Optimizing cow longevity by managing for resilience

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Cow longevity is the second most economically important trait in dairy cows. Cows with a high longevity, i.e. long productive life span typically exhibit good reproductive performance, few health problems and consistent milk production. However, production efficiency, herd profitability and welfare are less dependent on the longest life than on the optimum length of productive life.

by Gwendolyn Jones, Product Manager Gut Agility Activators,International Dairy Topics

The drive to increase the sustainability of the dairy industry is further intensifying the need for dairy farmers to improve their ability to optimize cow longevity. More recent research highlights possibilities to identify metrics earlier in the life of the cow to enable better decision making in culling cows and manage for resilience to increase the chance of reaching the optimum productive life span. Pilot studies are also revealing the potential to support resilience in dairy cows by nutritional means.

Impact of cow longevity on sustainability

Short longevity poses a threat to the three pillars of sustainable agriculture: economic profit, environmental impact, and social concerns. It is associated with financial losses on farms, increased environmental footprint of milk production, and welfare issues for the animals. Short longevity indicates that animals are not expressing their maximum potential for productivity and profitability due to the high costs associated with rearing cows until they reach the productive stage.

Improved longevity means higher profit per cow, as the income from the productive stage of life pays off the investment made in raising replacement heifers. Mature cows have a higher milk yield than younger cows. As a result, greater longevity increases the proportion of high-yield cows in the herd and fewer cows are needed to sustain a given level of production.

Reducing the number of cows required to produce a given quantity of milk required to produce a given quantity of milk improves environmental sustainability of a dairy enterprise by reducing the carbon footprint per kilogram of milk produced. Therefore, improving dairy cow longevity contributes to a more sustainable dairy industry.

Cow longevity is determined by farmer decisions

The moment and reason a cow is culled, is determined by decisions made by dairy farmers, unless the cow was removed from the herd because of death. Therefore, cow longevity is the outcome of decisions by the dairy farmer throughout the life of the animal.  Culling decisions are the result of cow factors such as health, milk production, and reproductive status, as well as the availability of replacement heifers, parlour capacity and prices. Cows with higher genetic merit, greater production capacity, or better resilience against premature culling are more valuable to dairy farmers.

Genetic opportunity cost is the loss from keeping older, less genetically improved cows in the herd instead of younger, more genetically improved cows. Genetic opportunity cost favours a younger herd, which may trigger greater cow culling to capture genetic improvement and replace cows that are less valuable. However, it needs to be balanced against the benefits of lower culling rates for production costs and environmental effects. A herd with a high proportion of young animals emits more methane and excretes more phosphorus in the environment per unit of milk compared with a herd with a greater proportion of multiparous cows.

This highlights the need to optimize longevity rather than increase longevity in dairy herds. More recent studies and simulation models aim to determine the culling rate that will maximize the profit from genetic gain while minimizing the costs of turnover.  Improvement of culling decision support tools will help to optimize the economically optimal productive lifespan for individual cows based on the conditions they are being reared in. Ultimately, they will help to improve profitability and social acceptability of dairy production.

Relationship between longevity and resilience

Collaborative research across several research institutes in Europe is paving the way to early identification of dairy cows with a high probability of completing several lactations. In the long run there is hope that this will help to significantly improve the optimization of farm-individual management with respect to longevity.

Initial studies revealed the potential for high-frequency milk yield and activity sensor data to rationalize evidence-based culling decisions as early as after the first lactation. The research highlights the relationship between cow resilience and longevity and indicated that a higher resilience score generally corresponded with a higher final lactation number in dairy cows.

Resilience can be described as the capacity of the animal to be minimally affected by a disturbance or to rapidly return to the initial state that pertained before exposure to a disturbance. In the studies mentioned above dairy cows with a high lifetime resilience were defined as animals that avoid early culling by coping well with the farm’s management conditions and having a high adaptability to imposed challenges, whilst reproducing easily and producing consistently, resulting in a long productive life span on commercial farms. The idea is to eventually develop a tool that enables farmers to rank their cows according to resilience scores based on readily available farm data.

Feeding for resilience

A recent pilot study investigating the impact of the gut agility activator Anco FIT on the resilience of dairy cows under practical conditions indicated the potential for this animal feed solution to influence proven resilience indicators in dairy cows, such as reduced fluctuations in milk yield, which warrants further research. The insights of this study were derived from frequent measurements collected via sensors and an automatic milking system in a commercial environment.

