Generating Revenue on Your Dairy

Every year, I get fooled by some article on milk pricing and the forecasters predicting the price that we will see in the future. They take on the nearly impossible quest of prediction with the same confidence of the newscaster reading the weather on my tv, and we all know how that went this spring. In February the mailbox price was in the $15 cwt range and now, fast forward to June, we are around $19 cwt. On a 600-cow dairy, that’s about $75,000 a month difference equating to just under a cool million in a year. How does your farm handle this volatility? I don’t think there’s a magic cookie cutter answer in how we manage this, and it appears volatility is here to stay in commodity prices.  

Digital Dermititis

Digital Dermatitis, commonly referred to as hairy heel warts, poses many threats to a dairy herd in terms of health, productivity, and longevity. Hairy heel wart typically presents on the back of the heel and can look red and raw initially. The area may have raised, hair – like projections and can extend to the front of the foot. Factors such as stress leading to decreased immunity, poor micronutrient intake, wet and muddy environment, exposure to infected animals, inadequate foot bath and hoof trimming can all lead to DD (digital dermatitis) infections. Unfortunately, this is an industry – wide battle. According to a recent study by the USDA, over 70 percent of dairies in the United States had reported cases of DD. In this article we will go through key factors to prevent and treat digital dermatitis. 

Grain Notice

Premier Cooperative participates in Wisconsin’s Agricultural Security program.  If we fail to pay you for grain when payment is due, you may file a claim under this program.  The program may provide some compensation.  However, our “estimated default exposure” exceeds program coverage, and we have not filed security to cover the difference, so compensation may cover only a portion of your loss.  For more information, you may contact the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, 2811 Agriculture Drive, Madison, 53708-8911 (phone 608/224-4998).   

The Best Tub Prices of the Year

The best tub prices of the year are here! Save money and have the opportunity to earn an Eddie Bauer vest, tumbler, or a Wisconsin Badger football ticket and tailgate package. From now until November 4th, booking select Purina livestock tubs can help you earn prizes and take advantage of quantity discounts.

Making the Most of your Silage Crop

Corn silage season is knocking at the door and it’s time to start preparing to put up the best possible silage you can for the upcoming year. Between get the chopper set, processor in, opening fields and getting the silage in at the correct moisture, there is a lot that can go wrong. That’s why it’s in you best interest to equip yourself with the best tools, people, and information needed before heading to the field. 

Overcrowding - One Size Does Not Fit All?

As a livestock nutritionist traveling the countryside, it is not often a question of “if” herds are overcrowding, but more so “how much.” Back in May of 2020, there were farmers wanting to sell cows to reduce their milk production, only to find that their bulk tanks did not budge an inch when they did so. Now in August 2022, we find ourselves with considerably better milk prices, but excessively high feed costs. Where does that leave farmers in the decision-making tree of what to sell and what to keep? Here are five essential areas to focus on if we want to be successful in keeping some of those extra cows around.

Changes in the feed business over the past 37 years.

I have given it a lot of thought and have decided that after working in the ag nutrition field for 37 years, it is time to retire. Not from agriculture altogether, but to work on my family farm alongside my children and grandchildren.

Silage Inoculant

Ensiled forages account for the majority of most dairy rations around the world. The main purpose for feeding ensiled forages is to preserve and recover organic dry matter, while retaining nutritional value and palatability.

Proper or improved silage management can have a significant impact on the overall profitability of the dairy. One way to do this is to use a silage inoculant.

How Good is your On-Farm Feed aDivision?

The last 2 years in the dairy business have brought out the most volatile times that any of us in the business of milking cows, processing milk, selling food, manufacturing feed or providing nutrition services have witnessed so far in our careers. I’ve spent 28 years as a nutrition consultant to farms and this past year witnessed some things for the first time, along with market instability getting more volatile with quicker peaks and valleys than ever before. I’d never dream it was sustainable for a year with most being over $25 cwt total pay price now. We saw $2 and some odd cent corn 2 years ago in August and pushing $8 corn now. $290/ton soybean meal in August to now over $500 a ton.  I could go on and on with other ingredient disruptions, erratic prices and limited or no availability but I’ll stop there. I’d like to think that we won’t see this again but these times might be here to stay. How does your farm handle this volatility? I don’t think there is a magic answer in how we manage this. However, there are multiple tools available that we can use to help mitigate these variables.   
 

