Operators To OWNERS
By Eric R
Operators To OWNERSMay 28, 2020
OTO Episode 77: What Are You Master Of?
On today's thoughts from the truck episode, I ponder a little bit about a quote and this quote, for a context comes from one of my top seven of all time books; biggest, most impactful books that I have read. One of these books, out of the seven, that lie on my mind altering, life altering type shelf at home.
This book is called High Performance Habits by Brendan Burchart. Highly recommend reading this book and looking into it, but in this book, the author, who is a self-help, self-development type guru selected a quote from Andrew Carnegie, and if you don't know who Andrew is, he was an industrialist specifically within the steel industry or on the turn of the century, and Andrew was credited with saying:
"I believe the true road to pre-eminent success in any line is to make yourself master in that line."
Today we will discuss why mastery is intrinsically rewarding to us and how we can begin to capture our own small chunk of it on a daily basis!
The Cutting Edge - Article 32 - Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae to reduce BRSV infection severity in neonatal calves via immune modulation
Supplementing a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product modulates innate immune function and ameliorates bovine respiratory syncytial virus infection in neonatal calves
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32780814/
Ultimate Message:
We do have an ability to modulate immune responses to make them less damaging within the respiratory tract of our calves and potentially beyond that if you start to look outside of this study.
Big 3 Take Aways:
Number one, there are differences between prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. Is one necessarily better than the other? Do you need one more than the other? Not necessarily, but the ability of the postbiotics to be more concentrated versus diluted in what you'll see as the prebiotic and the probiotic potentially has a bigger impact than those other two factors and is worth considering when you're considering your source or your dollar investment for your clients.
Number two, innate training. We can train the immune system to respond in a less destructive way, to just respond in a more phagocytic way versus more of kind of that nuclear bomb or uncontrolled damage type of way. That's very interesting that we have the ability to do that.
Number three, we have the ability to control inflammation. And that again, ties into the response we get. We have less free oxygen oxidative species going out there, less oxidative bursts occurring, less overall damage and destruction to the overall airways.
Abstract:
The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of oral supplementation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation products on immune function and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) infection in preweaned dairy calves. Twenty-four Holstein × Angus, 1- to 2-d-old calves (38.46 ± 0.91 kg initial body weight [BW]) were assigned two treatment groups: control or SCFP treated, milk replacer with 1 g/d SCFP (SmartCare) and calf starter top-dressed with 5 g/d SCFP (NutriTek). The study consisted of one 31-d period. On days 19 to 21 of the supplementation period, calves were challenged via aerosol inoculation with BRSV strain 375. Calves were monitored twice daily for clinical signs, including rectal temperature, cough, nasal and ocular discharge, respiration effort, and lung auscultation. Calves were euthanized on day 10 postinfection (days 29 to 31 of the supplementation period) to evaluate gross lung pathology and pathogen load. Supplementation with SCFP did not affect BW (P = 0.762) or average daily gain (P = 0.750), percentages of circulating white blood cells (P < 0.05), phagocytic (P = 0.427 for neutrophils and P = 0.460 for monocytes) or respiratory burst (P = 0.119 for neutrophils and P = 0.414 for monocytes) activity by circulating leukocytes either before or following BRSV infection, or serum cortisol concentrations (P = 0.321) after BRSV infection. Calves receiving SCFP had reduced clinical disease scores compared with control calves (P = 0.030), reduced airway neutrophil recruitment (P < 0.002), reduced lung pathology (P = 0.031), and a reduced incidence of secondary bacterial infection. Calves receiving SCFP shed reduced virus compared with control calves (P = 0.049) and tended toward lower viral loads in the lungs (P = 0.051). Immune cells from the peripheral blood of SCFP-treated calves produced increased (P < 0.05) quantities of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in response to toll-like receptor stimulation, while cells from the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of SCFP-treated calves secreted less (P < 0.05) proinflammatory cytokines in response to the same stimuli. Treatment with SCFP had no effect on virus-specific T cell responses in the blood but resulted in reduced (P = 0.045) virus-specific IL-17 secretion by T cells in the BAL. Supplementing with SCFP modulates both systemic and mucosal immune responses and may improve the outcome of an acute respiratory viral infection in preweaned dairy calves.
OTO Episode 76: Stress Makes You Dumber
Stress makes you dumber.
Period.
Our brains have a limited amount of working memory in them.
