Episode 04 (Season 03) - Holstein Excellence - Tips and Tricks to Boost Your Dairy Herd

Holstein Friesian cows are one of the symbols of dairy farming; nearly 75% of dairy cows worldwide belong to this breed. However, many Holstein farmers who used to select traits to boost production now struggle with herd health, fertility, and cows too large to be efficient.

So, how can dairy farmers effectively balance health, fertility, and longevity with milk production? And what can you do to make your Holstein herd more profitable and efficient?

To take a deep dive into the breed and get management tips for having healthier, more fertile Holstein cows, we invited a dairy farmer and a breeding expert to share their experience and knowledge on all things Holstein cattle.

Guests:
Leo Hansen, Dairy Manager at Härjanurme Mõis, Estonia
Hanna Driscoll, Product Manager for VikingHolstein at VikingGenetics.

Host:
Tomás De La Rosa

Transcript

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Holstein Friesian cows are one of the symbols of dairy farming. Nearly 75% of dairy cows worldwide belong to this breed. However, many Holstein farmers who used to select traits to boost production now struggle with herd health, fertility and cows too large to be efficient. So how can dairy farmers effectively balance health, fertility and longevity with milk production? And what can you do to make your Holstein herd more profitable and efficient? To take a deep dive into the breed and get management tips for a healthier, more fertile Holstein cows, we invited a dairy farmer and a breeding expert to share their experience and knowledge on all things Holstein cattle. Leo Hansen, Dairy Manager at Härjanurme Mõis in Estonia, and Hanna Driscoll, Product Manager for VikingHolstein at VikingGenetics. This is the BreedCast produced by VikingGenetics. I'm your host, Tomás De La Rosa. Hello and welcome, Leo and Hanna, thanks for joining us today. Thank you. Leo, you've come fairly far, shall we say, all the way from Estonia here. You moved there in 2015, but before that you worked with dairy farming here in Denmark. Tell us a little about your experience. What's so different between farming in Denmark and Estonia? Yes, One of the big differences is the climate. As the winter there can be down to close to -30 and this summer we had 34 degrees. So it's a very big difference. And it's also a big challenge sometimes. What about the milk pricing, for instance? How is it different there? If we look at the last six, seven years, then it has been three cents lower than Denmark. But the last year it has been different. And we see also in Estonia today that the farmers between there can be a difference of ten cents per kg of milk. And that is actually a huge difference. Now with Holsteins being the grand part of dairy farming. What are some of the most pressing challenges that dairy farmers are seeing today? If I can start with you, Hanna? Yeah, I would say that many farmers in general have challenges with the economy from time to time, with fluctuating milk prices and high costs, for example, feed and energy and so on. And also you mentioned it, Leo, the weather, could be something that also is a challenge with both the droughts and rain and to be able to harvest good feed for your cows for winter for example. Leo, what are some of the most pressing challenges that dairy farmers face today? The biggest challenge we see today, it is for sure the canoeing part to make the animals healthy and economic and maybe not only give a lot of milk, but to keep the costs down. The size of the cow play a role in that because we hear from some countries that farmers want smaller, more moderate frame size, Holstein cows. Are medium sized Holsteins a better choice? Yes, it is. And also what I see in Estonia that the Estonians have been breeding for the more American cows. And they get too big. And of course they give a lot of milk but they are missing all that you cannot see. And a big cow can also be too big. So a little bit smaller and a little bit more efficient cow. Hanna? A medium sized or a moderate sized Holstein can produce as much milk as a larger Holstein, but they require less feed for maintenance. So in the long run they are a little bit more profitable because you have to feed them less, but you get the same amount of milk. Efficiency is a large part of the conversation that we have here in VikingGenetics, but obviously with the growing population worldwide, higher milk and solid production, it's probably the most sought after trait and it's why Holstein cows stand out. It's the trait that made them so universally loved. What is it that makes VikingHolsteins’ production more efficient? In our VikingHolsteins, they produce milk with high levels of solids; over 4% fat and 3.5% protein. So they are capable of producing both a big volume of milk, but with high content as well. And it is more efficient for the cow to produce high levels of content in the milk because it doesn't require as much energy as producing the fluid part and the lactose in the milk. So that's efficient for the cow. Your experiences, Leo? Yes, it's a bit the same, but also to make a healthy cow because the healthier the cow is, the less loss of milk, basically. As you highlight there is