Making use of technology the practical way - improvements in lifespan, health and welfare of grazing dairy cows 

As part of the EU Nefertiti project focusing on the benefits of on farm demonstrations, we recently organised a farm walk at Northleaze farm in Highworth, Wiltshire. Kindly hosted by Robert and David Mallett – 2020 dairy farmers of the year - they demonstrated the benefits of a range of technologies for their business, herd management, cow health and productivity. We had a diverse audience of ~25 people ranging from scientists, farmers, policy makers, farm assurance and vets. 

Robert and son David kicked off by explaining what technology they use to manage their 230 strong Autumn-block, grazing dairy herd, with impressive results in cow lifespan, health and welfare. They’ve been utilising genomic tested bulls since they have been available, and they precisely manage grass growth through fastidious use of plate meters and the grazing platform software AgriNet - with an interest in the application of satellite imagery if some of the technical difficulties related to cloud cover can be resolved! A less common piece of tech present on Northleaze farm are CowManager ear tags, which are sensors that monitor cow behaviour and detect health problems before they worsen and jeopardise a cow’s productivity.  

As well as being a high yielding grazing dairy farm, Northleaze also rear and finish beef cattle from the non-replacement calves from the dairy herd. This enterprise was in response to the challenge of TB restrictions and adds another income stream to the business. As part of their intensively finished beef system, electronic ID ear tags (EIDs) and an integrated weighing and handling system are key management tools and make use of the free cloud-based app Breedr for collecting and recording weights and growth rates.   

 Cow Manager Ear tags 

Robert described how the CowManager ear tags contain accelerometers that move in response to the cows’ movement and give a specific pattern depending on what she is doing (i.e., eating, rumination laying, bulling etc.). This produces data about that cow’s normal movement across the day,  any deviation from her normal ‘healthy’ behaviour sends alerts to Rob’s phone indicating she may be laying more or eating less etc indicating an issue such as mastitis, often before a trained stockperson would pick it up. This provides health and production information for informed decision making and herd management. Furthermore, Rob can observe the cow’s behaviour, feeding patterns, and rumination even when a stockperson is absent. Rob uses this information to intervene early if a cow goes off her feed, usually with fluids, yeast and energy supplements,  and often pain relief. Northleaze farm has well below the average antibiotic use as a result – 7-8mg/PCU. Keeping the cow eating, especially during the period close to calving is critical for avoiding early lactation diseases. Rob has also noted that a cow’s temperature drops when she is sick, rather than increasing, which is another feature of CowManager.  

Although buying the CowManager ear tags and infrastructure was initially a cost to the farm business, the pay back Rob has seen has made it one of his best investment decisions. There is always the risk an ear tag device falls off and the battery life is about 5 years before a failure alert. The data produced can tell a farmer or vet a great deal about a cow’s performance and wellbeing throughout her lactation with early warnings in almost real time when she starts eating less or moving less. It is also great for monitoring response to treatments. However, it does take a bit of getting used to and interpreting what the data means. Something Robert explains with enthusiasm, and which he now uses as his sole heat detection method! 

Breeding and genomics 

Genomic technology is a crucial development in the breeding of animals. In the time Robert has been using genetic data of bulls to make breeding and culling decisions, there have been huge improvements in Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) based on health rather than looks.  

The farm started using genomics in 2011 and Robert rates it as his best bit of technology for cow health and welfare! Bull genomic selection allows farmers to compare milk production, health traits and longevity from their daughters. The benefits seen with multiple generations are less problems with   feet and udders, and better longevity and sustainability, so production over lifespan and FCRs. Daughters from genomic selected bulls can be healthier, produce more milk and are much more efficient. A key part of helping farming reach net zero! 

Another major breakthrough for dairy technology is sexed semen to produce only heifer calves and avoiding the need to find outlets for ‘unwanted’ bull calves, especially useful if shut down with TB. Less bull calves that are either unsuitable for beef production or are too low value to sell but often have to stay on farm, saves time, money and feed costs from rearing and improves the efficiency of the whole system. With industry shifting towards restriction of on farm euthanasia of healthy bull calves from consumer pressure, sexed semen is the best and only viable way to avoid rearing low value or slow finishing calves and potentially ending up with more welfare issues from too many animals on farm. 

