The 4th Illini Dairy Judging team golf outing was held on June 8th 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 the event. Big thanks to HiDee Ekstrom, Secretary in Animal Sciences, for keeping everyone on the committee organized.

Katie Boesche, Clint Harre, and Erin Lyons participated in the 14th Accelerated Genetics contest held in Viroqua, WI on September 16th. The team was 5th overall, 4th team in reasons and 3rd in Holsteins out of 18 teams. Individually Clint Harre was 5 th in Holsteins and Erin Lyons was 7th overall.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• Genomic selection using a panel of SNPs has the potential to revolutionize dairy cattle genetics.

• Genomic selection has both positive and negative consequences.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• Bacterial contamination of raw milk can generally occur from three main sources; within the udder, outside the udder, and from the surface of equipment used for milk handling and storage.

• The bacteriological tests used most often are the Standard Plate Count (SPC), the Preliminary Incubation Count (PI), the Lab Pasteurization Count (LPC) and the Coliform Count.

 TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• Capturing the milk protein potential in a herd can increase milk value 30 to 50 cents percwt (one hundred pounds).

• Amino acid balancing using rumen model computer software can lower levels of crudeprotein while increasing milk volume and components.

• Select protein supplements based on amino acid needs and economics.

• If MUN (milk urea nitrogen) levels are under 7 and over 16 mg/dl, herd values may not be optimal.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• For intra-vaginal progesterone releasing devices to be effective in synchronizing estrus in, they must increase progesterone in blood. Our study showed that reused CIDRs do not increase serum progesterone and therefore are ineffective in synchronizing estrus in cattle.

• Reused CIDRs have a higher loss rate and are more strongly associated with vaginitis than new CIDRs.

• There was no statistical association between days open, days in milk, lactation number, milk weight and mature equivalent milk production and serum progesterone levels.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• Know your cost of producing milk

• Total costs exceed returns in 2006 for the first time in three years

• Higher milk prices will improve profit margins for producers in 2007

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 and for the Bingham scholarship continuing students. Each award requires acceptance and enrollment in the Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

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• Go to http://www.immp.uiuc.edu for assistance.

• A manure management plan not only makes good stewardship sense but also good economic sense as well.

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·      Dietary lipids can modify milk fat composition and enhance healthful fatty acids such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 (e.g. EPA, DHA) in milk fat.  Highest concentrations of these fatty acids are achieved with blends of marine and vegetable oils. 

·      Supplemental fish oil (1% of DM) plus soybean oil (2.5% of DM) compared with saturated fat reduced milk fat synthesis while maintaining milk production.

·      Mammary gene expression analysis from cows fed fish/soybean oil revealed large numbers of genes up- or down-regulated.  These were associated not only with lipid metabolism but also with cellular growth and proliferation, and cell death.  

·      Overall, initial examination of data clearly indicates that supplemental lipids result in previously unrecognized molecular adaptations in mammary tissue.

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• Glycerol added to a milk replacer at 15% of total dry matter in replacement for lactose supported growth and health equivalent to the control milk replacer containing lactose.

• If price was favorable, glycerol could be used as a partial replacement for lactose without negative effects on calves, although at this point glycerol cannot be incorporated into a dried milk replacer product.

 TAKE HOME MESSAGES

 • Three rumen model computer-based programs were compared to a standard dairy program.

 • Excessive rumen degraded protein (RDP) was indicated using the models compared to the standard program.

 • Rumen models can be useful to fine-tune rations when evaluating amino acid levels and bacterial capture of nitrogen.

 TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• Laboratory testing of forages for nutritional content and digestibility is essential to balancing dairy rations.

• Harvesting forages based on correct plant maturity and moisture plus proper storage management will have a significant effect on forage quality.

  • Understanding the forage nutrient analysis is important to correctly allocate other feedstuffs needed in the cow’s daily diet.

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• A prototype product designed to replace corn grain was made by treating corn stover with calcium oxide and water in a twin-screw continuous mixer. The treated stover was combined with dried distillers grains with solubles to create a corn replacer.

• Addition of the corn replacer to remove about half or essentially all of the corn grain in a diet fed to mid-lactation Holstein cows and heifers decreased dry matter intake, milk yield, and milk protein content.

• The product was not effective as a replacement for corn grain.

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 • Fatty liver in dairy cattle represents a large problem for dairy producers in Illinois as well as across the United States in terms of animal health and costs to the farm.

 • Supplemental lipid in the form of long-chain fatty acids has shown potential as a nutritional strategy to prevent or minimize excessive lipid deposition in liver after calving.

• Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids both increase expression of fatty acid oxidation genes. However, they can have different effects on important physiological functions such as gluconeogenesis and the liver response to harmful pathogens (e.g. inflammation).

• Palmitic acid and stearic acid may yield some benefits for the transition cow, but we need to be aware that these may prove to be pro-inflammatory.

 • EPA (20:5n-3), one of the main omega-3 fatty acids in fish meal and fish oil, may prove to be a major fatty acid for increasing expression of key genes instrumental for fatty acid oxidation in the liver.

