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The Citizen, 2000-03-29, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2000. Farmers warned of safety issues By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff Alarmed over the number of chemical accidents which had occurred over the past four months, John Root stressed the need for pre­ vention at a dairy producer manage­ ment seminar in Brussels, March 22. Noting that farm chemicals are industrial strength he stressed the need to wear safety equipment when handling them. Eyeglasses are most important, but gloves and aprons would also be worn to prevent skin bums. Keep containers closed and sealed when moving, Root said. “Even a bleed hole can be a problem. One lit­ tle drop can cause permanent dam­ age.” He explained the danger of mixing acid and chlorinated products. This produces a chlorine gas which bums the lungs. “It bums stainless steel. If it can do that imagine what it can do to the lungs.” If the two are accidentally mixed. Root stressed quick action. Ventilate the room and get out, he said. “Don’t try to tough it out.” If chemicals come in contact with the skin, rinse with cold water for 15 minutes. “Not 14 1/2,” he empha­ sized. “The longer the better.” Alkaline products attach to the skin and continue to work until they are rinsed away. Hot water increases the chemical action. If they get in eyes, “flush, flush and flush some more,” he said. He told the farmers to consider having a commercial eyewash station and shower. And always go to the doctor. “Don’t wait and see if it hurts.” Trying to neutralize an alkaline product with acid will only create heat and do further damage, he cau­ Bactoscan, topic at dairy seminar By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff Dairy producers heard some caus­ es and solutions to high bactoscan readings at a seminar in Brussels last Wednesday. Greg Jansen, a senior sanitation specialist at A&L Laboratories in Minneapolis, spoke at the day-long session which was sponsored by Brussels Agri-Services, Master­ feeds, 21st Century Dairy Equipment and Bou-Matic at the Legion. Jansen said that for some time quality milk and the Ontario dairy industry had been pretty much syn­ onymous. “But lately, a few storm clouds are on the horizon,” he said. The latest is bactoscan, an electron­ ic method of counting bacteria in milk that allows for fast results. From it, said Jansen, there has been “a rash of high bacteria counts. Enforcement will be tighter.” Jansen explained that the machine counts each ceil and there are types of bacteria which don’t show up on a loop plate. “It detects problems not previously seen,” he said. Bacteria grows in clusters or strings. When they grow there are small colonies which actually repre­ sent one of the groups. “So what shows as one will be six in a bac­ toscan.” Jansen said that bacteria is sepa­ rated by temperature. Psychrophillic bacteria, which like cold tempera­ tioned. “Acids have varying degrees of corrosiveness. Fortunately, they can be rinsed away and neutralized easi­ ly-” One of the biggest concerns is children, said Root. He said that in just a few months there had been six reports where children had drank chlorinated liquid. Five out of six were not farm children, but visitors to the farm. “These injuries are preventable. We can educate our kids, but unfor­ tunately farms get a lot of other kids visiting.” The biggest problem is that the products tend to be tempting. “Acid looks like Kool-aid,” said Root. “The product is often dispensed then left in cups. Kids love to fool around and if these products are accessible they don’t understand the danger.” He recommended some type of pump lock on chemical containers. “They have them out there, use them.” He also noted childlock storages as ingenious. “From a safety point they’re right on.” Should the worst happen, Root said to follow the label directions carefully, and have the child drink one glass of milk or water. “Do not induce vomiting. I can't stress this enough.” Vomiting causes the chem­ ical to bum the sinuses as well as the esophagus when the chlorine cleaner comes back up. “It can cause perma­ nent damage.” Most importantly get the child to the hospital immediately. Write down the label information and take the chart. Also call poison control. “Remember the results of chemi­ cal damage can be tragic and perma­ nent. A small amount of prevention can insure the safety of your fami­ ly-” tures aren’t detected by a plate loop count. They are spoilage bacteria which leave behind enzymes. Mesophillic, which prefer medi­ um temperatures show up on the plate loop. Thermophillic like hot temperatures and may survive pas­ teurization. “If you get there you’ve got a real problem.” So what are the causes of high bactoscan, Jansen asked the 45 pro­ ducers present. “It’s the same old thing. Dirty equipment, cows not cleaned properly before milking, inadequate refrigeration and mastitis-causing organisms from cows.” With regards to cleaning the cows, Jansen said, “If you don’t remember anything else, remember this. If the teats aren't clean and dry enough that you would put them in your mouth don’t put the milker units on. The milker is the best cleaner there is and if you put it on a dirty cow, that dirt will come off and into the milk.” For troubleshooting, Jansen said to look inside receivers, claws and liners, at the milk meter, hoses and tubes, the swing line, inlets on the pipe, the top of the bilk line inside the trap and sides of the wash vat. Inadequate water, air, concentration, time can all result in increased bac­ teria. “Bactoscan need not be a problem if we follow the basics. In fact in tfje long haul it should improve the mar­ ket value of your milk in Ontario.” From the sponsors The $5 admission to the Dairy Producer Management Seminar in Brussels at the Legion on March 22, was donated to Sick Children’s Hospital. Speakers