Feeding cows for adaptive capacity in the transition period

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The adaptive capacity of the cow determines transition success. When dairy cows fail to adapt physiologically to the demands of calving and the onset of milk production, the resulting metabolic stress leads to transition cow disorders with negative consequences for milk production, reproduction efficiency and longevity. The high prevalence of metabolic disorders and production disease around calving highlight the fact that many farm systems do not provide adequate solutions and are overstretching the adaptation capacity of their cows. Understanding the underlying mechanisms and factors exacerbating metabolic stress during transition can help to find nutritional solutions that enhance the adaptive capacity in transition dairy cows.

by Gwendolyn Jones, published in International Dairy Topics, 2020

Transition failures

The transition period is a demanding time for dairy cows and around 30% to 50% of dairy cows are affected by some form of metabolic or infectious disease, around the time of calving. This includes milk fever ketosis, retained placenta and mastitis. A declining availability of qualified dairy staff is likely to exacerbate this, as it means that cows are receiving less individual attention to identify and respond to health issues. When disorders occur, it is a demonstration that cows have difficulties in coping with external and internal conditions, endangering their own capacity to survive. It shows that the cows are failing to adapt to changes, stressors and gaps between nutrient supply and demand.

During the transition period dairy cows must adjust metabolically to a dramatic increase in energy and nutrient requirements needed for foetal growth and onset of milk production, exceeding the amount of energy the cow receives from dietary sources. This makes the cow susceptible to a negative energy balance. A negative energy balance initiates lipid mobilization, which again leads to high concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs). Metabolism of large amounts of NEFAs to ketone bodies induces an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can eventually lead to oxidative stress in the liver of dairy cows.

Increased oxidative stress in dairy cows is recognized as an underlying factor of dysfunctional inflammatory responses and it has been linked to the occurrence of transition disorders. Oxidative stress in the liver is known to cause inflammatory damage of the liver, which impairs the metabolic function of liver cells and promotes the development of ketosis. In the mammary gland it has been associated with increased somatic cell counts in milk and the incidence of mastitis. Overall, these findings lead to the assumption that the underlying mechanisms that exacerbate metabolic stress and cause health disorders in transition dairy cows are combined effects of altered nutrient metabolism, oxidative stress and dysfunctional inflammatory responses.

Transition success

Successful adaptation avoids metabolic disorders in the transition period. Overall dairy cows are more likely to succeed in adaptation in the transition period when the gap between nutrient demands and supply is limited. However, there are also indications in the literature that even when cows had comparable energy balance, there is considerable individual variation of the adaptive ability of cows during early lactation based on metabolic and endocrine variables. Therefore, another approach is to find ways to support the cow in her ability to cope with nutritional and metabolic challenges, which would actually help the cow’s adaptability for transition success.

This amongst other things requires the identification of relevant markers that enable the measurement of achieving improved adaptability. One obvious marker for oxidative stress is the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, more recent research suggests that the oxidative stress index (OSi) predicts oxidative status more accurately. The OSi is the ratio between ROS and serum antioxidant capacity.  The researh shows that the OSi is significantly increased in dairy cows around calving, compared to levels at dry-off and at 30 days post calving. So one way of identifying improved adaptive capacity of cows in the transition period could be to measure the oxidative stress index in response to nutritional interventions.

Nutritional support for adaptive capacity

Researchers report that genetic selection for increased milk yield has decreased the adaptability of modern dairy cows. However, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms for adaptability in dairy cows is helping the development of nutritional solutions to enhance the cow’s ability to cope more efficiently with nutritional and metabolic challenges.

For instance feeding plant extracts with high antioxidative powers can help to increase the level of antioxidative enzymes and antioxidants to support the cow’s own antioxidative defense in the liver. Feeding those type of components can give the liver a better chance of fighting ROS produced in the transition period and thus minimize the negative consequences from oxidative stress on liver function. A large part of the capacity of the adaptation of ruminants to dietary challenges is allowed by the rumen, so feed supplements designed to help maintain rumen efficiency are also going to ease the transition to lactation. However, attempts to reduce the prevalence of metabolic disorders and associated production diseases should rely on continuous and comprehensive monitoring with appropriate indicators on the farm level.

 

Introducing the On-farm solutions portfolio

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We are adding a new string to our bow to be able to support the efforts of livestock farmers to preserve high nutritional quality of animal feed mixes on farms and maintain farm animal wellbeing with practical flexible solutions. The on-farm solutions portfolio has been specifically put together with the needs of modern livestock farmers and their challenges faced on farms in mind.