Calf management  

Rob and David explained how the health and welfare of the calf in the first 24 hours is critical. Northleaze farm policy for newborn calves is to feed 3.5L of colostrum milk via a tube within 6 hours of birth, although Robert and David are confident they attend to newborn calves quicker than that most of the time. They frequently test the quality of the colostrum with a refractometer so they can prioritise the best quality for heifers but found most was in specification. Other farmers present shared that they allow nature to take its course and instead let calves suckle their dam and do not see any poor outcomes as a result. Newborn calves are kept in a well-ventilated shed in small groups and fed colostrum for a few days and then 10 litres per head of milk (powder) twice a day for the next five to seven days. Once they are happy they are feeding well, they are moved onto pasture in a newly set up outdoor system, which Robert and David established for the first time this season.  

 

They are then offered concentrate, reduced milk and have hay/straw adlib. Rob and David highlight the importance of the rearing stage, colostrum and ventilation to prevent pneumonia and scours. As evidence of their excellent management and attention to detail, they had no calf mortality this season and only treated 1 lame calf with antibiotics.  

Weaning 

Weaning of calves takes place at around the eight-week mark. Beef and dairy calves are given the same treatment throughout and run as similar aged mobs on grass. Coccidiostats are present in the concentrate feed and this was a topic of discussion as the build-up of cocci in the soil is a common and difficult problem to solve. There are different types of coccidiostats, and some are technically antibiotics like monesin and sulphonamides. Retailers like Waitrose are phasing the use of coccidiostats but there are as yet no concrete changes in EU or UK policy about monitoring usage of coccidiostats (like there is with antibiotics) and they are still classed as a feed additives rather than a therapeutic treatment when administered in feed.  

Cow health 

Rob described his transition cow management and how this is the high-risk period for disease and consequently treatments. It is good practice to feed a specific diet during this phase, including an acidified diet so the cow can mobilise her own calcium reserves and help prevent milk fevers. Rob highlighted factors to consider such as feed intake (heavily pregnant cows are more reluctant to eat) and rumination. Using the data from CowManager, Rob is alerted to cows that are not eating enough so may develop diseases in the critical 30 days post calving, such as RFM, ketosis or milk fever. Rob has very little incidence of these metabolic diseases because he is able to monitor his cows’ intakes so closely.  

Each morning during the calving season, Rob checks for calving cows as they calve outside and will also check urine pH. Cows in their fifth lactation + receive a calcium boluses and thin/fat or cows and those that are scanned for twins will also get a Kextone bolus, which is indicated for the prevention of milk fevers and ketosis.  

Grass management technology 

The humble plate meter and software programme AgriNet are Rob’s secret tech weapons when it comes to grazing management, which has to be spot on when feeding high yielding Holsteins producing over 11,000L of milk per year! He aims for ~25 plate meter readings per paddock and this can take time when you have many paddocks on a rotational grazing system but does help maintain quality of grazing. We were joined by a tech company developing drone solutions as a method of measuring grass growth and combining this with satellite imagery - it has yet to take off!  

We finished the farm walk with a local butcher BBQ lunch and a demonstration of the handling-weighing system for the beef cattle with David and Ian from Breedr showcasing how it worked. The day concluded with discussion about what is the most sustainable beef system, take home messages for participants and future focus areas for Northleaze farm in a changing world (see below). 

What is a sustainable beef system and how do we measure sustainability? 

  • Grass & Carbon Sequestration 
  • Least amount of Carbon emissions/smallest Carbon footprint 
  • Soil carbon from grazing 
  • Making food from limited land - what’s the impact on wider environment? 
  • Fattening systems – better than suckers as produce food quickly  
  • Consumer perception is not always aligned to science 
  • Growth rates at weaning – FCRs are sign of efficiency 

What impressed participants the most about Northleaze farm? 

  • Outdoor calves + calf system 
  • Use of data (transition cows) 
  • Duality (calves for beef and dairy) 
  • Attention to detail - profit view correlates with welfare 
  • Low antimicrobial use 
  • High standard 
  • Using everything the right way 
  • Use of data for the benefit of the system 
  • Adaptability 
  • Choice of genetic supplier 
  • Evidence-based decision-making 
  • Relevance of technology chosen 
  • Knowledge-intensive farming for better decisions 
  • Willingness to learn and change 
  • Continuous improvement 
  • Calf-cow-beef attention to detail all way 

What did participants think Northleaze farm could focus on next? 

  • Keep doing better each year, incremental improvement 
  • Investigate female genomics as well as bull genomics 
  • Explore issues of twins (litter size): genetics, age, yield 
  • Review Nitrogen use – how much do you use and when? Where can reductions be made? 
  • Trial mastitis tubes rather than injectable 
  • Work out cost-benefit of Cow manager + genomic testing + EID