Using a whole farm model to determine the impacts of mating management on the profitability of pasture-based dairy farms.

An approach to assessing likely impacts of altering reproductive performance on productivity and profitability in pasture-based dairy farms is described. The basis is the development of a whole farm model (WFM) that simulates the entire farm system and holistically links multiple physical performance factors to profitability. The WFM consists of a framework that links a mechanistic cow model, a pasture model, a crop model, management policies and climate. It simulates individual cows and paddocks, and runs on a day time-step. The WFM was upgraded to include reproductive modeling capability using reference tables and empirical equations describing published relationships between cow factors, physiology and mating management. It predicts reproductive status at any time point for individual cows within a modeled herd. The performance of six commercial pasture-based dairy farms was simulated for the period of 12 months beginning 1 June 2005 (05/06 year) to evaluate the accuracy of the model by comparison with actual outcomes. The model predicted most key performance indicators within an acceptable range of error (residual<10% of observed). The evaluated WFM was then used for the six farms to estimate the profitability of changes in farm "set-up" (farm conditions at the start of the farming year on 1 June) and mating management from 05/06 to 06/07 year. Among the six farms simulated, the 4-week calving rate emerged as an important set-up factor influencing profitability, while reproductive performance during natural bull mating was identified as an area with the greatest opportunity for improvement. The WFM presents utility to explore alternative management strategies to predict likely outcomes to proposed changes to a pasture-based farm system.

Effect of treatment with the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory meloxicam on milk production, somatic cell count, probability of re-treatment, and culling of dairy cows with mild clinical mastitis.

It was hypothesized that treatment of clinical mastitis with a combination of a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory treatment (meloxicam) and a parenteral antibiotic (penethamate hydriodide) would result in lower somatic cell counts (SCC), reduced milk yield losses, improved clinical outcomes, and reduced culling rates compared with antibiotic therapy alone. Cows in 15 herds with clinical mastitis during the first 200 d of lactation (median = 13 d) were treated with 5 g of penethamate hydriodide daily for 3 d, and one-half these cows were treated with 250 mg of the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug meloxicam (n = 361 cows), whereas the other half (n = 366 cows) were treated with the vehicle (control group). Milk samples for bacteriology were collected from clinically affected glands before treatment, and samples were collected at 7 (+/-3), 14 (+/-3), and 21 (+/-3) d after commencement of treatment for SCC determination. Additionally, the rectal temperature, udder edema score, California Mastitis Test score, and milk clot score were determined before treatment and daily milk yield data were collected across the lactation. There were no differences between the treatment groups in calving date, days in milk, age, breed, rectal temperature, California Mastitis Test score, clot score, udder edema score, or bacterial pathogens isolated before treatment. There was no difference between treatment groups in the number of cows that were defined as treatment failures (i.e., re-treated within 24 d of initial treatment, died, or the treated gland stopped producing milk); 79 (21.9%) vs. 92 (25.1%) cows in the meloxicam and control groups failed, respectively. The SCC was lower in the meloxicam-treated group compared with the control group after treatment [550 +/- 48 vs. 711 +/- 62 geometric mean (x1,000/mL) +/- standard error of the mean SCC for quarters after treatment with meloxicam vs. control, respectively]. There was no difference in milk yield for the cows treated with meloxicam compared with the control cows within 28 or 200 d after treatment. Fewer meloxicam-treated than control cows were removed (culled) from the herds [39/237 (16.4%) vs. 67/237 (28.2%) for meloxicam vs. control cows, respectively; odds ratio = 0.42, 95% confidence interval = 0.26 to 0.68]. It was concluded that treatment of cows with clinical mastitis with a combination of meloxicam and penethamate resulted in a lower SCC and a reduced risk of removal from the herd (culling) compared with treatment with penethamate alone.