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    Farm specific nutritional support

    Lars Katborg, Sales Director at Pancosma announces: “We are keen to present our new on farm solutions portfolio, which has been specifically compiled to address key challenges on farm and offer greater flexibility to farmers in the management of the wellbeing and performance of pigs, ruminants and poultry. This also includes a whole new water application range under the Nutrio+ brand.”

    Focus areas for our on-farm solutions

    Increased flexibility and precision through water application – enquire about Nutrio+

    Safeguarding liquid feed from yeast and moulds – enquire about DaaLF

    Protecting animal feed and grains from moulds – enquire about DaaMould

    Palatability of Corn Cob Mix – enquire about DaaSafe CMM

    Functionality of TMR mixes – enquire about DaaTMR

    Intestinal animal welfare – enquire about Carbovet

    Help farm animals adapt to naturally occurring challenges cost-effectively – enquire about Anco FIT

     

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    On-farm solutions portfolio

    Nutrio+ Water applications with unique combinations of ingredients which will support the demands of high performing animals and restriction of antibiotic use. Find out more

    Nutrio plus

    DaaLF

    DaaLF belongs to the product family developed to protect the quality of liquid feed. DaaLF is a blend of organic acids whose combined effects inhibit mould and especially yeast growth in liquid feed. This inhibitory effect safeguards your liquid feed from moulds and yeasts, enabling it to retain the highest possible nutritional value.

    DaaMould

    Adding DaaMould during the feed production process, helps to protect your final feed from mould growth. Plus, DaaMould contains non-volatile organic ingredients, ensuring long-term effectiveness even after heating.

    DaaSafe CCM

    DaaSafe CCM is a product that can help preserve Corn Cob Mix (CCM) and ensure its long-term palatability. CCM contains large amounts of easily digestible starch which is good for piglets but, unfortunately, also for unwanted bacteria. In addition to other risks, bacterial fermentation can give the CCM an unpleasant taste. DaaSafe CCM has been developed to allow essential lactic acid bacteria to grow while reducing the growth of other, harmful bacteria.

    DaaTMR

    DaaTMR is a balanced blend of organic acids and buffered organic acids designed to stop heat formation in the mixer wagon and the feeding rack. It controls the development of yeasts and moulds.

    Carbovet

    One of nature’s purest ingredients made from oak trees. A powerful tool to promote intestinal animal welfare and a unique process guaranteeing thermo structured pores.

    Anco FIT

    The Anco FIT product line is specifically formulated to empower high performing animals to overcome naturally occurring dietary challenges and stressors, enabling farm animals to attain their performance potential.

    Multifunctional palatants for automatic milking systems

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    by Mario Roman, published in Feedstuffs Magazine, November 2022

    The milking routine is one of, if not the most, time-consuming activities of a dairy farm. It is a human labor-intensive routine required several times a day in order to meet production targets. The adoption of the automatic milking system (AMS) in high-performing farms enables a more flexible work schedule for farmers and frees time for other duties. In addition, it also leads to improvements on animal welfare and milk production.

    However, the AMS is not a perfect system, and it also presents downsides. The systems also known as ‘milking robots’ commonly face a very simple issue: getting the animal to enter the robot. Using palatants as an incentive strategy can help cows overcome this barrier and therefore increase the number of voluntary visits and milkings.

    Pancosma has leveraged its expertise on palatants to develop a portfolio of additives specifically optimized for use in AMS and offered under the Magnasweet brand.

    Magnasweet concept

     Magnasweet is the fusion between two different types of sensory additives: state of the art flavors and high-intensity sweeteners.  Flavors are used with the objective of attracting the animal toward the robot and sweeteners as a reward to retain the animal in order to get her milked. Furthermore, it has been proven that the sweetener’s active ingredients are responsible for an optimization of glucose absorption process at gut-level, resulting in more glucose available to mammal glands, supporting better milk production. The use of a multifunctional palatant brings synergistic effects to the herd, leading to performance improvements, demonstrated in multiple field trials.

    From concept to specific solution

     On a recent study, a saccharin-based palatant was supplemented to a group of 38 lactating Holstein cows during 56 days in a commercial farm in Louisville, Ohio, United States. Multiparous cows fed the palatant were milked 3.3 times/d compared to 3.2 times/d in CTL group and also had higher milk yields than CTL group (36.83 vs 36.06 kg/head/ d).

    A second study, in this case with a stevia-based palatant, was run in a commercial farm in Spain with 200 cows. Despite suffering from a regional heat wave, the supplementation of the palatant delivered an increase in number of milkings and total visits per day, which emphasizes the importance of palatability in challenging situations.