How Good is your On-Farm Feed Division?

The last 2 years in the dairy business have brought out the most volatile times that any of us in the business of milking cows, processing milk, selling food, manufacturing feed or providing nutrition services have witnessed so far in our careers. I’ve spent 28 years as a nutrition consultant to farms and this past year witnessed some things for the first time, along with market instability getting more volatile with quicker peaks and valleys than ever before. I’d never dream it was sustainable for a year with most being over $25 cwt total pay price now. We saw $2 and some odd cent corn 2 years ago in August and pushing $8 corn now. $290/ton soybean meal in August to now over $500 a ton.  I could go on and on with other ingredient disruptions, erratic prices and limited or no availability but I’ll stop there. I’d like to think that we won’t see this again but these times might be here to stay. How does your farm handle this volatility? I don’t think there is a magic answer in how we manage this. However, there are multiple tools available that we can use to help mitigate these variables.   
 

Preparing for Breeding Season - Male to Female Ratios

Breeding season will be here before we know it and with it, bull turnout. In our area, we are fortunate to have many outstanding registered seedstock breeders who will be marketing bulls this Spring. The opportunity to invest in genetics to improve the profit potential of your operation may have you wondering what exactly you should be looking for.

Feeding for Butterfat

This sensitivity analysis considers the portion of palmitic acid fed as a dietary supplement that ends up as butterfat and energy for body utilization.  It assumes that:

The Top 3 Reasons to Switch to Propane Autogas

With diesel prices continuing to rise, there's no better time to rethink how you're fueling your fleet. Propane Autogas can save money, save time, and keep your students safer. Here's the top 3 reason why you should make the switch to Propane Autogas.

Properly Delivering Additional Energy to Dairy Calves

Winters in the Midwest pose many challenges to dairy farmers. One common challenge being how to keep calves not only healthy but also growing through this stressful time. As we know, calves use the energy they take in for maintenance first, then growth last. 

January Feed News

Each winter, Premier joins our trade partners to host meetings on beef information to help your herd. This year is NO exception! We’ll be joined by Elanco to discuss feed conversions, Rumensin (a big player over the years in our programs) and the resulting return on investment. We’ll also feature a presentation from Corteva.  

Long Day Lighting

Photoperiod is the duration of daily light exposure in a 24 hour period.  When the photoperiod has been manipulated to 16-18 hours of light exposure; research has shown an increase in milk production, feed efficiency, reproduction, and heifer growth.

Fall Beef Herd Tips

Pasture conditions are variable in southwest Wisconsin this fall, and how you manage this with your cows can have an impact on winter-feeding costs and cow performance next year. What are some things to assess right now?

Energy or protein, do you know what you need?

 
Harvest is in full swing and soon mother nature will be presenting us with colder temperatures and the white stuff we all have grown to have a love-hate relationship with as livestock producers. With these changes also comes a change in how we manage our beef cattle, transitioning from stored pasture forage to perhaps grazing of corn fodder to feeding of stored feeds.

Propane Autogas: The Safest Way to Get Back to School

Propane Autogas is the not just the best economical choice you can make for your district, it's also the safest for your students. Here's why:

Do you allow your cows to reach their potential?

This topic is one of the most talked about items by dairy cow nutritionists and dairy producers.  I wanted to add to prior newsletter articles written by my colleagues where they talked about setting the table for fresh cows by ventilating dry cows and feeding dry cows for success.  Building from that I will add on how handling postcalving animals is crucial to those lactating animals reaching peak milk.  

