Dr. Greg Edwards, Zoetis

Antibiotics, arguably one of the most important medical discoveries of the 20th century, have been legal for use in livestock since 1951. Many would think that with 62 years of practice, farmers would have all but perfected the use of these drugs.

 

The FDA thinks otherwise. Speaking at one of the 2013 Indiana Regional Dairy Meetings last week in Goshen, Zoetis veterinarian Dr. Greg Edwards warned producers that the FDA is so concerned about over-the-counter (OTC) antibiotic misuse that there may be a move to make all antibiotics available by prescription only.

According to Edwards, the dairy industry must accept blame for this ultimatum.

 

Edwards relayed data from a 2008 study that found that although dairy cows accounted for only 8 percent of all cattle slaughtered, 90 percent of antibiotic residue violations come from cull dairy cattle.

How does this correlate to the FDA's above mentioned threats?

 

Sixty-five percent of the residue violations were from OTC medications, the most frequent was penicillin, followed closely by flunixin. Over half of the violations in bob veal calves came from neomycin, which is found in milk replacer. All of these medications have specific withdrawal times, which producers are familiar with. The problem lies in the administration, for if the dosage and application method are not followed exactly, the stated withdrawal period no longer can be followed.

 

Giving any medication, OTC or prescription, in a manner different that the label states is called an extra-label drug use (ELDU). Any drug used ELDU is now deemed a prescription use by law, and requires veterinary supervision.  

 

Read the full article here. 

 

Stewart-Peterson is a Diamond!

We are so pleased to announce that Stewart-Peterson has become our newest Diamond Level Sponsor! Here's what they say:

Supporting the Indiana Dairy Producers and the dairy industry is natural for us. Many of the people at Stewart-Peterson grew up on farms, and some still have skin in the game. We understand how challenging it can be to manage a dairy, especially when profit margins are tough to achieve. Our passion is helping businesses manage commodity price opportunities and risks. We take a unique, strategic approach, developed to help you protect what you work hard to build. Stewart-Peterson has served clients in the commodity markets since 1985, wherever market volatility endangers the bottom line. Our main office is in West Bend, Wisconsin. Branch offices are in Maryland and your own backyard, central Illinois. We are proud to support the work you do.

For more information, please click on the Stewart-Peterson diamond above, or call 800-334-9779.

 

 

Farm Credit is excited to expand our relationship with the Indiana Dairy Producers because we believe in their mission to promote and serve as a voice for Indiana's dairy farmers. We strive to further that mission by sharing our financial knowledge and experience to empower you to achieve your goals. The past five years have been trying times for the dairy industry. Volatile feed costs and milk prices have made financial and risk management more important than ever- and that's where we come in. Farm Credit understands the challenges that farmers face every day and welcome the opportunity to visit with you about your credit needs, business planning or risk management questions. Learn more about Farm Credit and find an office near you by visiting www.e-farmcredit.com.  

The 5 C's of Calf Raising

Dr. Lance Fox, veterinarian with Diamond V, spoke on Calf Raising at the Shipshewana and Decatur Regional Dairy Meetings. He summarized expert calf raising with these 5 C's:

• Colostrum
• Calories
• Comfort
• Cleanliness
• Consistency

Calves are born with a naive immune system. It must be primed with colostrum! It's difficult to over-emphasize the importance of getting the correct quantity and quality of colostrum in a calf within the first 12 hours of birth. The average Holstein cow produces 20 pounds of true colostrum, and sometimes they produce inferior colostrum in the summer time. It's OK to freeze colostrum for up to 6 months, but it only keeps 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

 

A few other points in Dr. Fox's talk were: Don't wean calves until they are consistently eating 2 pounds of grain per day, and also offer hay to calves about 2 weeks post weaning, not before.   

 

Read Dr. Fox's published summary of the 5 C's here. 

The FDA has specific treatment records requirements designed to avoid drug residues in milk and meat.  Failure to maintain complete treatment records is the most commonly cited reason for drug residue violations.

