Business Digest Highlights

• New products and services
• Industry news
• Organization news

New product and services

Lely North America launches Lely Quaress Omnia teat spray

Lely North America announced the launch of its Lely Quaress Omnia teat spray as part of the company’s aftermarket consumables line. This U.S.-only product is a teat spray designed for teat disinfection, protection and conditioning. The spray is a non-iodine concentrate that can be used in all milking systems. When utilized with the company’s robotic milking system, it is applied as a post-milking teat spray.

The spray has a high microbiocidal efficacy for improved udder health. The formula features a swift kill of 99.999% of mastitis-causing pathogens, including S. aureus, E. coli, Pseudomonas, S. dysgalactiae, S. agalactiae, S. uberis, K. pneumoniae and E. aerogenes. Unlike teat care products that contain iodine or chlorhexidine, Lely Quaress Omnia has no potential for adverse chemicals to become residuals in milk. This solution delivers a 15-second kill of wild strains of S. aureus that is three times faster than competitive iodine treatments.

The spray’s 8% conditioning blend of emollients is comprised of organic acids, including pelargonic acid, lactic acid and dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DDBSA). The natural components of this formula condition, exfoliate, hydrate and protect the udder for smooth, soft skin and overall improved cow welfare.

Visit Lely North America for more information.

Art’s Way 2100 Series forage box unloads like a fire hose

Art’s Way Manufacturing released the 2100 Series forage box. With a new design inspired by speed, capacity, longevity and operator control, the company’s engineers believe they have raised the bar in this product category. The forage box features and benefits are:

• Robust capacity: Choose from 16-, 18- or 20-foot box lengths which feature corrugated-steel sides ready to take on the acidic environment of forage harvest.
  
  
• 100% in-cab controls: With just one in-cab button, operators can switch from front unload to rear unload in an instant. The ability to stay in the cab at all times will help reduce fatigue, improve safety, avoid unfavorable weather and more.
  
  
• Fast unload: The steady hydraulic drive system brings a time-tested four-minute front unload or one-minute rear unload.
  
  
• No-fuss engineering for easier maintenance: The entire machine is made up of 90% streamlined components. That translates to a simple, low-maintenance forage box that just about anyone can service.
  
  
• All-around affordable: Common components across all model sizes and a simple design equate to reduced maintenance costs and fewer breakdowns for an overall more economical package.

Visit Art’s Way Manufacturing for more information.

HerdDogg launches long-range smart tags for livestock care

HerdDogg announced the availability of its long-range eartags for livestock, part of the company’s broader data collection and analysis platform that enables producers to monitor animal health and farm-to-fork traceability. The company’s DoggTags use Bluetooth 5 technology to capture sensor data within an active smart tag attached to the animal’s ear that reads at distances of 100 yards or more and delivers real-time alerts, animal location and health information.

The technology is a small, lightweight tag designed for easy installation on cattle, bison and other livestock. The TraceTag reports identification and location and lasts up to five years, while the WelfareTag tracks animal biometrics and lasts up to two years. Both tags have LEDs that can be turned on directly from any smartphone.

The portable tag reader, the DoggBone, is a Bluetooth-to-cellular bridge engineered for remote monitoring of livestock and can read tags at a distance of 100 yards or more. Sensor data is stored and forwarded from the hardware into the company’s platform, which supports both mobile and web users. Animal data is transmitted in real time, and producers can augment animal records with their own insights and reporting.

This platform enables automated data capture and analytics at an individual animal level, which reduces animal handling and improves accuracy. Leveraging Bluetooth 5, the technology is offered at a far lower out-of-pocket cost to producers. The datasets it delivers can be easily shared with livestock buyers.

Visit HerdDogg for more information.

Industry news

Waikato Milking Systems, Nedap announce partnership and new herd management technology

Waikato Milking Systems and Nedap have formed a new partnership and announce the launch of two new products. Waikato Milking Systems introduces its new cow monitoring system, CowTraQ, and its new TracHQ automation platform, both of which will be powered by Nedap.

Dairy farmers save time and labor and use the information generated by the technology to improve farm management at the tactical and strategic levels.

The system and platform offer dairy farmers advantages, including:

• Transforming cow data into real-time and relevant alerts, to-do lists, reports and barn maps to help manage and control the herd. A single collar combines animal identification, heat detection, health monitoring, herd performance trends and cow locating to improve herd performance and offer producers peace of mind.
  
  
• Seamless integration with other Waikato Milking Systems automation systems, herd management programs and software tools.
  
  
• Dependable technology proven across wide-ranging environmental conditions and farm management systems.
  
  
• A research and development team continually cultivating new tools including augmented reality.

Visit Waikato Milking Systems or Nedap-Livestock Management to learn more.

Form-A-Feed has a milk drive with TMR Stabilizer

Milk is one of the most requested but least donated items at America’s food banks. For every TMR Stabilizer purchase through June 15, Form-A-Feed will donate to the Great American Milk Drive.

The stabilizer helps reduce negative impacts of heat in your TMR and minimizes reduced feed intake during summer weather. It is a blend of four organic acids formulated to control fungal and secondary microbial growth and extend life of TMRs.

Contact your company representative for more information.

