The 3rd Illini Dairy Judging team golf outing was held on June 9^th at the University of Illinois Blue Course in Savoy. Committee members Ron Debatin, Jason and Tammy Oertel, Chris Keim, Dan Hornickel, and Gene McCoy organized this year's event. Big thanks to HiDee Ekstrom, Secretary in Animal Sciences, for keeping everyone on the committee organized (especially Gene) from mailing, phone calls, art work for brochure, signs, posters, and keeping the event flowing.

The 2006 University of Illinois dairy judging team was comprised of three seniors and three juniors. Coached by Gene McCoy and David Miller, team members practiced at several herds through out Illinois and Midwest.

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• Micro-computed tomography uses x-rays to image materials at the 10-100 micron level and can be applied to detect 3-dimensional structural features of soft tissue such as mammary tissue.
• Differences in tissue structural features are apparent when comparing undeveloped and developed mammary tissue by micro-computed tomography.

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• Feeding yeast culture did not affect dry matter intake, or milk production and composition of dairy cows in midlactation.

• Illinois is currently enrolling animal production units for voluntary premises ID http://www.agr.state.il.us/premiseid/
• The U of I will be conducting a multi-species producer survey this winter on the National Animal ID System and premise registration in Illinois
• Research at the U of I is exploring ID products that add value to managing animals

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• Proper bedding management for all production groups is critical for the effective control of mastitis and promotion of cow comfort.
• High moisture levels of organic bedding materials will result in rapid growth of environmental bacteria in the bedding contribute to high populations of bacteria on teat ends. Bacterial populations in organic bedding materials of small particle size will increase rapidly when contaminated and increase teat end exposure to pathogens.
• Inorganic materials such as sand do not support the growth of environmental pathogens and usually result in lower teat end bacterial counts and subsequently a lower new infection rate.

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• Excess energy intake prepartum, regardless of parity or body condition score can predispose cows to metabolic problems during the transition period.
• The use of chopped straw in prepartum diets limited energy intake and allowed diets to be fed ad libitum without cows exceeding their requirements for energy.

• Limiting energy to primiparous cows was not detrimental to lactational performance.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

· Know your cost of producing milk

· Returns exceed total costs in 2005 for the second year in a row

· Profit margins will most likely turn negative for producers in 2006

The Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, provides for the management of scholarships and dairy production awards to outstanding incoming freshmen or transfer students. Each award requires acceptance and enrollment in the Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

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• L-Carnitine is the naturally-occurring compound required for oxidation of long-chain nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA).
• Supplemental L-carnitine decreased liver triglyceride (TG) accumulation during feed restriction and during the transition period of dairy cows, which may reduce the risk for metabolic disorders and improve cow health.
• Supplemental L-carnitine accumulates in liver, muscle, milk, and plasma in a dose-dependent manner. Further research is required to determine optimal carnitine intake.

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• Farm businesses need to be aware of the potential impact of estate taxes.
• "Taking Control" involves goal setting and meaningful family communication.

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• Using the TattleTale^TM information, a breeder would be able detect more animals in estrus and determine the most accurate time to breed or transfer embryos.
• Practically, the use estrus detection devices in combination with timed AI and ET could allow for the exclusion of animals not in estrus in the optimal windows for AI or ET, thus saving valuable semen and embryos that would be otherwise wasted on asynchronous females.

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• Ketosis and fatty liver represent a major problem for dairy producers in Illinois and the USA in terms of animal health, transition cow protocols, and farm economics.
• Despite extensive research with transition cows over the past 15 years to try to prevent liver-related metabolic disorders and optimize liver function, little work has been done to explain the changes that are occurring at the molecular level.
• Long-chain fatty acids have shown potential as nutritional strategies to prevent or minimize excessive lipid deposition in liver after calving.
• Changes in tissue gene expression in response to specific fatty acids (saturated and unsaturated) can provide much-needed information on their potential for practical use in dairy farms to alleviate lipid-related metabolic disorders.

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· The addition of dl-methionine hydroxy analogue calcium (HMTBa) to diets in four commercial herds increased milk production by four pounds of milk per day.

· The economic benefit to cost ratio was 5 to 1.

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• Glycerin, or glycerol, is a byproduct of biodiesel production and contains essentially the same amount of energy as corn grain on a dry matter basis.
• Limited experimental evidence indicates that glycerol can be added at up to 10% of dietary dry matter in replacement for grains without impacting milk production or composition if economically favorable on an energy-equivalent basis.
• Purity of glycerin is variable and must be determined carefully, as contents of water, methanol, phosphorus, and potassium are high in less purified sources.
• Glycerol contributes desirable qualities to pelleted feeds.

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• Averaged over ten "grain" hybrids and three years, there were nearly 8.3 bushels of corn (15% moisture) per ton of 35% dry matter silage. The average grain yield was 208 bushels (15% moisture) per acre.
• The correlation of grain yield to silage yield was 0.500, indicating that choosing a hybrid for high grain yield tended to mean higher silage yield, but that is relationship was not very strong.
• The strong negative correlation between bushels of grain per ton and silage yield per acre (r = -0.723) indicated that hybrids with high silage yield did not increase their grain yields to match the higher tonnage.
• Silage quality traits were not highly correlated with grain yield or silage yield.

