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• Accelerated calf feeding programs can increase early growth that is maintained to freshening
• Added cost of this system is $50 more per heifer, although cost per pound of gain is not greatly increased
• Top management is needed for success and the program is not for everyone
• Calves should be monitored and adjusted individually

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• Accelerated growth programs aim to improve the nutritional status of the very young calf to restore biologically normal growth.
• Practical systems must be designed to allow effective weaning without a growth slump.
• Data on subsequent milk production and longevity are needed before a complete economic comparison of early weaning versus accelerated growth programs.

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• Know your cost of producing milk.
• Lower milk prices in 2000 resulted in total economic costs exceeding total returns.
• Profit margins for dairy producers in 2001 should improve compared to 2000 profit margins.

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• Crossbreeding may be one solution to minimize inbreeding.
• Selection based on additive inheritance will continue to be an important part of dairy cattle breeding.
• An improved reproductive rate could facilitate more productive crossbreeding.
• Most crossbreeding programs will require outstanding purebred breeders to supply quality genetics.

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• DOPP is an excellent method for dairy managers to gain experience in the use of options contracts.
• Illinois had 21 producers purchase 41 options contracts resulting in $43,120 option premium subsidization and $1230 in broker fee reimbursement.

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• Mycoplasma mastitis is a contagious and costly disease that cannot effectively be treated with antibiotics.
• Using DNA amplification to detect Mycoplasma is the quickest method of detection, and should be used to prevent Mycoplasma from being introduced to dairy herds.

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• Increasing the content of crude protein in milk replacer increases average daily gain and efficiency of gain.
• Increasing the content of crude protein in milk replacer increases lean content (water and protein) of whole-body tissue gain and decreases fat content of gain, without changing total tissue energy gain.
• Increasing the feeding rate increases average daily gain and efficiency of gain, without major impact on composition of whole-body gain.

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• We compared a moderate fat conventional milk replacer (22% crude protein, 19% fat) with whole milk and a milk replacer formulated with similar composition as whole milk (25% crude protein, 28% fat).  Diets were fed in amounts to equalize initial intakes of crude protein and metabolizable energy.
• Calves fed the moderate fat conventional milk replacer had greater average daily gains and greater gains of water and protein (lean tissue) than calves fed either high-fat diet.

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• Increasing the amount of milk replacer (26% crude protein, 18% fat) fed increases average daily gain and efficiency of gain.
• Increasing the amount of milk replacer fed does not change the composition of body weight gain, providing that dietary protein is adequate.

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• Restricting prepartum dry matter intake affected prepartum blood glucose and nonesterified fatty acids concentrations but did not affect prepartum body weight, body condition score, or liver composition.
• Restricting prepartum dry matter intake did not affect postpartum dry matter intake, milk yield, blood metabolites, body weight, body condition, or liver composition.
• Cows with induced ketosis or retained fetal membranes had reduced postpartum dry matter intake and milk yield and altered blood metabolites compared with healthy cows.

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• A method of analyzing the feeding behavior data of confined cows was developed.
• Variables describing the feeding pattern were related to total feed intake, suggesting that particular milking and feeding times may maximize intake and production.

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• Whole linted (fuzzy) and EasiFlo® cottonseeds passed through the digestive tract of lactating cows in a similar manner. Cows extensively utilized both forms; only about 2% of the cottonseeds consumed passed to the feces intact in a 72-hour period.

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• Economic data is being collected from grazing dairy farmers.
• A database of this economic data will be developed to use in making reliable comparative management decisions
• Illinois dairy farms using intensive grazing systems are invited to participate.

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• The in vitro digestibility of dry matter increased linearly with supplementation of energy at 2.5 to 10% of the dietary dry matter (about 0.5 %-units per percentage unit of added energy).
• Brewers dried yeast at 0.5% of the dietary dry matter increased the in vitro digestibility of dry matter by 3.6 %-units.
• The interaction of energy and yeast suggested that the magnitude of the stimulation of in vitro digestion of dry matter by yeast decreased as supplementation with energy increased.

