Environmental Benefits of rbST Supplements

Posted by admin on Sep 27th, 2007
2007
Sep 27

PRODUCING MILK USING FEWER RESOURCES & GENERATING LESS WASTE The net

benefits of producing 10% more milk than the 1996 annual supply (19 billion gallons) using the same number of dairy cows and 100% adoption of rbST would include:

 

Water – irrigation for feed grains. 100% adoption of supplemental rbST would save 180 billion gal/yr of water, or the equivalent of 700,000 U.S. homes’ annual usage.
Land – used for feed grain farming. 100% adoption of supplemental rbST would save 1.7 million acres of land, or 1/3 the land area of New Jersey.
Fuel – for grain, dairy operations, and (including) rbST production. 100% adoption of supplemental rbST would save 150 million gal/yr of fuel, or 240,000 homes’ annual consumption.
Gases – methane (greenhouse) gases from cows. 100% adoption of supplemental rbST would reduce 4.9 million tons/yr gas emissions.
Manure – 100% adoption of supplemental rbST would reduce 0.9 million metric tons/yr of manure.
Soil loss — erosion from grain farming. 100% adoption of supplemental rbST would reduce 5.3 million tons/yr soil loss, or 1% of the U.S. total soil.

Milk Yield and Disease

Posted by admin on Jun 28th, 2007
2007
Jun 28

Milk Yield and Disease; Towards Optimizing Dairy Herd Health and Management Decisions

Y.T.Grohn, DVM, MPVM, phD
Section of Epidemiology
Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853

LINK ……. Milk Yield and Disease

Source: The Bovine Practitioner

Posilac in Other Countries

Posted by admin on Jun 25th, 2007
2007
Jun 25

Posilac 1 Step® In Other Countries
Monsanto Dairy Business

Key Points:

  • POSILAC 1 STEP® has consistently increased milk yields in a wide range of management systems.
  • Countries around the globe have determined that BST is safe.

Effects of exogenous bovine somatotropin on lactation

Posted by admin on Jun 19th, 2007
2007
Jun 19

EFFECTS OF EXOGENOUS BOVINE SOMATOTROPIN ON LACTATION

Dale E. Bauman
Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

Richard G. Vernon
Hannah Research Institute, Ayr, Scotland KA6 5HL

INTRODUCTION

Over 60 years ago scientists first demonstrated the presence of a substance from the anterior pituitary that increased growth of rats (54, 55). Using pair-fed rats treated with extract from bovine pituitaries, Lee & Schaffer (86) further documented that effects of treatment included a shift in composition of the gain so that muscle was increased and fat was reduced. This extract factor was named “somatotropin” from the Greek derivation meaning “tissue growth.” Somatotropin (ST) is also referred to as “growth hormone” in scientific and lay articles. About the same time, other scientists demonstrated that administration of an extract from the anterior pituitary also affected lactation in laboratory animals (133) and increased milk yield of lactating goats (6). In 1937, Russian scientists treated over 500 lactating dairy cows with subcutaneous injections of a crude extract from ox anterior pituitaries and observed a substantial increase in milk yield (7).

Major advances in our understanding of somatotropin occurred during World War II when food shortages caused British scientists to examine the possibility of using ST to increase milk supply. They established that ST was the galactopoietic factor in crude pituitary extracts and evaluated several dimensions of the milk response in dairy cows. However, results indicated that the amount of bovine somatotropin (bST) that would be available from pituitary tissue of slaughtered cattle would not be sufficient to have a substantial impact on their nation’s milk supply [see review by Young (156)].

Over the next 40 years there was continued interest in bST. Particularly noteworthy were studies by Brumby & Hancock (29) and Machlin (92) that noted over 40% increases in milk yield of dairy cows over a 10- to 12-week treatment period. More recently, breakthroughs in biotechnology have made possible the production of proteins by recombinant DNA technology. The first study treating lactating cows with recombinantly derived bST was reported in 1982 (12), and the first long-term study in 1985 (16). Because treatment with bST results in unprecedented gains in productive efficiency, several companies have produced recombinant bST and this has led to an exponential increase in investigations to explore the potential for commercial use and to examine the role of ST in the biology of lactation. In some areas the research has been extensive and has led to a clear consensus. This is particularly true for many aspects of the production responses, and in these instances we will predominately cite reviews. However, in other aspects investigations have been less extensive. This is particularly true for the mechanisms of action where understanding is sometimes confused by apparently conflicting results and ideas. Finally, in the last section, we develop integrative concepts.

BACKGROUND

Somatotropin is a protein hormone synthesized by the anterior pituitary gland. Secretion from the pituitary gland is regulated by two peptides: growth hormone-releasing factor, which stimulates release, and somatostatin, which inhibits release. The amino acid sequence for somatotropin is known for many species (146). Bovine ST produced by the pituitary can have either a 191 or 190 amino acid sequence with either a leucine or valine at position 127 (153; numbering based on the 191 amino acid variant). These represent the four major variants of bST that are produced naturally. Differences in the cleavage of the signal peptide cause the N-terminus to be an alanine (191 amino acid sequence) or a phenylalanine (190 amino acid sequence). Variation between valine or leucine at position 127 is due to differences in gene alleles, and the frequency of these alleles varies for the major dairy breeds (89). Recombinantly derived forms of bST that have been used experimentally can differ slightly from the bST produced by the pituitary gland. Depending on the manufacturing process, from 0 to 8 extra amino acids are attached to the N-terminus of the bST molecule (72). However, when the same purification techniques are used, recombinantly derived and pituitary-derived bST have similar potencies in various biological test systems (82, 153).

The discovery in the 1950s that some types of human dwarfism were due to inadequate pituitary production of ST stimulated interest in utilizing bST to treat this malady. However, clinical studies uniformly demonstrated that bST, as well as ST from other nonprimates, was not biologically active in humans. This led to the concept that ST was “species specific.” Subsequent work demonstrated that the homology between hST and bST was only about 65% and that bST was not able to effectively bind to the ST receptor from human tissues (see reviews 72, 81). In contrast, the amino acid sequence for bovine and ovine ST only differs at a single position, and bST is biologically active in sheep (71).

The ST receptor has been isolated and characterized from several species and is a single peptide of about 620 amino acids consisting of an extracellular domain (about 250 amino acids, which is very similar to the ST-binding protein of plasma,) a short trans-membrane domain (about 25 amino acids), and an intracellular domain (about 350 amino acids) (149). The receptor appears to belong to a novel family of receptors that includes the prolactin receptor (which has many similarities to the ST receptor) and a number of interleukin (cytokine) receptors (73, 94). A single ST molecule can bind to two receptor molecules, each binding to a different region of ST (46). The ST receptor may be internalized following binding of the ligand, but the role of internalization in signal transduction, if any, is unknown (126).

PRODUCTION RESPONSES

Milk and Milk Components

Milk-yield responses to bST have been reported in all dairy breeds. Milk yield gradually increases over the first few days of bST treatment and reaches a maximum during the first week. If treatment is terminated, milk yield gradually returns to pretreatment levels over a similar time period. However, when treatment is continued, the increased milk yield is maintained. Thus, bST results in a greater peak milk yield and an increased persistency in yield over the lactation cycle (see reviews 71, 111, 114).

Milk-yield increases after bST treatment are observed in cows of all parities, but the magnitude of the increase in milk yield varies according to stage of lactation (31, 95, 111, 114). In general, response has been small or negligible when bST is administered in early lactation prior to peak yield. Therefore, possible commercial use would probably be over the last two thirds or three fourths of the lactation cycle.

The gross composition of milk (fat, protein, and lactose) is not altered by treatment with bST (9, 21, 30, 84, 91, 95, 114, 135). A variety of factors affect the fat and protein content of milk, including breed, stage of lactation, diet composition, nutritional status, environment, and season; these factors have the same effects on the milk composition of bST-treated cows. For example, certain breeds have a higher milk fat content, and an increase in milk fat typically occurs in late lactation for all breeds; treatment with bST does not alter these relationships. Likewise, the increase in milk fat content that occurs when the cow is in negative energy balance and the decrease in milk protein content that occurs when the cow has an inadequate protein intake are also observed in bST-treated cows. Overall, results demonstrate that the same factors that typically affect milk composition also affect the milk composition of bST-treated cows, and the variation in milk content of fat and protein is not altered (9, 11, 30, 91).

Milk from bST-treated cows does not differ in vitamin content or in concentrations of nutritionally important mineral elements (11, 21, 135). In addition, proportions of total milk protein represented by whey proteins and the different casein fractions are not substantially altered, and factors that affect the fatty acid composition of milk fat have the same effects in bST-treated cows. In addition to a lack of effects on milk composition, bST has no impact on the manufacturing characteristics of milk (9, 21, 84, 91, 135).

Lactational response to exogenous bST is a function of the daily dose represented by a hyperbolic dose-response curve with a pattern of diminishing marginal returns to increasing bST dose (17, 101, 111). The daily dose needed to optimize milk yield response results in blood concentrations of ST that are within the range typically observed during episodic release of endogenous hormone, but average daily concentrations are several-fold higher than before treatment. As in the case of other species, endogenous release of ST in dairy cows normally occurs as irregular, episodic bursts with a half-life of about 15-30 min. Studies have demonstrated that similar milk response occurs regardless of whether the daily dose of bST is administered as a single bolus, a constant infusion, or as equal episodic pulses at 4-hr intervals (see review 17). Typically, bST has been administered by daily injection. However, several prolonged-release formulations have been recently developed in which a small volume is injected at intervals ranging from 2 to 4 weeks (31, 66, 101, 111).

Bioenergetics, Nutrition and Animal Well-Being

Milk production responses to bST are not dependent on special diets or unique feed ingredients. Substantial increases in milk yield have been observed on diets ranging from pasture only to typical concentrate: forage mixtures (11, 30, 31, 41). Treatment does not alter digestibilities of organic components of the diet. Thus, the biological effects of bST are predominantly associated with the use of absorbed nutrients. Bioenergetic studies have demonstrated that bST treatment does not alter the energy expenditure for maintenance or the partial efficiency of milk synthesis, so that nutrient requirements for maintenance and per unit of milk are not altered (77, 127, 134). Overall, daily nutrient requirements are increased by an amount equal to the increase in milk yield, and productive efficiency (milk per unit of feed) is improved because a greater proportion of the nutrient intake is used for milk synthesis.

