Long View Farms

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Long View Farms
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Producers Goals

• Increase Cash Flow
• Top 25 of Western Dairy Producers in
  Profitability

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Positive Aspects

• High production
• Excellent facility design
• Optimal cow comfort

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Milking Management
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Areas Which Are Doing Well

• Production Rolling herd average is 23,100, with
  21,500 from first-calf heifers.
• Incidence of clinical mastitis is low.
• Parlor Efficiency the current average of 350
  cows/hour means that he is getting over 4
  turns/hour.

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Areas Which Can Use Improvement

• Somatic Cell Count
• A recent increase in SCC, from 220,000 in October
  2001 to 340,000 in January 2002.
• Use of diagnostic tests (CMT, Blue Dot)
• Evaluation of mastitis types
• Retrain employees
• On a routine basis
• Efficiency, thoroughness, shortcuts!!

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Milk Quality and Profitability

• Lowering SCC improves profitability
• Milk premiums may go up because he has better
  quality milk.
• Overall udder health will improve, yielding more
  milk and less clinical mastitis.

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Areas Which Can Use Improvement

• Long View Farms Goal for parlor efficiency
• 400 cows/hour
• Solutions
• Expansion of current parlor to its maximum
  double 40.
• This will require more cash flow to pay for the
  expansion.

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Areas Which Can Use Improvement Cont.

• Solution 2
• Remain using his double 36 and try to push cows
  through faster.
• Drawbacks
• This could lead to more shortcuts taken by
  milkers.
• The incidence of mastitis and SCC may increase.
• There may be even more labor problems.

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Recommendations

• Focus on lowering SCC
• Retrain milkers
• Not changing current parlor efficiency
• Expansion to double 40 when cash flow is adequate

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Reproductive Management
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Relationship between Reproduction and Profit

• Reproductive efficiency closely correlates to
  profitability
• Great possibility for profit potential lies
  within reproductive factors on this farm

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Reproductive factors to be improved

• Services per conception (3.2)
• Conception rate (32)
• Percent of herd AI bred (70)

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Services Per Conception

• Currently at 3.2 with professional technician
• Negatively effects days open and profitability
• Decreasing to 2 S/C decreases cost 105/cow
• (includes days open, labor and semen)
• Possible potential gain of 294,000/year

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Services Per Conception Cont.

• Areas of Improvement
• Evaluating and retraining AI technician !
• Implementing a more extensive/aggressive
  systematic breeding program

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Conception Rate

• Currently 32
• HD 61 PR 19
• Improvements should be made in the areas of
• AI technician
• Transition/fresh cow care and health
• Affects services/conception, days open,
  profitability

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Use of AI

• Currently at 70
• Ultimate goal is 100 AI bred
• Genetic improvement greatly reduced with bulls
• Cost/hassle associated with bulls
• As services per conception improves, bulls will
  be eliminated

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Nutrition Management
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Nutrition

• Excellent Feeding Program
• Low Feed Cost
• 3.80/day/cow
• Dry Matter Intake
• Matches the current
• production level

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Two Philosophies of Feeding

• 1) Always provide plenty of feed
• 5 Refusals
• Ensures that cattle can always eat
• Wastes costly feedstuff

• 2) Feed Just above the Animals requirements
• 1-2 Refusals
• COT LE
• Ensures intake of whole ration
• Discourages sorting
• Requires more management

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Estimated Savings

• 100,000 per/year savings
• Decrease from 5 to1
• Decrease in metabolic problems in early
  lactation due to feeding the dry cow a more
  favorable ration

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Labor Management

• Concerns about employee turnover
• Training new employees costs time and money
• No return on investment
• Labor disputes
• Consult with Agricultural Human Resources Service

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Conclusion