Teagasc Milk Quality Farm Walk

Transcription

1 Teagasc Milk Quality Farm Walk Farm of Edward & Olivia Fitzgerald, Tobernea, Effin, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick Friday, 16 th May am pm

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3 Welcome from John Donworth, Regional Manager Kerry Limerick and Zoe Kavanagh, Chief Executive National Dairy Council The NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards are an important acknowledgment of the unique knowledge base and excellent husbandry skills of Irish milk producers. They recognise the hard work of Irish dairy farmers and their commitment to the rigorous standards necessary to produce top quality milk. The combination of our natural grassland, sustainable farming practices and the passion and dedication of our farmers and their families means we can bring quality products to markets around the world, with absolute confidence and pride. This award programme allows us to show consumers the excellent standards of pasturebased dairy farming practiced by Irish dairy farmers. The winners and finalists in these annual awards are reaching the top standards in terms of not just milk quality but also quality in a complete context, taking on board all of the components which drive best practice for Irish dairy farmers; they act as role models for the industry. It is not easy to get to the stage where the Fitzgerald s are today, but they have set a very high standard which farmers can aspire to. Fourteen farmers were shortlisted for inspection by an expert judging panel and prizes were awarded in a number of categories at an Awards Ceremony in October The Fitzgerald family were awarded the top prize in the NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards. Teagasc, the National Dairy Council and Irish Dairy Board would like to thank the Fitzgerald family for hosting today s event. The performance of the Fitzgerald farm is of the highest order and this event offers all dairy farmers the opportunity to learn the secrets to their success. Visitors will not see any extraordinary activities or fancy ideas, just common sense and efficient sustainable dairy farming. They should be encouraged by the performance levels which can be achieved by an efficient medium sized family dairy farm. Welcome from Joe Moriarty, Kerry Agribusiness Kerry Agribusiness would like to congratulate Edward, Olivia and family on their wonderful achievement. The production of quality milk is the basis of sustainable milk production for dairy farmers supplying Kerry Agribusiness. The NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards provide an opportunity to highlight the sustainability message. Today s event allows ourselves, Teagasc and NDC to work together to promote the benefits of a focus on milk quality and other best practices to ensure a viable future for the family dairy farm.

4 The Fitzgerald Family Dairy Farm Introduction Tobernea, Effin, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick is home to Edward Fitzgerald, his wife Olivia, and his parents, Michael and Catherine who live in the original farmhouse. In 2013, the Fitzgerald family were awarded the top prize in the NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards. The Fitzgerald family are fifth-generation dairy farmers. Initially, the land was leased by Edward s great-great-grandfather, Edmund Fitzgerald who first started farming in My great-grandfather James continued the lease until 1903 when he purchased the land for 1,550. My grandfather, James then took over, and my father, Michael took it over when he was about 14 years old, says Edward. This farm is no stranger to awards for high standards. Edward s father, Michael, was the winner of the Golden Vale Quality Milk Awards in the 1990 s taking second place then in the national Quality Milk Awards. Michael is still very active in the day to day operation of the farm. Many of the features you see on the farm today are due to Michael s vision and foresight. A helping hand Edward took over the running of the farm in 2008 at the age of 34. He had always had an interest in taking over the farm but he was encouraged by his parents to

5 continue his education before he began working on it full-time. He completed his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and finished his Green Cert while working at an engineering workshop. Although Edward now runs the farm full-time, his father remains an important part of the overall operation, and Edward says that having someone with his father s knowledge of the land is a valuable asset. He knows the farm inside out and he s very supportive, says Edward. It also means that there is the option for either farmer to step in and cover the farm, which allows Edward to take a holiday or travel, especially if he can get away for a week in winter as he is an avid skier. Managing expansion The farm herd currently consists of 72 Holstein cows and is milked in a herringbone Dairymaster milking parlour. The parlour was originally installed in the 1980s but was expanded in the 1990s to cater for more cows. We re milking 72 cows here. They re normally out on grass from February to the end of November, and during high-grass growth times we re on a 23-day grass rotation. All the milk from this farm goes to Kerry Agribusiness, where it s mainly used for cheese or butter and powder. The farm is a total of 170 acres, with 60 acres total for grazing. Edward rents 40 acres of the farm and owns the rest of the land.

