In This Issue

Noteworthy

With all the menacing news about the dairy industry and environmental issues it is good to hear something else for a change. It is known that milk has many nutritional attributes that include reducing osteoporosis and hypertension. Here is another recently published in the Journal of Nutrition. New research suggests sphingolipids, a natural compound found in milk, may help lower cholesterol and prevent colon cancer. Sphingolipids contain a fatty acid, phosphate, choline and an amino alcohol, sphingosine. These are essential components of cell membranes, myelin content of vital tissues, and transfer processes of the mentioned items. Information reference is Journal of Nutrition, 129:1239-1250, 1999.

A recently published article by researchers at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine indicates the antibiotic Nuflor can be useful in calf pinkeye treatment. Their treatment groups of calves included one group getting 20 mg/kg body weight intramuscularly on days 0 and 2 post-infection and another group getting 40 gm/kg body weight subcutaneously on day 0 and a third group with no treatment. Results showed healing rates were 6.2 and 4.8 times greater for the intramuscularly and subcutaneously treated calves compared to the controls. Treated calves also shed less pinkeye bacteria than the control calves. Conclusions were that Nuflor injections reduced healing time and lessened clinical severity, besides reducing bacteria shedding. Information reference is JAVMA 60(8): 960-964, 1999.

It has been recommended that as gentle handling as possible will help milk let down and production, while reducing stress on the cow. Details on the quantity of milk lost were recently published and rough handling by pushers and milkers can add up to a lot of money lost. Some roughly handled cows had as much as 70% more residual milk when compared to calm handling. Some cows were shown to be able to discriminate between rough handlers and calmer ones, while some cows could not, and other cows were generally more nervous all the time. The "discriminating" cows also had increased heart rates and movements during milking. Putting this in perspective, a normally accepted 15% residual milk increased by 70% with rough handling results in a 21% residual. In other words, a cow with 100 lbs/day milk would let down 79 lbs instead of 85 lbs daily. Reference is Journal of Dairy Science, 82:720-727, 1999.

Recent contact with Dr. John Kirk, Extension Veterinarian, UCVMTRC in Tulare, indicates the use of fly ash may become controversial. The Toxic Substance Control Branch of CA Health Services considers fly ash a hazardous material, if the pH is over 12.5 or exceeds heavy metals tolerance levels. If the fly ash is at these conditions, it is a toxic material and must be handled and disposed of as such. If a dairyman accepts fly ash that is considered a hazardous waste, then he becomes responsible for handling. If they mix it with manure for bedding and reduce the pH to less than 12.5 and heavy metals are below guidelines, it is no longer a hazardous material. However, they must have a permit to do so. Before accepting fly ash on the dairy it is best to get proof of a reputable analysis for pH and heavy metals. Any permit questions should be directed to the nearest health services office.

Water

A water usage study was done this summer on several dairies in the central valley, including two farms in Tulare County. Results of the water meter observations in this project showed an all-farm average of 79 gallons was used per cow daily for wash pens, milk house and parlors. The range of usage was from a low of 44 gallons to a high of 199 gallons, which ended up in the lagoon. The estimated usage before meters were placed was expected to be 56 gal/cow/day, based on time, pressure, equipment, and management. The wide variation of overusage has led to several recommendations to conserve sprinkler pen water:

1. Install timers to limit minutes sprinkler pen is "on" for each time it is turned "on."

2. Install lockout timers for sprinkler pens to prevent cow herding by milkers.

3. Decrease sprinkler heads and time on where possible.

4. If pressure allows, change from high to low volume sprinkler heads.

5. Fix broken heads and leaks.

Regarding milk house and parlor usage the following applies:

1. Possibly reduce incoming line size to plate cooler and increase number of plates or number of loops in a plate, keeping in mind to monitor ice chiller so that it does not work longer if milk temperature changes.

2. Convert from a water pump to an air compressed vacuum pump.

3. Fix leaks and faulty floats in cow water troughs.

Water meters can show savings of changes made in both the sprinkler pens and the milk barn. This water usage reduction will also decrease lagoon holding capacity needed.

Loans

• Tulare County Fair
  September 13th to 19th
  Milk Quality Awards and Heifer Sale
  Friday, September 17th
  
  
• Western Dairy Expo
  Farm Equipment Show Grounds
  October 14th and 15th
  (800-999-9186)
  
  
• UCCE South Valley Dairy Day
  Edison AgTAC
  Thursday, January 20th
  (733-6488)