Industry News

Published on Tue, 07/19/2016 - 3:09pm

ClearSpan’s New Dairy Building Modernizes Dairy Production

ClearSpan™ Fabric Structures, the industry-leading manufacturer of tension fabric buildings, announced a new structural solution, the Dairy Building. The structure is outfitted with the dairy industry’s most essential and popular building accessories, allowing farmers to streamline their operation and increase their business potential.The Dairy Building creates a well-ventilated environment that can be utilized year-round for milking and cattle housing. The design presents a versatile interior without any support posts, allowing for easy maneuverability of cattle and machinery within the structure.The sidewalls feature motorized curtains that are thermostatically controlled, providing for easy ventilation and effortless climate control. In addition to the sidewalls, the building contains a covered ridge vent that provides natural ventilation throughout the year.
Fabric end walls utilize motorized and manual roll-up doors to provide cattle and vehicles easy access in and out of the building.The Dairy Building comes in three styles, Pack Barn, Free Stall and Calf Building, enabling farmers to pick the size and style that best fits their operation. The structures are available in stock buildings as large as 120 feet wide by 250 feet long, but can also be custom designed to suit any operation.
Each building is constructed with a triple-galvanized, corrosion-resistant steel frame and covered by 24 mil rip-stop polyethylene fabric, which is UV resistant and allows for an abundance of natural light. All Dairy Buildings include an industry-leading 50 warranty on the frame and 20 year warranty on the fabric covering.
For more information, please visit www.clearspan.com or call 1.866.643.1010.

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Revolutionary Research-based Nutritional Focuses on the Complete Calf to Heifer Lifecycle
DeLaval Inc. launched today the LONGEVITY by Feedtech™ program which provides a complete nutritional solution at all stages of a cow’s lifecycle. Designed to help producers proactively manage the health of their herd, the nutritional supplements were designed by DeLaval’s team of veterinarians, nutritionists and industry experts. LONGEVITY is based on the most current industry research to provide a holistic approach that simplifies and standardizes the allocation of calf and heifer supplements to facilitate overall farm management.Recent scientific research into colostrum and transition cow management has illustrated the importance of investing in a cow’s future at an early age. The studies have repeatedly shown that creating more productive animals begins at birth. Additionally, with the increasing concerns about antibiotics, the use of probiotics is becoming more mainstream.“The LONGEVITY program combines the exclusive probiotics of our Feedtech line with cutting-edge research to ensure it contains the right amount of protection at just the right time”, says Jim Mattox,Solution Manager for Feeding Systems and Nutrition at DeLaval North America, “The program is a first of its kind, since it is the only available nutritional program to provide complete calf to cow solutions. It was designed to help producers meet performance and management goals by helping to proactively manage a herd’s health and optimize productivity”.The LONGEVITY by Feedtech product line is available throughout the United States. Interested producers should speak with their authorized DeLaval dealer for more information.DeLaval is a worldwide leader in milking equipment and solutions for dairy farmers, which make sustainable food production possible, warranting milk quality and animal health. Our solutions are used by millions of dairy farmers around the globe every day.DeLaval was founded more than 130 years ago in Sweden, when the visionary Gustaf de Laval patented the cream separator. DeLaval, alongside Tetra Pak and Sidel, is part of the Tetra Laval Group. See www.delavalcorporate.com.

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Diamond V Announces New Dairy Team Members
Diamond V® welcomes its newest experts to serve dairy producers and the dairy industry: Management and production specialist Matt Bowen and nutritional health researcher Dr. Preston Morris.
“Matt Bowen is the newest member of our East Ruminant Sales Team,” says Dr. Ken Sanderson, District Sales Manager. “He comes to Diamond V from Crop Production Services (CPS), Michigan Division where he held the position of Dairy/Silage 