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• Knowing actual cost of production is necessary to develop a workable custom raising agreement.
• Hiring custom heifer growers can reduce labor, feed, facilities and manure handling needs on the dairy farm.
• Heifer raising contracts must be fair and equitable to both owner and grower.

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• Construction of a new dairy facility or expanding the current facility requires a permitting process by the IL Department of Agriculture.
• Allow adequate time between applying for a permit and your targeted start date for construction.
• Owners or operators with 300 animal units or more are required to become a certified livestock manager.
• Developing a waste management plan is recommended for all producers.

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• As little as 21 days of 4X milking early in lactation can increase yield throughout lactation.
• Prolactin increases at milking may be the mechanism to enhance mammary cell growth and thus milk yield.
• Frequent milking early in lactation can improve yields throughout that lactation with little additional cost.

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• Mycoplasmosis is a highly contagious disease that can lead to lameness, mastitis, and/or pneumonia.
• There are no known antibiotic cures for cows infected with mycoplasma.
• Routine bulk tank milk culturing can help screen your herd to indicate mycoplasma infection status.
• It is easier to avoid introducing mycoplasma mastitis than to eradicate it once it is established.

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• Feeding higher levels of crude protein or supplementing the prepartum diet with an animal-marine protein source did not improve lactation performance.
• Supplementing the lactation diet with an animal-marine protein blend tended to increase 4% fat-corrected milk yield and improved feed efficiency.

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·        Farm biosecurity strategy is very similar to financial investment strategy:

• Determine your risk level – tolerant or intolerant of loss from disease,
• Develop you portfolio – a farm specific biosecurity program,
• Protect your assets – by all means, protect the resident herd!

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• Glutamine is an amino acid used extensively by intestinal tissues for energy, protein synthesis, and nucleic acid synthesis. We postulated that lower supply of glutamine in soy proteins than in milk proteins might be responsible for poorer performance of calves fed milk replacers containing soy protein concentrate.
• Calves fed a milk replacer in which 60% of the milk protein was replaced by soy protein concentrate had lower average daily gains, lower gain:feed, and altered intestinal morphology.
• Supplementation of glutamine to the milk replacer containing soy protein concentrate did not improve growth or intestinal morphology.

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• HeatSync will synchronize ovulation in dairy cows with greater expression of estrus than OvSync; however, it has not been demonstrated to be more effective than OvSync.

The Department of Animal Sciences is proud to share with you a summary of the work of our faculty, students, and staff that is important to the dairy industry.  The year 2002 will mark 100 years of research in dairy production at the University of Illinois and the work now being done is more relevant and of greater impact than at any time.  The work reported on these pages is highly regarded among scientists throughout the world and much of it will be accepted for publication in prestigious scientific journals.  Its pertinence to the dairy industry is also great and this combination of scientific importance and relevance to dairy production make our dairy research program among the most significant in the nation.

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• Pregnancy rates for cows treated with bST were greater when the cows were presynchronizationed
• bST increased pregnancy rates in estrus-cycling cows regardless if cows were presynchonization
• Presynchronization increased pregnancy rates in estrus-cycling cows regardless if cows were administered bST

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• Models tested may be useful tools for initial evaluation of diets for dairy cows.
• Underestimation of total crude protein passage to the small intestine may result in the feeding of excessive amounts of crude protein to lactating cows.
• Before models can replace observations from cows, better descriptors must be developed for microbial protein synthesis, ruminal protein degradation, and interactions among feeds.
• Models tested overestimated passage to the small intestine of crude protein from microbes and underestimated passage of crude protein from feed, resulting in underestimation of passage of total crude protein.

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• Dairy NRC 2001 is required reading for dairy managers and professionals wanting the latest information on dairy nutrition.
• The Dairy NRC model (a CD-ROM as part of the booklet) predicts amino acid flow and energy status of dairy cattle to fine tune dairy rations.
• Major nutrient changes are discussed that impact ration formulation with a comparison of Dairy NRC, Illinois extension, and Dairy NRC 2001.