Most studies have involved bST treatment for a few weeks or for a single lactation. However, several dozen multilactational studies have been conducted and treatment has been continued for as long as eight successive lactations (see review 111). Responses in multilactational studies are of interest because cows typically utilize body fat reserves during the early phase of the lactation cycle and then replenish these reserves during latter phases of the lactation cycle. Over the course of the first few weeks of bST treatment, cows adjust their voluntary intake in a predictable manner related to the extra nutrients required for the increased production of milk (11, 20, 31, 41). In general, similar lactational responses have been observed when bST has been administered for two or more consecutive lactations, provided that management practices allow for an adequate replenishment of body energy reserves over the latter portion of the lactation cycle. However, in cases where cows were not adequately fed to allow for an adjustment of voluntary intake and replenishment of body energy reserves, milk yield response to bST was reduced or even absent in the next lactation cycle (11, 41).

The impact of bST treatment on animal health and well-being has also been of interest. Some investigators anticipated that administration of bST to modern highproducing dairy cows might result in metabolic disorders such as ketosis, fatty liver, and chronic wasting. These “postulated” catastrophic effects were based on the nutrient needs associated with a rapid, substantial increase in milk yield and on ideas, which originated in the 1940s, that ST had acute lipolytic and hyperglycemic (diabetogenic) effects. Such effects would likely occur during the first few days of bST treatment (milk yield would have increased but voluntary intake would not yet have increased). Suffice it to say, these catastrophic effects have never been observed with bST treatment, even in animals with exceptionally large increases in milk yield (> 10kg/day) or animals that received exceptionally large doses of bST (dose equivalent to 4 yr. of treatment given over a 2-week period), and the perceived mechanisms that were postulated to lead to such catastrophic effects are now known to be erroneous (11, 21, 30, 41, 85, 110, 118, 144).

Quality of management is the major factor affecting the magnitude of milk response to bST (11, 41, 113), and this comprises the nutritional program, milking procedures, herd health program, and environmental conditions. Several long-term studies have involved inadequate management conditions, and milk yield response to bST treatment was essentially zero. Adverse effects were not observed in any of these studies; cows simply had negligible milk yield response to bST (see reviews 11, 41,111). Several reports have also summarized studies that encompass a range of environmental and management conditions in an effort to evaluate subtle health effects (1, 21, 38, 40, 56, 96, 109, 110, 118, 151). Variables have included physical examinations, blood chemistry, metabolic disorders, incidence of disease, mastitis and mammary health, and reproduction-related parameters of the treated cows, as well as the health and growth of their offspring. Results demonstrate that values for bST-treated cows are similar to controls and consistent with literature values for cows of comparable milk production. As a result of differences in management practices, substantial herd effects were apparent for many of these variables (e.g. mastitis or reproduction-related variables), but herd effects were the same for control and bST treatment groups. Analyses for subtle effects will be even more extensive as data accumulates and is used by regulatory agencies in their evaluation.

MECHANISMS OF ACTION

Somatotropin is a homeorhetic control that regulates utilization of absorbed nutrients. The dramatic increase in milk production that occurs in bST-treated cows requires the orchestration of diverse physiological processes in a number of tissues and must involve the metabolism of all nutrient classes. These adaptations involve both direct effects on some tissues and indirect effects that are probably mediated by somatotropin-dependent somatomedins(insulin-like growth factors, IGF-I and IGF-II) for other tissues. Two cell types that are well-established as major direct targets of ST are the adipocyte and the hepatocyte. In contrast, effects on mammary tissue are thought to be indirect. In this section we discuss the state of knowledge for whole body metabolism and these particular tissues.

Whole Body Metabolism

Physiological processes that are altered with bST treatment are summarized in Table 1. Adaptations in metabolism are major and of critical importance during the initial period of bST treatment, when milk yield has increased but intake has not. Overall, mammary uptake of all milk precursors increases while metabolism of other body tissues is altered simultaneously so that a greater proportion of nutrients are used for milk synthesis.


Mammary   Mammary Synthesis of milk with normal composition
    Uptake of all nutrients used for milk synthesis
    Activity per secretory cell
    Number and/or maintenance of secretory cells
    Blood flow consistent with increase in milk yield
Liver   Basal rates of gluconeogenesis
    Ability of insulin to inhibit gluconeogenesis
    Glucagon effects on gluconeogenesis and/or or glycogenolysis
Adipose   Basal lipogenesis if in positive energy balance
    Basal lipolysis if in negative energy balance
    Ability of insulin to stimulate lipogenesis
    Ability of adenosine to inhibit lipolysis
    Ability of catecholamines to stimulate lipolysis
Muscle   Uptake of glucose
Pancreas   Basal or glucose-stimulated secre
    tion of insulin Basal or insulin/glucose-stimulated secretion of glucagon
Kidney   Production of 1,25-vitamon D3
Intestine   Absorption of Ca, P, and other minerals required for milk
    Ability of 1,25-vitamin D3 to stimulate ca-binding protein
    Ca-binding protein
Whole Body   Oxidation of glucose
    NEFA oxidation if in negative energy balance
    Insulin and glucagon clearance rates
    Energy expenditure for maintenance
    Energy expenditure consistent with increase in milk yield
    (i.e. heat per unit of milk not changed) Cardiac output consistent with increases in milk yield
    Productive efficiency (milk per unit of energy intake)

* Adapted from Bauman et al (13). Changes ( = increased, = decreased, = no change) that occur in initial period of bovine somatotropin supplement when metabolic adjustments match the increased use of nutrients for milk synthesis. With longer-term treatment, voluntary intake increases to match nutrient requirements.

b Demonstrated in nonlactating animals and consistent with observed performance in lactating cows.

In a high-producing dairy cow, glucose is derived predominately via hepatic gluconeogenesis. Glucose turnover is over 3 kg/day with 60-85% used for milk synthesis (15). Thus, adaptations in glucose metabolism are of particular importance. When bST treatment is initiated, glucose turnover increases and oxidation decreases (18); accordingly, hepatic production of glucose increases (37) and hindlimb use of glucose is reduced (98) (Table 1). Therefore, adaptations in glucose oxidation and production occur in bST-treated cows before the increase in voluntary feed intake, and the adjustments are quantitatively equal to the extra glucose required to support the increased milk synthesis (18).

Changes in lipid metabolism play an integral role in the response to ST treatment and vary according to the animal’s energy balance (Table 1). When cows are near zero or in negative energy balance, bST treatment increases mobilization of body fat reserves as evidence by chronic elevation in circulating concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), decreased body fat content, and an increased milk fat content with the pattern of these extra fatty acids reflecting body fat stores (22, 28, 31, 51, 128). Under such conditions, an increase in NEFA irreversible loss rate (ILR) is observed and the magnitude of the increase is related to the extent of the negative energy balance and quantitatively equal to the increase in whole body oxidation of NEFA and the increased secretion of milk fat (18). Rates of lipid synthesis in adipose tissue would already be low and relatively impervious to further attenuation by ST. This situation is most likely to occur when bST treatment is initiated in early- to mid-lactation and the increased reliance on NEFA as metabolic fuel facilitates the previously discussed reduction in glucose oxidation.

In contrast, when animals are in positive energy balance at the time bST-treatment is initiated (i.e. when some lipid synthesis and storage is occurring in adipose tissue), the major effect of ST is to inhibit lipid synthesis with little or no change in lipolysis or milk fat percent and fatty acid composition (51, 83, 114, 127). This situation is most likely to occur when bST is initiated in mid- or late-lactation and the decrease in nutrient utilization for body fat stores enables nutrients to be redirected to other tissues to support the increased milk synthesis. With prolonged ST treatment, voluntary food intake increases and animals can eventually return to a positive energy balance allowing the replenishment of body reserves (Table 1) despite continuing high circulating concentrations of ST.

The kinetics of amino acid metabolism have not been examined in bST-treated dairy cows. Abomasal infusions of casein or amino acids gave no increase in milk protein yield over that observed for the basal diet in bST-treated cows (3, 90, 115). However, the characteristic reduction in milk protein content that occurs when dietary protein is inadequate is also observed in bST-treated cows. Therefore, standard NRC protein requirements and dietary recommendations are also applicable to bST-treated cows (30, 41, 102).

Partitioning of minerals is altered by bST as indicated by the fact that the increased secretion of milk has a normal composition of nutritionally important minerals. Mechanisms have not been investigated in lactating cows, but changes in flux are coordinated with the increased milk secretion because blood concentrations of these minerals are not altered (13, 21, 51, 135). Recent studies with nonlactating animals (26) have demonstrated an altered tissue response to signals that maintain mineral homeostasis and, in the long term, increased absorption as shown for Ca and P (Table 1).

Adipose Tissue

The adipocyte is a major target of ST action. The hormone acts chronically to facilitate lipolysis and decrease lipid synthesis, in part by altering the ability of the tissue to respond to acute endocrine and other signals, but in addition ST may have some seemingly conflicting actions. In laboratory species and under rather unusual conditions (lack of prior exposure to ST for several hours, acute surgical stress), ST can exert an acute, transient, “insulin-like” effect (61, 141). The physiological significance of this is unclear, as the conditions required are unlikely to occur in vivo except perhaps in the young male rat with its highly erratic ST secretion (70). ST also promotes differentiation in several cell-lines (e.g. 3T3 F-442 cells) that can develop into adipocyte-like cells (26, 141); neither this, nor the acute “insulin-like” effect are thought to have any role in the chronic effect of ST on milk production. Some reports suggest ST can have an acute lipolytic effect; in many of the early studies the ST preparation were most probably contaminated with other peptides, but even the availability of pure recombinant ST has not completely resolved the controversy. For ruminants and pigs, ST apparently has no acute lipolytic effect (see reviews 26, 53, 141). Thus, much of the literature on effects of ST on adipocyte function has little relevance to the lactating animal treated chronically with ST.

Chronic treatment of lactating cows (97, 129) or growing steers (117) with ST dramatically increased the lipolytic response to in vivo challenges with catecholamines (Table 1). Sechen et al (128) further demonstrated that maximum response, but not sensitivity, was altered. In contrast, when responses to catecholamines are measured with in vitro incubations of subcutaneous adipose tissue obtained from cattle receiving ST, the differences between these responses and those of controls are much smaller or absent (83, 117). The reason for this apparent discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro measurements is not clear. The subcutaneous adipose tissue depot sampled for in vitro studies may not be representative of other depots. For example, in humans exercise has a greater effect on lipolysis in abdominal than in gluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue (5), whereas in sheep lactation has a greater effect on -receptor number in omental adipose tissues than in carcass adipose tissues (25, 74). Alternatively, the adaptation may not be sufficiently robust to survive in vitro manipulations or ST may exert its effects by limiting inhibition by an antilipolytic factor. Adenosine is a possible candidate; an autocrine/paracrine factor, adenosine exerts an acute antilipolytic effect via its own receptor, which couples via Gi (an inhibitory GTP-binding protein) to adenylate cyclase (140). Chronic treatment with ST decreased response to adenosine in lactating rats (139) and cows (83) (Table 1). Diminished response to adenosine is also found after chronic exposure to ST in vitro (140). The mechanism has not been resolved but does not appear to involve changes in adenosine receptor number (150), which suggests that ST may be altering either the amount or activity of Gi. A decrease in the ability of adenosine to inhibit lipolysis would allow for an increased response to catecholamines and thereby provide a possible explanation for the enhanced in vivo response to catecholamines. Curiously, in rats and sheep, response to adenosine is increased during lactation (140) and perhaps acts as a brake to check lipolysis; treatment with ST may thus reduce the effectiveness of this putative brake.