Specialist and provided technical support and training for a team of 80 sales people.”At CPS, Matt’s main responsibility was to grow seed sales with dairy and beef operations, working with leading producers across Michigan. Prior to CPS, he served as an Area Sales Manager for ABS Global, Michigan Division.Matt also has held management positions in several large dairies, including a 10,000-cow dairy with three sites and more than 60 employees where he led dramatic improvements in milk production and quality. He also was a part-owner with management oversight of a dairy that grew a 90-cow herd to a 1000-cow top producing herd, which was recognized as the most profitable herd of its size in the Indiana-Michigan-Ohio region.Matt has Dairy Tech training from Michigan State University and lives in Addison, MI.
Preston Morris, DVM joins Diamond V in the role of Dairy Field Research/Technical Support, which includes working closely with field research directors and the company’s R&D team to provide research results on SmartCare® and NutriTek.®
“Preston was born and raised in Whitesburg, Tennessee on a cow-calf farm,” says Dr. Curtis Harms, Director of North America Dairy Business. “He was active in 4H, showing Jerseys and Tennessee Walking Horses. He developed a strong interest in animal nutrition, entered the University of Tennessee, and graduated with a BS in Animal Sciences.”Preston’s interest became a passion for research in ruminants, which included studies ranging from mastitis-causing Escherichia coli bacteria to the effects of various fatty acids on rumen microorganisms. He went on to do graduate work in the Ruminant Nutrition Lab at Clemson University, then he returned to the University of Tennessee where he received his DVM earlier this year. Preston will be based in Cedar City, UT.Headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Diamond V is a leading global nutrition and health company, conducting research in multiple species, and manufacturing natural, fermentation-based, nutritional health products to improve animal health, animal performance, and food safety worldwide. More than 70 years of science, innovation, technology, and quality have earned Diamond V the reputation of The Trusted Experts in Nutrition and Health.® Contact Diamond V at 800.373.7234 or visit www.DiamondV.com.

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Make the Most of Every Nickel By Investigating Ration Alternatives
Dairy producers are always looking to gain an edge on margins, and especially now given current economic conditions.When Christian Hill Dairy of Lomira, Wisconsin, learned they could cut their feed cost by at least 9 cents per day simply by replacing multiple feed ingredients with CELEMANAX™ from Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition in the farm’s rations, they quickly took action.Dairies only need to include this single ingredient in rations to gain multiple benefits from MOS, beta 

glucans, D-mannose and more found in Refined Functional Carbohydrates.“We’ve been feeding CELMANAX for more than a year and haven’t looked back,” says Curt Christian, owner, Christian Hill Dairy. The dairy removed a live yeast product and a beta glucan product from their lactating and transition cow diets, replacing them with CELMANAX—with no slowdown in milk production or reduction in milk quality that can sometimes accompany ration changes. In fact, the dairy noted an uptick in milk quality following the introduction of CELMANAX.
Plus, the feed cost savings quickly added up. The reduction of 9-cents-per-cow-per-day may not seem like a lot initially, but it equates to an extra $189 per day for the 2,100-cow herd. In a year’s time, that 9-cent savings totals $68,985.CELMANAX combines a unique blend of Refined Functional Carbohydrates™ (RFC™) into a single, all-natural formulation that replaces multiple feed ingredients. RFCs are the components harvested from yeast cells (S. cerevisiae) using specific enzymes during the manufacturing process. This enzymatic hydrolysis yields:
MOS (Mannan Oligosaccharides)
Beta 1,3-1,6 glucans
D-Mannose
Dairies can purchase multiple sources of these ingredients, but when they are combined into a single, unique offering, RFCs cost a fraction of their parts.
In addition, the RFCs in CELMANAX help negate the detrimental effects of mycotoxins that sometimes occur in feed. Just as with pathogens, RFCs bind to these toxins — like aflatoxin, DON, fumonisin, T-2 and zeralenone — and prevent gut damage and help maintain feed intake, growth and feed efficiency1,2 explains Elliot Block, Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition Research Fellow.
Mycotoxins are of issue for dairy farmers and nutritionists because these toxins — which originate from molds — occur with varying frequency, but commonly enough to cause concern. Worldwide estimates suggest about 25 percent of crops are affected annually.3
“Also, because of the multi-functional nature of RFCs (reducing the effects of harmful pathogens, as well as toxins in feed) less energy is needed for fighting infections and supporting the immune system and more energy is available for milk production, synergistically helping animal performance,” he adds.
“In this day and age, most dairies have to purchase at least some of their feed,” says Christian. “That means you have to feed some kind of binder to protect cows because you don’t always know if the feed contains aflatoxins. I’d rather feed a product like CELMANAX that not only provides an insurance policy for the herd, but also has additional benefits.” To learn more about RFCs and CELMANAX, visit AHanimalnutrition.com.
Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition, with headquarters in Princeton, N.J., is a global leader in offering a complete family of innovative, research-proven livestock and poultry feed ingredients to improve producer profitability. To learn more about Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition, visit AHanimalnutrition.com.