Organization news

New resources can help youth stay safe in agriculture

The beginning of another growing season and the end of school means many children and young adults will soon play a more active role in their family farms or as hired help.

Balanced against the positives of children doing farm work, there are serious risks. During the past decade, more youth have died working in agriculture than all other industries combined.

Three new safety resource booklets – covering farm equipment operation, working with animals and gardening – provide guidelines that can help adults assign age- and ability-appropriate tasks to young people.

The guidelines are pulled from the Agricultural Youth Work Guidelines, developed by the National Children’s Center and covering more than 50 commonly performed tasks. Each guideline contains details about common hazards, important protective strategies and the roles adults play in ensuring a safe work environment.

The booklets explain how to use the guidelines and provide important supplemental information on supervision, child development, communication and regulations.

All three booklets will soon be available in Spanish and French. To request a print copy, email National Children's Center with your name and shipping information. Visit Cultivate Safety - work guideline booklets for more information.

New U.S. dairy genetic website launched

The National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) announces the launch of a new website – USA Cattle Genetics – established from an industry-wide group effort to provide a one-stop shop for comprehensive information on U.S. dairy genetics, data collection and animal identification.

The new website extends across the U.S. dairy system to answer common questions such as:

• What is the information on a U.S. semen straw?
• How do I genomic test my animal and request a U.S. evaluation?
• What is the NAAB dairy cross reference database?
• What is a PTA/EBV/STA?
• What is the difference between USA and 840 as country codes?
• What are the published haplotypes and recessives per breed?

As U.S. dairy genetics continue to evolve, the website will be updated to provide the neutral information for producers worldwide to utilize U.S. dairy genetics. Questions and feedback may be sent to Info at USA Cattle Genetics

Young Dairy Leaders Institute accepting applications for Class 12

The Holstein Foundation reintroduced the Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI) after a year hiatus with a new location and refreshed agenda. Applications for YDLI Class 12 are due Aug. 1.

If selected as a YDLI class member, participants will need to invest the time required to complete projects. Class members pay a registration fee and their travel and hotel costs. Some scholarships are available for full-time dairy producers who apply. The majority of the program is funded by the Holstein Foundation, thanks to several generous sponsors.

Visit Holstein Foundation to learn more. With questions, contact Jodi Hoynoski. 

Longtime World Dairy Expo Holstein superintendent named Honorary Klussendorf recipient

Ken Elliott of Marshall, Wisconsin became the 18th recipient of the Honorary Klussendorf Award on April 30 during the Midwest National Spring Jersey and Red & White Shows held in Jefferson, Wisconsin. Considered the highest recognition bestowed on a dairy cattle showman in the U.S., the Honorary Klussendorf Award mirrors the attributes of the Klussendorf Award and is presented in special recognition of a recipient’s involvement in the purebred dairy industry.

For the past two decades, Elliott has served as superintendent of the International Holstein Show at World Dairy Expo (WDE) and eight years as WDE assistant overall superintendent. Elliott’s tenure as an expo leader includes working with prominent dairymen such as W. Terry Howard, Bob Kaiser, Jim Crowley Jr., and Dave Bollig.

A 1978 graduate from the University of Guelph and its Ridgetown College, Elliott got his start working for Paperman Farm in nearby Woodstock, Ontario, Canada and then Doug Wingrove’s Allangrove Farm in rural Guelph. Next, the young Canadian headed stateside to California’s Pacific Coast where he worked for Marvin Nunes at Ocean View Farms, Windsor, California. Elliott and his wife, Kathy, eventually moved their young family to their own farm in Wisconsin.

As a farmer and breeder, Elliott excelled in his role as Holstein superintendent at WDE. His connections with exhibitors spread across North America make him an asset to WDE and throughout the stalling process at the annual event.

Visit World Dairy Expo for more information.

Penn State ‘Dairy Idea Plans’ feature automated milking systems

Penn State Extension is offering three new “Dairy Idea Plans” intended to give dairy producers and industry professionals fundamentally sound and functional layouts for dairy housing systems and components.

The plans feature design principles of cow comfort in resting areas, natural ventilation, and feeding and watering areas, according to Dan McFarland, extension agricultural engineer. They have been developed for dairy housing systems that use fully automatic milking, he noted.

Automated milking systems continue to be popular on dairy farms in the U.S. and around the world, McFarland pointed out. But many design considerations – including ventilation, stall size and arrangement, and feeding and watering areas – are similar, whether cows are milked in an automated milking system or a parlor.

There is no single barn design that will suit all dairy farms and dairy producers, McFarland explained. This new series of “Dairy Idea Plans” is intended to help dairy producers, agricultural engineers, contractors and others involved in design and construction of automated milking system dairy facilities consider alternative system features and layouts that work best for each dairy’s individual goals and management style.

The “Dairy Idea Plans” using automatic milking systems were developed by a Penn State Extension team that includes McFarland, agricultural engineer John Tyson and dairy educator Mat Haan. The team currently is developing more plans that will feature different milking herd sizes and building layouts.

Visit Automatic milking system (ams) layouts to access the new plans.

Also available on the website are plans under the headings of “Calf and Heifer Housing,” “Building Component Details,” “Tie Stall Barns,” “Freestall Shelters, Layout and Farmsteads,” “Special Cow Facilities” and “Historical Plans.”

For more information, email McFarland.