Economic Review of Transition Cow Management
John Fetrow VMD, MBA, DSc (hon)
Emeritus Professor of Dairy Production Medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Minnesota
This presentation is copyright 2017 by the author. Do not distribute in any way without permission.
Transition Period• Traditionally has been considered to be from three weeks prior to
calving to 3 weeks after calving.– This is the most critical window of time, but
• It is becoming apparent that transition actually starts at dry-off and extends at least one month after calving.– 90-day period that is critical for success– Far-off dry cows and pre-partum heifers, Close-up and Fresh Periods
• Period of significant stress on all cows• Sets the stage for health, future productivity and reproductive
performance
90-Day “Transition”Far Dry Period
Close-up DryPeriod
CalvingFresh/ Early
Lactation
-60 -21 0 30
Slide courtesy of Dr. Mike Overton
Transition period
• significant hormonal, metabolic, immunologic, and physiologic transitions– late pregnancy (fetal growth)
– parturition
– initiation of lactation
• most of the disease events in a cow’s life– may set the stage for diseases later on
– infertility, mastitis, lameness
• much of culling happens in transition period
Dairy Cows Experience Dramatic Metabolic Changes During Transition
• Key issues:
– Large increase in glucose demand by the
uterus/fetus and then mammary gland
– Dramatic changes in hormone levels
– Large changes in feed intake
– Negative energy balance
– Negative protein balance
– Hypocalcemia
– Immunosuppression
Slide courtesy of Dr. Mike Overton
Dystocia
Displacedabomasum
Poor production
Culling
KetosisFatty liver
MetritisRetainedplacenta
MastitisPoor
fertility
Lameness
Pneumonia
Transition problems do not occur in isolation
NutritionHousing Comfort
VaccinationTreatment
Care
Impact of disease
• It is tempting to think of a disease as though it were like a traffic accident– Everything was fine until the accident and then
there are bad consequences: costs, continuing illness, death, disability, etc.
• Transition cow disease does not work that way– Often, there is dysfunction in the cow well before
the clinical case is recognized.– Often, the causes of the disease are in place well
before the actual clinical case is recognized.– Management mistakes create the conditions that
lead to the disease.
Transition problems
• Transition problems are part of a complex and interacting system, where many factors affect the risk and severity of disease.
• It is not useful to think that a particular disease occurs in isolation
• Preventing disease requires an understanding of the system and interventions that fix the system
• Good management can reduce the risk and impact of transition cow diseases
Mastitis
Retained FetalMembranes and Metritis
Ketosis/Fatty Liver
Milk Fever
Displaced Abomasum
Lameness
Decreasing DMI
Around Calving
Insufficient Vitamins, Trace Minerals, or Anti-Oxidants
High DCAD or
Low Mg diets
Negative Energy + Protein BalanceIncreasing NEFA
Immune Suppression HypocalcemiaLost Muscle Tone
Insufficient Dietary Effective Fiber
Rumen acidosis
Slide from Dr. Jesse Goff
Transition cow problems
• There are many contributing causes of transition cow problems, but many of the causes are mediated by three common pathways
1. Negative energy balance around calving• And likely negative protein balance
2. Hypocalcemia• Both clinical and more importantly subclinical
3. Immune suppression• Partly due to the first two, but also mediated by
hormonal changes, stress, management errors, and other nutritional deficiencies (selenium, vitamin E)
1. Negative energy balance
• Energy is needed for maintenance, fetal growth, lactogenesis and lactation, and immune functions– Reduced dry matter intake around calving adds to the
problem– If physiologic systems that respond to negative energy
balance have been down-regulated during the dry period, the cow may not be able to respond to the sudden increased need for energy at parturition and early lactation
• Result: ketosis, fatty liver, poor production, retained placenta, metritis, mastitis, other infectious diseases, delay in reproductive cycling, and increased risk of culling and death.