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• Survival was greatest among progeny of highly inbred bulls.
• Survival increased 0.19% per 1% increase in bull inbreeding for bulls with no known genetic defects.
• Daughter inbreeding was the best predictive value of survival, compared to bull inbreeding and expected future inbreeding.
• Survival decreased 0.83% per 1% increase in daughter inbreeding for bulls with no known genetic defects.

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· MUN values can monitor rumen nitrogen efficiency and lower environmental nitrogen losses

· MUN values will vary from herd to herd, the key comparison is changes within a herd or groups of cows in a herd

· If MUN levels (10-14 mg/dl) are outside normal ranges, look at ration balancing results, milk components, feeding management and nutrient balance.

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• Rapid intravenous administration of 500 mL of 50% dextrose solution to lactating dairy cows causes a marked (35%) drop in plasma phosphorus concentration that lasts approximately 90 minutes.
• Continuous infusion of 50% dextrose solution by slow intravenous drip for several days causes a similar but more prolonged (36 hour) reduction in plasma phosphorus concentration.
• Intravenous dextrose should be used cautiously in post-calving or off-feed cows, as these animals are already at risk for hypophosphatemia. Treated cows should be monitored for adverse effects associated with hypophosphatemia (eg, weakness or recumbency).

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• Manure is a valuable commodity when properly applied and credited as a plant nutrient on cropland.
• A well managed manure nutrient plan will reduce the cost of purchased fertilizer in addition to helping maintain a quality environment.
• Field application of manure should be based on the crop nutrient needs and fields should be prioritized in order to get the most efficient utilization of manure nutrients.

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• Compost bedded dairy barns offer excellent cow comfort which can lead to increased cow longevity and improved milk production.
• The bedded pack requires twice daily tilling to remove the manure from the surface, create a dry, soft bed, and provide adequate aeration for proper composting.
• It is suggested to construct the compost bedded barn to fit the floor plan for a freestall design in the event of switching from loose housing to freestall housing.
• Compost bedded pack seem to provide for cleaner cows and reduced somatic cell count when compared to other bedding choices in a loose housing environment.

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· Mastication enhances both solubilization and rate of degradation of feedstuffs.

· A synergy exists between rumination and fermentation in the rumen. Fermentation increases the effectiveness of rumination in reducing particle size and rumination enhances subsequent fermentation.

· About one-third of masticated chopped hay is small enough to pass from the reticulorumen when initially swallowed. Rumination helps reduce the remaining two-thirds of this material to a passable size.

· Knowledge is currently limited because no information exists for mixed diets and few data are available for forages, none for silages or which examine the effects of maturity.

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• Microarray technology is a powerful molecular tool that allows simultaneous analysis of thousands of genes in a tissue sample. We are the first research group in the world to apply this advanced technology to the mammary gland of dairy cows during the entire lactation cycle.
• The mammary gland undergoes enormous physiological and structural changes at the onset of lactation and throughout.
• We have found that those extensive changes are the consequence of increases or decreases in expression of over 6,000 specific genes in mammary tissue.
• Genes with the largest increases in expression during milk production were those involved in milk fat, protein, and lactose synthesis.
• Expression patterns of genes associated with preventing and fighting bacterial infections also adapt to the changing physiological state of the mammary gland.

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· Smaller heifers, older heifers, and heavy heifers cost dairy managers by higher metabolic losses, calving difficulty, and less milk production.

· Accelerated calf growing programs can be modified to achieve desired growth and future performance.

· Adding corn stalk, straw, and other low energy forages can control weight gain and energy intake when fed free choice.

· Limit feeding can improve feed conversion and lower feed costs.

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• The concentration of crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and ether extract in NutriDense corn grain and NutriDense "leafy" corn silage were higher and nonfibrous carbohydrates and starch concentrations were lower than that in the control yellow dent corn grain and silage.
• There were no significant differences in production and composition of milk or in efficiency of feed utilization by dairy cows fed the NutriDense and control yellow dent corn hybrids in this trial.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• Microarray technology is a powerful tool that allows the analysis of thousands of genes in a particular tissue at a particular physiological stage.
• Optimal mammary development is crucial for future profit.
• Mammary gland development and weight is increased by greater dietary protein and fat in milk replacer.
• The identification of nutrient-regulated genes related to mammary development in dairy heifer calves could be used to improve the nutritional management from birth to weaning to increase the profitability of dairy enterprises.

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• Sexed semen from dairy bulls is now commercially available.
• Sexed semen will produce about 90% heifer calves.
• Fertility with sexed semen is about 75% of normal fertility so it is only recommended for use on virgin heifers that have shown good standing estrus.

The Department of Animal Sciences is pleased to share with you a summary of the work of our faculty, students and staff along with that of our colleagues in Veterinary Medicine that is important to the dairy industry. The work reported in the 2007 Illinois Dairy Days Report is highly regarded among scientists throughout the world and much of it will be published in prestigious scientific journals. Its pertinence to the dairy industry is also great and this combination of scientific importance and relevance to dairy producers meets the criteria of "globally pre-eminent and locally relevant" that is the stated goal of the College of ACES for our programs of research, instruction and outreach.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• The use of gender-selected (sexed) semen is a useful tool for the production of calves of pre-determined sex.
• The use of in vitro fertilization with sex-selected semen and the large-scale transfer of in vitro- produced (IVP) Holstein heifer embryos into beef recipients is a feasible production scheme.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• There are several different "measures" that reflect the cost of producing milk.
• Each "measure" tells us something different about the operation.
• Peer group data can serve as a good evaluation tool for your business.