the trade-off between high production and a negative impact on health and, of course, fertility. How can some farmers navigate this challenge? Yeah, in the Nordic breeding goal, we have taken that into account. So we have a lot of focus on the health traits, but at the same time very high focus on the production traits as well, of course. And that means that the breeding goal is a balanced goal, meaning that you can make progress in both the health and production at the same time. Just to even out so we don't get these negative correlations because it's necessary for a cow to be healthy and produce a lot of milk to be profitable in the end. How do diseases like mastitis or lameness impact productivity and profitability and what does VikingHolstein offer in this regard? Of course, if a cow needs to be treated for mastitis or has problems with fertility, it will decrease their productivity of the cows because mastitis will probably make the cow produce less milk after she is treated. And of course, with the profitability, it costs money to treat the cow for mastitis and you have to discard the milk and you have some production losses. And probably in some severe cases, perhaps you will even lose the cow if she doesn't recover from her condition. And therefore the fertility, with more open days, higher number of inseminations per pregnancy, increased calving interval, and cows leaving the herd too early. So that's also affecting the productivity and profitability in a negative way. And what does VikingHolstein offer in this regard? VikingHolstein can really offer a high level of health because we have been breeding for the health traits for a very long time, for many decades, and we have a high genetic level for the health traits. So yeah, VikingHolstein can really help to improve your health and the productivity of your herd. We've heard about what makes Holstein cows a staple in the dairy industry. Now I'd like to tap into your experience in dairy farming, Leo, to give some tips and tricks to our listeners on how they can make the dairy herds more efficient and profitable. Just to give our listeners an idea of the progress that Leo has achieved, when you joined the farm in 2015, the milk yield was approximately 8900 liters annually, and today it stands at 12,600. Can you tell us how you achieved that? It's an impressive improvement. Yes, but somehow it's simple. The feeding and the breeding are the main things we have been changing. Earlier they used a lot of different things, expensive stuff in the feeding ratio, but maybe it was not the most efficient things. So, in 2015, we changed it totally and made it simple and do what we know is working. And then we have also since then had a big focus on the breeding, especially on the health because that was the biggest issue and especially hoof health was a big issue. So that was a big focus area. And of course also to make more welfare for the cows by time. And the last is that we have made a new milk centre. And so with the rotary it's quiet and we teach our workers to be quiet around the cows when they are moving them and all that together has increase our milk yield and are where we are today. What about the breed mix? How did it look like when you started? When I started, we crossbreed half of the herd and the second half was Holstein, but they were breeding a bit based on the price of the semen instead of what they got. So, we have basically changed, and as we had more focus on the health traits, and then we today are breeding on pure Holstein with sexed semen, around 20% of our cows get sexed semen and our youngstock, and the rest is getting beef semen and that is moving also to a healthier herd. From a welfare perspective, what are some things that you're doing that you believe are contributing to making the cows happier and healthier? The most important thing is that the people who are working around the cows are quiet. And when we are moving them, it's quiet and calm. So less stress and especially around the calving time, there we have made some changes and made more space for the cows to make better welfare. What about the infrastructure on the farm? It's also important that the less we can make the cows walk around, the better it is. But that is where we still have some challenges and are working on. You mentioned that you're incorporating a rotary into the farm. What was the system before that? It was an old side-by-side milk parlour and basically that was too small for the animals, and the waiting area was too small, and they were waiting too long time. So, all that together, make it better for the cows in the new system. What I like with the rotary, is that it is so quiet and for the workers and for the cows but actually it's going fast. And to summarize, is there any key advice that you would give to dairy farmers looking to improve their herd? In my opinion, it's easy to breed what you can see. It's more difficult to breed what you can’t see. So, by that I mean that it's easy to make a nice cow give a high amount of milk, but it's difficult to make a healthy cow with high percentage in the milk. Anything that stands out from these amazing insights from Leo? I really like what you said in the beginning. It's breeding and feeding and that's what it's