Other mechanisms may also be operating. Culture of sheep subcutaneous adipose tissue with ST increased both responsiveness and sensitivity to catecholamines and also increased ligand binding to the -adrenergic receptor (150). Curtailing lactation in rats either by litter removal (139) or by endocrine manipulation (10) causes a marked decrease in lipolytic response to catecholamines, which is prevented by treatment with ST. In these animals ST altered several components of the adrenergic signal transduction system, thereby increasing the number of -receptors and hormonesensitive lipase activity and decreasing cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity. The greatest effect of ST, however, was on the association of hormone-sensitive lipase with the lipid droplet following catecholamine stimulation (142).

In vivo treatment with ST decreases the rates of lipogenesis and activities of key enzymes involved in lipid synthesis (see reviews 26, 53, 141). Similar adaptations occur in untreated animals during the initial stages of lactation when concentrations of endogenous ST are high (15, 136). Evidence that effects are due to ST acting directly on adipose tissue comes from in vitro studies in which chronic exposure to ST decreases the rate of lipogenesis (see reviews 53, 141). Indeed it is possible by varying the concentration of insulin and ST in tissues culture to mimic the changes in lipogenesis seen in adipose tissue during the lactation cycle (138).

Most studies have focused on the control of lipogenesis and the key lipogenic enzyme acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), which exists in both active and inactive states within the cell. In ruminant animals in which acetate rather than glucose is the major precursor for fatty acid synthesis, ACC is a major control of flux and “total activity” is thought to reflect the amount of this enzyme (136). Tissue culture studies show that effects of ST on lipogenesis over the first 48 hr are due to a decrease in ACC in the active state with no change in total activity (137), which is consistent with the relatively long half-life (about 48 hr) for this enzyme (145). Exposure to ST for six days or more results in a decrease in total ACC activity; this has been observed with sheep adipose tissue in culture (137) or with in vivo ST treatment of lactating cows (83) and goats (R. G. Vernon, unpublished observation), or growing pigs (65, 88). The changes in activity were probably due to a decrease in enzyme synthesis, as Liu et al (88) demonstrated a decrease in ACC protein and message. The close relationship between total ACC activity and the rate of lipogenesis suggests that with prolonged ST treatment, a fall in the amount of ACC is responsible for the decreased rate of lipogenesis.

While ST reduces the effects of insulin on lipogenesis, it does not prevent an acute stimulation of lipogenesis by insulin in pigs in vivo (49) or in vitro (147). However, in vivo treatment of growing pigs with ST decreases sensitivity to insulin as measured by in vitro rates of glucose incorporation into adipose tissue lipid (147) or by in vivo rates of whole body glucose utilization (154). Similarly, treatment of lactating cows reduces glucose response to an insulin challenge (128). Thus, physiological concentrations of insulin would be less effective in increasing the rate of lipogenesis (Table 1). That ST does not completely abrogate the effect of insulin on lipogenesis in vivo can also be inferred from the recovery of adipose tissue reserves during the latter stages of lactation in bST-treated animals, despite high levels of ST.

The mechanism whereby ST inhibits the effects of insulin on lipogenesis is not known. ST treatment has no apparent effect either on the ability of adipocytes to bind insulin in pigs (93) or sheep (148), or on the ability of insulin to stimulate insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase activity (93) or down-regulate its receptor (148). Therefore, the site of action is at a postreceptor level, which is not surprising as ST does not inhibit all effects of insulin. For example, the antilipolytic effect of insulin (128) and insulin stimulation of protein synthesis (137) in cow and sheep adipose tissue, respectively, are not altered by ST. ST inhibits the activation of a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C by insulin in mouse adipocytes (32), possibly by interfering with the action of a putative Gilike protein (125). This observation is of interest because lactation in rats results in a decreased ability of insulin to stimulate lipogenesis and activate lipogenic enzymes of adipocytes because of a postreceptor impairment at the level of the plasma membrane (76). In sheep, onset of lactation also results in the loss of ability by insulin to increase the rate of lipogenesis in vitro (138), apparently owing to the loss of a putative protein required for activation of acetyl CoA carboxylase by insulin (137). Production of this mediating protein can be restored by prolonged incubation with insulin in vitro and is prevented by ST (137). While most work has focused on ST as an insulin antagonist, ST can also act chronically to decrease the rate of lipogenesis in the absence of insulin (24, 131).

Effects of ST on adipocytes are thought to be mediated by ST itself, for although ST stimulates IGF-I mRNA production (39, 155) and IGF-I secretion (J. Beattie and R. G. Vernon, unpublished observations) by adipocytes, the adipocytes themselves lack IGF-I receptors (141). The function of this locally produced IGF-I in the tissue is uncertain, but may have a role in angiogenesis. IGF-I also failed to mimic chronic effects of ST on lipogenesis and lipolysis during lactation (10; D. P. D. Lanna and D. E. Bauman, unpublished observations). IGF-I can mimic effects of insulin on adipose tissue but concentrations required were high, which suggests that they were mediated via the insulin receptor (52, 138, 147). One very provocative study suggested that IGF-I and IGF-II mediated acute lipolytic effects of ST on adipocytes in sheep (87), but attempts to confirm this have proved unsuccessful (68; R. G. Vernon, unpublished observations).

Adipocytes have been a major target of studies on the ST signal transduction system, but the paradoxical actions of ST have slowed progress in this area. The structure of the ST receptor suggests that it is unlikely to be associated with GTPbinding proteins (a common mediator of signal transduction) and that it is unlikely to be a protein kinase. However, ST binding apparently causes phosphorylation of its own receptor by sequestration of a cytosolic protein kinase (132). Studies with differentiating pre-adipocyte cell-lines suggest that ST, presumably through the sequestered kinase, causes tyrosine phosphorylation of a number of proteins including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) (4). Some effects of ST in these cell lines also appear to be mediated by protein kinase C (48), thus suggesting that the hormone activates a protein kinase cascade. Less is known about mechanisms involved in the chronic effect of ST on mature adipocytes. Protein kinase C may have a minor role (142), and it is not known if MAP kinase is involved. The chronic inhibitory effects of ST on lipogenesis are blocked by actinomycin D and appear to involve some relatively short-lived (half-life less than 3 hr) product of gene transcription (24); ornithine decarboxylase is an obvious candidate for this product because its half-life is less than 30 min and its activity is enhanced by ST in the liver (69). However, although polyamines are required for inhibition of lipogenesis by ST, they probably have a permissive rather than a mediatoryrole (R. G. Vernon, unpublished observations).

Hepatocytes

Hepatic rates of gluconeogenesis are increased with ST treatment of dairy cows asdemonstrated by in vivo (37) and in vitro studies (78, 119) (Table 1). Evidence that thisis a direct effect comes from studies with sheep hepatocytes maintained in culture (50).Mechanisms have not been resolved but include a decreased ability of insulin to inhibitgluconeogenesis (23, 62) (Table 1). In contrast, ST treatment had no effect on liverglycogen concentration in lactating cattle in positive energy balance (119), although suchtreatment did induce a small decrease in cows in negative energy balance (78). Thislack of an effect of ST is not surprising, as hepatic glycogen reserves are not sufficient tosustain increased glucose output by the liver for long.

Effects of ST on hepatic lipid metabolism appear to be slight. In vivo treatment oflactating cows with ST increased fatty acid oxidation to CO2 in liver slices (119), whichwas consistent with the increased rates of gluconeogenesis. Chronic treatment of cowswith ST in vivo (119) and culture of sheep hepatocytes with ST (50) had no effect on theketogenic capacity (i.e. rate in vitro with a saturating concentration of fatty acid).Consequently, any effects of ST on ketogenesis are indirect, via changes in plasmaNEFA concentrations. Treatment with ST, in vivo (112) and in vitro (50), decreasedrates of fatty acid esterification and lipoprotein secretion by sheep liver. If such changesoccur in lactating cows, they must be highly coupled because hepatic concentration oftriacylglycerol is not altered (119). The overall effect of ST on hepatic lipid metabolismthus appears to be a small increase in fatty acid oxidation (to support gluconeogenesis)at the expense of esterification.

Mammary Gland

The dramatic increase in milk yield is a clear demonstration that mammary uptake andutilization of nutrients is increased in bST-treated cows (Table 1). The change in thelactation curve suggests an increased rate of milk synthesis per cell and, in the longterm,an increased number of mammary epithelial cells. Clarification of these postulatesand of the mechanisms responsible for them has proved difficult. This is not unexpectedas biochemical changes in vivo are likely to be relatively small and mammary tissue fromlactating animals is difficult to maintain in vitro because of its high metabolic rate. Inaddition, assessing the role of somatomedins is complicated by the presence of specificbinding proteins.

Baldwin (8) demonstrated that bST-treated cows had increased RNA per gland,and therefore increased protein synthetic capacity; he also reported increased activitiesof several enzymes but the key enzymes controlling metabolic flux were not measure.Other studies of lactating cows (80) and goats (79) observed similar trends in enzymeactivity after ST treatment, but effects were not significant possibly owing to smallerincreases in the milk yield response. Clear-cut evidence for an effect on activity andmessage level of mammary enzymes comes from studies of rats in which investigatorstreated animals with ST after blocking prolactin secretion with bromocriptine andneutralizing endogenous ST with an antiserum (10). The mammary gland is notmetabolically homogeneous, so changes in synthetic capacity could result from anincreased synthetic activity of active cells and/or the activation of resting differentiatedcells (108). Treatment of cows with ST for a period during mid-lactation had no effect ontotal mammary DNA content (8), but in a longer-term study in which goats were treatedwith ST for 22 weeks, the decline in mammary cell number that normally occurs duringlactation was prevented (79). No effect was observed on DNA synthesis (79), but theincrease might have been too small to detect. The low milk levels of plasmin, a serineproteaseassociated with mammary gland involution, that are maintained during bSTtreatment (120) are also consistent with the proposed changes in maintenance and/ornumber of mammary cells.

