UW-Madison National Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge Team

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UW-Madison National Intercollegiate Dairy
Challenge Team

• Competed with 32 universities from across the
  U.S. and Canada
• Provided three hours of on-farm evaluation at
  Pearl Dairy
• Used dairy background to evaluate strengths,
  weaknesses of the operation
• Made recommendations to the owner and a judges
  panel of industry professionals
• Team members Shannon Dwyer, Linda Behling,
  Chrissy Wendorf and Matt Repinski. assistant
  coach John Goeser and head coach Dr. Dave Combs
• Gold Team Award Winner!

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Buckys Bovine Acres

• Team 31

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Overview

• Owners Linus, Scott and Keith
• Primary Goals
• Profitability
• Sustainability
• 711 milking cows
• 27,600 RHA
• 3.3 Fat
• 3.0 Protein

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Competitive Edges

• Milk Quality
• Cow Comfort
• Reproduction

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Competitive Edges

• Milk Quality
• 127,000 SCC
• Proactive
• Culturing
• Treatment
• Cow/udder cleanliness
• Milker bonuses
• Numerous milk quality awards

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Competitive Edges

• Cow Comfort
• Excellent stall maintenance
• Wide alleys
• Calm cows

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Competitive Edges

• Reproduction
• 21-day pregnancy rate
• 19
• Percent of cows pregnant
• 53
• Aggressive synch program
• Recheck of cows at 180 days

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Milk vs. Management Level Milk
Pounds of Milk
Date
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Opportunities

• Facilities
• Manure Management
• Transition Dry Cow Pens

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Current Facilities
Manure Storage
Feed Storage
Newer Freestall
Wet calves
Post-wean calves
Bred heifers, Dry cows Close-up, Maternity pen
Parlor
Freestall
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Manure Management

• Current Manure Storage
• One holding pit and slurry storage
• 60-day capacity
• Hauling twice per week, year round
• Nutrient Levels
• High P levels in close fields
• Low P levels in distant fields

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Manure Management

• GOALS
• Utilize available nutrients on proper fields
• New 6-month storage capacity
• Built by October 2008

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Manure Management
New Manure Storage

• Proposed Manure Storage
• 1000-cows _at_ 500 per cow
• 500,000 initial investment

Current Manure Storage
Newer Freestall
Post-wean calves
Wet calves
Parlor
Freestall
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Transition Dry Cow Pens

• Current facilities
• Maternity pen
• Not large enough for current herd size at 80
  stocking density

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Transition Dry Cow Pens
New Manure Storage
Manure Storage
Feed Storage
Newer Freestall
Post-wean calves
Wet calves
Parlor
Pen 9
Dry Cows
Freestall
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Transition Dry Cow Pens
Pen 9 Retrofit
Freestalls for bred heifers
Freestalls for bred heifers
To parlor
Freestalls for bred heifers
Maternity Pen (bedded pack)
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Proposed Dry Cow Barn
47 Stalls _at_ 52
40 Stalls _at_ 52
40 Stalls _at_ 52
204
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Transition and Dry Cow Pens

• Partial Budget
• Extra Costs
• Retrofitting Freestall/Maternity Pen 9
• 1,600 x 80 cows 128,000
• Proposed Dry Cow facility
• 1,700 x 127 cows 215,900
• Additional milking cows in pen 5
• 25 cows x 80/day x 365 days 730,000
• 15/cwt 109,500
• 17/cwt 124,000
• 4.83/cwt feed cost x 7,300 35,280

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Transition Dry Cow Pens

• Influx of freshening heifers this fall
• Goal of 8o stocking density in transition cow
  pens
• Miscalculated max cap of original facilities
• Additional income through decreased metabolic
  cases and milk loss

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Additional Opportunities

• Forages
• Moisture
• Length of Cut
• Butyric

• Calves
• Free Choice Water
• Less overcrowding
• Clean feed bunks

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Questions?

• Thank you for your time!