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National Guernsey Convention Has Outstanding Week
 

The 140th Annual Meeting of the American Guernsey Association was held during the National Guernsey Convention in June in Bloomington, Minnesota. The 

Minnesota Guernsey Breeders Association hosted the event for over 200 attendees. Farms visited over the week included Breezy Point Farm owned by the Laska family; Whirlwind Acres owned by the Fritsche family and Up The Creek Guernsey Farm owned by the Andersons. Several Minnesota attractions were visited, as well as the Bonnie Mohr Studio.
The American Guernsey Youth Association also held its convention and annual meeting during the event. Highlights included the naming of the contest winners, including Laura Jensen of Comstock, Wisconsin, being named the National Outstanding Guernsey Youth. Stefani Evers of Corvallis, Oregon was crowned the 2016 National Guernsey Queen and Cara Trotter of Enon Valley, Pennsylvania was named the 2016 National Guernsey Princess.
The American Guernsey Association awarded Keith Dixon of Phillipsburg, Missouri, the Master Breeder Award. The Outstanding Young Farmer was Eric Poole of Tarrs, Pennsylvania and Lee Kohler of Baltimore, Ohio, was presented the Distinguished Service Award.Multiple production awards were presented, with the High TPE Lactation Average for Milk and Protein being awarded to Gurn Z Meadow Farm owned by the Orchard family of Columbus, Wisconsin, with 24,375M 4.9% 1,184F, 3.3% 809P on 26 records. The High TPE Lactation Average for Fat award went to Walnut Ridge Farm of Middletown, Maryland with 19,338M 6.1% 1,197F 3.5% 667P on 19 records. Hoard’s Dairyman Farm in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin took home several awards, including the Top Commercial Herd with a 25,254 Energy Corrected Milk average on 138 records. They also received the Arnold Knight Award for Living Lifetime Protein Production with Dairyman Storm Bonella, who produced 234,665M 4.8% 11,149F 3.6% 8,532P. The Liebers Trophy for Living Lifetime Milk Production and the Valley Set Award for Living Lifetime Fat Production both went to Rozelyn Maxi Joy, who produced 254,660M 4.7% 12,064F 3.2% 8,106P. She is owned by Rozelyn Farm of Lynden, Washington. The New England Trophy for highest 305D Milk record and California Protein Award for highest 305D Protein record both went to Trotacre Indian Altanic Honey-ET owned by Trotacre Farm of Enon Valley, Pennsylvania. She made 3-05 305D 3X 36,300M 4.4% 1,604F 3.5% 1,255P. Walnut Ridge Altanic Lady A took home the Tarbell Trophy for highest 305D Fat Record with 4-02 305D 2X 28,100M 6.3% 1,763F 3.2% 890P. She is owned by Walnut Ridge Farm. Coulee Crest LLC of Cashton, Wisconsin was the recipient of the Nyala-Bedford Trophy awarded to the highest 305D first lactation ECM record with Coulee Crest Gary Lunar-ET. She made 1-10 305D 3X 28,149M 5.2% 1,470F 2.9% 827P and 34,568ECM.