6 While next year will be important for the dairy sector with the abolition of quotas, Edward isn t planning to rush any expansion of the herd. The infrastructure and buildings are in place to slowly increase the size of the Holstein herd. Any expansion on this farm will be done in the context of maintaining the herd that we can manage comfortably, while sustaining the quality of the cow and the quality of the milk. An important year While 2008 was a significant year for the farm and Edward s career, it was also the year he got married, and built a home on the farm. His wife, Olivia comes from a family farming background in Loughrea, Co. Galway, and she works four days a week in Charleville for a programme which brings overseas students to Ireland to learn English. Rewarding times The National Dairy Council and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards set out to identify the top dairy farmer in the Republic of Ireland. The national competition invites dairy co-operatives to nominate their top dairy farmers for the award. The overall prize is for top quality milk but the competition also encompasses the wider elements of dairy farming such as animal welfare, sustainability and care for the environment. The award going to the Fitzgeralds is an acknowledgement of

7 their commitment to producing high-quality milk, a commitment that the family has had now for five generations. It was a great opportunity for us to get into the competition in the first place, and in the end it was fantastic to have all of the hard work recognised when we won. Farming System The Fitzgerald s are all spring calving and supply milk to Kerry Agribusiness. They calve down 90 cows and sell approximately 15 cows in April each year. Decisions on which cows to sell revolve around SCC levels, milk yield, proteins, cow heath and type. This year, they will milk 75 cows. As of today, there are 32 replacement heifer calves and 38 breeding heifers. Edward intends only bringing 20 of these into the milking herd in He hopes to sell eight of these in-calf in the autumn. Edward and Olivia were winners of the 2013 National Dairy Council and Kerrygold Milk Quality Awards competition. That s why you are here today. This competition rewards excellence in SCC levels, TBC and Thermoduric readings in raw milk as well as a number of on farm factors. This raw milk is processed into products which are sold on the international markets. It is the first link in the chain. So, what has marked this farm out as National Winners of this prestigious competition? Firstly, let s look at the SCC and TBC readings from the farm.

8 History of milk supplied by Edward and Michael Fitzgerald over the last 17 years Year Litres Supplied Fat % Protein % TBC SCC , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Edward and Michael have produced milk with consistently low SCC and TBC levels over the 17 years. In the same period the volume of milk produced has doubled while milk composition has also improved, especially milk protein content.

9 Practices and routines identified by the Fitzgerald s contributing to excellent milk quality 1. All cows are milk recorded. Edward considers a cow with SCC reading of over 200,000 as a problem cow. Four cows in the herd have readings over 200,000. Figure 1: Annual Milk Recording Report Herd Summary Group No. of cows Average days in milk Completed Lactations Only M Kg M Gall F% P% F Kg P Kg F+P Kg SCC EBI Overall CI: 393

10 Figure 2: Distribution of SCC readings from most recent milk recording (Source: CellCheck Farm Summary report)

11 2. The Fitzgerald s adhere to the following procedures at different stages of lactation: a. Procedure at Drying Off Time: All cows milked twice a day for 4 days with reduced feed. All cows milked once a day for 3 days, again with reduced feed. After last AM milking, cows are dried off (16 cows at a time). Cows teats are wiped with methylated spirits before infusion of a long acting dry cow tube. Teat sealers are not used. Teats are dipped before cows are let out. All cows receive dry cow treatment. b. Procedure during housing - pre calving Cubicle beds limed and saw dusted once a day during housing. Cubicle beds are scraped off twice a day. c. Procedure Post Calving Cubicle beds limed and saw dusted twice a day (saw dust in use since 2004). Cubicle beds scraped off twice a day.

12 d. Procedure at milking time Teats pre-sprayed before clusters are put on. Teats dried before clusters are put on. Teats stripped before clusters are put on. Clusters applied. Clusters off. Post milking teat spray applied. Each teat receives 2 sprays until a drip of teat disinfectant is present at the end of the teat. Gloves are worn at milking time. Clinical cases are milked last and tubed until clear. In 2013, the herd experienced 8 clinical cases of mastitis. In 2014, the herd has had 6 clinical cases to date. Cows not clinical, but where the ICBF Mastitis Incidence Report shows readings of 400, ,000 are milked last. 3. Washing Procedure: Milking Machine Outside of the clusters washed with running water and cups put on. The plant is rinsed with 2.5 gallons of cold water per unit and the water run to waste. The plant is further rinsed with 1.0 gallons of water a second time. The filter sock is removed at this stage and it is changed every day.

