Figure 12.1. Holstein production trends for milk, milk fat percentage and protein percentage by year.
A 30 cow herd (50% Holstein, 50% Jersey) was established in a Grade B market in 1987 to determine if a seasonal milking/intensive grazing concept was feasible for Ohio dairy farms. This herd expanded to 43 head under Grade A conditions by the fifth year of the project. Spring calving was chosen to efficiently utilize intensively managed pasture forage supplies. Cows calved in March and April and were dried off in late December. Over the five years, the 60- to 71-day calving period was moved 50 days earlier in the spring. A variety of breeding technologies was used to maintain the 12-month calving interval including milk progesterone assays, ovarian palpation, prostaglandin treatments, synchronization of heifers, hormone implants and crayon rump markers. All cows were bred artificially. Over the five years of the project, culling rates for reproduction were 40, 23, 22, 3, and 12%, respectively (Table 12.1). Calving intervals were 11.6, 11.9, 12.0, and 12.1 months in years two through five.
As shown in Table 10.2, projected net income figures before interest and taxes were $12,458, $8,109, $15,325, and $26,551 in years two through five, respectively. By comparing data in Table 10.4, it is apparent that total fixed costs of production were 27 to 30% below those used in conventional simulated Ohio dairy budgets (Ohio Dairy Enterprise Budgets,1991). In the fifth year (1991), total cost of producing milk was $17.64 per cwt. Although fixed costs were reduced, total costs need to be reduced even more for seasonal spring dairying to be enthusiastically received on dairy farms in Ohio.
Eastern Ohio is characterized by shallow soils and hilly terrain with many areas having shale layers close to the surface. These areas are not suitable for extensive cultivation but will support the production of permanent pasture. One method of harvesting the forage produced is by using intensive grazing management with dairy cattle similar to the New Zealand style of milk production. To see if this style of dairy management was suitable to Ohio, a demonstration was set up at the Mahoning County Farm, a branch station of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, incorporating the concepts of intensive grazing management and seasonal milking.
In 1987, a herd of 15 Holstein and 15 Jersey springing heifers was brought to the farm. The heifers were due to freshen from April through June. An existing beef cow facility was converted to dairy purposes by building within a bank-barn a small milkhouse and a minimum-investment flatbarn consisting of six headlocks installed at an existing feedbunk, and a pipeline to accommodate the use of three milking machines. The only other investment made was the installation of high tensile fence around and across 42 acres (17 hectares) of existing tall fescue pasture.
The herd was milked twice-a-day. Cows were prepared for milking without being washed unless they were excessively dirty, which seldom occurred while they were on pasture. Their teats were predipped, dried after 30 seconds, milked and postdipped with an iodine based teat dip. No water was used to clean up the milking area. The floor was simply scraped clean after milking and a bit of lime was spread if necessary. The dairy was set up as Grade B. and milk was sold on a cheese yield basis until August of year four when minimal changes were made to upgrade the facilities. Thereafter, milk was sold as Grade A to gain a substantial price enhancement of about $1.50 / cwt. Net income figures for the last year are notably better as a result.
Cows to be kept were milked until late December when, after the last milking, they were treated with a commercial dry cow antibiotic. Cull cows and cows pregnant too late to remain in the herd were taken to an auction market that day. Feed was limited to poor quality hay for a few days to aid in the drying off process. Production levels can be comparable to those of traditionally managed herds, if cows are milked to an average lactation length of 305 days.
| Table 12.1. Mahoning project reproduction statistics. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | |
| Calving period | 4-14 thru 6-16 | 3-15 thru 5-17 | 2-27 thru 5-7 | 3-1 thru 4-29 | 2-25 thru 5-19 |
| Breeding-cows | 6-16 thru 9-27 | 6-16 thru 8-11 | 5-27 thru 8-11 | 5-28 thru 8-11 | 5-15 thru 8-10 |
| Breeding-Heifers | None | Implant, 6-24 | Implant, 5-31 | Implant, 6-3 | Implant, 5-21 |
| Dry date | 12-21 | 12-20 | 12-20 | 12-20 | 12-23 |
| % Cows culled | 40% | 23% | 22% 2 | 5% | 19% |
| % Culled for reproduction | 40% | 23% | 22% | 3% | 12% |
Most cows were freshened in temporary box stalls. They immediately joined the milking string which received a ration of alfalfa hay, corn silage, and concentrate mix until pasture was available in April.
All female calves were kept and raised for replacements. An existing grain storage building was converted for calf rearing at a cost of approximately $200 for materials. After weaning, calves were grouped together and put out on pasture. When pasture was plentiful, yearling heifers grazed after the cows. When pasture was in short supply, heifers grazed pastures that were not used for the milking herd.
Impregnating cows and replacement heifers in a timely way was elementary for their retention in this project. Cattle received MuSe1 injections two to four weeks prepartum and again 30 days before breeding. Once calving began, frequent herd checks were conducted by a veterinarian to discover and correct noncycling cows as soon as possible. Uterine infections and cystic ovaries were treated as quickly as they were discovered. Technologies used to enhance the breeding program included milk progesterone tests, prostaglandin treatments, hormonal implants, tailhead chalking, and frequent observation. During the breeding period, veterinary checks were conducted weekly. Since production increased dramatically in the last years of the project, it is apparent that quality genetics pay off in this system just as they do in conventional management.
