KY Dairy Notes (December '22)
Tip of the Month
Cleanliness of the calving pen or area impacts the health of both her calf and the dam herself.
Calf— Besides timely intake of colostrum, cleanliness of the calving pen impacts the health and potential survivability of the calf. Many causes of disease within the first 2 weeks of life can be
contracted from the calving pen.
Dam—-Metritis continues to be one of the primary issues in fresh cows. Well bedded and “clean” calving areas decrease the chances of “inoculating” the uterus during the calving process.
Taste panel detects paperboard flavor in milk stored in paper cartons in a recently published study.
A recently published study looked at the ability of a trained taste panel or consumers to detect off-flavors in skim or whole milk packaged in either paperboard, glass, or HDPE or PET plastic. A paperboard/cardboard flavor was detected in skim milk the same day it was packaged in a paper carton, but this off flavor was not detected until day 5 of storage for whole milk. As length of storage increased, this off flavor increased as did a refrigerator/stale flavor in milks stored in paperboard. Off flavors were more intense for skim versus whole milk and increased with a decrease in the size of container. Consumers could not detect off–flavor differences in skim or whole milk stored in either glass or plastic 10 days after processing.
Authors: Cadwallader, Gerard and Drake, NC State, J. Dairy Sci. Article in Press, 11-7-22
Want to Improve Your Dairy Herd’s Reproductive Program?
Getting cows rebred in a timely manner is one of the cornerstones of a more profitable dairy operation. So how do you get this done?
Explain the Why’s Along with the How’s When Training Employees and Family Members to Milk Cows
Explaining why milking practices are important helps new and experienced people milking one’s cows understand why each practice must be completed consistently at each milking. Consistent and properly implemented milking practices are important in preventing mastitis and to optimize milk production.
Winter Feeding and Management Practices for Dairy Calves
Dairy calves are very sensitive to the colder, fall and winter temperatures and, as such, feeding and management practices need to be tweaked to help calves deal with these cooler temperatures. Read More
