ORKNEY MONITOR FARM MILLBURN Friday 22 nd February 2013

Transcription

1 ORKNEY MONITOR FARM MILLBURN Friday 22 nd February 2013 Useful Contacts: George Baikie (SAC Facilitator) Graham Scott (SAC Facilitator) Steven Sandison (Monitor Farmer) Next Meeting May 2013

2 CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION MILLBURN S MANAGEMENT OF HERD AT CALVING FERTILISER & LIMING DIARY DATES... 9 Take Home Message Some Blackleg vaccines may not cover all 3 of the bacterium which can cause the disease in Orkney The quantity, timing and quality of colostrum a calf receives are all equally important Consider soil and slurry sampling to tailor lime and fertiliser applications

3 1.0 INTRODUCTION The excellent spell of dry weather which allowed spring land work was a factor in the much reduced attendance at the 6 th Monitor Farm Meeting. However, the 24 farmers who did attend contributed well to some lively discussion. The day was split into two sections with the morning covering Calf Health at Millburn with local vet Bob Norquay. The afternoon session involved the fertiliser and liming policy of the monitor farm and led onto discussing what field scale mini trials could be carried out to improve the grassland. Aim of the Project: To improve both the technical efficiency and the finances of the Monitor Farm and other farms within Orkney. Aim of the 6 th Meeting: Highlight the importance of colostrum for new born calves Encourage soil sampling and slurry analyses to help determine fertiliser and lime applications. 2.0 MILLBURN S MANAGEMENT OF HERD AT CALVING This section of the day involved heading up to Millburn where Steven took the attendees through his cattle sheds where he explained his calving system where required. He then went into detail highlighting what he does/doesn t do in terms of disease management on the farm. The attendees then attempted to highlighted areas where there may have been weaknesses in his system. Colostrum. Steven highlighted that he strives to ensure every calf receives adequate colostrum within 4-6 hours of birth. He obtains colostrum from a local dairy farm which he freezes into individual 1litre bottles and normally feeds it via a stomach tube. It was suggested that bringing in natural colostrum could pose a risk of BVD and Johnes disease spread. An attendee suggested that if the dairy farmer had vaccinated his cows with Rotavec for example, this would confer some disease resistance to the calves which consumed the colostrum. Bob Norquay highlighted that natural colostrum is considered superior to synthetic powdered products. He also suggested that when defrosting frozen colostrum care should be taken as temperatures >60 C will denature the protein. 1

4 The timing of ingestion is also critical. Calves are born with an open gut which allows them to absorb protein antibodies into their bloodstream rather than digest it. This golden period can last up to 12 hours however its closure is triggered by the ingestion of milk. The danger is that if a calf receives an inadequate feed of colostrum early on, this will trigger closure of the stomach and prevent it from benefitting from subsequent feeds of colostrum later on. The message is to provide an adequate feed of quality colostrum as early as possible. Feeding soya was suggested to improve colostrum quality and hydrometer can be used to measure this. Blackleg. Steven highlighted that he jags his calves between 2-4 weeks of age against blackleg with Covexin 10 when they are dehorned. They receive no follow up blackleg vaccine. Bob Norquay suggested that many blackleg vaccines have to be administered over 2 doses 4-6 weeks apart. He also stressed that there are 3 bacterium in Orkney which cause Blackleg (Clostridium septicum, C. chauvoei, C. uedematiens) and not all vaccines control all 3. The bacteria is found commonly in soil and can be ingested by cattle and lie dormant in muscle tissue without causing harm. The dormant bacteria can be triggered into life by a reduction in oxygen availability such as that caused by muscle bruising. Scour. Rotovirus, Cryptosporidium and E. coli were considered to be the 3 most common causes of scour in calves generally. Apart from an incidence of rotovirus in a previous year, the farm had luckily not experienced any major issues and does not use any vaccines. Crypto and Rotovirus can occur together so it is beneficial to analyse scour samples to be able to administer the best control program. Tablets are commonly used to control E.coli, however good stomach bacteria levels can be depleted if the tablets are used for more than 3 consecutive days. Squashed Calves. The number of calves lost through having been squashed is thought to be on the increase. A brief survey of squashed calf incidences revealed 9 had been lost in the last years to the 24 farmers who attended the meeting. The different factors which may be influencing this were discussed: (1) Killer cow-cow sets out to kill the calf? This was thought to be unlikely as it was believed that if a cow intended to kill its calf it would do so with its head rather than lie on it. (2) Environmental factors. Is the calf cold, therefore encouraging it to lie closer to its mother? Is there a lack of light in the pen or a lack of space generally? (3) Concurrent illness. Is the calf weak and unable to move out of the way of the mother? Is the calf pained, a sore navel for example may force it to lie flat making it easier to lie on? Is the calf hypothermic which again would make it want to lie closer to its mother? Is the cow itself steady on its feet a womb infection may make it wobbly on its legs for example? (4) Maternal instinct. Could the cow be too maternal or conversely lack maternal instinct? (5) Comfortable cow? Is the cow coming off slats onto a bedded pen where it is more likely to quickly lie down to enjoy the comfort? Record Keeping. It was then put to the attendees to highlight what information they would like the monitor farmer to record during calving time? This data would then be collated and presented at a later meeting. The attendees were also encouraged to record similar data on their own farms. (1) Weight of calf (2) Calving ease: 0= No assistance 1= Ropes used 2= Calving machine used 3= Caesarean (3) Suckling calves: 0= No assistance 1= help required 2= stomach tubed (4) Dead calves. (5) Time of day cow calves. 2