2. Hypocalcemia• Very common problem in dairy cows at calving
– Sudden increased demand for calcium with colostrum and milk production
• Clinical disease may be fatal if not promptly treated• Subclinical hypocalcemia may lead to immune suppression,
retained placenta, metritis, and poor production and reproduction
• Associated with improper nutrition in dry cows and early lactation– If physiologic systems that respond to negative calcium
balance have been down-regulated during the dry period, the cow may not be able to respond to the sudden increased need for calcium at parturition and early lactation
3. Immune suppression
• Suppressed immunity increases the risk of several peri-partum diseases• Less vigorous detachment of the placenta and increased
retained placenta• Metritis• Mastitis• Respiratory infections
• Lower energy intake reduces immune responses to challenges
• Hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia impairs immune system function
• Higher cortisol levels in stressed cows suppresses immune responses
Feed intake for cow with and without metritisCows that will get metritis are eating less before the diagnosis
Huzzey, Veira, Weary, von Keyserlingk: Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 90 pp3220-3233; 2007
clinical metritis detected
Feed intake for cow with and without metritisCows that will get metritis were eating less feed before calving!
Huzzey, Veira, Weary, von Keyserlingk: Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 90 pp3220-3233; 2007
clinical metritis detected
Effects of Periparturient Diseases on Long Term Reproductive Performance
Diseases
Disease Outcome
Yes No
AOR
(95% CI)MIC, d
Pregnant
305 DIM,
%
AOR
(95% CI)MIC, d
Pregnant
305 DIM,
%
Stillbirth 1.6(1.4, 1.8)
187.3± 5.2
52.3 Referent 152.6± 1.0
73.7
Ketosis 1.8(1.4, 2.4)
191.7± 9.7
42.4 Referent 153.5± 1.0
73.3
Metritis 1.2(1.2, 1.3)
168.5 ± 2.7
66.3 Referent 151.8± 1.1
73.8
Mastitis 1.3(1.2, 1.3)
167.7± 1.7
68.7 Referent 147.0± 1.2
74.9
Slide courtesy of Dr. Ricardo Chebel
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 100 200 300
Pro
po
rtio
n n
onp
regnan
t, %
Impact of mastitis on abortion and pregnancy rates
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Risco et al.,
1999
Chebel et al.,
2004
Moore et al.,
2005
Pregn
anc
y los
s, %
No Mastitis Mastitis
28 to 35 d
30 to 45 d
45 to 135 d
DIM
Median days to conception:
Control = 114
Mastitis = 134
Santos et al. Anim. Reprod. Sci. (2004)
Effect of mastitis – P < 0.001
Slide courtesy of Dr. Ricardo Chebel
Effect of lameness early in lactation on reproductive efficiency
• Lame cows within 30
DIM had prolonged
(34 vs. 29 d) anovular
period (Garbarion et al.,
2006)
• Lame cows within 70
DIM had longer
interval to pregnancy
(149 vs. 119 d) (Bicalho et
al., 2007)
Slide courtesy of Dr. Ricardo Chebel
Mastitis
Retained FetalMembranes and Metritis
Ketosis/Fatty Liver
Milk Fever
Displaced Abomasum
Lameness
Decreasing DMI
Around Calving
Insufficient Vitamins, Trace Minerals, or Anti-Oxidants
High DCAD or
Low Mg diets
Negative Energy + Protein BalanceIncreasing NEFA
Immune Suppression HypocalcemiaLost Muscle Tone
Insufficient Dietary Effective Fiber
Rumen acidosis
Slide from Dr. Jesse Goff
Three final pathways
• Negative energy balance (and protein)
• Hypocalcemia
• Immune suppression
• These can each be reduced with good management during the transition period
Economic analysis• The purpose of an economic analysis is to
inform the decision maker.
• Decisions are made for many reasons.– economics is only one of the reasons
• For most dairy decisions, the economic analysis need only provide a close estimate of the order of magnitude of the economics.– Models are tools; even imperfect models can
provide useful information.
For many purposes, a rough estimate is good enough for managerial decision making.
Types of economic impactvalues depend on market and price conditions
• Clinical disease– Cost to find sick cows and treat them
• Lost milk production
• Death and culling
• Poor reproduction
• Impact of one disease on the development of other diseases
• Poor milk quality and lost quality payments
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19
Healthy (22)
Sick (24)
RP/MET (10)
DA/KET (13)
Milk production post partum for normal and sick cows
0
5
10
15
20
25
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19
Healthy (22)
Sick (24)
RP/MET (10)
DA/KET (13)
0
5
10
15
20
25
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19
Healthy (22)
Sick (24)
RP/MET (10)
DA/KET (13)
Slide from Dr. Mike Hutjens U of I
Much of the economic impact may be “invisible”: Much of the loss comes later with lower production, poor reproduction, and culling.