Changes in mammary synthetic activity in response to ST are complemented byincreased nutrient availability induced by the homeorhetic effect of ST and also by anincrease in mammary blood flow (42, 57). However, merely increasing nutrientavailability by itself does not mimic the effect of ST on milk yield (see review 114).Mepham et al (107) suggested that ST affects the mammary gland largely through anincrease in blood flow, but it is now thought that the increased blood flow is the resultrather than the cause of the increased mammary metabolism.

The mechanism whereby ST increases mammary gland function is still uncertain but appears to be indirect. Addition of bST to bovine mammary cells in culture had no effect on rates of synthesis of casein, fat, or -lactalbumin (59). An attempt to demonstrate a direct effect of ST on the mammary gland using a close arterial infusion technique was unsuccessful (99); however, because of the half-life of ST and mammary blood flow rates, this approach would not allow for an adequate evaluation. Attempts to detect ST receptors in mammary tissue have been unsuccessful (2, 58, 75). Furthermore, concentrations of ST in milk are very low and not appreciably altered by bST treatment (72). Recent studies have reported the presence of mRNA for ST receptor in mammary tissue from pregnant (150d), nonlactating heifers (67) and lactating cows (60), but in both cases the message level in mammary tissue was only a small fraction of that in liver. Therefore, although the message for bST receptors is present, either it is not translated or the number of receptors produced is too low to be detected by conventional techniques. As a result, the current view is that ST does not act directly on mammary epithelial cells, and efforts have focused on the role of the somatomedins as possible mediators.

Administration of exogenous bST to lactating cows causes an increase in concentration of IGF-I in blood (36, 43, 124) and milk (72). Another candidate is IGF-II, although effects of ST on IGF-II are not consistent (106). Receptors for somatomedins are present in ruminant mammary tissue, and the number of available receptors increases during lactogenesis (45, 47, 63). When lactating cows are treated with bST, circulating concentrations of IGF-I begin to increase about 6-12 hr after the initial bST injection and reach maximum concentrations in approximately 48 hr (36). The response in milk yield is apparent about 24 hr after the first bST injection, and maximum production response occurs four to six days after start of treatment. In addition, IGF-I is present in milk, and concentrations increase with bST treatment (72). Therefore, the temporal pattern of changes in IGF-I is consistent with its possible role in mediating the effects of ST on milk production. Likewise, IGF-I stimulated casein synthesis in cultured mammary cells from lactating cows (64) and increased both casein synthesis and glucose transport in mammary explants from mid-pregnant mice (122). IGF-I also increased protein synthesis in mammary explants from pregnant rats (A. M. Gilhespy, C. J. Wilde, and R. G. Vernon, unpublished observations). On the other hand, IGF-I had no effect on fatty acid synthesis or -lactalbumin secretion in mammary explants from lactating cows (130), but the medium also contained insulin (50 ng/mL), which may have masked effects of IGF-I. IGF-I also stimulates DNA synthesis in mammary tissue cultures (19, 116, 130, 152) and thus may play a role in maintaining cell number during long-term ST treatment.

Attempts to demonstrate an effect of IGF-I on milk secretion in vivo have had mixed success. While ST treatment increased milk secretion in goats, a three-day jugular infusion of IGF-I had no effect on milk yield even though blood concentrations of IGF-I were elevated to levels comparable to those of the ST-group (44). IGF-I injections also failed to mimic the effect of ST on mammary metabolism in rats treated with an antiserum to endogenous ST (10). In contrast, infusion of IGF-I into the pudendal artery of lactating goats for 6 hr increased milk production by about 30% (121). Differences in response to IGF-I in vivo could arise from problems relating to IGF-binding proteins.

The majority of somatomedins in physiological fluids are bound to soluble, high affinity binding proteins. There are six specific IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP) and their functions are not well established. Their postulated roles include serving as circulatory transport vehicles, retarding somatomedin degradation, facilitating transvascular movement, providing an extravascular pool, and/or modulating directly the actions of somatomedins at specific target cells either by enhancing or blocking their activity (20, 33, 123). The in vivo regulation of the two major IGFBP in bovine serum has been described more fully (35). As in the case of humans (33), ST treatment of lactating cows results in a threefold elevation of circulating IGFBP-3 and a decrease of about two thirds in circulating concentrations of IGFBP-2 (35, 105, 143), so it is not surprising that IGF-I infusions or injections have not mimicked the effects of ST. Somatomedins themselves stimulate mammary cells to produce both IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 (100). Thus, local production of somatomedins and their binding proteins may also play a role in control of mammary tissue.

INTEGRATION

Although many details have yet to be clarified, we now know that exogenous ST enhances milk production in dairy cows by coordinating a complex series of adaptations within the body. In essence, bST both increases the rate of milk production within the mammary gland and provides the necessary nutrients in support of this enhanced rate of milk synthesis (Figure 1). Direct actions of ST appear to be primarily concerned with nutrient availability as illustrated by the aforementioned alterations in the metabolism of adipose tissue and liver. On the other hand, the indirect effects of ST appear to be primarily associated with the mammary gland and the actions of the IGF complex. We do not have a clear understanding of how the IGF complex is able to mediate mammary function, nor do we fully understand the interplay between the endocrine, autocrine, and/or paracrine aspects of the IGF complex. It is apparent, however, that changes in circulating concentration of IGF-I and some of the IGFBP are closely tracking the biological events and the magnitude of milk responses that occur with bST treatment of dairy cows, indicating that the IGF complex has an important role in ST biology.

Nutritional status plays a key role in the regulation of somatomedins and their binding proteins (34, 106). In the lactating dairy cow, moderate undernutrition has no effect on basal concentrations of circulating IGF-I, but administration of bST results in a less dramatic increase in circulating IGF-I than when animals have an adequate nutritional status (104). When nutritional status is severely compromised by a short-term fast, basal concentrations of IGF-I are lower and the ability of bST to increase IGF-I is abolished (103; Figure 1). A similar impact of nutritional status on the somatotropin/somatomedin axis is observed in growing cattle (27) and other species including humans (34). Although not as extensively investigated, basal and bSTstimulated levels of IGFBP also appear to be modulated by nutritional status (103, 106).

The relationship between nutritional status and the somatotropin/somatomedin axis also provides a framework to consider variations in milk response to bST, which were discussed in the section on production responses. Moderate undernutrition attenuates both the increase in circulating IGF-I and milk yield response to bST (104). In addition, the small increases in milk yield that occur with bST treatment in the early portion of lactation are consistent with the representation in Figure 1. Cows in early lactation are typically in substantial negative energy balance, and the use of body fat reserves over the first 30 days of lactation can be energetically equivalent to one third of the milk produced (15). During this period, animals have high circulating levels of endogenous ST but low basal levels of IGF-I. Vicini et al (143) demonstrated that shortterm bST treatment during early lactation resulted in lower responses in circulating IGF-I and milk yield than were found in cows during later lactation. Thus, the direct actions of ST on tissues such as adipose occur in early lactation to maximize nutrient supply to the mammary gland, but the somatotropin/somatomedin axis is attenuated by nutritional status.

Long-term studies with bST treatment have demonstrated that the magnitude and maintenance of the milk response is related to the quality of management (see section on production responses). As a major component of the management program, this would largely reflect the impact of nutritional status on the somatotropin/somatomedin axis. Thus, production studies in which bST was administered to cows with inadequate nutrient supply and/or to cows that had inadequate body reserves observed no adverse effects. However, as would be predicted from the preceding discussion, the milk response to bST was negligible (see section on production responses). The situation in fasted or chronically underfed animals is an interesting comparison in other regards. At first it seems paradoxical that exogenous ST can increase milk production while one of the most dramatic ways to increase endogenous levels of circulating ST and decrease milk yield is to fast or severely underfeed an animal. In this case, the direct effects of ST are to partition nutrients away from storage toward utilization in an inadequately nourished cow, but effects on the IGF complex are uncoupled so that use by the mammary gland is not stimulated (Figure 1). Therefore, these adaptations provide nutrients for the animal’s survival and minimize any use of nutrients for milk production.

CONCLUSIONS

Somatotropin treatment of dairy cows results in a remarkable increase in milk yield and an unprecedented gain in productive efficiency (milk per unit of feed). Aspects of the production responses including effects on milk components, bioenergetics, and animal well-being have been extensively examined with consistent results over a wide range of management and environmental conditions. Overall, somatotropin is a homeorhetic control that increases rates of milk synthesis by the mammary gland and coordinates a series of physiological adaptations in a variety of tissues to support nutrient needs for milk synthesis. These tissue adaptations include changes in activities of key enzymes and alterations in tissue response to homeostatic signals. In addition, nutritional status of the animal plays a major role in determining the extent to which milk yield is altered. As a result of the nutritional effects on the somatotropin/somatomedin axis, somatomedins and their binding proteins appear to be key links between nutritional state and cellular growth and developmental processes.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We express our appreciation to Mark McGuire, Dottie Ceurter, Debra Dwyer, David Flint, Colin Wilde, Karen Houseknecht, Dante Lanna, Diane Harris, and Mikko Griinari for assistance, stimulating discussions, and constructive suggestions.

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pituitary hormone. Eur. J. Biochem. 163:323-30

83. Lanna, D.P.D., Houseknecht, K.L., Harris, D.M., Bauman, D.E. 1992. Effect of
bovine somatotropin (bST) on lipolysis, lipogenesis and activities of some
enzymes in adipose tissue of lactating cows. J. Animal Sci. 70(Suppl. 1):193
(Abstr.)

84. Laurent, F., Vignon, B., Coomans, D., Wilkinson, J., Bonnel, A. 1992. Influence
of bovine somatotropin on the composition and manufacturing properties of milk.
J. Dairy Sci. 75:2226-34

85. Lean, I.J., Troutt, H.F., Bruss, M.L., Baldwin, R.L. 1992. Bovine somatotropin.
Vet. Clin. North Am., Food Anim. Pract. 8:147-63

86. Lee, M.O., Schaffer, N.K. 1933. Anterior pituitary growth hormone and the
composition of growth. J. Nutr. 7:337-63

87. Lewis, K.J., Molan, P.C., Bass, J.J., Gluckman, P.D. 1988. The lipolytic activity
of low concentrations of insulin-like growth factors in ovine adipose tissue.
Endocrinology 122:2554-57

88. Liu, C.Y., Grant, A.L., Kim, K.-H., Mills, S.E. 1991. Effects of recombinant
porcine somatotropin on acetyl-CoA carboxylase enzyme activity and gene
expression in adipose tissue of pigs. J. Animal Sci. 69(Suppl. 1):309 (Abstr.)