2021 Corn Silage Harvest

I don’t know about where you live but in my area in the SW corner of WI a majority of the corn tasseled on or near the July 7-11^th this year. Easy rule of thumb is the corn is close to ready or ready to be chopped for corn silage 45 days after tasseling.  That means some people could be chopping corn silage around August 18. Yes, weather has a big impact on the time of harvest time.  A week ago, I’d say it’d be earlier due to drought conditions and now with rains it may mature normally. The good news is we don’t have to guess about this. 

Are you setting your dry cows up for success?

We often focus on the ROI of additives in lactating cow diets as they are the ones currently earning their keep, but without a smooth transition period, they cannot reach their potential. Two of the most important metabolic shifts that occur at calving are calcium and fat mobilization to support milk production. Clinical milk fever is relatively easy to identify, but subclinical milk fever is a pervasive, and often unrecognized problem. Low calcium impacts muscles, the immune system, and the digestive system. The high prevalence of subclinical ketosis has also gotten a lot of attention in the past few years with the introduction of reliable cow side blood testing capabilities and the recognition of the associated decreased milk production. Today, we have research proven feed additives (ex. negative DCAD, choline) to help alleviate these metabolic issues and provide a good ROI to the farm. 

Should you Cool your Dry Cows?

Warm weather is upon us, and with that heat stress enters your mind. The effects of heat stress are obvious in your lactating cows with decreased milk in the bulk tank, but may not be as obvious in your dry cows. Heat stressed dry cows can have a much bigger effect than you may have thought possible. Cows that have heat stress leads to lower production throughout the entire lactation, decreased ability to fight off infections, and affects the potential for their offspring to compete in the herd. 

Dairy Financial Drivers

There is no question that the state of the dairy industry, as it has been since my time began at Premier in 2017, has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. While there are plenty of moving parts not in a consultant’s or producer’s control, there are still several ways to improve profitability on our dairies today.

Have No Doubt If There's A Drought

Conditions have been very favorable for a successful calving season this year. Not having to battle mud and the associated challenges that present themselves when we calve in wet, damp, cold environments can lead to some benefits. However, our mindset will soon shift as concerns of plentiful precipitation, pasture quality and longevity may be of greater concern. This month we take a look at a few decision-making opportunities when our region is challenged with drought conditions.

Premier Cooperative Mini Bulk System

Premier co-op's mini bulk system is perfect for anyone tired of throwing around 50lbs bags of feed. The system is a refillable mini bulk bin that uses 2,000 lb tote bags that are cut in using a built in cutter. It is perfect for mineral, pellet and textured feeds.

Take the High Octane Supplement Challenge

Let Premier Cooperative help you get the winning edge in your next 4-H show project with Purina® High Octane® supplements.

The experts in show nutrition think this line of supplements will give your project the winning edge. Each of our supplements has a different use and benefit for your animal. They may need more muscle, more cover, more shape, or more depth of body. Whatever adjustment you need to make to your show project to get into the winner’s circle, we have got something in our toolbox for you.

Prepping for Calving Season

As beef cattle producers calving season is one of the most anticipated times of the year but can also be one of the most stressful times burdened by cold, late nights checking cows. Although many of our seedstock operators have been through the rush of their calving season many of Wisconsin’s commercial cattleman are just getting prepared. Now is the time to make sure your team and facilities are adequately prepared to ensure a smooth calving season. 

2021 Virtual Update Meeting

1. Fair Ribbon Program - Matt Severson

??2. Board Introductions

• Steve Burns - Chairman
• Mitch Seston - Vice Chairman
• Steve Trescher - Director
• Dave Unbehaun - Director
• Louie Kieler - Secretary

3. Minutes from 2020 - Louie Kieler

4. Chairman's Report - Steve Burns

5. Manager's Report - Andy Fiene

6. Closing Remarks - Matt Severson

7. Scholarship Recipients

8. Giveaway Registration

2022 Calendar Contest

WE NEED YOUR HELP! For 2022, we're doing something a bit different for our annual calendar. We are looking for any pictures that help depict our cooperative and agriculture in general! From a picture of a sprayer out in the field, to your cattle enjoying our high quality Premier feed and all the family grill outs, LP tanks, and stops at our convenience or hardware stores, we're looking to capture our patrons experience with your cooperative.