Research by Dr. Richard Wallace and others, Univ. of Illinois
days
Diseases may also reduce revenue by reducing the price / value of milk
Economics and clinical disease
• for a defined disease, estimates can be made about the cost of a single case– treatment costs
• drugs, labor, milk discard, veterinary services
– lost milk production– increased risk of culling or death– impacts on reproductive performance– impact on mastitis incidence
• the total cost for all cases can then be based on the incidence of the disease on the dairy if good records are kept
Cost of a case of metritis
Cost of clinical disease: mastitis: €250
Costs Associated with Metabolic Disorders
RetainedPlacenta
DisplacedAbomasum Milk Fever Ketosis
Die 1% 2% 8% 1%
Culled 18% 10% 12% 5%
Milk loss 450 lb 840 lb 1,100 lb 440 lb
Milk dumped 300 lb
Extra days open 19 d 6 d 5 d
Ave $ per case $285 $340 $334 $145
Guard, Hoard’s Dairyman, 1996
(Figures include lost milk production, veterinary charges, extra labor in caring for cows, drugs, and discarded milk)
Lameness = €300/case ($346), 30% of cows lame in 1st 30 DIM are culled
in Euros: €220 €260 €260 €110
Culling
Goal:• < 5 % of milking herd
should leave the dairy before 60 days in milk.
• <3% should die before 60 days in milk.
Transition problems significantly increase the risk that a cow will be culled.
When Cows Leave and Risk of Leaving the HerdMN DHIA data (10/96 – 10/01)
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
20 62 104
146
188
230
272
314
356
398
440
21- Day Period Ending Day
% C
ow
s L
eavin
g T
hat
Left
In
th
e P
eri
od
0.00%
0.04%
0.08%
0.12%
0.16%
0.20%
0.24%
Avera
ge R
isk p
er
D o
f L
eavin
g I
n a
Peri
od
Percent of Those Leaving Risk of Leaving
624,614 Cows Leaving
From ~2,800 Herds
Source: 2003, Godden, Stewart, Fetrow, et al Proceedings of the 4 State Nutrition Conference
Cost of death and culling
Goals for disease rates
• Goals should be set in consideration of the conditions on the individual dairy
– at the simplest level, the goal is “better than now”
• For many diseases, epidemiologic studies and looking at high achievement herd results can guide the determination of goals.
– It is important to have effective disease recording systems• Diseases may not be reliably indentified or recorded on
many dairies.
• Economically, improving disease status from bad to OK is more valuable than going from OK to great.
– work on areas where there are big problems or opportunities
Goals for disease rates
Economics and disease
• It is not particularly useful to calculate the total cost of disease on a dairy– The dairy will not likely achieve “no disease”, so
there will always be costs
• The more interesting question is:– What is the cost of disease above a reasonable
and achievable level of disease on this dairy?• “Avoidable loss”
• Losses at actual levels compared to achievable goal incidence of clinical disease
Calculating the “avoidable loss” due to clinical disease on a dairy
• “avoidable loss” provides an estimate of the benefit of improving management and achieving the dairy’s goals.
• It also provides an upper limit on how much can be spent to achieve the goal.– the dairyman will not want to spend the
whole potential gained value
– improved management may not actually achieve the full goal
Calculating the cost of diseases: loss above goals levels of disease
This $100 loss to clinical disease above the herd’s goal is $100 per cow for every cow in the herd, not $100 per sick cow.
It is an important cost of doing business on the dairy.
Calculatingthe differencebetween a herd’s current disease incidenceand a reasonable and achievable goal.
Remember:This only estimates the loss to excess disease. It does not include the likely larger impact on production from poor transition in cows that never become clinically sick.
Impact of the transition period
• For many dairies, improving transition management could significantly improve production, reduce culling and death, and reduce the incidence of disease.
• There are ways to estimate the economic potential of improvements.
• Managers must work constantly to find ways to improve the transition period.
Thank you very much!