The top three answers for peak production in early lactation cows 
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 | | Kevin Leahy, Ph.D. Diamond V |
Years ago when I was an undergraduate student in a class on "Feeds and Feeding," my professor asked, "What are the three most important things to maximize production in early lactation cows?"
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Managing dairies 2,900 miles apart
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Who Brandon Whitesides
What Whitesides Dairy
Where Rupert, ID and The Island of Hawaii (Big Island)
Why A far-flung operation that's really good at what they do
Working as a staff nutritionist for Brandon Whitesides and his uncle Steve Whitesides, owners of Whitesides Dairy, must be a pretty good gig. Why? You get to travel back and forth between two dairies, one located in the rugged beauty of Idaho, and the other on the Big Island of Hawaii. But the never-ending work of dairy production efficiencies, herd nutrition science and continuous improvement outweigh the geographic appeal.
That work has continued since the early 1950s, when Brandon's grandfather started the Idaho dairy. "Steve has built it up to 6,500 milking cows, with steady, consistent growth," says Brandon. The Whitesides were presented with an opportunity to acquire a dairy farm in Hawaii two years ago, adding 1000 cows to their dairy enterprise.
Breeding success One of the highlights of the dairy's growth and success is a reproduction rate that has been managed well. "The breeding technicians we've got make it good," Brandon says. "Our pregnancy rate has gone up 8-10%. We start breeding cows at 50 days in milk, and watch for heat at 90 days."
Brandon adds that the dairies have gone from two-times to three-times-per-day feeding. "We try to match timing of feed delivery to the cows' schedule, not the peoples' schedule. We watch it so we're not over or under feeding."
Heat stress may not be a huge issue, although Idaho does get some higher temps but with low humidity. Even so, cow comfort is still important. "We always make sure we have good bedding," says Brandon. "This winter has been really mild. We have straw in our open lots and sand in our freestall barn."And what about Hawaii? Isn't that a cow's paradise? "Well, the temperature is always nice, but it does rain a lot," says Brandon.
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Share data with your feeding team
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Travis Thayer, DVM Diamond V
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Feed is the most expensive line item of all your costs on a dairy. Share this information with your feeders. Let them know the economic impact - the weight or cost of that wagon full of TMR or the big pile of refusals that the cows just pushed off the feed pad this morning. If you use feeding software or closely track feeding accuracy, be sure to share with your feeders how accurately they are performing. This can make a notable bottom-line difference.
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