2021 Scholarship Winners

Since our usual in-person annual meeting had to go virtual this year, our scholarship program had to as well. To apply, students had to submit a video essay on the importance of cooperatives in rural America. Congratulations to our scholarship winners and good luck in the future!

Biome Boost Promotion

Premier Cooperative has a NEW & IMPROVED calf feed lineup featuring Biome Boost; an exclusive calf feed technology to support the microbiome of the calf. As a part of this new feed lineup, Premier is running the following promotion: 

Managing Mycotoxins in Feed for Dairy Cattle

Growing conditions during the crop year often leave cattle feeders and nutritionists concerned for mold and yeast growth on corn and other grains throughout most of the Corn belt. The 2020 growing and harvest season seemed to be an improvement over the last three years, but there are still pockets of the region that are experiencing challenges with mycotoxins. Simply observing mold on corn does not mean that mycotoxins are present. A first but important step is to identify the main types of molds and yeast  present. Identification of the potential mycotoxins in the feed is important when formulating a plan for minimizing the effects on cattle. 

Formulating Winter Rations

To date fall weather has been rather mild, however, soon enough good ol mother nature will bless us with the season livestock producers dread…. WINTER. As the saying goes, if you like winter you never owned livestock. However, owning cattle, winter can be a time of excitement as you await the coming calving season and get things geared up to see the success of last years breeding decisions. More importantly during this time  though is being aware of the nutritional demands of the cows as you transition from a typical maintenance type diet to diets that meet the needs of a cow in the last 1/3 of gestation.

1st Annual Holiday Food Drive

In recognition of the need faced in our communities, Premier wanted to find a way to give back this holiday season. With the uncertainty of the world today, the need to eat stays constant. Beginning mid-November, Premier branches began to collect non-perishables to donate to local food pantries. The food drive officially ended on Friday, December 4th with a total of 1,849 items to be donated to local food pantries.
 
 

Feeding your Top Replacements

As producers continuously push to get more pounds of milk and combined solids, there tends to be more conversations around developing healthy eating habits within the lactating herd. As nutritionists, we might recommend switching up the feed routine to avoid running the bunk out of feed or even increasing feed push – ups per day. However, have we ever thought about how we train our cows to eat in the stages before they get to the lactating herd? Here are four points to consider when feeding your herd’s top replacements.

Scholarships for High School Seniors

Again this year Premier Cooperative is proud to be sponsoring scholarships for graduating high school seniors planning to pursue an Ag Short Course or any other 2+ year accredited degree program after high school. In order to qualify for one of the 30 potential scholarships (up to $500 each) to be awarded at the Premier January 2021 virtual meeting, the student must:

• Be a graduating high school senior in the class of 2021.
• Be the child of an active member of Premier Cooperative. Active members must have done over $1,500 of patronage business with Premier from October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020.
• Student must submit a video essay on the role and importance of cooperatives in rural America. Length of the essay must be at least 200 words.

QLF Applications - Dealer Delivered

At Premier Cooperative we have a lot of producers that use our tubs, but we also carry Quality Liquid Feeds! QLF has been a great partner of Premier. Below are the QLF products we carry and a brief description where best used.

How Does Your Herd Stack Up?

Fall is a busy time for cattleman, harvest, weaning and
selling of the calf crop, and preparation for the months
ahead. I challenge you this year, to consider a new annual
routine when it comes to fall herd management. Take the
time this fall to subjectively body condition score (BCS) the
cow herd on the scale from 1 (emaciated) to 9 (obese) and
assess the distribution of condition scores across the cow
herd.

Grain Bin Safety

When harvest is in full swing it’s easy to overlook safety precautions in the interest of time, but that’s no excuse. No amount of bushels is worth a serious accident or life. Take time to be safe while working on or near grain bins.

Improve Your Calves' Microbiome

In recent years, microorganism based nutrition has been the new hot topic. As we learn more about the microbiome and the population of microbials in each region of the digestive tract, research is showing improved gut health, proper nutrition and stress mitigation help lead to better overall calf health.