 

Take a couple minutes to complete this assessment to determine if your treatment records are complete.   

 

Within your treatment records do you have:

    a. Animal ID?

    b. Treatment Date?

    c. Drug Given?

    d. Disease Treated?

Within your treatment records, or established treatment protocols, are the following stated:

    a. Dosage? 

    b. Route of Administration?

    c. Withdrawal time for meat and milk (even if it is 0)?

Is the individual who gave the drug recorded?

Is the date the animal can be slaughtered and milk can be used recorded in their record?

 

We suggest that you should be able to answer 'YES' to all questions.  To answer 'YES' to each question that information must be recorded on paper or in a computer program and be available for at least 2 years.  

 

We strongly urge you to contact your veterinarian to assist you in being fully compliant with FDA requirements. 

 

Dairy Policy in 2013 Farm Bill
Perspective of Dave Forgey
*opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Indiana Dairy Producers

I've had the opportunity to be in our nation's capital twice in the last two weeks. First, I was volunteering on the national steering committee of the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) and this week I was there as a member of the Indiana Farm Bureau Leader Trip to Washington.

 

My first trip was February 26th, the day before the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scored the Dairy Security Act (DSA) and the Goodlatte/Scott Amendment for their potential implementation in the Farm Bill.

Since I've shared these 2 options before, I'm going to assume you've listened and realize that if we have the DSA and you want margin protection for up to 90% of your production ,you must sign up for supply management. In the Goodlatte/Scott Amendment, which was proposed to the House Ag Committee but not adopted in the 2012 version, you could get margin insurance for up to 80% of you production and not be required to participate in supply management.

 

National Milk Producers Federation and many of our cooperatives strongly support the DSA, and that has not changed in spite of the fact that the Goodlatte/Scott amendment was found by the CBO to be less costly to the government by $100 million. I have visited at length with John Goldberg, lead attorney for the House Ag Committee, and Anne Hazlett, the lead attorney for the Senate Ag Committee. Both indicate the only policy they are preparing for dairy in the farm bill is the DSA. They say $100 million is only a "blink of the eye" for our government. They also indicated if the ag committees bring a policy forward, there will be little or no chance to amend it on the floors of the House or Senate. They have too much else to do. Thus any changes need to be in place before a bill comes out of committee.

 

The only Indiana legislator on either the House or Senate Ag Committees is Senator Joe Donnelly. If you disagree with the DSA, you should contact Senator Donnelly's ag Staffer Chase Kitchen and let them know supply management is not good for you as a dairy farmer nor for your cooperative to market dairy products consistently to the world. I would also suggest you contact your House member, but Todd Rokita, my district 4 congressman, made a strong point to me that dairy policy wasn't worth slowing down the farm bill. If you feel supply management will negatively impact the dairy industry, you should express your views now.  

 

I believe we need a different view before the two ag committees bring something to the floor of the House and Senate. Getting an amendment similar to Goodlatte/Scott in the Senate Ag Committee would help. I would be glad to speak with you personally if you wish to discuss these issues further at 574-652-2461. 

 

These days, there are many opportunities for dairy farmers to be in the news, either print or video. It's great to see a well-done positive dairy story. Here are a few tips if you find you have the opportunity to talk to the media about dairy farming:

Don't do it cold. If you get a call out of the blue to speak to the media, ask for a little bit of time to get your thoughts together, think of 3 key points you wish to make, and then begin. Always refer them to where they can get more information, such as www.WinnersDrinkMilk.com or www.DairyFarmingToday.org. You may also want to give your interviewer a prepared fact sheet about your farm, which often helps to eliminate simple errors. Don't speculate about a hypothetical situation, and never speak about something you really are not informed of. Often the best answer you can give is, "I don't know" or "I can't speak to that, but here's what I can tell you..."

In addition, remember to contact MPSI at 800-225-6455 for tips, additional resources, and just plain good advice. If you get a chance for some media training, JUMP at the opportunity!