Central Wisconsin Dairy Series

Presented by:Matt Lippert, Wood County Ag Agent Bob Kaiser and Randy ShaverDepartment of Dairy ScienceUniversity of Wisconsin – Madison

Forage Programs in High Producing Herds

Central Wisconsin Agriculture Specialization

Survey Herds*

Hensen Bros. Dairy Inc., Waunakee Koepke Farms Inc., Oconomowoc Rosy Lane Holstein LLC, Watertown Crave Brothers Farm, Waterloo SoFine Bovines LLC, Westfield Oechsner Farms, Brownsville

*All freestall-parlor-TMR herds

Survey Herds (Jan.-Feb, 2004)

Item (n=6) Range

DHI No. of Cows Milking 276 – 566

DHI RHA Milk, lb 29,055 – 31,195

Times Milked 3x (4), 4x (1), 4x-3x (1)

Bulk Tank Milk

lb / d 90 – 94

Fat % 3.7 – 3.8

True Protein % 3.0

SCC 119,000 – 225,000

Days in Milk 173 – 198

Survey Herds (Jan.-Feb, 2004)

Item (n=6) Range

BST, % of Herd 63 – 83

% DHI Annual Turnover 18 – 44

DHI Avg. Age, mos. 40 – 48

% Milking Heifers 28 – 40

Heifer Calving Age, mos. 22 – 25

Target Days Dry 45 – 60

DHI Days Dry

(% > 70 d Dry)

53 – 75

(avg. 20%)

Survey Herds (Jan.-Feb, 2004)

Item (n=6) Range

No. of Dry Cow Groups 2 (6 herds)

No. of Dry Cow Diets 2 (3 herds), 1 (3 herds)

Post-Fresh Group all 6 herds

Post-Fresh Diet 2 herds

No. of Milking Cow Groups 5 (2 herds), 4 (2 herds)

3 (1 herd), 2 (1 herd)

No. of Milking Cow Diets 1 – 4

Survey Herds (Jan.-Feb, 2004)

Item (n=6) RangeStall Stocking Density, % 100 – 117 (avg. 107)

Lock-ups 4 Herds

Bunk Space, linear feet / cow 1.2 – 2.1 (avg. 1.7)

No. Times Fed all herds 1x

No. Times Pushed Up 0 (2), 2x (1), 4x (1), 7x (1), 12x (1)

Feed Refusal Target, % 0 (4), 3 – 5 (2)

High-Groups

Forage Programs

Forage Milking Cows Dry Cows

Corn Silage 6/6 6/6

Alfalfa Silage 6/6 6/6

Dry Hay 3/6 3/6

Wheat Straw 2/6 3/6

Oatlage --- 2/6

Corn Stalklage --- 1/6

High-Group Dietary Forage

Item (n=6) Range

Forage, % DMB 45 – 53

Corn Silage, % Forage DM 41 – 68

Corn Silage Production Hybrid

Dual Purpose – 5/6 bm3 – 1/6 Leafy – 1/6

Storage Bags – 2/6 Bunkers – 4/6 Piles – 1/6

Additives LAB – 4/6 Liquid Urea/Molasses – 1/6

Kernel Processing – 6/6

Corn Silage Nutrient Composition

Item (n=6) Average Range

DM % 33 29 – 36

CP, % DMB 9 7.9 – 10.8

NDF, % DMB 44 39.3 – 49.0

NDFD, % of NDF 63 61 – 67

NFC, % DMB 39 30.9 – 43.9

Ash, % DMB 7 4.8 – 9.5

TDN1x, % DMB 71 65.8 – 73.4

Corn Silage Processing ScoreMertens, USDFRC & Dairyland Labs, Arcadia, WI

Ro-Tap Shaker 9 sieves (0.6 thru 19 mm) and pan Analyze for starch on 4.75 mm & greater sieves

