Operators To OWNERS

Welcome back OTO'ers!  Today, I have a special episode journey as I begin to develop a completely new talk for Operators to Owners which I will be presenting at AABP in 2020!

In today's preview I'm going to focus on our strategy for developing good quality prospects; either through home grown talent or how you land ideal prospect by creating your own "Field of Dreams."

I will also discuss how you can also improve your associate pool through 3 techniques that provide them quality mentorship, integrate them into the team and how you can help them grow.  Each of these techniques will help you with associate retention and development.

The lesson will conclude with the golden rule, "Treat others how you would like to be treated," and how it applies to employee development.

Tune in today to learn more!

Carry on OTO'ers!

Find a complete typed summary at otovets.com/cuttingedge

Find the full article at https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(11)00025-7/fulltext

The use of plastic cover sheaths at the time of artificial insemination improved fertility of lactating dairy cows

Revisiting a technology and technique developed in the 80’s with a new research model.

Published by: S. Bas, A. Hoet, P. Rajala-Schultz, D. Sanders, G.M. Schuenemann

Objective: To to evaluate the effectiveness of using protective plastic sheaths (PS) to minimize contamination of the AI catheter (AIC) on pregnancies per AI (PAI) in lactating dairy cattle.

Hypothesis: The hypothesis of this study was that the use of protective PS (clean AI technique) would minimize vaginal contamination of the AIC and improve PAI in lactating dairy cows.

Location:  Unknown April – June 2009

Methods: Lactating cows housed in freestall barns on a commercial dairy farm were presynchronized with 2 injections of PGF2α given 14 d apart (starting at 26 ± 3 d postpartum) followed by Ovsynch (GnRH-7 d-PGF2α-56 h-GnRH-16 h-timed-AI; TAI) 12 d later. Cows presenting signs of standing heat any time during the protocol received AI, whereas the remaining animals were subjected to TAI 16 h after second Ovsynch GnRH. At the time of AI (1 AI technician), 996 services from 773 lactating dairy cows were randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 groups; with (TRT, n = 487) or without (CON, n = 509) the use of disposable PS. In the TRT group, the AIC protected with a PS was introduced into the vagina; once in the cranial portion of the vagina adjacent to the cervical os, the PS was pulled back and only the AIC was manipulated through the cervix into the uterine body for semen deposition. In the CON group, cows were inseminated without the use of PS. Samples were taken with a sterile cotton swab from the tip of the AIC (n = 51) after AI from both treatment groups. Pregnancy diagnosis was determined by ultrasonography 39 ± 3 d after AI.

Outcomes: Cultured swab samples revealed that the use of PS was effective in minimizing contamination of the AIC (positive bacterial growth: TRT = 61.53% vs. CON = 100%). Overall, the proportion of cows pregnant was greater for cows in TRT (42.7) compared with the CON group (36.1). For first services postpartum, PAI did not differ between CON (43.01%, n = 194) and TRT (43.8%, n = 182) groups. However, PAI for second or greater services were greater in TRT (43.8%, n = 305) than in CON cows (32.3%, n = 315). Results from this study provided evidence that the use of PS during AI improved PAI for second or greater services in lactating dairy cows. Performing a clean AI technique through the use of PS may be an effective strategy to improve reproductive outcomes in dairy cattle.

Link (Affiliate) to Think and Grow Rich: https://amzn.to/37eCqpJ

In today's Thoughts from the Truck episode I introduce the concept of an "Active Resume."  An Active Resume is my modern take on a CV or Resume.  It is meant to provide the user with a competitive advantage when applying for their ideal job.  If you choose to use the Active Resume you will also learn key skills about business development and taking initiative that will naturally make you more employable.  

Today I will cover the 7 key steps to creating an Active Resume and how they will improve the strength of your interview pitch.  Learn how:

So tune in today OTO'ers!

Find a complete typed summary at otovets.com/cuttingedge or the full article at https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(19)30507-7/fulltext.

Title: Economic comparison of systemic antimicrobial therapies for metritis in dairy cows

Published by F.S. Lima, A. Vieira-Neto, J.A. Snodgrass, A. De Vries, J.E.P. Santos

Objective: To first determine cost of metritis for 2 antimicrobial treatments using a herd budget that includes costs associated with incidence of concurrent diseases, milk production and reproduction losses, and removal from the herd and second to apply sensitivity analysis to determine the cost of different scenarios

Hypothesis: The hypothesis of this study was that metritis is costly and that choice of antimicrobial therapy would not influence the cost of the disease despite differences in price and milk withhold.