    Multifunctional palatants have proven to be an efficient tool for milking cows. Magnasweet supplemented feed acts as both an attractant and reward for the animal, leading to increases in number of visits to the robot and number of milking per day, and associated with higher milk yields.

     

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    Using real-time data on heat stress risk in dairy cows

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    Monitoring heat stress risk on dairy farms in real-time has become possible with the development of sensor technologies measuring temperatures and humidity in cow sheds. This is increasingly becoming common practice to alert dairy farmers of when their cows are at risk of experiencing heat stress and then take swift action in favour of cow well-being.

    Applying real-time data on heat stress risk in dairy field trials – a case study

    by Gwendolyn Jones, Product Manager Gut Agility Activators, published in International Dairy Topics, September 2022

    It also presents opportunities to evaluate nutritional strategies more effectively in terms of their capacity to mitigate the negative impact of summer heat on cows in a commercial farm situation. This article describes a case study where those new technologies were applied in a dairy field trial to assess the effect of a nutritional technology on milk production and quality during the summer period.

    Monitoring heat stress risk on farm

    Even low levels of heat stress can negatively impact milk production and reproductive performance in dairy cows and at higher levels it increases the incident rate for mastitis. The question for a long time was how to determine the heat stress risk cows are exposed to on farms early. It is now well known that it is not only a question of temperature but also humidity, which determines the negative impact on dairy cows. As a result, calculating the Temperature Humidity Index (THI), which combines air temperature with relative humidity, has been established as an indicator for heat stress risk.

    New sensor technologies that have only become available in the past couple of years allow farmers to measure temperature and humidity inside sheds, which is then relayed by Wi-Fi as live THI readings to their smartphones or computers. This is helping dairy farmers to correlate milk production and fertility blips with THI data at any given point in time.

    Collective data from research has shown that cow milk production can be affected when daily average THI exceeds 68, whereby mild heat stress has also already been reported at a THI score of 62 in dairy cows on some farms. This depends on the level of milk production in the dairy herd, since high- producing dairy cows are more susceptible to the effects of temperature and humidity in their environment.

    Wireless transmission of real-time data is essential in providing producers with the relevant information that facilitates informed management decisions in relation to reducing the effects of heat stress as the event is occurring.

    Aside from alerting farmers of potential cow discomfort, climate sensors and other precision dairy technologies offer a wide range of data points that can be taken advantage of when running field trials on dairy farms to assess nutritional strategies and feed additives.

    Dairy farm case study

    The effect of THI on milk production parameters was looked at on a dairy farm in Austria with 50 milking cows during the summer period. The breed on this farm was Fleckvieh, with an average milk yield of 34.5kg/day. The cows were fed a TMR based on a mix of grass and maize silage and were supplemented with concentrate feed via the milking robot (DeLaval VMS). THI, and milk production data were collected, after a short adaptation period in June, from July through to mid-October 2020.

    Temperature and humidity were measured in real-time with a climate sensor from Smaxtec animal care GmbH in the cow shed and transmitted wirelessly to a base station to calculate the THI. Milk control samples were taken on a monthly basis to collect data on the following parameters: milk production (kg/d), milk fat (%), milk protein (%) and somatic cell counts (cfu/ml).

    Results

    During the course of the study the mean daily THI (24 hours) ranged from 53-72 (Fig. 1). During the last week of July, the max THI reached up to 82. Maximum daily THI ranged from 64-82 from July to September, which occurred mainly from midday until the evening.

    This means that cows experienced at least some mild level of heat stress most days from July to September and were exposed  to moderate to high levels from mid-July to mid-August at some point during the day.

    Fibure 1  THI measured via climate sensor in the cow shed over the trial period (July-October)

    temperature humidity index - dairy coes

    Results for milk production show that daily milk yield was on average +1.7kg/d higher for cows fed the product Anco FIT in the period from July to October (Fig. 2) but was particularly higher (+3.4kg/d) numerically in July where the maximum THI was recorded to be the highest.

    Milk constituent levels were also maintained numerically at a higher level throughout the period of investigation, resulting in 8% higher milk protein yields and 10% higher milk fat yields and an economic advantage of  0.85/cow/day compared to the control group.

    The number of cows with somatic cell counts indicating healthy udders (<100 x 1,000 cfu/ml) was on average 78% out of all cows from the group fed Anco FIT compared to 60% in the control group throughout the period of investigation (Fig. 3).

