: Springing AI bred and AI sired heifers. Due to calve Oct-Jan. If interested please call Lenny Hoen Jr 952-466-2088 (9/30/02)

Herd located in Holland, MN FOR SALE. 75 cows and 10 springing heifers. RHA: 23,389, DHIA Test and AI Breeding. If interested please call
Mike & Julie Nelson 507-347-3204. (9/25/02)

FOR SALE: 42-cow herd located in SW North Dakota. Herd has used artificial insemination for 56 years and DHIA for 32 years. Also available - mated youngstock. Please call Bob and Rose Lefor 701-225-3516. (9/19/02)

FOR SALE: One of McLeod Counties top herd selling entire herd. DHIA tested 22,600 lbs milk, 800+ fat, very young outstanding herd. Also selling Springing Heifers. Please call after 8:00 pm. Chuck Gutzmann 320-485-4621. (7/26/02)

FOR SALE: Herd near Brainerd is selling 46 cows, 19 bred heifers and 40 open heifers. If interested please call Frank Kraklau @ 218.829.7089 (9/12/02)

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.*