13 A Hydrosan hot wash powder solution is now made up and the plant is washed with a solution of 2.5 gallons per cluster. The solution remains circulating for 10 minutes. This hot wash is carried out after evening milking and the wash is left in contact with the machine overnight. The wash is rinsed out of the plant before morning milking. A descaler is used once a week. Liners are changed twice a year. Machine serviced once a year and also checked for stray voltage. Council water supply for dairy. Reproductive Management Edward Fitzgerald uses management to drive fertility in his dairy herd. His latest EBI Herd Summary (from his April 2014 EBI Report) is included below. The 2013 calving season ran for 16 weeks in total, with 76% of the herd calved in six weeks. At the end of the 2013 breeding season, 8% of the cows were empty. Breeding started on 13th April % of the cows and 97% of the heifers were bred in the first 21 days. Calving started on 18th January 2013 and median calving date was 25 days later on 12th February % of cows calved in six weeks and all calving was completed in 16 weeks. The calving pattern was as follows: January 28; February 23; March -13; April 4; and May 2. The calving interval (2013) was 393 days and the empty rate was 8%.

14 Figure 3: EBI Herd Summary - April 2014 Animal Group Num of Cows Milk Kg Fat Prot % % Surv % CI Days Milk % Cont Fertility % Cont Calv % Cont Beef % Cont Maint % Cont Mgmt % Cont Health % Cont EBI Cows with EBI Missing EBI % 48.8% 17.2% -3.8% 0.4% 0.7% 0.2% 124 Total Cows In 2014, he has selected a team of AI bulls according to the following criteria: milk volume +400kg; milk solids +25kg; good on type, temperament and milking speed. Cows are not tail painted but are observed on five occasions during the day at: 6am, 9am, 1pm, 5pm and 9pm. All cows were scanned pre-breeding on 29th March. Problem cows are treated as recommended. DIY AI is practiced and AI is continued for five weeks. A Friesian stock bull is used for mopping up. The policy is to match the AI straw to the cow. See ICBF for sires used in All breeding heifers get one round of AI. Herd Performance 2013 In 2013, the herd sold 491,743 litres of milk at a fat % of 4.06 and a milk protein % of This equates to 540kg of milk solids per cow The days in milk (Milk

15 Figure 4: ICBF Sire Advice April AI bulls selected for use in this herd Figure 5: ICBF Sire Advice outcome of Sire Advice programme for this herd

16 Recording Report) was 287 days. Cows are managed individually for feeding in the parlour. Concentrates are fed to yield. 1.5 tonnes concentrates were fed per cow in Calving started on 18th January 2013 and median calving date was 25 days later on 12th February % of cows calved in six weeks and all calving was completed in 16 weeks. The calving pattern was as follows: January 28; February 23; March 13; April 4; and May 2. The calving interval (2013) was 393 days and the empty rate was 8%. Buildings 10 Unit Plant with recording jars. 120 Cubicles for cows and heifers Round tank for slurry accommodation Grassland The 44 hectare milking block is divided into 49 paddocks. 80% of the farm has been reseeded in the last 10 years. This block was soil sampled in January of this year. The majority of the paddocks are at Soil Index 3 and 4 for Phosphorus. Grazing started in 2014 on the 15th February. Cows receive fresh grass every 12 hours. Currently 54% of the milking block is closed for first cut silage. The overall stocking rates on a farm in 2013 was 1.7 livestock units per hectare. For 2014, the overall stocking rate will be 1.65 livestock units per hectare. Stocking rates on the milking block for 2014 will be 1.7 livestock units per ha, up from 1.59 livestock units per ha in 2013.

17 Minimizing bacterial counts in milk with correct hygiene practises David Gleeson and Bernadette O Brien, AGRI Centre, Teagasc Moorepark Summary Bacterial levels in milk are influenced by the initial bacterial count, cleanliness of the surrounding environment and specifically milk contact equipment, storage temperature and storage time Thermoduric levels in milk may be minimised by: presenting clean cows for milking, replacing cracked rubberware, regular plant hot washes (70-80ºC) and weekly acid descale of milking equipment An appropriate detergent product, used at the correct level and as recommended by the manufacturer must be used to properly clean milking equipment and avoid residues Introduction Production of high quality milk is essential, if product is to be manufactured according to customer specifications. Cow cleanliness at milking and proper cleaning of the milking machine is crucial to producing milk with satisfactory total bacterial count (TBC) (<15,000 CFU/mL in the bulk tank at milk collection) and thermoduric bacteria count (< 500 CFU/ml). Thermoduric bacteria Silage, faeces and animal bedding are the most important sources of Thermoduric bacteria in raw milk while cows are indoors. Meanwhile, soil is an important source of some thermoduric bacteria which are more likely to be found during the summer period when cows are on grass, e.g. Bacillus Cereus. Thermoduric