5 3.0 FERTILISER AND LIMING George Baikie, Principal Consultant and Regional Manager of the SAC delivered a presentation on the soil status of the Monitor Farm. He highlighted the importance of maintaining phosphate and potash at Moderate levels and explained that our Scottish soils are analysed using the Modified Morgans technique which is suited to our sandstone based acid soils. Table 1. highlights how the soil results are categorised into each banding. Table 1. Phosphate and Potash Interpretation PHOSPHATE LEVELS The phosphate levels at Millburn were found to be good in the areas closest to the steading where the barley tends to be grown. The fields with the lowest phosphate levels were understandably on the steep sloping higher ground. 3

6 4

7 POTASH LEVELS 5

8 6

9 ph and Lime The acidity levels of soil affects the growth of all crops significantly and it is measured on the ph scale. The scale ranges from 0 to 14 with 0 being the most acidic through to 7 which is neutral. ph s over 7 are alkaline. The target ph range varies from crop to crop however the following is generally accepted:- Cereals aim for ph Temporary Grass aim for ph Permanent Grass aim for ph There are numerous liming agents to select from which all vary in in their ability to raise ph. The means by which different liming agents can be compared is through their Neutralising Value (NV) and the fineness of the particles. Neutralising value is a figure which compares the effectiveness of the liming agent in comparison to calcium oxide. Pure limestone (calcium carbonate) for example has an NV of 56% which means it is 56% as effective as calcium oxide. The default lime requirements on SAC soil reports are based on an NV of 50%. In Orkney shell sand tends to be the product of choice, however its NV can range from 21 to 38 or even higher. It is recommended that farmers test the loads of shell sand which they have delivered onto their farms to ensure they are applying the correct amount of lime. The Monitor Farmer analysed his sand sample last year which showed a NV of (see annex) This means it is 29.8% as effective as calcium oxide or for every 1 tonne of lime required, you need to apply 1.68 tonnes of this sand. (50/29.8) 7

10 8

11 Slurry Slurry was highlighted as being an important commodity on all farms. Analysing the N, P and K content of the slurry is advantageous when deciding on how much should be applied to meet crop requirements. At Millburn the slurry was analysed and found to contain the following: 20kg (40 units) of Nitrogen in 2000 gallons of diluted slurry 9kg (18 units) of Phosphate in 2000 gallons of diluted slurry 35kg (70 units) of Potash in 2000 gallons of diluted slurry When calculating applications it was stressed that not all of the nutrient would be available to the crop in the year of application. Nitrogen A large percentage of nitrogen is lost to the air through volatilisation and de-nitrification or through leaching. The timing and method of application is critical in minimising losses. Shallow injecting slurry in early spring can secure up to 55% of the nitrogen whilst a surface application in October will secure much less. The soil type and thickness of the slurry are also important factors as a dilute sample will rapidly infiltrate the soil and reduce ammonia loss. Phosphate 50% of the phosphate in slurry will be available to the crop in year of application. Potash 90% of the potash in slurry will be available to the crop in year of application. Millburn s current fertiliser and liming policy Grazing Fields 1 ½ - 2 cwt/acre of 20:10:10 type fertiliser or equivalent. Some fields receive no fertiliser. Silage Fields gallons/acre of slurry Aftermath will occasionally receive 1 cwt/acre N Spring Barley Typically 3 cwt/acre of 1:1:1 or 11:22:22 although some barley received no granular fertiliser in Shell sand typically applied to silage aftermath 4-5t/acre Having been given the current soil status of the farm and the typical fertiliser application policy, the farmers in attendance thought that the fertility of the grazing fields would be eroded over time. They did however suggest that that a nutrient budget should be calculated for each field before more accurate fertiliser applications could be recommended. The final part of the day involved visiting one of the grazing fields. Several suggestions were made including applying bagged fertiliser to 50% of one of the silage fields which typically receives none. The field would then be baled and wrapped to measure yield differences. An aeration trial was recommended in a second park which would involve slurry also. The exact detail of the mini trials would be decided at the next Monitor Farm Committee meeting 4.0 NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be arranged for late May 9

12 10

13 11

14 12

15 13