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, climate sensors installed in cow sheds can help to facilitate the evaluation of feed additives in cows at risk of experiencing heat stress in the field.

    More accurate interpretations and potential deeper insights into cow adaptation to challenges are expected from real-time THI data that is correlated with fluctuations in daily automatic milk yield recording.

    Discover our feed additives for cattle

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    Enhancing transition period in dairy cows

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    Enhancing transition period in dairy cows with phytogenics

    by SÉBASTIEN  CONSTANTIN,  Business Development  Manager Phytogenic Bioactives, Pancosma, published in Livestock and Feed Magazine, August 2022

    Glucose metabolism regulates the energy supply to cells and tissues for vital functions and, in ruminants, this process is characterised by low glucose concentrations, but also low insulin response in peripheral tissues (Bell, Bauman, 1997; Sasaki 2002).

    In a short adjustment period between pregnancy and lactation, a great amount of glucose is required to be directed for milk production. During the transition period, dairy cows face an extremely intensive physiological process.

    Glucose sources

    The main glucose supply in monogastric species is absorbed in the intestines from ingested food, while ruminants mainly rely on glucose supplied by liver gluconeogenesis. From rumen fermentation, propionate is the main glucogenic precursor, representing over 60% of the substrates, followed by lactate, with approximately 20%, followed by amino acids, minor volatile fatty acids (valerate, isobutyrate) and glycerol (Drackley et al., 2001).

    Glucose absorption in peripheral tissues and mammary gland

    Glucose transporters (GLUT) exist to carry glucose molecules to be absorbed by cells. There are 13 different types of GLUTs, each with a specific role and operating mode. GLUT1 molecules respond to basal glucose concentration and are found in all body tissues (De Koster and Opsomer, 2013). Among the different GLUT, only GLUT4 responds to insulin stimulation, supporting glucose uptake by skeletal muscle, adipose and heart tissues. Glucose uptake in the mammary gland is very specific and is driven primarily by GLUT1 and GLUT8 and characterised by an absence of GLUT4. As a result, the glucose metabolism process is not modulated by insulin. In terms of quantity, the mammary gland absorbs over 50% of available glucose and can climb as high as 85% when production peaks.

    Glucose sparing

    Dairy cows exhibit insulin resistance as gestation ends and lactation starts. The cow’s internal processes change tack to ensure a sufficient glucose supply is produced for the calf by directing glucose to milk production and by limiting glucose absorption in peripheral tissue (De Koster and Opsomer, 2013). This phenomenon is known as “glucose sparing”.

    Gluconeogenesis inhibition

    Gluconeogenesis is the major glucose- producing metabolic process in ruminants. This pathway is regulated by substrate availability and hormones such as insulin and glucagon. Insulin’s role is to inhibit gluconeogenesis and decrease glucose output when necessary.

    Phytogenic supplementation to promote milk production

    Milk production can be improved by promoting the glucose sparing effect and limiting gluconeogenesis inhibition. We hypothesised that lower insulin levels could lead to a change in glucose distribution, directing more towards the mammary gland and thus improving milk production.

    A study was conducted to assess the effect of rumen-protected capsaicinoids (RPC) supplementation responding to a glucose tolerance test measuring blood glucose and insulin concentration (Oh et al., 2017). Glucose concentration was not affected by RPC supplementation post glucose challenge.

    Compared to the control, RPC decreased serum insulin concentration post glucose challenge. The area under the insulin concentration curve was decreased by 25% (RPC; see figure 1). In this study, dry matter intake was not affected by RPC supplementation and milk yield tended to increase for RPC treatments compared to the control. Dry matter intake was not affected by RPC and feed efficiency was linearly increased by RPC supplementation. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference observed in NEFA and BHB levels.

    insulin concentration in dairy cows

    Figure 1 Effect of RPC on insulin concentration following intravenous administration of glucose in cows

    Rumen-protected capsicum and transition period performance

    In 2020-2021, a trial was performed to evaluate RPC supplementation from 21 days before calving through 60 days in milk under commercial conditions.  Overall, performance was improved for cows receiving RPC with an 8.6% increase in energy-corrected milk (See figure 2 daily milk yield). Additionally, increased blood glucose, which occurred three days after calving, points to a potential change in insulin response and liver gluconeogenesis.

    Promoting glucose sparing and gluconeogenesis

    Overall, results suggest that by decreasing the amount of insulin secreted, RPC may have redirected glucose for milk production in lactating dairy cows.