89. Lucy, M.C., Hauser, S.D., Eppard, P.J., Krivi, G.G., Collier, R.J. 1991. Genetic
polymorphism within the bovine somatotropin (bST) gene detected by
polymerase chain reaction and endonuclease digestion. J. Dairy Sci. 74(Suppl.
1):284 (Abstr.)

90. Lynch, G.L., Klusmeyer, T.H., Cameron, M.R., Clark, J.H. 1991. Effects of
somatotropin and duodenal infusion of amino acids on nutrient passage to
duodenum and performance of dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 74:3117-27

91. Lynch, J.M., Barbano, D.M., Bauman, D.E., Hartnell, G.F., Nemeth, M.A. 1992.
Effect of a prolonged-release formulation of n-methionyl bovine somatotropin
(sometribove) on milk fat. J. Dairy Sci. 75:1794-1809

92. Machlin, L.J. 1973. Effect of growth hormone on milk production and feed
utilization in diary cows. J. Dairy Sci. 56:575-80

93. Magri, K.A., Adamo, M., Leroith, D., Etherton, T.D. 1990. The inhibition of insulin
action and glucose metabolism by porcine growth hormone in porcine adipocytes
is not the result of any decrease in insulin binding or insulin receptor kinase
activity. Biochem. J. 266:107-13

94. Matthews, L.S. 1991. Molecular biology of growth hormone receptors. Trends
Enocrinol. Metab. 2:176-80

95. McBride, B.W., Burton, J.L., Burton, J.H. 1988. The influence of bovine growth
hormone (somatotropin) on animals and their products. Res. Dev. Agric. 5:1-21

96. McClary, D.G., Green, H.B., Basson, R.P., Nickerson, S.C., Overpeck-Alvey,
M.J., et al. 1991. Incidence and duration of clinical mastitis in lactating dairy
cows receiving a sustained-release formulation of bST (somidobove). J. Dairy
Sci. 74(Suppl. 1):205 (Abstr.)

97. McCutcheon, S.N., Bauman, D.E. 1986. Effect of chronic growth hormone
treatment on responses to epinephrine and thyrotropin-releasing hormone in
lactating cows. J. Dairy Sci. 69:44-51

98. McDowell, G.H., Gooden, J.M., Leenanuruksa, D., Jois, M., English, A.W. 1987.
Effects of exogenous growth hormone on milk production and nutrient uptake by
muscle and mammary tissues of dairy cows in mid-lactation. Aust. J. Biol. Sci.
40:295-306

99. McDowell, G.H., Hart, I.C., Kirby, A.C. 1987. Local intra-arterial infusion of
growth hormone into the mammary glands of sheep and goats: effects on milk
yield and composition, plasma hormones and metabolites. Aust. J. Biol. Sci.
40:181-89

100. McGrath, M.F., Collier, R.J., Clemmons, D.R., Busby, W.H., Sweeny, C.A., et al.
1991. The direct in vitro effect of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) on normal
bovine mammary cell proliferation and production of IGF binding proteins.
Endocrinology 129:671-78

101. McGuffey, R.K., Basson, R.P., Snyder, D.L., Block, E., Harrison, J.H., et al. 1991.
Effect of somidobove sustained release administration on the lactation
performance of dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 74:1263-76

102. McGuffey, R.K., Wilkinson, J.I.D. 1991. Nutritional implications of bovine
somatotropin for the lactating dairy cow. J. Dairy Sci. 74(Suppl. 2):63-71

103. McGuire, M.A., Bauman, D.E. 1992. Nutritional regulation of the
somatotropin/somatomedin axis during lactation. Int. Congr. on Nutrient
Regulation during Pregnancy, Lactation and Infant Growth, Stockholm. p. 31
(Abstr.)

104. McGuire, M.A., Bauman, D.E., Miller, M.A., Hartnell, G.F. 1992. Response of
somatomedins (IGF-I and IGF-II) in lactating cows to variations in dietary energy
and protein and treatment with recombinant n-methionyl bovine somatotropin. J.
Nutr. 122:128-36

105. McGuire, M.A., Cohick, W.S., Clemmons, D.R., Bauman, D.E. 1991. Effects of
protein and energy restriction on concentrations of IGFs and IGF binding protein-
2 (IGFBP-2) in lactating cows treated with somatotropin (bST). 2nd Int. IGF
Symp., San Francisco, p. 148 (Abstr.)

106. McGuire, M.A., Vicini, J.L., Bauman, D.E., Veenhuizen, J.J. 1992. Insulin-like
growth factors and binding proteins in ruminants and their nutritional regulation.
J. Anim. Sci. 70:2901-10

107. Mepham, T.B., Lawrence, S.E., Peters, A.R., Hart, I.C. 1984. Effects of
exogenous growth hormone on mammary function in lactating goats. Horm.
Metab. Res. 16:248-53

108. Molenaar, A.J., Davis, S.R., Wilkins, R.J. 1992. Expression of -lactalbumin, -
S1-casein, and lactoferrin genes is heterogeneous in sheep and cattle mammary
tissue. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 40:611-18

109. Monsallier, G. 1991. Somatotropine bovine: impact sur la sante des mamelles.
See Ref. 51a, pp. 60-67

110. Moore, D.A., Hutchinson, L.J. 1992. BST and animal health. See Ref. 63a, pp.
99-141

111. Muller, L.D. 1992. BST and dairy cow performance. See Ref. 63a, pp. 53-71

112

. Niumsup, P., McDowell, G.H., Leenanuruksa, D., Gooden, J.M. 1985. Plasma
triglyceride metabolism in lactating ewes and growing calves treated with growth
hormone. Proc. Nutr. Soc. Aust. 10:154 (Abstr.)

113. Patton, R.A., Heald, C.W. 1992. Management of BST-supplemented cows. See
Ref. 63a, pp. 73-98

114. Peel, C.J., Bauman, D.E. 1987. Somatotropin and lactation. J. Dairy Sci.
70:474-86

115. Peel, C. J., Fronk. T. J., Bauman, D. E., Gorewit, R.C. 1982. Lactational
response to exogenous growth hormone and abomasal infusion of glucosesodium
caseinate mixture in high-yielding dairy cows. J. Nutr. 112:1770-78

116. Peri, I., Shamay, A., McGrath, M. F., Collier, R.J., Gertler, A. 1992. Comparative
mitogenic and galactopoietic effects IGF-I, IGF-II and DES-3-IGF-I in bovine
mammary gland in vitro. Cell Biol. Int. Rep. 16:359-68

117. Peters, J.P. 1986. Consequences of accelerated gain and growth hormone
administration for lipid metabolism in growing beef steers. J. Nutr. 116:2490-2503

118. Phipps, R.H., 1989. A review of the influence of somatotropin on health,
reproduction and welfare in lactating dairy cows. See Ref. 129a, pp. 88-119

119. Pocius, P.A., Herbein, J.H. 1986. Effects of in vivo administration of growth
hormone on milk production and in vitro hepatic metabolism in dairy cattle. J.
Dairy Sci. 69:713-20

120. Politis, I., Block, E., Turner, J.D. 1990. Effect of somatotropin on the plasminogen
and plasmin system in the mammary gland: proposed mechanism of action for
somatotropin on the mammary gland. J. Dairy Sci. 73:1494-99

121. Prosser, C.G., Fleet, I.R., Corps, A.N., Froesch, E.R., Heap, R.B. 1990. Increase
in milk secretion and mammary blood flow by intra-arterial infusion of insulin-like
growth factor-I into the mammary gland of the goat. J. Endocrinol. 126:437-43

122. Prosser, C.G., Sankaran, L., Hennighausen. L., Topper, Y.J. 1987. Comparison
of the roles of insulin and insulin-like growth factor I in casein gene expression
and in the development of -lactalbumin and glucose transport activities in the
mouse mammary epithelial cell. Endocrinology 120:1411-16

123. Rechler, M.M., Nissley, S.P. 1988. Insulin-like growth factors. In Handbook of
Experimental Pharmacology, Peptide Growth Factors and their Receptors. ed.
M.B. Sporn, A.B., Roberts. pp. 1-153. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag

124. Ronge, H., Blum, J.W. 1989. Insulinlike growthfactor I responses to growth
hormone in dry and lactating dairy cows. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr. 62:280-88

125. Roupas, P., Chou, S.Y., Towns, R. J., Kostyo, J.L. 1991. Growth hormone
inhibits activation of phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C in adipose plasma
membranes: evidence for a growth hormone-induced change in G protein
function. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:1691-95

126. Roupas, P., Herington, A.C. 1989. Cellular mechanisms in the processing of
growth hormone and its receptors. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 61:1-12

127. Sechen, S.J., Bauman, D.E., Tyrrell. H.F., Reynolds, P.J. 1989. Effect of
somatotropin on kinetics of nonesterified fatty acids and partition of energy,
carbon, and nitrogen in lactating dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 72:59-67

128. Sechen, S.J., Dunshea. F.R., Bauman, D.E., 1990. Somatotropin in lactating
cows: effect on response to epinephrine and insulin. Am.J. Physiol. 258:E582-88

129. Sechen, S.J., McCutcheon, S.N., Bauman, D.E. 1989. Response to metabolic
challenges in early lactation dairy cows during treatment with bovine
somatotropin. Domest. Anim. Endocrinol. 6:141-54

129a. Sejrsen. K., Vestergaard, M., Neimann-Sorensen, A., eds. 1989. Use of
Somatotropin in Livestock Production. New York: Elsevier Appl. Sci.