all about, basically: 13:27

a combination of good quality genetics and high level of, for example, health traits. And then in combination with good management and no stress around the cows and then you will have happy cows that will produce for many years. And what about the breeding strategy? What can farmers do to ensure optimal fertility, good breeding and easy calvings? Of course to breed for it and choose bulls that are high in these traits that you want to improve. And as Leo already does, he's using a lot of sexed semen, which helps to improve the best part of the herd, and a lot of beef semen, which creates another value from the cows that are not as good. So that's a really good breeding strategy to move forward and make high genetic progress. Anything to add to that, Leo? No, I basically agree. And the important thing is to focus on what your problem is. But do not forget all the other things. Do not only focus on one, but that one you are missing a bit in your herd add a bit more of that compared to the rest. And our listeners out there can also have a more profitable, trouble free dairy herd with world class Nordic genetics. To discover what VikingGenetics breeding bulls are available, please visit VikingGenetics.com and browse our selection of Holstein, Jersey, red and beef bulls. We've discussed what steps and improvements dairy farmers can make to get the most out of their herds. Now, I'd like to take a look at dairy farming tomorrow and the place that Holstein cows have in it. Looking into the future, in which direction do you see Holstein genetics going? What are some exciting developments that farmers can look forward to? Hanna? Yeah, in the future I think that the more climate related indices like feed efficiency and indices in that category will play a much bigger role because it is of importance for both the economy on the farm and also in the long run the climate. The Saved Feed index is still under development. But when we get higher reliability, we will be able to have higher genetic progress and more profitable and climate friendly cows. So that's really something that farmers can look forward to in the future. Yes. And for us as a farmer, it's interesting to see how much we can move that direction by breeding, because we know that we need to move to be more climate friendly by the feeding and by the breeding. So it's interesting to see the future, in which direction it's going. With the growing need for more food because of growing populations, how can Holstein farmers balance the needs for larger, high producing, efficient herds with the demands from consumers for better animal welfare and sustainability? One thing we can do as the farmer, it is for example to use beef semen on the cows. Breed on the good cows that are more efficient and maybe live longer and get a longer lifetime in your herd. As you say, the dairy business is a dual purpose business, producing both milk that can be converted to other dairy products and the meat from the beef semen part, for example. So it is efficient in that way with a dual purpose production. Feed efficiency as you were saying has become a very big part of the discussion involving dairy cows for both dairy farmers and consumers. How do VikingHolsteins perform in feed efficiency and what are some of the implications that farmers should look out for when breeding for feed efficiency? That is a thing we are working a lot on and also nice with the feed efficiency index because it enables us to choose bulls that are more efficient. And for us as a farmer, that is money. That is simple. And if our listeners out there want to learn more about emissions and the regulations farmers are having to navigate through at the moment, we have an episode of the BreedCast on the subject featuring a Dutch cattle farmer, which I think you should listen to. Now, wrapping up the discussion, as we've been saying all along, Holstein cows, they are the symbol of the dairy industry. Will that still be the case in 30 years time, let's say in the year 2050? I think so. I think it is because of their high production. And we have already mentioned their high production of milk and they can also produce beef from a Holstein herd. And as you mentioned earlier, we will have an increased population on the planet Earth. So yeah, I think Holsteins will be the dominant dairy breed in the future as well. Yes, I believe the same. And I'll also as the Holstein is such a big population that it's easier to move faster on the Holstein compared to some other breed that are smaller. Especially on those traits we have been talking about today; the health and efficiency. Do you have any final thoughts or messages for our dairy farmer listeners out there who are keen on getting the most out of their herds’ potential? I would say again, good management and good environment for the cow, and use high quality and high levels of genetics, and healthy cows will be more profitable in the long run. If I should add something, then it should be to focus on what you cannot see also, not only on the traits you can see, but what you can’t see, because that is basically the most important in the breeding. Leo, you speak a lot about breeding for the things that you can't see. How does that work in the world of genomics? That is the number we can see on the genomics, but we cannot see it on the cows physically. It's easy to make a nice cow and a cow with a lot of milk. But what is inside that we need some help to see and maybe a genomic tests on them. Then the genomic testing is wonderful because then you can have an overview of the genetic level of your heifers and the next generation of cows and then you know what to breed for and what to improve. And it is a tool to get higher genetic progress in those traits that you cannot see. Thanks for joining us on the BreedCast today. We've examined the Holstein breed and why it's so dominant in the dairy industry. We’ve also discussed management tips to help farmers make their herds more efficient and profitable. If you want to learn more about VikingGenetics, our dairy and beef breeds, get tips and tricks from breeding and management and much more, please visit our website VikingGenetics.com. A huge thanks to Leo Hansen and Hanna Driscoll for sharing their insights. A shout out to all of you out there for listening. If you have an idea for a topic in the world of dairy farming or cattle breeding you would like us to focus on, please visit BreedCast.com or message us on Facebook or Instagram. You've been listening to the BreedCast. Innovative Breeding in Your Ears. I'm your host, Tomás De La Rosa. Please join me in the next episode as we continue diving into the world of dairy farming and cattle breeding.