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    Scientific abstract: The effect of feeding rumen-protected capsicum during the transition period on performance of early lactation dairy cows.

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    Precision feeding in cattle

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    Precision feeding in cattle boosts production efficiency since every animal is fed according to its individual requirements. Providing the right amount of nutrients ensures optimal performance and reduces the environmental footprint of cattle production by cutting down on waste of nutrients.

    BY MIEKE ZOON AND CÉLINE ROBIN, PRODUCT MANAGERS FOR MINERALS

    Today’s consumers demand increasingly efficient, low-impact food production, and that includes animal production. This means that in addition to cost efficiency, the sector must also find effective ways to reduce environmental impact. Meanwhile, we have become more aware of the risks of using antibiotics to improve efficiency, due to the development of multi-resistant bacteria. Not to mention animal welfare and quality of life. Each of these challenges may seem very different, even contradictory, but there are solutions which ideally address several issues at once. It’s no surprise that the concept of “precision feeding” is becoming one of the industry’s go-to solutions.

    Precision feeding in cattle

    Precision feeding in cattle means feeding each and every animal according to its individual requirements. Not only on average but at every feeding, every single day. It boosts efficiency, since the closer feed meets animals’ nutritional requirements, the easier it is for them to reach their full genetic potential. Providing less than the required amount of any important nutrient (e.g. energy, amino acids, vitamins, and trace minerals) will negatively impact performance. Providing the right amount of nutrients is a sustainable way to use resources, ensure optimal performance and reduce the animals’
    environmental footprint through less waste of nutrients.

    Mineral homogeneity

    One of the main challenges in precision feeding is the low level inclusion of essential nutrients such as minerals. In fact, the inclusion level can be so low that it is difficult to ensure homogenous distribution. This can lead to some animals not getting all the nutrients they need.

    The latest development and new generation of multi-mineral products is B-Traxim All-in-1. Using Pancosma’s Iso-Fusion technology (IFT), every particle contains exactly the same ratio of each different mineral, resulting in perfectly uniform distribution and homogenous premix and feed. The four different minerals in one B-Traxim All-in-1 product were identified using Scanning Electron Microscopy together with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) at the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) in Neuchatel, Switzerland. These minerals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) were identified and represented with four different colours.

    Figure 1 shows that not only are all four metals present in every particle, but they are very evenly distributed throughout each one.  Farmers are looking for a way to provide nutrients homogenously and positively impact animal uniformity, performance and products. A series of tests based on the coefficient of variation confirmed a much lower deviation to the mean with All-in-1 products compared to traditional blends (Figure 1).

    Figure 1. Homogeneity in feed – coefficient of variation of copper and zinc contents in B-Traxim All-in-1.

    organic trace minerals in cattle

     

    Multi-mineral benefits

    Multi-mineral products can also facilitate the day-to-day work of feed mills and on-farm mixers. Having all the necessary minerals in one more concentrated formula reduces the number of silos used and stocks held on site. Plus, administratively, there are fewer orders and registrations to keep track of. B-Traxim PRO4 is an All-in-1 solution containing Zn, Mn, Cu and Co, designed to meet ruminants’ needs. It is based on Pancosma’s glycinate technology that provides higher bioavailability and support to physiological functions compared to inorganic minerals.

    Three scientific studies show the added value of B-Traxim PRO4 in ruminant production.” First, a study carried out at North Carolina State University focusing on the bioavailability of minerals in ruminants showed that apparent absorption and retention of Zn and liver zinc concentration were higher for steers supplemented with these organic trace minerals than for animals fed zinc sulphate or another organic source. In another study comparing the organic zinc source to zinc sulphate, North Carolina State University concluded that the organic form had a positive effect on immune parameters. Lastly, a study in Spain investigated vitamin B12 synthesis by micro-organisms in the rumen. Cobalt is a key component of this synthesis and therefore needs to be supplemented and available in the rumen. Compared to an unsupplemented feed, the study showed a significantly greater formation of B12 by the rumen microbial population provided with a feed supplemented with B-Traxim PRO4.

    Precision feeding in cattle is a hassle-free approach to consistently providing animals with the nutrients animals need – not more, not less. An effective way to improve performance while reducing waste, it’s good for the animals, good for the environment and good for production.