Premier Cooperative is proud to introduce Biome Boost, a new feed technology that contains a specific combination of ingredients that improve the microbiome of the calf. The technologies in the Biome Boost include specific prebiotic, probiotic, live yeast, beta-glucans, MOS (Mannan Oligosaccharides), yucca, and a high intensity sweetener.

DRP & Driving Production Webinar

Delivering more dollars & protecting your investment 

June 30th we hosted a webinar with Dr. Tom Overton (Cornell University) and Jessica Sarbacker (State Bank of Cross Plains) on the Dairy Revenue Protection program and driving components and pounds of solids. 

Cattle Market & Creep Feeding Webinar

As we wrapped up National Beef Month just a few weeks back, we THANK YOU all for everything you do day-in and day-out to provide us with wholesome quality protein to feed our families and friends. As we put national beef month behind us we still have everyday needs, marketing, and management decisions that need to be made to ensure our operations are profitable and we obtain the desired outcomes we expect in the fall when we decide to market or retain ownership of our calf crop. All this is dependent on market and how many pounds we sell can be influenced by management on farm, allow us to play a role in providing you some insight on dollars you can expect and dollars you could gain.

Get Rewarded For Your Show Animals

In 2002 Premier instituted a new program to reward the youth in our area for their participation in showing of LIVESTOCK at the fairs in our trade area. Over the years we have rewarded thousands of kids with tens of thousands of dollars for their hard work and commitment to animal agriculture.

This year, because COVID has canceled most fairs and pretty much everything else, we are offering a new program. Each student of a Premier member who had planned on showing LIVESTOCK at a fair will be eligible to earn $30 whether or not they were able to show the animal (and earn a ribbon). The student's parent will need to upload to our website a picture of themselves with their animal while holding the attached Premier logo for the picture. The logo can be printed in color or black and white. Each student who successfully uploads a completed form will receive $30 regardless of the number of animals they had planned to show. After receiving the emailed picture, we’ll compile them weekly and send out checks to the students. Look for your picture on our website—premiercooperative.com. Thanks for participating and supporting animal agriculture.

Premier Cooperative Mini Bulk System

Tired of throwing around 50 lb bags of feed? Our Mini Bulk System is perfect for you! 

It's Time to Rethink Particle Size

It is time to update our recommendations for optimal ration particle size. Physically effective neutral detergent fiber (peNDF) was defined by Dave Mertens in 1997 as the portion of forage or feed particles that are retained on the 1.18mm (millimeter) screen during dry sieving multiplied by the NDF content. This proportion of fiber is effective at stimulating chewing and forming a functional rumen digesta mat.

Tips for Successful Weaning

Weaning is a stressful event and combined with low intakes and not meeting nutritional needs, this can lead to health issues and lower performance. The return on investment in a good starter program is selling a higher percentage of your calf crop. Here are 4 simple components to a starter program.
 

Reduce Shrink in Dairy Feed

When someone says minimize shrink in dairy feed, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? Is it feed bunk management, proper defacing or feed waste? Shrink is all of that and much more.  A different definition of shrink is dairy feed that was not consistently consumed or adequately utilized by the animal. Examples include:
 •Unprocessed corn silage that passes through into manure.
 • Commodities blown away as a delivery truck tries to deliver feed on a windy day.
 • Feed consumed by the cow that she didn’t need or was fed in incorrect amounts. 
In all these cases, shrink impacts your bottom line.  So, how can you combat shrink and reduce the impact on your wallet?

Calves Need Water

Water plays essential roles in hydrating a calf and in rumen development, not only in the summer, but year-round.  Baby calves are on a liquid diet, so it may seem that offering water is not necessary, but that is not true. Offering water separate from milk will increase weight gains by increasing starter intake.  Best practice is to provide calves access to clean, fresh, warm water from the first day of life. However, according to the National Dairy Health Monitoring System (USDA, 2014), the average age of heifers when first offered water in the United States is 17.3 days. The age when first offered water tends to go down as herd size increases (see table), and no category of herd size is (on average) offering water the first day of life.