130. Shamay, A., Cohen, N., Niwa, M., Gertler, A. 1988. Effect of insulin-like growth
factor I on deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and galactopoiesis in bovine
undifferentiated and lactating mammary tissue in vitro. Endocrinology 123:804-9

131. Snoswell, A.M., Finley, E., Vernon, R.G. 1990. Novel effects of growth hormone
on polyamine biosynthesis in sheep adipose tissue. Horm. Metab. Res. 22:650-
51

132. Stred, S.E., Stubbart, J.R., Argetsinger, L.S., Smith, W.C., Shafer, J.A., et al.
1992. Stimulation by growth hormone (GH) of GH receptor-associated tyrosine
kinase activity. Endocrinology 130:1626-36

133. Stricker, P., Grueter, F. 1928. Action du lobe ant?rieur de l’hypophyse sur la
mont?e laiteuse. Comptes Rendus 99:1978-80

134. Tyrrell, H.F., Brown, A.C.G., Reynolds, P.J., Haaland, G.L., Bauman, D.E., et al.
1988. Effect of bovine somatotropin on metabolism of lactating dairy cows:
energy and nitrogen utilization as determined by respiration calorimetry. J. Nutr.
118:1024-30

135. van den Berg, G. 1991. A review of quality and processing suitability of milk from
cows treated with bovine somatotropin. J. Dairy Sci. 74(Suppl. 2):2-11

136. Vernon, R.G. 1980. Lipid metabolism in the adipose tissue of ruminant animals.
Prog. Lipid Res. 19:23-106

137. Vernon, R.G., Barber, M.C., Finley, E. 1991. Modulation of the activity of acetyl-
CoAcarboxylase and other lipogenic enzymes by growth hormone, insulin and
dexamethasone in sheep adipose tissue and relationship to adaptations to
lactation. Biochem. J. 274:543-48

138. Vernon, R.G., Finley, E. 1988. Roles of insulin and growth hormone in the
adaptations of fatty acid synthesis in white adipose tissue during the lactation
cycle in sheep. Biochem. J. 256:873-78

139. Vernon, R.G., Finley, E., Flint, D.J. 1987. Role of growth hormone in the
adaptations of lipolysis in rat adipocytes during recovery from lactation. Biochem.
J. 242:931-34

140. Vernon, R.G., Finley, E., Watt, P.W. 1991. Adenosine and the control of
adrenergic regulation of adipose tissue lipolysis during lactation. J. Dairy Sci.
74:695-705

141. Vernon, R.G., Flint, D.J. 1989. Role of growth hormone in the regulation of
adipocyte growth and function. In Biotechnology in Growth Regulation, ed. R.B.
Heap, C.G. Prosser, G.E. Lamming, pp. 57-71. London: Butterworth

142. Vernon, R.G., Piperova. L., Watt, P.W., Finley, E., Lindsay-Watt, S. 1993.
Mechanisms involved in the adaptations of the adipocyte adrenergic signaltransduction
system and their modulation by growth hormone during the lactation
cycle in the rat. Biochem. J. 289-845-51

143. Vicini, J.L., Buonomo, F.C., Veenhuizen, J.J., Miller, M.A., Clemmons, D.R., et al.
1991. Nutrient balance and stage of lactation affect responses of insulin, insulinlike
growth factors I and II, and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 2 to
somatotropin administration in dairy cows. J. Nutr. 121:1656-64

144. Vicini, J.L., Hudson, S., Cole, W.J., Miller, M.A., Eppard, P.J., et al. 1990. Effect
of acute challenge with an extreme dose of somatotropin in a prolonged-release
formulation on milk production and health of dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 73:2093-
102

145. Volpe, J.J., Vagelos, P.R. 1976. Mechanisms and regulation of biosynthesis of
saturated fatty acids. Physiol. Rev. 56:339-417

146. Wallis, M. 1975. The molecular evolution of pituitary hormones. Biol. Rev. 50:35-
98

147. Walton, P.E., Etherton, T.D., Chung, C.S. 1987. Exogenous pituitary and
recombinant growth hormones induce insulin and insulin-like growth factor I
resistance in pig adipose tissue. Domest. Anim. Endocrinol. 4:183-89

148. Wastie, S., Buttery, P.J., Vernon, R.G. 1991. Regulation of insulin binding to
sheep adipocyte membranes. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 50:210A (Abstr.)

149. Waters, M.J., Barnard, R.T., Lobie, P.E., Lim, L., Hamlin, G., et al. 1990. Growth
hormone receptors—their structure, location and role. Acta Paediatr. Scand.
(Suppl.) 366:60-72

150. Watt, P.W., Finley, E., Cork, S., Cleg, R.A., Vernon, R.G. 1991. Chronic control
of the ?-and 2 –adrenergic systems of sheep adipose tissue by growth hormone
and insulin. Biochem. J. 273:39-42

151. Wilkinson, J.I.D., Tarrant, M.E. 1991. Fertility of cows receiving somidobove in
European studies. J. Dairy Sci. 74(Suppl. 1):192 (Abstr.)

152. Winder, S.J., Turvey, A., Forsyth, I.A. 1989. Stimulation of DNA synthesis in
cultures of ovine mammary epithelial cells by insulin and insulin-like growth
factors. J. Endocrinol. 123:319-26

153. Wood, D.C., Salsgiver, W.J., Kasser, T.R., Lange, G.W., Rowold, E., et al. 1989.
Purification and characterization of pituitary bovine somatotropin. J. Biol. Chem.
264:14741-47

154. Wray-Cahen, D., Bell, A.W., Dunshea, F.R., Harrell, R.J., Bauman, D.E., et al.
1990. Effect of somatotropin on glucose response to varying insulin doses in
growing pigs. J. Amin. Sci. 68(Suppl. 1):278 (Abstr.)

155. Yang, S.D., Novakofski, J. 1990. Regulation of rat white adipose tissue insulinlike
growth factor-I gene expression by growth hormone and nutrition. FASEB J.
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156. Young, F.G. 1947. Experimental stimulation (galactopoiesis) of lactation. Br.
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Source: Hannah Research Institute, Cornell University
Authors:  Richard G. Vernon, Dale E. Bauman

Posilac and Genetics

Posted by admin on Jun 19th, 2007
2007
Jun 19

POSILAC 1 STEP® and Genetics

Key Points:

  • Use of POSILAC 1 STEP® does not eliminate genetic variation.
  • Genetic progress is expected to increase because both the mean and variance are expected to increase in an environment with POSILAC.
  • The effect of bovine somatotropin is similar to the selection goal of genetic programs and other dairy technologies which is to lower farm fixed costs over units of milk produced. Use of POSILAC bovine somatotropin will not eliminate genetic variation, and selection will continue to be important. There will be challenges in distinguishing between “AI proven bulls” and “BST proven bulls,” which is no different from established practices that have always existed within the industry. Dairy producers who use POSILAC will pay more attention to the contribution genetics can make to increasing productivity.

    Genetic progress is likely to increase with POSILAC from the current gain of 125 lbs per year.1 Genetic progress is expected to increase because both the mean and variance are expected to increase in an environment with POSILAC. Genetic progress could be less under an environment with POSILAC compared to current progress if manipulation of records occurs. Manipulated records will decrease the accuracy of cow and sire evaluations. Dairy records rely on the integrity of individual producers. Under current conditions, records can be manipulated by simply offering additional feed, for example. Biases due to POSILAC can be handled if records are properly coded.2

    Several computer simulation models1,3,4 indicated that if administration of BST is accurately recorded, then effects on genetic progress will be minimal. The more random the use of BST in the population, the less will be the effect on genetic evaluations, especially for bulls.3 A major problem would arise if individual cows are supplemented with BST and the highest responders are used as bull dams. However, as stated previously, research has not been successful in predicting individual cow responses so manipulation of potential bull dams would be difficult. POSILAC is not recommended for use on any bull dams as we do not have any specific trial data on the effects on male offspring. If the response would be an individual trait, this would lead to a preference for high responders.5 High-yielding cows and daughters of bulls with high PDs will respond to BST equally as well as cows of lower genetic merit.6,7

    Dairy farmers with top genetic and production herds will have top genetic and production herds under POSILAC bovine somatotropin.1 The selection goal, increased yield, will remain the same, and will continue to be highly associated with net income within a herd. The top genetic herds will still sell bulls to AI and producers will continue to benefit from sampling young sires.1 The importance of selection will continue to grow with increased emphasis on milk production efficiency. With POSILAC, variation within herds will increase and the top genetic cows will be the best daughters of the best bulls. If all available cows are supplemented, the variance will increase because the mean will increase. If only a part of the herd is supplemented with POSILAC, then there will be a significant increase of within the herd variation because the difference between the highs and the lows will increase.8 This can be handled by adjusting the records for the effect of POSILAC.2

    The impact of POSILAC on sire proofs is unknown until widespread adoption within the industry occurs. POSILAC may neutralize the effects of some genes, but is not likely to reverse their actions and cause bulls to rank much differently.1 There might be slight changes in sire rankings and sire proofs, but the net effect is expected to be minimal and the best bulls available today will also rank at the top in a POSILAC environment.

    References

    1. Everett RW: How will bST affect dairy genetics in the 1990’s? Hoards Dairyman 1987(April 10), p 301.

    2. Everett RW, Galton DM, Kachman SD: Dairy genetics in a bST environment. Proc: Advanced Technologies Facing the Dairy Industry: bST. Cornell Cooperative Extension Meeting, Rochester, NY, 1989.

    3. Burnside EB, Meyer K: Potential impact of bovine somatotropin on dairy sire evaluations. J Dairy Sci 1988;71:2210.

    4. Frangione TA, Cady RA: A simulation study of the effects of somatotropin usage on sire evaluations and milk yield and yield heritabilities. J Dairy Sci 1988;71(Suppl. 1):239.

    5. Gravert HO: bST and breeding-overview. Monsanto bST-Symposium, Brussels, May 22-24, 1988.

    6. Ferguson JD: Strategies of bST utilization. Proc: Advanced Technologies Facing the Dairy Industry: bST. Cornell Cooperative Extension Meeting, Rochester, NY, 1989.

    Source: Monsanto

    Economics and Farm Benefits of Posilac

    Posted by admin on Jun 19th, 2007
    2007
    Jun 19

    Economic & Farm Benefits of Using POSILAC 1 STEP®

    Key Points:

  • All producers, regardless of herd size, can use POSILAC 1 STEP® to increase the profitability of their herd as lactation progresses.
  • Milk production can increase from 5 to 15 lbs/cow/day.
  • POSILAC can extend the lactation of cows.
  • The benefit of POSILAC is its ability to increase milk production significantly and, in doing so, to lower farm fixed costs over units of milk produced. As with all production-enhancing management practices, the objective of using POSILAC is to provide increased profitability to the dairy producer. Maximum economic response is obtained by following the use instructions described in “POSILAC - Milk Production and Management.” Basically, beginning supplementation of ALL healthy cows beginning in the ninth or tenth week of lactation and providing constant availability of a ration designed to support the increased level of production will result in maximum economic response. The concept is so simple that virtually all producers can use POSILAC to increase the profitability of their herds. POSILAC can help raise the profitability of cows as their lactation progresses. Research has shown that, by following proper use instructions, milk production can increase from 5 to 15 lb/cow/day. The economic benefit of using POSILAC can be calculated by merely subtracting the additional incremental costs associated with using POSILAC from the incremental income. Since use of POSILAC requires no capital investment, all fixed costs of producing milk remain unchanged. Only the variable costs and returns need to be evaluated. To calculate the daily return per cow with POSILAC, multiply the extra pounds of milk produced each day times the mail box price of milk. Subtract the extra costs of producing that amount of milk: the daily cost of POSILAC (price per unit/14) plus the cost of the extra feed required. Refer to Table 1 for some examples.