Location:  Florida, Oct 2012 - Jan 2013

Methods: Cows with metritis from a previous study assigned randomly to receive ampicillin (AMP, n = 259), an antimicrobial that requires milk withhold, or ceftiofur (CEFT, n = 269), an antimicrobial with no milk withhold, were used for the economic analysis. A group of cows with no metritis (NOMET, n = 268), matched by parity and calving day, served as the baseline for comparison. The incidence of other diseases in the first 60 d postpartum, culling and death, reproductive performance, discarded milk, milk yield, total milk sold per cow, and residual cow value were used as responses. The economic analysis considered the costs associated with therapy, reproductive management, discarded milk, estimated DM consumed, income from saleable milk, and the residual cow value at 300 d postpartum or earlier if the cow was removed from the herd. Sensitivity analyses were performed considering 3 scenarios for milk and feed prices.

Outcomes: The incidence of diseases other than metritis (NOMET, 30.4%; AMP, 45.4%; CEFT, 34.0%) and days in the hospital (NOMET, 2.7 d; AMP, 8.6 d; CEFT, 3.5 d) were greater for cows treated with AMP than CEFT. Treatment did not affect the risk of leaving the herd (NOMET, 15.5%; AMP, 15.0%; CEFT, 19.1%). The 21-d pregnancy rate was lower for cows with metritis but did not differ between AMP and CEFT (NOMET, 24.9%; AMP, 18.9%; CEFT, 17.0%). Milk yield was greater for cows without metritis than those with metritis and greater for AMP than CEFT (NOMET, 33.7 kg/d; AMP, 32.5 kg/d; CEFT, 31.2 kg/d). Cost of metritis did not differ with choice of therapy, but it increased as milk price increased. When both milk and feed prices were the average values considered ($0.44/kg and $0.26/kg, respectively), the costs of a case of metritis for AMP and CEFT were, respectively, $344 and $410 when milk was discarded and $267 and $406 when milk was fed to calves. Cost of therapy for AMP and CEFT represented 16.6 and 24.6% of the total cost of metritis when milk was discarded and 21.5 and 24.8% of the total cost of metritis when milk was fed to calves. The largest component of cost of metritis for both therapies was the reduced income from milk minus feed cost, ranging from 40.0 to 56.7%.

Controlling bovine leukemia virus in dairy herds by identifying and removing cows with the highest proviral load and lymphocyte counts

A pilot intervention trial revisiting the concept of selective culling and segregation for BLV positive cattle in an effort to reduce BLV transmission.

Published by Ruggiero, B. Norby, O.J. Benitez, H. Hutchinson, K.R.B. Sporer, C. Droscha, C.L. Swenson, P.C. Bartlett

Objective: To reduce bovine leukemia virus (BLV) transmission and prevalence in commercial dairy herds using proviral load (PVL) and lymphocyte count (LC) measurements as indicators of the most infectious animals for culling or segregation.

Hypothesis: They hypothesized that BLV within-herd transmission and prevalence could be reduced by identifying and removing (culling or segregation) ELISA-positive cows with the highest PVL and LC.

Location:  Michigan and Wisconsin

Methods: Milk or blood samples from adult cows in our 3 Midwestern dairy farm field trials were tested semiannually with ELISA for BLV antibodies, and ELISA-positive cattle were then retested using a blood LC and a quantitative PCR test for PVL to identify the animals presumed to be most infectious. Herd managers were encouraged to consider PVL and LC status when making cull decisions, and to segregate cows with the highest PVL and LC from their BLV ELISA-negative herd mates where possible.

Outcomes: After 2 to 2.5 yr of this intervention, the incidence risk of new infections decreased in all 3 herds combined, from 13.8 to 2.2, and the overall herd prevalence decreased in all 3 herds combined from 62.0 to 20.7%, suggesting that this approach can efficiently reduce BLV transmission as well as prevalence. This is encouraging, because a very low prevalence of BLV infection would make it economically feasible to cull the remaining ELISA-positive cattle, as was achieved in national eradication programs in other countries decades ago.

Welcome back OTO'ers!

Today I'm going to wrap up goal setting January.  But before I do I want to lead you through how exactly you can follow through on at least one of the big goals I presented last week in episode 29.  

For this reason, in today's episode, I have made up a blueprint for how to setup a successful client education event. 