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    How some cows can give heat stress the cold shoulder

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    Some cows are cooler than others in the face of summer heat. What is their secret to resist heat stress? Scientists are beginning to discover that resilience plays an important role in dairy cows, when it comes to coping with rising temperatures.

    by Gwendolyn Jones, Product Manager Gut Agility Activators

    Climate change drives research into heat stress

    As June approaches temperatures are rising and so is the risk for heat stress in cows. Temperatures are rising, not just now, because we are at the end of May, but also in general. Our climate is changing, and we can expect to see increases in temperature over the coming century. According to recent predictions, global temperatures are expected to rise by 1.4–3.0°C by the end of this century. Not surprisingly several large-scale research projects are currently under way in different parts of the world for a better understanding of heat stress in cattle and more importantly to find ways of managing it more effectively. The goal being to maintain cow welfare, health and productivity in a sustainable way as temperatures rise. Strategies to mitigate heat stress include physical protection, nutritional management and more recently the potential for genetic improvement in heat tolerance is researched.

    Milk yield and quality spoils with heat stress

    Heat-stressed dairy cows produce less milk and the quality of their milk is reduced. On top of that heat stress can interfere with the cow’s ability to conceive and can increase susceptibility to disease. This can lead to significant economic losses. Consequently, there is considerably incentive to increase the capacity of dairy cows to maintain productivity and fitness in the face of stresses associated with climate change to support food security.

    Science turns to resilience for heat tolerance

    Several research groups across the world, for example in the UK, India, United States and Australia are researching the challenge of enhancing the resilience of livestock to climatic variability and climate change. They all essentially agree that animal agriculture’s adaptation to climate change should involve technological advances for climate resilient animals. However, continued selection for greater performance in the absence of consideration for heat tolerance will result in greater susceptibility to heat stress.

    Scientists at the University of Armidale claim that for the concept of resilience the animal’s reactions with its environment are central. They characterise resilience as the capacity of the animal to return rapidly to its pre-challenge state following short-term exposure to a challenging situation. Therefore, resilience is a comparative measure of differences between animals in the impact of a challenge. Resilience can arise due to lower sensitivity or better adaptability to the challenge. Thus, resilience relies particularly on the reaction of the animal to stressors. Since, stress responses increase disease susceptibility, improving resilience of farm animals could also provide benefits for their health.

    At the cellular level, acute environmental change initiates a “heat shock” or cellular stress response. Changes in gene expression associated with a reaction to an environmental stressor involves acute responses at the cellular level as well as changes in gene expression across a variety of organs and tissues associated with the acclimation response.

    Gene expression profiling belongs to novel the approaches to identify higher number of transcripts and pathways related to stress tolerance mechanisms. It is known that genes reacting to a certain stress differ between organisms, species, breeds and even genotypes. The differences show in more efficient stress signal perception and transcriptional changes that can lead to successful adaptive response and adaptations and eventually further tolerance. Newer genomics approaches like next-generation sequencing (NGS) hold great promise for accelerating search for genes related to heat tolerance-related traits. NGS has been used to study variants in cattle to identify genes that contribute to heat tolerance.

    Cows love a good on-off sprinkle

    Of course, also physical strategies to help reduce heat stress are continuously being evaluated and improved. One of the most effective methods of cooling cows during summer is the use of water sprinklers. When given the choice, cows spend more and more time under sprinklers as the ambient temperature rises. Not having the sprinklers on continuously is more effective in terms of cooling cows, and it also helps to conserve water. The sprinklers should cycle on and off to wet cows and then let them dry off. Cooling is more effective if cows are soaked to the skin during the on time and then evaporative cooling occurs during the off time with fan air. Sprinkler and fan cooling resulted in lower body temperatures and respiration rates, improved dry matter intake and milk yield. However, sprinklers are not recommended in environments where relative humidity could reach over 75% due to the increase in humidity associated with these systems.

    by Gwendolyn Jones, 2019

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    Feeding rumen-protected capsicum to dairy cows in transition

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    The effect of feeding rumen-protected capsicum during the transition period on performance of early lactation dairy cows.

    presented at ADSA 2022

    American Dairy Science Association, June 20th, 2022, 10:15am

    Abstract

    by Acetoze G.; Preisinger, K.

    A recent study suggests that rumen protected capsicum (RPC) is capable of decreasing blood insulin concentrations (Oh et al., 2017). This decrease could potentially lead to repartitioning of available glucose towards the mammary gland for milk production.