18 bacteria that contaminate teat surfaces are readily transferred to the milk during milking. Thus, the first step is to minimize levels of Thermoduric bacteria in the cow s environment, i.e. maintaining clean cubicles and passageways and feeding good quality silage are absolute requirements. The second step is to reduce the teat as a transfer medium for thermoduric bacteria into milk by ensuring cow teats are clean and DRY prior to cluster application. This can be achieved by regular clipping of tails and well maintained farm roadways. Pre-milking teat disinfection, followed by drying with individual paper towels can also be effective in reducing bacteria on teat surfaces. Finally, the third step in maintaining low Thermoduric levels in milk is to implement a correct washing procedure for milking equipment, which should include a weekly acid wash. With inadequate cleaning, Thermoduric bacteria in milk will attach to internal pipeline surfaces and biofilm formation will occur which will facilitate the growth of thermoduric bacteria at subsequent milkings. Other factors that can influence the levels of bacteria in milk: Washing of clusters, while still attached to teats Washing down cow standings/while cows are still present Transferring unclean clusters from cow to cow at milking Inadequate use of hot water (70-80ºC)- very effective if used daily

19 Not replacing old rubberware Incorrect equipment cleaning procedures Unclipped cow tails with dirty flanks and udders Slow cooling of milk and extended storage time Washing routine guidelines Regardless of the composition of cleaning products or the wash routine chosen, if the detergent is not mixed at the recommended levels then ineffective cleaning or issues with chemical residues in milk can occur. Adequate post-milking rinsing (14 litres/unit) to remove all traces of milk from the plant is critical to avoid milk coming into contact with the wash solution as this contact can render the detergent ineffective and increase the likelihood of residues. Similarly, rinsing of the wash solution from milk contact surfaces is equally important to prevent residues. Liquid detergent-steriliser products used for cleaning milking machines and bulk tanks contain varying levels of caustic, chlorine, surfactants and sequestrants. Caustic (sodium hydroxide) acts as the cleaning/detergent agent and chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) acts as the steriliser. Products containing less than 10% caustic will be adequate for cleaning where hot water (70 800C) is used for the main wash cycle, and the solution is not re-used for a subsequent wash. While detergent-steriliser products are most effective when used with hot water, if intended to be used in a cold water solution and/or recycled at the next cleaning time then a product containing greater than 12% caustic (working solution >

20 800ppm) would be required. In situations where powder or liquid caustic only based detergents (non-chlorine) products are used, a working solution greater than 2000ppm is recommended, e.g. cold caustic cleaning. The preferred chlorine content within a detergent-steriliser product is < 3.6%, and this will adequately give working solution strength of approximately 200ppm required for satisfactory cleaning. Four milking equipment wash routines used in Ireland have been defined and are available on the Teagasc website: moorepark/milkquality The routines include: Hot Detergent-steriliser cleaning; Cold cleaning; Nonchlorine cleaning; Hot Detergent-steriliser/acid cleaning. Other important equipment cleaning points Lower chemical product usage rates are required when Hot water is used for daily cleaning Use of night rate electricity is a cost effective way of heating water The cleaning product chosen should be based on the washing procedure applied Cleaning solutions containing chlorine (detergent-steriliser) should be rinsed from the milking system immediately after the main wash cycle With non-chlorine cleaning solutions (powder products) the stain of the solution should be left in the plant between milkings to be effective Detergent-steriliser solutions when used initially with hot water may be reused cold on one other occasion

21 The addition of peracetic acid to the rinse water is beneficial where the microbial count of a farm water supply is considered unsatisfactory. Using unregistered products for cleaning equipment may have implications for farmers in a cross compliance check Conclusions The major routes of Thermoduric bacteria entry into milk are: poor environmental (e.g. milking parlour) hygiene, dirty cow teat surfaces and incorrectly cleaned milking equipment.