Today you will learn:

#1 The advantage public speaking can give you over your competition.

#2 What a Knowledge Broker is and how you can become one and use this position to add value to your clients.

#3 How to set up an ideal speaking event by leveraging Russel Brunson's Perfect Webinar Script.

#4 How I currently run my marketing so I can create buz and excitement around our client educational events.

#5 What to look for in a speaking site and what the best times are to host an event.

So stay tuned OTO'ers for another special episode!

Meloxicam administration either prior to or after parturition: Effects on behavior, health, and production in dairy cows

First study to examine the effect of meloxicam administration before calving on behavior, health and production in dairy cattle.

Published by Swartz, Schramm, Bewley, Wood, Leslie, Petersson-Wolfe

Objective: To test the effect of the administration of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (meloxicam) on the behavior, health, and production of peripartum cows.

Hypothesis: The administration of meloxicam before calving would increase activity measures and milk more so than postcalving administration, and that both treatment groups would be more active on the days following calving, display fewer lying bouts on the day of calving, and produce more milk than controls. They also hypothesized that NSAID-treated dystocic cows would be more responsive to treatment than NSAID-treated eutocic cows.

Location:  Blacksburg, Virginia

Methods: Meloxicam was dosed at 1 mg/kg of body weight, and an empty gel capsule served as a placebo. Both were administered orally with a balling gun. Dairy cows and heifers were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: (1) meloxicam administration before calving, with a placebo administered after calving (MEL-PRE, n = 60), (2) placebo administered before calving, and meloxicam administered after calving (MEL-POST, n = 69), and (3) a placebo administered before calving and after calving (CTL, n = 65). To identify imminent calving events, a vaginal thermometer was inserted approximately 2 wk before the expected calving date and a drop in temperature was used to identify cows close to calving. Calving events were monitored via video cameras, and the amount of time that elapsed between the appearance of the amniotic sac at the vulva until delivery of the calf was used to determine calving difficulty score. Eutocic calving events were defined as cows that calved in ≤70 min, and dystocia was defined as cows that took longer than 70 min to calve. Milk yield and components were measured for the first 15 wk of lactation and accelerometers were used to record activity and lying behaviors.

Outcomes: Regardless of the time of administration, dystocic cattle that received meloxicam were less active than dystocic CTL. Dystocic animals displayed more lying bouts on the day of calving and then displayed fewer lying bouts and were less active during the days following calving. No effect of treatment was noted on any health outcomes. Eutocic MEL-PRE animals produced 6.8 kg/d more milk than eutocic CTL.

Struggling to find goals for yourself or your practice in 2020?  

Today I'm going to share my idea for 3 goals that will have a significant in your practice in 2020.

#1 Learn Marketing

#2 Develop, Redesign or Learn 1 New Service or Skill

#3 Client Education and Value Adding

Checkout today's episode for some sweet value!

You can find a complete summary and link to this episodes research article at otovets.com/cuttingedge! 

Study Title: A new method of administering local anesthesia for calf disbudding: Findings from a comparative on-farm study in New Zealand 

Authors: Bates, Sutherland, Chapple, Dowling, Johnson, Saldias and Singh 

Objective: Describe and analyze efficacy of an alternative method for local anesthesia administration that uses local site infiltration of anesthetic over the horn bud. This study assessed differences between disbudding using the cornual nerve block and disbudding with local anesthesia administered by local site infiltration. 

Hypothesis: There would be no difference in the behavioral signs of pain and discomfort during disbudding and in the 3 h afterward and no difference in the lying and standing times in the 24 h after disbudding between calves disbudded under a cornual block and calves disbudded under the local infiltration block. 

Location:  New Zealand 

Methods: We describe an alternative method of local anesthesia administration that uses local site infiltration of anesthetic over the horn bud. However, this method has not yet been scientifically validated. This study assessed differences between disbudding using the cornual nerve block and disbudding with local anesthesia administered by local site infiltration. Efficacy of local anesthesia was assessed at 30-s intervals after administration by absence of reaction to 3 consecutive needle pricks over the horn buds. Behavior indicating pain was assessed during disbudding and scored from 0 to 3. Calf behavior was also recorded for 3 h after disbudding. Accelerometer data loggers were fitted to each calf for 24 h before and after disbudding to assess lying and standing times. 

For more information about this research or it's results as well as other Cutting Edge episodes please visit the OTO website at otovets.com/cuttingedge or enjoy the relevant podcast episode at otovets.com/podcast!