    The objective of this study was to evaluate early lactation performance of dairy cows fed RPC  during the transition period on a commercial robotic dairy in Indiana. One hundred and five (105) Holstein dairy cows were randomly assigned to two treatments as they entered the pre-fresh pen (-21 days relative to calving): Control (no additive) and Treatment (RPC at 1 g/hd/d). All cows received the same TMR’s (pre-fresh or fresh). RPC was orally administered daily in the pre-fresh pen and provided in the robot grain, manufactured by a commercial feed mill, at the dairy through 60 DIM. The study was conducted beginning in July 2020 and ended in February 2021. Measurements included blood glucose, daily milk yield and components (fat and protein). Statistical analysis was performed using the Repeated Measures model procedure of JMP16 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC).

    Energy corrected milk (ECM) and milk yield were significantly (P<0.01) increased (114.5 vs 124.3 lbs/hd/d for ECM and 42.1 vs 44.7 kg/hd/d, control vs treatment, respectively) through 60 DIM for RPC cows. Milk fat (kg/hd/d) was also greater (P<0.01) for RPC cows compared to control (2.04 vs 1.86, respectively). No differences were observed for blood glucose levels (P=0.94). However there was a tendency (P=0.10) for RPC treated multiparous cows to have increased blood glucose 3 days after calving. These results indicate that transition cows supplemented with RPC may have more available glucose available for milk synthesis.

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    About the presenter 

    Gabriela Acetoze, PhD, Ruminant Technical Manager at ADM Animal Nutrition.

    Gabriela’s role at ADM involves supporting customer sales, assisting and managing field trials developing data to support sales of ADM Feed Additives and Ingredients and providing internal and external technology trainings. Also, she works closely with the marketing, product management and research teams to help develop, manage and support sales efforts primarily in North America.  

    Gabriela received her doctorate degree in Animal Biology from University California, Davis where she studied the effects of different feeding strategies on mitochondrial efficiency and proton leak of Holstein dairy cows. She has also earned a master’s degree in Animal Biology at UC Davis investigating the differences of finishing beef cattle on grain or grass finished diets. Gabriela has a BS in Agricultural Engineering from ESALQ – University of Sao Paulo. She started her career as a National Account Manager also for ADM Animal Nutrition developing the sales of ADM Specialty Ingredients in California, Arizona and PNW.  

    Gabriela Acetoze

    How can Biomimicry help innovate sustainable solutions?

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    Biomimicry has already generated many new technologies inspired by nature. Is there something that we can take away from it for the design of animal feed solutions for sustainable animal nutrition?

    by Gwendolyn Jones

    What is biomimicry?

    Biomimicry, or biomimetics, is the study of nature and leveraging solutions that have evolved in nature to innovate and solve problems for the benefit of humans.  So essentially it is about piggy backing on nature or emulating what has already been proven by nature to work and to be sustainable throughout time.

    Biomimicry is thought of as a field with potential to bring answers to many different disciplines, including medicine, architecture, agriculture, industry. It can pretty much apply to all sectors. Examples for innovations stemming from the application of biomimicry are architectural designs with improved thermoregulation inspired by termite mounds, robotics inspired by motor mechanisms of insects or velcro, which is derived from the observation of hooks implemented by certain plants that stick to animal coats. Aircraft engineers are inspired by birds and sharks to design lighter and more fuel-efficient aircrafts.

    Advantages of applying biomimicry to innovation for sustainability

    The field of biomimicry has experienced significant growth in recent years and has been popularized by Janine Benyus. It is now a tool to accelerate innovation for small and large companies.

    Biomimicry is explained to be different from other bio-inspired design, because of its focus on learning from nature how to be sustainable. Designs following biomimicry are thought to be more efficient, resilient and sustainable, if they emulated biological lessons on form, process and ecosystem. The outcome is superior to that developed through any artificial means.

    Biomimicry applied to the design of sustainable animal feed solutions

    Farm animals possess limited physiologic responses to challenges such as for example high ambient temperatures, reproduction, oxidation or infections. However, amongst the millions of other species on earth facing the same challenges, we can find many other strategies or adaptations, which could be superior. This means that, within nature there are not just a handful of solutions, but a huge variety of strategies we could potentially adapt to solve physiological needs and equip animals to cope better with stressors.

    How did nature solve this?

    Plants evolved with sophisticated strategies to cope with stressors, since they can not move away from them and are bound to their locations. We can also learn from other organisms and species in nature that survive under extreme conditions, which strategies give them an advantage. What can we leverage from that in animal nutrition to support adaptive and coping mechanisms in animals?

    New benchmarks in animal production and better ways of measuring improvements call for new approaches in the design and evaluation of feed solutions. Biomimicry offers a framework for innovation with sustainable outcomes. There is certainly no harm in asking how nature solved something as a source of inspiration.