    Table 1 Economic benefit of POSILAC bovine somatotropin

    POSILAC price/14-day supplementation $5.80
    Incremental costs per lb milk response (feed & other costs) $0.035
    Herd size 100
    Percent of herd supplemented 50%

    Profit/herd/year using POSILAC

    Incremental milk response 8 lbs 10 lbs 12 lbs

    Incremental cost/profit per cwt for milk produced with POSILAC

    Incremental milk response 8 lbs 10 lbs 12 lbs

    The actual increased profits enjoyed by individual dairy producers will depend on their mail box milk price, the price of POSILAC, feed costs, and the actual response to POSILAC achieved on their farm. Another example of how POSILAC bovine somatotropin provides economic benefit is its use in extending the lactation of cows that would otherwise be culled due to inability to breed or other health or age reasons. The economic benefit in this case depends on factors that are highly variable from farm to farm, and relate to the level of daily production required to break even. Generally speaking, each additional day that a cow is kept in the production string rather than culled can mean an extra $5.00 or more in income. Thus, keeping the cow in production an extra 30 to 100 days provides a significant, positive economic impact. POSILAC can also be used to decrease the number of cows necessary to produce the same amount of milk. This provides additional income from the sale of cull cows, lowers feed costs, and is of particular benefit in areas of the country where per cow facility costs are relatively high. POSILAC may be a particularly valuable management tool for the dairyman who has too high a density of cows for his facility. Since no capital expenditures are required to incorporate POSILAC into a producer’s dairy management regime, the benefits are equally available to producers regardless of size or location. POSILAC can provide economic advantages to virtually all dairy producers.

    Posilac and Mastitis

    Posted by admin on Jun 17th, 2007
    2007
    Jun 17

    Control POSILAC P-value
    NUMBER OF COWS 234 253 Pretreatment period
  •  Total number of cases
  • 35 55
  •  % Cows with mastitis
  • 11.1 14.6 0.275
  • Cases/100 cow-days
  • 0.25 0.36 0.275 Treatment period
  •  Total number of cases
  • 64 147
  •  % Cows with mastitis
  • 17.5 29.6 0.001
  •  Cases/100 cow-days
  • 0.12 0.23 0.002 Distribution over lactation,%
  •  Pretreatment period
  • 35.4 27.2
  •  treatment period
  • 64.6 72.8 0.148

    Figure 1. Differences in mastitis cases per 305 days of lactation as affected by season, parity, herd, lactation and POSILAC

    References

    1. Bauman, D.E., B.W. McBride, J.L. Burton, and K. Sejrsen. 1994. Somatotropin (bST): International Dairy Federation technical report. Bull. Intl. Dairy Fed. No. 293.

    2. FOI. 1993. FDA Freedom of Information Summary. POSILAC(r) (sterile sometribove zinc suspension) for increasing milk production in lactating dairy cows. New Animal Drug Application 140-872. Sponsored by The Agricultural Group of Monsanto Company.

    3. National Mastitis Council. Current Concepts of Bovine Mastitis. 1987. 3rd Edition.

    4. Technical Manual for POSILAC bovine somatotropin. Revised May 1994. Monsanto Company. pp. 6.1-6.7

    5. White et al. 1994. Clinical mastitis in cows treated with sometribove (recombinant bovine somatotropin) and its relationship to milk yield. J. Dairy Sci. 77:2249.

    Focus on the Fundamentals – Financial

    Posted by admin on Jun 16th, 2007
    2007
    Jun 16

    Focus on the Fundamentals – Financial

    Gary Sipiorski, Citizens State Bank of Loyal

    Armfelt, Caddy, Weisman

    When the milk price drops and stays down as long as it has, emotional decisions are a dairy producer’s first reaction. A better approach may be to Stop, Think, Talk and Calculate the Impact. It is too easy to Fire, Ready, then Aim. Here are a few Dos and Don’ts of which dairy producers should be reminded. Remember, cows are not economists. They react to comfort and care. If you were doing things right with the cows before, you should keep doing those things now.

    Do:

    1. “Cash Flow” is and always will be King. Think about the impact that each decision will have on the Gross Income. An often asked question: “Why does production go up nation wide when the price of milk drops?” Dairy producers that can, are adding cows or work to achieve higher production to recapture lost Gross Income. The bottom line is to generate cash!

    2. Now is the time to really “know your monthly cash expenses”. Sit down with key employees and go through each expense category. In times like these, sit down at the first of the month and write down those anticipated expenses on a pad of paper next to the anticipated income. At the end of the month, review those expected numbers against the real numbers. How did you do? If you missed the acceptable outcome, redo the numbers for next month and discuss what management changes need to be made to make the projected monthly numbers match. It is best to go through this exercise monthly. If you wait for year-end, you may not be there to see the outcome. Computers are fine, but everyone seems to take more responsibility in times like this when you have the pencil in hand.

    3. Review key and major expense areas. Feed bills are always at the top of expense categories. Make sure each ingredient is pulling its weight with the cow. Review other major input areas. Resist major changes in those areas that worked before the milk price dropped, like feed protein and POSILAC®. Make sure you are using high quality feed that has the potential to make milk. 4. Talk to your money source people before they want to talk with you. Lenders hate to be surprised. You take the lead to share your balance sheets, cash flows and thought process.5. Talk with time proven advisors that you have come to trust. This list may include your veterinarian, nutritionist, crop specialist, extension personnel and others. They still have good advice to share.

    6. Surround yourself with producers that build you up, rather than pull you down! Many of your peers have been through times like these. Talk with those that have positive outlooks and suggestions.

    Don’t:

    1. Don’t change the things you know are right for the cows. (See “Focus on the Fundamentals - Cow Management”).

    2. Don’t buy assets that have a long payback such as land, machinery and pickup trucks.

    3. Don’t stop talking to the right people that have been through this before and have been successful.

    Source: Monsanto
    Authors: Armfelt, Caddy, Weisman

    Millking Frequency

    Posted by admin on Jun 16th, 2007
    2007
    Jun 16

    Milking Frequency
    By Dennis V. Armstrong
    Department of Animal Sciences,
    University of Arizona, Tucson
    520-621-1923
    fax 520-621-9435

    Milking Frequency

    The majority of present dairy owners and managers probably think that the milking frequency and schedule on the majority of North American dairy farms in the past was twice a day milking at approximately 12-hour intervals. In fact, many variations in milking frequency or different lengths of intermilking intervals have been tried over the last few decades. Usually these have been for social, production management, or economic reasons. As milk production per cow and herd averages have increased, the interest in milking frequency and interval by dairy farm management has also increased. Practices which were considered to be common in the early part of the century, such as once a day milking, twice a day with intervals of 9-14 hours between milking, and even skip-a-milking a day, would not be considered as acceptable in present milking management of high producing cows. A review of past milking practices may help understand what and why about the practices of milking management used today.

    Once-A-Day Milking

    Milking a cow once a day still is a common practice in some areas of the world where maximum milk production is not always the goal. Once-a-day milking may be more acceptable in some social-labor relationships. It is also common where dairy cattle calve (seasonal) to coincide with the availability of feed. For example, the cows are grazed with the calves for approximately half the day, and then the calves are separated and the cows are milked by hand, usually just before the calf is returned to the cow. The effect of the calves frequent nursing during the day may stimulate milk production was suggested in a trial in 1963 at the University of Minnesota (24).

    Even on today’s modern dairy farms, with ice storms, blizzards, and other violent type storms, it is not uncommon to have power outages of over one day. What cows to milk first when the power returns is a management dilemma. The results from a research trial in 1963 (5)which omitted one and two milkings on a weekly basis would indicate that the middle to late lactation will decrease the largest percentage. This could suggest that they should be milked first after a short interruption of the normal milking procedure.

    Once-a-day milking has occurred on many dairy farms in the past, although not always a planned event. These unusual happenings, would occur on New Years morning or after a family celebration such as a wedding, were the favorite times of the once-a-day milking. The result of these once-a-day milkings have not been documented as to the loss of milk production.

    A trial by Auburn University (5) reported that cows which had one milking a week omitted lost 7% of their milk production, and cows with two milkings a week omitted lost 14%. Similar results were reported by Illinois State University (27), with a loss of 7% for cows with one milking a week omitted.

    In New Zealand and Australia, milking cows once-aday in late lactation has been researched. In several trials (9) milk production losses of 18 to 35% have been reported. In a 1953 study at the University of Connecticut (16) cows in late lactation milked once a day produced 10.8 lb per day compared to 17.4 lb per day for twice-a-day cows on a 10-14-hour schedule.

    Twice-A-Day Milking (2X)

    2x milking is the most common milking schedule of dairy cattle. Only in the last 30 years has the practice of milking on 2x schedule been at twelve-hour intervals. Even today in Midwestern U.S. where the dairyman also is a crop farmer, milking on a 10 to 14-hour schedule is a common practice. In Europe, Australia, and New Zealand 12-hour milking schedule for 2x milking are not common practices. The major reason for the 10 to 14-hour milking interval is usually a social factor.

    Research is not conclusive as to the benefits of a 12- hour interval as compared to a 10-14 schedule. In a 1963 Cornell study (34) cows milked at an 8- to 16-hour interval milked only 4.3% less than a 12-hour interval for 2x milking. In the same trial cows milked at a 10- to 14-hour interval produced only 1% less than a 12-hour interval,milk production per cow per year was 15,000 lbs of milk for the Cornell trial. In research trials with cows which had a relatively low daily milk production of 17-28 lb at the University of Minnesota in 1954 (20), New Zealand in 1956 (26) and Australia in 1955 (37), an unequal daily milking interval of 10 to 14 hours for 2x milking did not have a significant decrease in daily milk production when compared to a 12-hour interval. Level of milk production may have contributed to the results of these trials.

    A more recent study by the University of Illinois (36) with cows milking over 70 lb of milk daily, a 2=% decrease was observed with cows milked at a 9- to 15-hour interval as compared to cows milked on a 12-hour interval. It is an observation by the author (3) that dairy herds with a daily milk production of more than 60 lb per cow per day on a 10- to 14-hour interval would increase milk production 4 to 6%, when changing to a 12-hour schedule within two weeks of the change.

