Focusing on dry-cow management ensures trouble-free calving and
increases the likelihood of transition and lactation success. One producer
shares his herd’s winning formula.
TEXT KAREN WRIGHT
Robust plans to ensure cows are well primed ahead of calving form the foundations for lactation success, according to one Carmarthenshire-based producer.
Rob Evans runs the 280-cow Penfoel pedigree Holstein herd, near Cynwyl Elfed in Wales, and although attention is divided equally across all parts of the dairy business, he’s particularly focused on transition-cow management. Recent building improvements and a dedicated forage and transition-cow diet suggests his formula is working well.
This autumn-calving herd was established in 2017 when the 80-hectare farm was purchased as a standalone unit but run in partnership with Rob’s parents Roger and Alison, and his brother Jonathan. They manage a 500- cow herd on the family unit nine miles down the road.
Post university, Rob spent a brief spell working as a chartered surveyor before he was lured back to, as he puts it, ‘cow poo’. The opportunity to set up a unit at Penfoel meant he could do things the way he wanted to from scratch.
Dairy investment
The farm had been in dairy until 2009 so there were the ‘bones’ of a unit, but investment was needed in a milking parlour, silage clamps and additional cubicle housing.
“Every change to the existing buildings and additional investment has been made to improve the ease of management and to reduce the workload,” says Rob. A 20:40 herringbone parlour, with a Fullwood Crystal management system that measures yields and transfers data to NMR records, has been installed. Data keeping has been improved with the recently added Uniform Agri dairy management software. This records more real-time data and creates action lists when needed. The latest investment has been in a dry-cow shed with 70 cubicles designed for in-calf cows and a slatted floor with plenty of ‘moving’ room and feeding space. This was used for the first time in 2024.
There is a large calving area adjacent to this shed, which means that cows approaching calving can be moved easily. “It replaced three smaller sheds previously used for dry cows. We had to scrape out and move cows around quite a bit, which took one person about two hours each day.
“The new shed has made a huge difference,” adds Rob, who runs the herd with the help of one full-time and three relief staff.
Calving is in a 16-week block designed to suit the reasonably short grazing season. “We aim to get all cows in calf before turnout. In a good year this could be as early as March 20, but it can vary depending on weather conditions.”
Cows are usually housed full time by mid-October. The calving pattern also gives staff a summer break from the routine. “My wife runs a brewery in North Pembrokeshire, and we’ve two young children, so summer is busy enough without cows calving,” he adds. Cows and heifers are housed three weeks before calving, from late August, and move on to a dedicated diet that is designed for close-up dry cows and heifers, based on a specific dry-cow silage made from Italian ryegrass that is cut at the end of May.
Dry-cow housing: investing in a new building has paid off
High fibre
Four cuts of silage are made from May to September, with grass for dry-cow silage cut slightly later than first cut to add bulk and increase the fibre content. “We avoid feeding dry and transition cows silage made from young leafy grass. It reduces the risk of milk fever in our newly calved cows.”
Depending on the fibre content of the dry-cow silage, some chopped straw is added to the ration. With the help of Wynnstay’s David Jones, Rob ensures there are no holes in his dry-cow nutrition.
Silage is analysed regularly and the partial mixed ration (PMR) is carefully balanced for energy and protein with compound fed in a meal format to avoid separation during storage and sorting at the feed fence. This is fed at a rate of between 2kg and 3kg per cow per day depending on the silage quality.
A bespoke transition package, Transition Gold, is included in dry-cow diets. This comprises macro minerals, high levels of vitamins A, D and E, trace elements and, for the past three years, Cargill’s liver-priming feed product LiFT.
“Demand for energy increases rapidly during the transition period and a lack of available energy is often the root cause of production and fertility issues in early lactation,” explains David. “The liver has a vital role to play in helping the cow to manufacture this energy.”
LiFT is a mix of vitamins and essential cofactors that keeps the pathways clear so the liver can function efficiently. It also includes Turbopro, which adds more glucose-building capacity. Glucose is a key ingredient in milk production and 85% of its production happens in the liver. Transition cows will typically benefit from extra energy achieved by including feed products like LiFT.”
Dry-cow silage: grass is cut later to make forage for transition rations
Dry-cow ration
The attention to the dry-cow ration and improved environment is reaping rewards “We had calved 200 cows by mid-October without a single transition issue,” says Rob. “And we’ve had no retained cleansings for at least three years.”
Rob values a seamless transition period with no health issues. “It makes the busy calving period less stressful for us, and for the cows. And we’ve used far fewer medicines since adding Transition Gold and LiFT.”
The merits of a successful transition period are also long lasting. Cows enter the milking herd at between body condition score 3 and 3.5 and move on to the milking cow PMR, comprising grass silage and a blend. This ration provides maintenance plus 30 litres and supports freshly calved animals as they build up to peak yields, which average 35 litres per cow.
A 16% protein concentrate is fed at a flat rate of 3kg per cow per day through the parlour. Herd average yield is currently 8,600kg, at 4.3% fat and 3.3% protein, on twice a day milking, with milk sold to Müller on a liquid contract.
“Our main aim is to maintain yields from healthy and trouble-free cows,” says Rob. “Improved feeding and housing have allowed us to run a stress-free herd producing good clean milk.
“We have a low mastitis rate, averaging only 10 cases per 100 cows, and somatic cell counts are currently averaging 120,000 cells/ml at the start of the milk-production season.”
Disease control
Johne’s is also monitored carefully and HerdWise milk screening is carried out quarterly to detect any infected cows. These animals are tagged so they’re easily identified.
To insure against other infectious diseases, cows are vaccinated for BVD, IBR and leptospirosis. A vaccine against scour is administered at dry-off because rotavirus has been a problem in the past, and heifer calves are also vaccinated against viral pneumonia.
Breeding starts in mid-November, 100 days after the first cow calves and on average 70 days post calving. Rob uses Genus RMS who visit daily to AI cows and advise on breeding decisions.
The current calving interval is 375 days, with a pregnancy rate of 38% – well above the national average of 13% – and 1.9 inseminations per cow.
Either sexed semen is used, or cows are bred to beef bulls. Rob genomically tested his heifers for the first time in 2023 so he and his breeding adviser could identify the best animals to breed from.
“I’d always assumed that breeding from our best cows would result in improved offspring,” says Rob. “But this hasn’t always been the case. We were finding that some of our heifers, from good cows, were ‘plain’ and giving very ordinary yields, which was frustrating.”
Next generation: genomically testing heifers supports better breeding decisions
Genomic results
His first year of genomic results highlighted this and in 2023 half the heifers were bred to an Angus bull. “Their genomic proof suggested they lacked the potential shown by older cows in the herd who had NMR records to prove their worth,” explains Rob.
Dairy sires are selected on PLI, with production efficiency and sustainability important criteria. “I’m looking to continue to improve the consistency of the herd through breeding, but management also plays a key role in efficient milk production and good health and fertility.
“This starts by preparing cows well before calving to set them off on the right footing,” says Rob. “We’ve learned from our mistakes, and now, with eight calving seasons under our belt, we’ve developed a good formula that works well.”
Comments