 TAKE HOME MESSAGES

 • Calves fed on an “accelerated” or intensified milk replacer program were larger at weaning, but lost much of the weight advantage by 12 weeks of age.

 • Despite the loss of growth advantage; however, calves fed the intensified program produced more milk during the first lactation than calves fed conventional amounts of milk replacer.

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 • Addition of an inoculant blend improved the conservation and feeding value of silage from a hybrid that contained 40% dry matter (60% moisture) at harvest, but not for a second hybrid that contained 34% dry matter (66% moisture) at harvest.

 • Silage inoculants may be more effective for silages with high dry matter contents.

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• The presence of trans-fatty acids (tFA) in bovine milk has increased awareness in the health-conscious consumer. Cow’s milk, despite its high tFA content, is still considered a wholesome food because of the high conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) as well as presence of omega-3 FA, which have a demonstrated anticarcinogenic activity.

• Increased CLA concentration in milk during lactation is accompanied by an overall decrease in fat yield (“milk fat depression”). Thus, increasing CLA without decreasing milk fat yield requires deep understanding of the mechanisms governing synthesis of milk fat.

• Our research demonstrates that mammary gland contains large amounts of the enzyme needed for CLA synthesis, and its abundance is increased during lactation suggesting a crucial role for this enzyme in milk fat synthesis as well.

• Synthesis of CLA is not only driven by the amount of enzyme but by the coordination among many proteins involved in milk fat synthesis, and also the presence of substrate for these enzymes. The latter could be manipulated through dietary management.

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• Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) enterprise analysis is gaining more flexibility for use by dairy cooperators.

• The University of Illinois has developed budgeting or modeling tools for dairy producers to use to project the financial implications of a dairy enterprise transition.

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• Optimal mammary development is crucial for future profit.

• Microarray technology allows the analysis of thousands of genes simultaneously.

• Identification of nutrient-regulated genes that are susceptible to different planes ofnutrition in mammary gland might help us understand developmental control points.

• Mammary tissue gene expression is affected by greater intake of high-protein milk replacer during the pre-weaning period.

• Nutritional management from birth to weaning might be an effective management tool to manipulate mammary growth positively.

 TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• Amount and source of supplemental crude protein affects passage of amino acids from the rumen.

• Urea is not as effective for maximizing passage of amino acids from the rumen as are preformed proteins.

• Assuming that soluble amino acids of dietary origin do not escape ruminal degradation substantially underestimates the quantity of dietary protein that passes from the rumen.

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• Averaged over 4 varieties, 4 replications, and 2 years, oats seeded in mid-August, late-August, and early-September and harvested in late October had the following nutrient value:

 Yielded 1.8, 1.3, and 0.6 tons dry matter per acre, respectively.

 Contained crude protein of 17.7, 22.1, and 21.2 percent, respectively.

 Had a relative feed value of 154, 164, and 168, respectively.

 • This study documented yield and quality of late-summer seeded spring oats as a forage crop for northern Illinois.

Illinois dairy producers are being asked to sign affidavits indicating they have stopped their use of rbST (recombinant bovine somatotrophin). The justification for this movement by dairy processors and retailers is that “consumers are demanding it”. However, surveys have indicated that consumers are indifferent and the movement is an effort by processors to create “value added” products for their benefits. This initiative sets a dangerous precedent for U.S. and global agriculture. Many universities are being asked to sign affidavits verifying that their dairies do not use rbST. The land grant universities and their dairies play a critical role in the rbST affidavit dilemma. We recognize there are economic considerations on both sides. We also believe there are moral, ethical, and leadership roles the universities must address in the consideration of these affidavits. This is a pivotal matter for U.S. agriculture and it deserves discussion, debate, and action.

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• A moderate reduction in freestall availability during the dry period

Did not impact milk production or immune response

Decreased the time cows spent lying and increased the time cows spent standing

May negatively impact hoof health

• Dry cow facilities should include abundant feed bunk space, even if stall availability is reduced

The Department of Animal Sciences is proud to share the 2008 Illinois Dairy Report with our friends and stakeholders in the dairy industry. The work of faculty, staff, and students in Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine is highly relevant to the future of the dairy industry and that work is showcased on the following pages. The research conducted in the dairy program at theUniversity of Illinois meets the most rigid standards of scientific merit and addresses topics of immediate importance to the industry and our programs of teaching and outreach likewise meet these tests. Our faculty and students are frequently recognized for the quality and pertinence of their work.

 TAKE HOME MESSAGES

• Recommended levels of distillers grains (DG) are 10 to 20 percent of the total ration dry matter and/or replace 50 to 66% of supplemented protein in high producing cow rations (all protein in low producing, dry cow, and growing heifer diets).

• Limitations to distillers grain include level of unsaturated oil in the diet, rumen fermentation conditions (rumen pH), and amino acid balance based on a metabolized protein basis.

 TAKE HOME MESSAGES

 • Rumen fluid pH and rumen pH6-hrs, a measure of acidosis, were related to urine pH, even when diets were fed that did not cause SARA.

 • Once the relationships between SARA and urine pH are established using SARA-inducing diets, it should be possible to use urine pH as a diagnostic criterion for SARA.