1 Source: Schering Plough Animal Health Corp., Kenilworth, NJ 07033.
During the pasture season, cows normally received minimal supplemental grain (mostly corn) and no forages other than the pasture they consumed. However, during several periods of drought, dried hay was fed to supplement the depleted pasture inventories. Cows were fed grain during milking. With grain feeding limited to twice per day, it was determined that a maximum of 17 lb (7.7 kg) could be fed per cow per day without disturbing rumen function. The novel discovery is that 17 lb (7.7 kg) of concentrate should be fed to each cow every day of lactation, irrespective of milk produced, for a spring calving herd using intensive grazing. Maintaining sufficient body condition on the cows was a continual challenge. Protein content of the pasture ranged from 15 to 23%. Therefore, the primary function of the grain mix was to supply energy, minerals, and rumen undegradable protein.
Cows were turned out to pasture in the spring when growth reached a height of 4 inches (10 cm). This usually occurred by the first week of April. At the beginning of the project, pastures consisted of 42 acres (17 hectares) of primarily tall fescue with a sparse presence of birdsfoot trefoil. The area was divided into eight, five-acre (two hectare) paddocks with high-tensile fence. Three of the paddocks were also renovated with an alfalfa / grass mixture. Early in the project, abundant clover appeared in the pastures along with other grass species.
Cows were moved to fresh pasture every 24 hours. Divisions were made within the permanent paddocks using portable polywire fencing technology. Drinking water was taken to each paddock using a tank mounted on a wagon from which water flowed by gravity to a stock tank with a float during years one to four. Above ground plastic pipe was laid along the fenceline and tapped off into each paddock to supply drinking water during year five. This was an inexpensive, labor-saving initiative that should have been implemented in the first year.
Soil residues of pesticides, especially DDT and DDT derivatives, render pastures unusable by food producing animals. The pesticides volatilize during high-moisture conditions and recondense on plant foliage.
In 1990, U.S. average net cash farm income for dairy farms selling between $40,000 and $100,000 of products (Mahoning project sold $61,779 of milk and cattle) was $19,740 (USDA, ERS, 1992). The project in 1990 (Grade B most of the year) had a net cash profit of $14,741. Switching to Grade A and adding 10 cows increased net cash profit to $26,167 for 1991 in spite of a severe drought.
Returns above total costs per acre from intensive grazing were higher than returns from most major grain crops grown in the United States.
The seasonal milking and intensive grazing scenario can work for Ohio producers. A totally different life style can be chosen by dairy farmers who adopt this program. With the intensively managed reproduction program in the Mahoning Project, calving intervals were maintained at 11.6, 11.9, 12.0, and 12.1 months in years two through five. In years one through three, culling rates of 40, 23, and 22% were based almost solely on reproduction. In years four and five, 3 and 12% of cows were culled for reproduction causes, while the remaining 22 and 7% culled were removed for production reasons.
Considering the entire herd, production (DHI estimates) increased each year, from 11,651 lb (5,296 kg) per cow in year one to 16,095 lb (7,316 kg) per cow in year five. Production patterns by breed are shown in Figures 12.1 and 12.2. Returns above variable costs were $361, $155, $407, and $480 per cow in years two through five, with year five reflecting the Grade A advantage. Returns above total costs per cow were $478, -$689, $479, and -$355 in years two through five. This compares favorably with Ohio dairy herd budgets (Ohio Dairy Enterprise Budgets, 1991) which estimate return above variable costs of $444 and return above total costs of -$753 per cow for a 15,000 lb (6,818 kg) production level for a large breed on a 100% hay ration. This comparison is representative of the national average of 14,867 lb (6,758 kg) of milk per cow for 1991. Total fixed costs of $835 per cow in year five are 27 to 30% lower than the $1,141 to $1,197 per cow in a conventional enterprise.
Figure 12.1. Holstein production trends for milk, milk fat percentage
and protein percentage by year.
Figure 12.2. Jersey production trends for milk, milk fat percentage
and protein percentage by year.
The question regarding economics of concentrate feeding in a grazing-based system remains. A valid analysis of zero grain feeding in comparison to various concentrate feeding strategies in the United States milk market is needed. Where the recommendation from the Mahoning Project is a constant 17 lb (7.7 kg) split into two feedings per day, what rate should be used if cows were fed three or more times per day?
Should seasonally managed herds use three times a day milking for the first part of the lactation period and drop off to once-a-day milking in the latter part of the lactation period? The opportunities for testing new management schemes abound with a seasonal herd. Herd health programs need to be finetuned.
What about reproduction management? The requirement of a 12-month calving interval is unforgiving of poor reproduction results. What veterinary support is needed? What management methods work best and what is affordable?
Choice of forage species for various soils and climates is a subject of great interest. Every expert seems to have a different opinion on this subject.
Detoxification of soil contaminated with pesticides looms as a seemingly insurmountable problem. What is the best way of managing such land?
Regarding seasonal dairying and intensive grazing, do various regions
of the country have different optimum seasons for the initiation of
lactation? Should the milk pricing system of the United States be
modified to encourage and support more efficient systems regionally?
How will the milk processing industry be affected as seasonal herds
present variations in milk component percentages that are related to
stage of lactation?