22 Reducing somatic cell counts on dairy farms Finola McCoy, Animal Health Ireland CellCheck programme High bulk tank somatic cell count (SCC) is often seen as something outside farmers control, something that has to be put up with. However, this doesn t have to be the case. The financial gains to be made from improved control of mastitis are substantial and often forgotten about. It is easy to quantify payment penalties incurred, lost bonus payments and the cost of dealing with clinical cases of mastitis. However the greatest, and often unseen cost of mastitis, is the production loss that results from subclinical infection. Cows with high SCC are not yielding to their full potential, mainly due to damage and loss of milk secretory tissue in the udder. Recent Teagasc research has shown that if the herd SCC is reduced from 350,000 cells/ml to 150,000 cells/ml, the net profit per cow increases by 133/annum. The culling costs associated with chronically infected cows are also hugely significant. Introduction Prevention is better than cure the old adage, that is as relevant to mastitis as it is to any other disease. However, to be most effective we need to broaden our interpretation of mastitis. It s very difficult to control the spread of infection if we don t firstly identify the infected animals and have an understanding of the prevalence of infection within the herd.

23 Subclinical infection It is not difficult to identify the cow with a clinical case of mastitis -probably clots in the milk, often a hard or swollen udder and perhaps a bit stiff and slow to move. But what about the cow with subclinical mastitis? By definition, subclinical means a form of the disease, no symptoms of which are detectable. The only sign that this cow is infected is an elevated somatic cell count (SCC). Any cow that has an SCC greater than 250,000 cells/ml, or any heifer with an SCC greater than 1 50,000 cells/ ml should be identified as an animal with mastitis infection. Studies have shown a production loss of up to 3% for every increase in herd SCC of 100,000 cells/ml. Thus a herd with an average cell count of 400,000 is producing approximately 6% less milk solids than a similar herd with an average cell count of 200,000. Dynamics of infection So how do we control herd SCC? The first step is to understand the dynamics of mastitis infection within the herd (Figure 6). In any herd at any given time, some of the cows will be uninfected, while the others will have mastitis (clinical and subclinical). This classification is not static. Animals will move between groups with uninfected animals becoming infected, and animals with mastitis being cured. What influences the movement between these two circles? There are several factors that can determine whether a cow will become infected. Conversely, when these factors are optimal they can reduce the likelihood of new infection. 1. Environment: People often associate environmental infection with cows that are housed indoors, but pasture, roadways and collecting yards can all be sources of environmental bacteria. The environment at calving and

24 for in-calf heifers can determine whether an animal commences the lactation as a clean animal, or already infected. 2. Milking machine: Both the function of the machine and the condition of the machine elements can play a vital role in the spread of infection. 3. Milking routine: This includes milking technique, teat disinfection, segregation of infected animals etc. 4. Cow factors: Factors such as age, stress and breed related resistance can all play a part in the likelihood of that animal becoming infected. 5. Hygiene: This includes hygiene of the milker, wearing clean gloves, the environment, the milking parlour, clusters etc. There are two possible factors that result in infected animals returning to the uninfected group. 1. Antibiotic treatment: This refers to milking cow therapy and dry cow therapy. There are many products available (over 40 licenced for use in Ireland) and it is important to consider the expected cure rates. Cure rates for milking cow treatments will range from 20 to 70%, while dry cow therapy cure rates are higher at 50 to 80%. The cure rate will be influenced by the pathogen involved, duration of treatment and cow factors such as age and infection history. 2. Self cure: Self cure rates vary greatly and are influenced by the pathogen involved and whether the animal has a clinical or subclinical infection.

25 This produces a rather unbalanced picture. There are far more factors involved in the likelihood of an animal becoming infected than there are those involved in cure. Thus it is important to focus on all areas of mastitis control and not rely on treatment alone. Figure 6: The dynamics of mastitis infection within a herd Summary Prevention is better than cure. Cows with mastitis do not always show visible signs. Subclinical infection will result in milk production losses of 1.5 to 15%. Mastitis control cannot rely on treatment alone. Further information Log on to the CellCheck website at consult the CellCheck Farm Guidelines for Mastitis Control or contact your Co-op Milk Adviser/ Teagasc Adviser for details of CellCheck Workshops.

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28 Contact Details: Teagasc Head Office Head Office, Oak Park, Carlow Tel: +353 (0) Fax: +353 (0)