and sponsors from left, are: Greg Jansen, senior sanitation specialist with A&L Laboratories in Minneapolis; Chris McIntosh, 21st Century Dairy Equipment; Gary Grubb, territory manager for Masterfeeds; Brian Alcock, Brussels Agri Services; Dr. Mike Hutjens, dairy specialist, University of Illinois. Prof discusses raising heifers faster By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff Can we raise heifers faster? That was the question posed to some 45 dairy producers in Brussels, March 22 at the second of three sem­ inars sponsored by Brussels Agri Services, Masterfeeds 21st Century Dairy Equipment and Bou-Matic. And the answer from Dr. Mike Hutjens, an extension dairy special­ ist at the University of Illinois Dairy and Animal Sciences Department was a resounding yes. Hutjens was at the meeting to dis­ cuss the principle of aggressive calf and heifer management. Raising heifers faster increases productivity and income, he said. In studies at Michigan State the target weight for an 18-month-old heifer is 1,250 lbs and 54-56 inches at the withers. They should be 1,400 lbs before they “drop that calf’ at 22 or 23 months of age. “Data says that heifers have to be coming at 1.7 lbs every day at 23 months of age. Most don’t push them hard enough.” “Professional heifer raisers are getting them out two months younger. The quicker you get that heifer milking the cheaper you raise them,” said Hutjens. He added that new data suggests it takes less than two lactations to get the investment back. Having stated that Michigan State found that farm forage was not good enough to get heifers ready faster Hutjens offered some suggestions on how to get the job done. He spoke first about colostrum and Farmers hear biotin benefits By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff As part of a talk regarding vita­ mins and minerals, Dr. Mike Hutjens of the University of Illinois spoke on the benefits of biotin. The discussion, which was part of a seminar held at Brussels Legion, touched on the importance of a vita­ min and mineral program for dairy cattle. However, Hutjens also noted that biotin has been showing positive results on lameness. the newborn calf. “You do a good job, your calf absorbs over 60 mg of immunoglobin. We want good colostrum going in there,” he said. Hutjens stressed the need for get­ ting the first gallon in quickly because the calf’s “gut shuts down after birth. Your best shot is for less than six hours after birth. The soon­ er the better.” The best source is from the home farm. “You can keep it frozen for one year. The antibody will stay pretty well, but this isn’t cheese or wine, it doesn’t get better with age. However, nothing beats your colostrum because it’s on your farm, your -diseases.” A calf starter is another important step, as is feed. “If you’re going to get an A here today, you need about three-grain mixes on the farm, or buy soybean meal and spike it. There are lots of ways to get there.” Hutjens also said a protein supple­ ment should be given to a heifer under six months of age. Environment plays a factor in the adding of grain. Consideration would be given to whether or not the heifers are in open housing, the sea­ son, mud, wind and hair coat. “These are things to think about in an aggressive heifer program. You can lose two weeks growth time.” Excess energy intake can decrease mammary tissue formation, depress growth hormone levels, deposit fat in the mammary gland and lower milk yield potential. This affects jer­ sey, holstein, beef and sheep. Hutjens said that mammaries develop quickly between the age of Studies have shown that biotin, which is a B vitamin reduces white line separation by 17 per cent, Hutjens said. Cases of heel warts were reduced by 20-37 per cent. Other benefits include less sole ulceration, improvement to claw lesions and less vertical fissures. “Basically a healthier foot coming through the keratin route,” said Hutjens. However, he added, that it took a period of time for the cows to respond, so producers who are going three to nine months. “If you have energy mixed with protein you’re going to have fatty udders. Make sure you have the rations right.” To move to an aggressive pro­ gram, Hutjens recommended seven groups of heifers “to get the job done. Using a chart he showed the group, age and strategy as follows: Group 1, three-four months, Ration 1, age; Group 2, four-six, Ration 1, age; Group 3, six-nine, Ration 2, age; Group four, nine-12, Ration 2, age; Group five, 12-15, Ration 3, reproductive; Group 6, 15-21, Ration 3, bred; Group seven, 21 plus, Ration 4, dry cow. Group five is determined by breeding efficiency, he said, with the heifers staying in the pen until diag­ nosed pregnant. “With Group seven at 21 months of age, we have a preg­ nant dry heifer. She has a calf. We have to stimulate rumen, but still want the weight gain.” “You guys with 40-50 cows (a dry cow group) that’s your ticket. Lock them up once a day, make them eat feed so they don’t eat anyone else’s then let them go.” He summed up by listing the goals for an aggressive holstein heifer pro­ gram: an average daily weight gain of 1.7-1.8 lbs, over 52 inch withers, 3.2-3.5 body content, at 24-25 months of age. “If your heifer grew more than two inches between the first and second lactation you didn’t have them big enough.” Hutjens concluded, “You have to measure. I’m not sure who would do it, but you need to know how these heifers are doing.” to try biotin have to lock in for a year. He noted that a university study done on 100 animals out of an 800- cow herd, showed improvement in the feet. “But the biggest thing they saw was about 400 kg more milk.” With the cost being about six to eight cents a cow per day, the benefit of cost ratio based on an Ohio State study is four to one. It’s a modest investment with good return, Hutjens said, adding, however, that it is still in the experimental stage. .