Entire herd of Holstein cows for sale. The current owner is retiring. This herd has been on DHIA testing services for a number of years. For more information, please contact Ralph Schwartz in New York Mills at 218.385.3819
June average SCC was 331,533 compared to June 2007 at 352,600.
Median SCC for this June was 304,000 compared to 323,000 last June.
That represents a 6% improvement in milk quality - congratulations!
960 herds had their data accessed electronically by a consultant this June - up 40 from last June.
22 new DHIA members joined in the second quarter, and Field Rep Randy Rasmussen of Thief River Falls won the lottery prize of $550 for the quarter.
Reported milk price averaged $19.19 for this June compared to $17.46 last June.
262,791 cows were DHIA tested in June, representing 2,220 herds. That makes average herd size 118 cows. Median herd size (middle size herd) is 68 cows. This is up a little over 7,000 cows from a year ago, and up 11,000 from 5 years ago. Thank you!
46 herds averaged over 90 pounds per milking cow in June.
During the last year, MNDHIA phone lines have been used an average of 78 hours per week.
You may have read in the Dairy Star that it is estimated that 25% of U.S. dairies have at least one cow with Johne’s disease. DHIA has tested 18,534 cows during the first half of the year, with 5.23% of cows coming up positive. June was the high volume month for the quarter. Many Field Reps have herds regularly testing for Johne’s using the milk samples. Cost is $5.75 per sample for lab and 25 cents per sample for data handling. Results can be sent to your cooperating vet by mail or email, and results are added to cowfiles that folks you have authorized can receive.
“What has been the recent decrease or improvement in overall test day milk production?” can be found under the Production Test Day Tab in on farm Dairy Comp 305 or in your Field Rep’s computer on sample day.
This graph plots your test day milk for the last two years. Analyze where you were two years ago compared to where you are at now to see if you have increased or decreased your test day milk over time. Look closer into areas of large increases or decreases in test day milk that may reflect a management change you made recently, or something you were unaware of that had an impact on your cows. You have the option of looking all cows at once or narrowing it down to the lactation(s) of your choice. A table is also generated with the values for each for you to consider if you prefer that method of analysis.
The 2008 National DHIA Annual Meeting, and Holstein USA Annual Meetings both unanimously passed resolutions calling for a mandatory National Animal Identification System. Both resolutions came from MN.
Occasionally, we hear about someone who has an elevated bacteria count that is traced to DHIA sample day. We visited with our sister organization, Dairy One, headquartered in Ithaca New York, and found they had just done a study on the situation. Thanks to Fred at Dairy One for sharing the following information and suggestions. FYI, Dairy One is New York, Pennsylvania, the Mid Atlantic and New England DHIAs combined with DairyLea Milk Cooperative. They utilized their full service milk lab to study the issue.
Various meter parts were swabbed after normal washing, and again after sanitizing for various lengths of time. Organisms were grown and cultured. Here are the conclusions:
In addition, several Field Reps have remarked that they see many milker drop-offs on sample day in a few dairies. That unquestionably would result in elevated bacteria counts as well. The solution may be as simple as raising vacuum for just the sampled milking.
Like everything in DHIA, sanitizing meters needs to be a cooperative project involving the dairy and the Field Rep. DHIA needs access to a sink with luke warm water in order to sanitize the meters, and if you do not see the need for sanitizing then please share that with your Field Rep.
FAST AND EASY:
By simply indicating to your Minnesota DHIA Field Representative which cows you would like to market, the cows are automatically added to our electronic Cows For Sale system on test day.
COST EFFECTIVE:
For a fraction of the price of newspaper advertising, you can list your dairy animals for 60 days. Members can advertise animals for the introductory price of $2.50 per animal with a maximum of $50 per herd. Animals can be listed for additional 60-day periods for the same price. Owners who list whole herds for sale must be on open disclosure.
GREATER DISTRIBUTION:
The Cows For Sale listing is available in either printed or electronic form. Unlike local newspapers, Cows For Sale has the potential to reach national and international buyers. More buyers mean higher prices for your animals.
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
On-demand copies of the list containing the most current animals is $50, or you can subscribe to the monthly publication for $100 per year, $50 for Minnesota DHIA members.
CUSTOM LISTS:
Buyers who are looking for animals that meet specific criterion can purchase customized lists of animals. The price for made to order lists vary based on the number of items used to select and sort animals. Animals can be selected by any combination of age, reproductive status, production, location or any other data item we store in our Minnesota DHIA database.
For more information about this exclusive Minnesota DHIA service contact:
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