    There is no data available from research trials on intervals between milking to indicate any effect on udder health of different intervals for 2x milking. Therefore, one could hypothesize that the present practice of milking high producing herds on a 12-hour interval for 2x milking will result in higher milk production.

    Three-Times-A-Day Milking (3x)

    Milking cows 3x has become a common milking frequency in recent years. From 1920 to 1950 milking 3x was usually done only on purebred registered herds to increase milk production on selected cows. The rising cost of facilities per cow, the increase in labor efficiency through parlor mechanization, and higher production per cow have increased the interest in milking 3x to improve the profitability of the dairy enterprise. A response percentage of 3 to 39% for cows changed from 2x to 3x milking intervals has been reported in research literature (6, 11, 14, 15, 25, 30, 31, 39). Management and facilities certainly have an important role in the percentage response to 3x milking. Nutrition requirements for any potential increase in milk production must also be met, with 3x herds being fed three times or more each day. Milking management and milking systems must be of top quality to assure udder health. Walking distance in the lane from the corral or housing area to the milking parlor should not exceed 600 to 700 feet, and group size should not exceed one hour of milking capacity of the parlor. The lack of proper facilities or management can result in a low response to 3x milking frequency.

    An additional milking shift will increase labor requirements, although the total time required to milk the same herd size will be approximately 8 to 10% less for 3x than 2x herds (35). For example, a 2x herd which requires 8 hours per milking shift will require 8 to 10% less on 3x or a milking shift of 7 hours. For large dairy herds using hired labor for milking, the organization of the milking shift is less difficult than for smaller farms where family labor is used.

    The response to 3x milking also varies by lactation number. In a comparison of seven herds in California in 1986 (1), the increase in milk production for first lactation cows was 19.4%, second lactation 13.5%, third lactation 11.7%, and four or more lactations 13.4%. Another California study in 1986 (13) analyzed monthly herd summaries of 28 herds prior to and for the first 36 months after switching to 3x milking and reported a 12% increase on 3x milking, with first lactation cows increasing 14% in milk yield. In an Arizona study (23) of DHIA records on herds changing from 2x to 3x increased 15% in milk yield within 12 months after changing milk frequency. In a Connecticut study in 1977 (14) of six herds which changed from 2x to 3x, milk yield was increased 7% for second lactation cows and older, and 11% for first lactation cows above their projected 2x yield. British research (32) evaluated 3x milking during the first 20 weeks of lactation and reported an increased milk yield of 19% for multiple lactation cows and 13% for first lactation cows.

    The majority of research studies on 3x milking have been to measure milk production. There is less data on the effects of milking on reproduction and udder health, and the data is not conclusive. No effect of 3x milking on reproduction performance was reported in a Georgia research trial in 1985 (2). A California trial in 1986 (1) reported a difference in reproductive performance by lactation number for cows milked 2x vs 3x. Cows during the first lactation milked 3x had more breeding and days open than 2x milked cows, second lactation and more cows showed no difference in days open for 3x vs 2x cows. De Peters et al. in 1985 (10) reported a trend for reproductive performance of 3x milked cows to be poorer than cows milked 2x a day. Gisi et al. in 1986 (13) reported a trend in reduced reproductive efficiency for 3x cows when compared to 2x cows, with days to first breeding less for 3x cows. Cows during the first and second lactation milked 3x had more breeding (0.2) than 2x milked cows; with no difference in third and fourth lactation. Some research reports have suggested that higher milk yields adversely affect reproduction efficiency of cows, even of cows milked 2x (21, 29).

    A summary of previous research data would indicate that reproduction efficiency may be lower during the first two lactations for 3x milked cows with no effect on later lactation cows. The decrease in reproductive efficiency if lower is very small and in most of the trials was not statistically significant. Cow longevity was evaluated in the 1986 California trial (1), with fewer cows being culled from the herds milking cow 3x vs. the 2x herds.

    Udder health was not affected by 3x milking in a number of research trials. a California trial in 1986 (13) reported no difference in California mastitis test scores. Pearson et al (30 ) reported no difference in udder health for 3x milked cows. When compared to 2x cows in a 1983 trial by Kentucky research workers (39) somatic cell count was lower, and there was no difference in the number of new bacterial infections between 3x and 2x milked cows.

    Therefore, if a dairy farm has properly installed and maintained milking equipment and acceptable milking practices, no increase in somatic cell count or clinical mastitis should occur. In conclusion, if herds are well managed 3x milking should increase milk production by 10 to 18%, reproduction efficiency in first and second lactation cows may be slightly lower, and somatic cell count and clinical mastitis may be lower. Conversely, in poorly managed herds or herds with inadequate facilities for 3x milking, this may only aggravate existing problems and would not be advantageous.

    Two-And-A-Half-Times-A-Day Milking?

    Many dairymen have pushed their facilities past the time necessary to milk all their cows either 3x or 4x. For example, a herd may require 27-28 hours to complete 3x milking. Although there is little research to study the effect of these types of milking intervals, such as 2=x, research in Holland (18, 19) would indicate that a cow does have a biological clock. That is, a cow will have higher milk production if she is milked and fed on the same daily routine. Therefore, if the time of milking is moved 3 to four hours each day, the benefits of the increased frequency in milk production will be reduced. If your milking frequency is 2=x you do not get one-half the benefit of 3x milking. If a dairyman is milking more cows than the milking parlor and labor can milk in a 24- hour period, it probably is preferable to decrease the milking frequency so that milking and feeding are done on the same routine each day.

    Source: University of Arizona

    The Impact of Dairy Herd Management

    Posted by admin on Jun 16th, 2007
    2007
    Jun 16

    The Impact of Dairy Herd Management on Nutrient Losses to Water Resources By Richard Kohn, Ph.D., University of Maryland

    Introduction Current programs to reduce nutrient losses from farms have focused on soil and manure management. These practices by themselves are not adequate to reduce nutrient losses by 40% as needed to restore the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

    The feeding and management of dairy cattle have a profound impact on reducing nutrient losses to water resources. With improved herd management, less manure is produced so fewer manure nutrients are left to runoff or be leached. In addition, productivity can be maintained with less feed, which means there is a lower requirement for crop production and fertilizer use.

    The objectives of the current research are 1) to evaluate new technologies in herd management and feeding for their potential to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus excretion in manure, and their potential to reduce nutrient losses from the farm, 2) to estimate the cost-effectiveness of these technologies, and 3) to make recommendations for technology transfer, cost-share, tax credit, or other incentive programs to encourage implementation of desired programs.

    Several new technologies were evaluated for their impact on changes in nutrient excretion to manure by summarizing data in the literature and developing mathematical models. Most animal research is conducted on individual animals and so the impact on the herd was calculated from the results of animal trials by aggregating according to expected herd distributions. The predicted change in nutrient losses from the farm that results from application of new technologies was calculated using a model adapted from previous efforts.

    This research was supported by the US EPA Chesapeake Bay Program.

    Results

    • Management that increases production per cow can reduce nutrient losses to manure for the herd. Administration of bovine growth hormone to selected lactating cows, extending photoperiod with artificial lighting, and milking three times daily would each reduce nutrients in manure by 8, 5 and 7% respectively.
    • A method was developed to fine tune dairy cow diets for protein feeding from analysis of milk composition. The amount of milk urea N and other variables can be used to predict N consumed in feeds and identify when cows are eating too much protein. Using this method to fine tune diets could reduce N output to manure by 6% initially, and lead to the discovery of other methods to improve N utilization in dairy cows.
    • Current recommendations for phosphorus feeding assume that consumed phosphorus (P) is only 50% digestible. Research trials are needed to test the accuracy of this assumption. If P digestibility can be assumed to be 65% digestible, P in manure could be reduced by 35% and many farms that are currently accumulating P in soils will come into P balance.
    • Most dairy cattle diets in the U.S. are balanced using the National Research Council (NRC) recommendations. A newer model called the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) is often suggested to feed cattle more efficiently. We compared both models on two different large data sets. Using the CNCPS would have over fed or under fed dairy cows depending on the feeds used in the diets, and it is not recommended for routine formulation of diets for dairy cows. Further diet formulation research is needed.
    • Theoretically, the use of protected amino acid supplements can reduce the total amount of protein needed in a ration and result in up to 20 to 40% less N in the manure produced by a dairy herd. Despite the theoretical benefits of using protected amino acids, in practice, further work is needed to improve our understanding of animal amino acid requirements. Research is needed to improve diet formulation models to balance for amino acid requirements.
    • Dairy farmers typically feed all of the cows in a particular pen or barn the same diet. Each animal produces a different amount of milk, gains a different amount of weight, etc. and therefore each animal actually requires a different amount of energy, protein and minerals. Grouping cows affects nutrient balance in the herd. When feeding to meet the requirements of one cow in a group, a different cow may be overfed or underfed. When feeding all lactating cows together according to current recommendations, about 10% more N and P would end up in manure than when feeding each cow individually according to her requirements.
    • Grazing is often considered an environmentally friendly method of animal production. Total N losses per acre were predicted to be 3.7 times greater for confinement systems compared to the grazing systems. However, milk production per acre was 4.3 times greater for the confinement systems. Grazing systems resulted in lower nutrient losses per acre but greater nutrient losses per unit of milk and meat produced.
    • The potential to reduce nutrient losses by optimizing crop selection to meet annualized herd feed requirements with minimal nutrient losses from growing crops was investigated. Corn silage-based farms that import all grains would be able to comply with N-based nutrient management planning and need to purchase chemical N, while alfalfa-based farms that import grains would apply excess N. Nonetheless, the alfalfa-based farms would result in 3.3 units of N loss per unit of N in meat and milk while the corn-based farms would have resulted in 3.5 units of N loss per unit of N in meat and milk. The combination of alfalfa and corn silage was the best with only 2.9 units of N loss per unit of N in meat and milk.

    Conclusions

    Using multiple strategies to improve nutrient utilization in dairy cattle could reduce N and P feeding by more than 50%. About half the manure N will be lost from the farm before becoming available to crops in soils, and about half of the soil available N will be lost from the soil before being taken up and harvested in crops. With these assumptions, reducing feed N requirements by 50% without harming production could reduce the need for feed N by 50%, and reduce manure N output by 59%. In a typical dairy production system (including the production of imported feeds), improving N utilization in the animal by 50% would decrease total farm N losses by 55%.

    Source: University of Maryland
    Author: Richard Kohn, PhD

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