dr. steve washburn north carolina st. univ. - forages |...

Dr. Steve Washburn Extension Dairy Specialist North Carolina St. Univ.

Research Highlights:Dairy Projects at CEFS

Steve Washburn, North Carolina State University Department of Animal Science

Objective: The intent of this presentation is to:

1)Highlight recent and current pasture-based dairy research efforts at CEFS

2)Review concepts and challenges associated with pasture-based dairy systems including implications for organic dairy production.

Our program efforts related to pasture-based dairy farming have been supported by professional development grants and research and education grants from the USDA Southern Region SARE Program

Acknowledgement

Research and Educational Support for Organic Dairying in the South

…in collaboration with the University of Arkansas

New grant funding: 2009-2012

You might be a seasonal pasture-based dairy farmer if:

10. All your cows are bred to calve in one or two compact seasons.

Typically seasonal dairy graziers try to have 80 to 90 % cows bred to calve in 9 to 12 weeks by using a combination of AI and natural service

You might be a seasonal pasture-based dairy farmer if:

9. Pasture is primary forage with cows and heifers doing most of the harvest.


Lower stocking rate (LSR; 2.2 cows/ha) Higher stocking rate (HSR; 3.2 cows/ha)

Grazing days/month at two stocking rates: 2.2 vs. 3.2 cows/ha- 3-yr average

AR/SS = annual ryegrass/sorghum-Sudan: AR/BG = annual ryegrass/Bermudagrass TFWC = tall fescue/white clover

Vibart et al.- manuscript in preparation

Observations: Higher Stocking Rate resulted in: -!Similar milk per cow but more milk per hectare -!More days on sacrifice areas 85 vs. 61days/yr -!Higher feed costs per cow and hectare -!Similar reproduction and udder health -!Similar income over feed cost per cow -!Higher income over feed cost per hectare

Arriba & Haygrazer alfalfa +/- Lakota & Matua prairie grass managed organically and conventionally

Bathyplectes anurus (parasitoids of alfalfa weevil)

Eileen Balz - M.S. Thesis Project 2009-2011

North Carolina

Jersey-Holstein crosses most common - data from New Zealand; studies in US.

Other crossbreed combinations being investigated as well.

You might be a seasonal pasture-based dairy farmer if: 8. Crossbreeding is generally the rule rather than the exception.

Christina Williams: Nancy Pollack NCSU Thesis Award Winner for 2008

Cyclicity by breed at 30d, 60d, and 90d postpartum over 2005 and 2006 calving seasons

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C. M. Williams, M.S. Thesis 2007

Reproductive measures at 90d of breeding by breed over both 2005 and 2006 calving seasons

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You might be a seasonal pasture-based dairy farmer if: 7. Calves are group fed and started on pasture at an early age.

Katie Jackson- ADSA Undergraduate Research Winner -2008

Alternative strategies for internal parasite control

Bianca Thompson – M.S. Thesis 2005 Raising calves without de-worming

Alternative strategies for parasite control and weed management

Multiple species grazing systems


You might be a seasonal pasture-based dairy farmer if: 6. You think that cows should be milked in no more than 2.5 hours and labor efficiency is important.

“Swing 40” for 500-cow herd with 1 manager and 2 employees - Missouri.

PA organic dairy


You might be a seasonal pasture-based dairy farmer if: 5. The cows take care of 85% of the manure spreading.

White et al, 2001

Active dung beetles and other organisms

You might be a seasonal pasture-based dairy farmer if: 4. Investing in things that rust is not your thing.

You might be a seasonal pasture-based dairy farmer if: 3. You prefer “tree stalls” to freestalls” for cow comfort and you do not have the veterinarian on speed dial.

Minimal hoof trimming and no displaced abomasums in over 9 years

Multiple approaches for controlling horn flies In pasture-based dairy herds:

Fly vacuum for lactating cows. Push-pull with repellants and trap animals. Chickens following cattle to disrupt habitat.

Keena Mullen, et al. 2010

Antibiotics (Quartermaster + Orbeseal) vs.

Herbal preparation (Phyto-Mast) at dry off.

No significant differences were observed among treatments in first postpartum test day milk production or somatic cell count scores.

Conventional antibiotic treatment had a higher cure rate and a lower new infection rate than either no treatment or Phyto-Mast.

However, cows treated with the herbal preparation, Phyto-Mast, at dry off had fewer new infections than no treatment.

Conventional antibiotic therapy was effective, but not an option for organic dairies.

Although not as effective as antibiotic therapy, Phyto-Mast could be a potentially useful dry treatment for organically certified dairies currently not using dry therapy.

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Milk culture results and SCC were similar between organic and conventional North Carolina dairies compared for this study.

Bacterial species percentages differed slightly between conventional and organic dairies, notably:

1)! coagulase-negative Staphylococci, 2)! Corynebacterium sp. and 3)! Staphylococcus aureus.

Keena Mullen, et al. 2011

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You might be a seasonal pasture-based dairy farmer if: 2. You are routinely in touch with dairy graziers from near and far.

1.! You talk more about lifestyle, return on investment, and net farm profit than you do about milk production and milk prices.

… and the # 1 reason … You might be a seasonal pasture-based dairy farmer if:

Larger confinement herds Pasture-based dairy farms can compete

More Crossbreeding Niche Markets

Need for more goal-setting, open sharing of ideas and data

Do you see what I see?

Research and educational needs for:

Pasture-based dairy farms

Organic dairy farms

Long-term holistic, systems approaches

Do you see what I see?

To be continued …

… until the cows come home

[email protected] N.C. State University 919-515-7726

www.cefs.ncsu.edu

…and with luck the rains will be timely and the pastures will grow

dr. steve washburn north carolina st. univ. - forages |...

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