Manure The Whole Story
If ever there was valuable management data right under your nose; its manure! One of my grave concerns for the dairy industry is the loss of ‘trade skills’: the art of the dairyman, as technology replaces the eye of the dairyman. It is blatantly obvious in many other trades today.
Manure is the window of the rumen. The cow is little more than a rumen with supplementary supports to enable the rumen to digest fibre, carbohydrates and proteins that monogastrics like us, and a multitude of animals, cannot digest. Our cow converts these indigestible nutrients into simple carbohydrates and proteins to nourish the world. Obviously, how effective that rumen functions has marked impact on feed conversion efficiency, and cow health: hence the gentle art of manure-ology.
Every dairyperson knows what good manure looks like – 50 to 60 mm high, 200 mm wide with a dimple in the centre. This is indicating excellent rumen function which translates to high feed conversion efficiency and a healthy rumen/healthy cow; and the two are never separate. The problem I see all too often, is when manure does not fit this description, little is done to fix the problem!
There are three factors affecting digestive efficiency; and then cow health:
- Digestibility of forages. Mature forage is high in lignin which is indigestible and will produce very stiff/dry manure. It will be in the digestive tract a long time reducing rate of passage of feed, and in turn, lower milk production from reduced feed intake. The longer feed is in the digestive tract the drier it will be.
- Degree of grain milling. Manure containing grain is a very costly issue. There can be two causes – a) unmilled and indigestible, b) over-milled and acidosis causing rapid rate of passage of feed through the digestive tract. This one is even more costly as manure will contain undigested fibre too.
- The balance between adequate effective fibre.
For the enthusiast; rinsing manure through a sieve will certainly reveal what feeds are passing through undigested. It is always a juggling act to establish a good balance between effective fibre and rapidly digested feeds (lush pasture & grain). The manure texture and consistency give a rapid test result by simple observation and opportunity to address the issue.
Yeast culture is widely used and recommended in Northern Hemisphere dairy nutrition. In trial work we did with yeast culture (Rumen Calm) several years ago, in cows with good manure structure, fibre digestion was increased by 8%. Starch digestion improved by 25% (and this is your grain). In cows with loose manure the crude fibre and starch content of their manure was 80% higher than cows with good manure structure. After the addition of yeast culture (Rumen Calm) there was a 54% reduction in crude fibre and a 57% reduction of starch in manure in these loose cows. Quite obviously the feed cost/lt of milk was reduced dramatically with the addition of yeast culture (Rumen Calm) through improved digestion/feed conversion efficiency.
All Dairytech Nutrition premixes contain Rumen Calm for rumen health/feed conversion efficiency.
RUMEN CALM Production and Fertility
Rumen Calm is a patented combination of dried yeast culture and a natural plant extract that reduces milk urea nitrogen (MUN) by minimising excess ammonia accumulation in the rumen. We have receiving very positive feed-back on fertility outcomes from Rumen Calm users. Strong heat activity, high submission rates, and significantly reduced return-to-service numbers. Farms that I work with on a monthly basis have noticeably higher Milk Protein percentages, and of course, dramatically changed manure to very structured pats and a major reduction in loose manure from high rumen ammonia/MUN .
WHOLE OF LACTATION BENEFITS
At the time we released Rumen Calm on the Australian dairy market there was an instant attraction to the fertility aspect. However, many of the implications of Rumen Calm reducing MUN (Milk Urea Nitrogen) have milk production benefits too. In our trial work, an untreated herd (control herd) recorded high MUN readings right through summer, despite very little pasture. The contributors were; summer crops (turnips etc.) and non-protein nitrogen (NPN) from silage. Silage has higher NPN than the pasture it was made from due to protein degradation during fermentation. The poorer the fermentation the higher the NPN; and of course, the lower true protein in silage against the pasture it was made from.
FERTILITY
The fertility gains are derived from several impacts created by Rumen Calm. 2) Energy saved from dramatically reduced rumen ammonia. 2) Lowered BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) improving uterine pH to more conducive levels for conception and holding of pregnancy. The reduction in conception rates from MUN readings of 19, is 38%. (Elrod, Butler et al, JAS 1993). Trial work in SW Vic certainly confirmed this.
THE ENERGY EQUATION
These typical summer/autumn MUN readings of 22 mg/dl were not much lower than late winter readings of 24 mg/dl to 26 mg/dl. Bear in mind, a reading of 12 mg/dl is considered neutral – no energy cost. Mike Hutjens, Professor Emeritus, Dairy Science, University of Illinios USA, is quoted as stating an MUN reading of 20 has an energy cost in disposing of surplus rumen ammonia equivalent to 3 litres of milk! As above, we’ve seen higher MP%’s and litres from Rumen Calm inclusion in grain mixes. Starch in manure decreased 25% with Rumen Calm.
THE PROTEIN DILEMA
We go from extreme crude protein (total nitrogen content of feeds – mostly rumen degradable protein) highs in autumn/winter/spring grazing, to very low ration crude protein in summer, to the extent of energy being utilized to synthesise protein by rumen bacteria simply to meet the cow’s need for protein. The end result is energy lost to milk production, inadequate protein for milk production and especially that protein deficiency’s impact on dry matter intake – appetite. No wonder milk production plummets post-Christmas just as milk price starts rising!
Rumen Calm, in a 20 kg DM feed intake, can increase microbial protein equivalent to 0.5 kgs of high quality protein supplement (e.g., canola meal) per day. Rumen Calm’s basic ingredients both contribute to colonisation and maintenance of a homeostatic rumen bacteria population optimising feed utilization, gut health, immune function and overall animal performance.
FIBRE DIGESTION
The yeast content of Rumen Calm nourishes rumen bacteria increasing beneficial populations. The natural plant extract in Rumen Calm further enhances the rumen microbial environment, both contributing to increased fibre digestion/feed conversion efficiency. Trial work showed a 8% reduction in undigested fibre in manure, and milk responses related to DM intakes.
THE ENVIRONMENT
The natural plant extract in Rumen Calm is not broken down in the rumen. It passes out via manure and continues working on microbes present in the fermentation biomass of waste systems. Undigested nutrient in effluent dams is utilised by conversion to plant available nutrient, and the formation of noxious gases is minimised. Further, ammonia smell so common in dairies during milking is virtually eliminated; an OH&S issue. Both are positive environmental outcomes which soon will be a regulatory matter on dairy farms.
SUMMARY
Rumen Calm has whole of lactation benefits to energy utilization for milk production, not just costly rumen ammonia mitigation; improved feed conversion to milk dollars through healthier gut environment and increased beneficial rumen microflora populations, especially lactic acid utilizing bacteria reducing acidosis cost to feed conversion and cow health.
Rumen Calm is a registered trade mark of Dairytech Nutrition
Innovation Patent – IP Australia. ©
For information and supply of Rumen Calm call Dairytech Nutrition 0400 991 814