% of starch passing4.75 mm sieve CSPS

>70%70% to 50%< 50%

OptimumAveragePoor

Corn Silage Processing Score

Item Hensen Koepke

Rosy Lane Crave SoFine Oechsner

DM % 29 36 30 36 36 31

Starch%

25 31 25 28 32 27

% Starch

thru 4.75mm

sieve

68 77 63 47 56 41

Corn Silage Particle Size

Item (n=6) Average Range

% Coarse 18 8 – 32

% Medium 68 59 – 74

% Fine 14 9 – 18

MPL, inches 0.42 0.34 – 0.51

Corn Silage Fermentation Profiles

Item (n=6) Average Range

DM % 33 29 – 36

pH 3.8 3.7 – 3.9

Lactate, % DMB 4.7 3.3 – 6.8

Acetate, % DMB 2.0 0.4 – 3.3

Lactate, % of Total 70 52 – 91

Ammonia, % of CP 16 3.3 – 36.1

Alfalfa Silage Harvest/Storage

Cutting Schedule 4x – 5/6 4x, 3x – 1/6

Storage Bags – 4/9 Bunkers – 3/9 Uprights – 2/9

Additives LAB – 6/6

Alfalfa Silage Nutrient Composition

Item Average Range

DM % 39 28 – 52

CP, % DMB 21 18.6 – 25.5

RUP, % of CP 19 16 – 21

NDF, % DMB 38 35.3 – 41.7

NDFD, % of NDF 45 39 – 58

NFC, % DMB 28 23.8 – 35.3

Ash, % DMB 12 10.3 – 14.3

TDN1x, % DMB 61 58.2 – 64.7

Alfalfa Silage Particle Size

Item Average Range

% Coarse 20 5 – 34

% Medium 61 53 – 71

% Fine 19 10 – 35

MPL, inches 0.38 0.22 – 0.53

Alfalfa Silage Fermentation Profiles

Item (n=9) Average Range

DM % 39 28 – 52

pH 4.5 4.2 – 5.3

Lactate, % DMB 3.7 0.6 – 5.2

Acetate, % DMB 2.4 0.4 – 5.5

Butyrate, % DMB 0.1 0 – 1.0

Lactate, % of Total 61 8 – 91

Ammonia, % of CP 18 10.8 – 44.0

Corn Harvest & Storage Type

HM Shelled – 4/6 Dry Shelled – 3/6

HMSC Storage Uprights – 2/4 Bags – 2/4

HMSC Additives LAB – 3/4

Processing HMSC

Roller Mill – 3/4 Hammer Mill – 2/4

DSC Hammer mill 2/2

HM Shelled Corn Particle Size

Item (n=4) Average Range

DM % 75 74 – 76

MPS, microns 1589 929 – 2071

% passing #16 or 1180 micron sieve

27 12 – 51

Dry Shelled Corn Particle Size

Item (n=2) Range

DM % 84 – 85

MPS, microns 573 – 794

% passing #16 or 1180 micron sieve

57 – 90

Milking Cow Diet Ingredients

Ingredient Frequency

HM or Dry Corn 6/6

Corn Starch 1/6

Corn Gluten Feed 3/6

Distiller’s Dried Grains 2/6

Whole Cottonseed 6/6

Soy Hulls 1/6

Beet Pulp 1/6

Liquid Feed Supplement 2/6

Liquid Whey 1/6

Milking Cow Diet Ingredients

Ingredient Frequency

Soybean Meal 5/6

Soy Plus® 1/6

Roasted Soybeans 4/6

Linseed Meal 1/6

Corn Gluten Meal 60 2/6

Blood Meal 4/6

Fish Meal 1/6

Feather Meal 1/6

Purina Milking Custom - Ext 1/6

Milking Cow Diet Ingredients Ingredient Frequency

Urea 3/6

Tallow 3/6

Energy Booster® 1/6

Megalac® 1/6

Megalac-R® 1/6

Sodium Bicarbonate 4/6

Yeast 6/6

Zinpro® 2/6

4-Plex® 3/6

Sel-Plex® 1/6

Milking Cow Diet Ingredients

Ingredient Frequency

Biotin 4/6

Niacin 1/6

Mepron® 1/6

Omnigen-AF® 3/6

Bacterial-DFM 5/6

High-Group Nutrient Formulations

Item (n=6) Range

CP, % DMB 17.0 – 18.5

RUP, % of CP 35 – 38

NDF, % DMB 26.2 – 32.3

NDF-forage, % DMB 18.0 – 22.5

NFC, % DMB 38.1 – 43.5

Fat, % DMB 4.6 – 6.4

TDN1x, % DMB 74.5 – 77.0

High-Group Nutrient Formulations

Item (n=6) Range

Ca, % DMB 0.84 – 1.03

P, % DMB 0.37 – 0.41

Mg, % DMB 0.33 – 0.39

K, % DMB 1.16 – 1.60

Salt, % DMB (added) 0.22 – 0.50

Suppl. A, IU / lb DM 2227 – 4224

Suppl. D, IU / lb DM 557 – 1086

Suppl. E, IU / lb DM 10 – 33

DMI of Milking Groups

Item Hensen Koepke

Rosy Lane Crave SoFine Oechsner

lb / d 45 – 60

(54)

52 – 62

(58) (55)

51 – 62

(56)

44 – 68

(58)

45 – 58

(56)

High-Group TMR Analysis

Item (n=6) Average Range

DM % 48.8 40 – 57

CP, % DMB 17.7 16.7 – 18.4

NDF, % DMB 29.5 27.3 – 31.0

NDFD, % NDF 60 51 – 67

NFC, % DMB 40.8 38.2 – 42.8

Fat, % DMB 5.5 5.0 – 6.0

High-Group TMR Analysis

Item (n=6) Average Range

Ca, % DMB 0.95 0.71 – 1.07

P, % DMB 0.39 0.35 – 0.44

Mg, % DMB 0.35 0.29 – 0.38

K, % DMB 1.51 1.35 – 1.63

High-Group TMR Analysis

Item (n=6) Average Range

DM % 48.8 40 – 57

% Coarse 10 7 – 15

% Medium 40 32 – 54

% Fine 50 38 – 58

High-Group Diet NRC-01 Model Evaluation

Item (n=6) Average Range

NEL Allowable Milk

lb / d 106 99 – 114

% of observed 99% 93% – 107%

MP Allowable Milk

lb / d 103 96 – 116

% of observed 96% 92% – 100%

High-Group Diet NRC-01 Model Evaluation

Item (n=6) Average Range

Lysine, % of MP 6.3 6.2 – 6.4

Methionine, % of MP 1.9 1.8 – 2.1

Lys:Met 3.4 3.1 – 3.5

Feed Efficiency & Feed Cost Per Cwt.

Item (n=6) Range

Bulk Tank Milk / Avg. DMI 1.57 – 1.70

Feed Cost Per Cwt. Bulk Tank Milk $4.01 – $4.50

Visit UW-Madison Dairy Science Department Website

http://www.wisc.edu/dysci/