As such our brain seeks to utilize this limited resource in the most effective way. This means that when we are stressed the brain begins to shift blood to prepare us for action. A natural and necessary response from an evolutionary perspective.
The shift allows us to prepare for using this memory to aid our fight or flight centers aka limbic system.
However, this blood must come from somewhere.
That somewhere is the prefrontal cortex.
Responsible for conscious creative thought and critical thinking, the prefrontal cortex, or P F C, is the contemplative part of our brain. It allows us to appraise a situation rather than to simply react to stimuli.
Thus, the simple of act of becoming stressed means we are less physically able to critically think our way out of the problem.
OTO Episode 75: Countdown to Success February 2023 On Training and Creating a Tribe
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Happy February OTO,
At Operators to Owners we encourage continual growth and learning. In the spirit of this initiative we will be experimenting with our monthly newsletter, the Countdown , and its layout throughout 2023. We are doing this to make it more useful to you, as well as more accessible to the veterinary community. As part of this experiment I'm proud to present to you our first audio version of the newsletter!
If you have any comments or suggestions we would welcome them at dr.eric@otovets.com!
This month's Countdown to Success is focused upon training. I believe training represents a way for practices to begin to build a solid foundation for their staff. A way for them to differentiate themselves in a competitive market. And a way to reduce future HR based headaches. Using psychology as part of this training, will naturally improve it, allowing you to leverage the power of the human psyche.
I hope you will consider trying it!
As a reminder, your journey of professional development is important to me. Teaching and seeking the advancement of our profession has been a goal of mine since I started veterinary school and OTO gives me a vehicle to continue this mission. If you wish to join me more interactively as I pursue this, please join our Facebook Group or consider joining one of our masterminds at otovets.com and share your journey with our community.
You never know when your ideas, stories, actions, or reflections will inspire another vet out there!
OTO Episode 74: Exploring Salutogenesis - Crafting Meaningful Work via Personal Growth Initiative
Take the Personal Growth Initiative Assessment at otovets.com/pgi
Our Inner Work Life Tells a Story
Struggling with feelings of burnout and stress at work are not unique to the veterinary profession. In fact, this is an endemic issue that pervades almost every level of our society. Scientists have begun to classify these internalized thoughts and feelings that are brought on at work as "Inner Work Life."
We've all experienced the power of Inner Work Life at some time. The waxing and waning of motivation throughout the day, that little voice that can ramp up your emotions building relationships or creating conflict, even altering how our subconscious mind perceives the actions of others around us during the day. What Inner Work Life describes is our behind the scene's motivators; the silent judgements we make, the stories we craft that affect decisions made by us and how these interpretations control our own internal thoughts and actions. Our feelings of our own levels of control over these situations, aka autonomy, form a key aspect to how we craft these stories.
So how can we increase autonomy? The first thing we must realize is there are differing types of autonomy. First, there is what I call "Controlling Autonomy" or the ability to schedule your day in a way you desire to control it, letting the individual autonomy decide when tasks and appointments to be done. This simple act of Controlling Autonomy can help us feel more efficient and better able to cope with daily challenges, unfortunately it does very little to progress personal growth and in the long term only minorly improves feelings of autonomy. This is a common and important level of autonomous control within our society given to employees by managers as a way to say they provide autonomy in the workplace. This makes Controlling Autonomy a common scapegoat by managers when they fail to provide a much more empowering type of autonomy; "Meaningful Autonomy."
To aid our employees in this evolution toward increased Meaningful Autonomy we may need to provide some structure and/or identify how they can discover, plan for, and pursue Meaningful Autonomy themselves. Christine Robitchek's Personal Growth Initiative lab has a great model for this; Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS), or a measure that allows us to track the individuals readiness for Meaningful Autonomous growth, ability to plan for effective growth, opportunities and presence of relationships needed for growth, and their tendency towards taking action in areas of Meaningful Autonomy. Listen in to learn more about how PGI can form the framework for your own Personal and Professional Growth Journey.
Take the Personal Growth Initiative Assessment at otovets.com/pgi
OTO Episode 73: Exploring Salutogenesis - 4 Salutogenic Principles that Lead to Flourishing
In Episode 72 we introduced the concept of Salutogenesis and my feelings about it's ability to impact our profession; specifically how it has the potential to aid us in discovering our Flourishing State or that state in which we are:
"Being free from illness and distress but, more important, of being filled with vitality and functioning well in one's personal and social life." - Source
Today we discuss the four principles that make up Salutogenesis:
1) A Sense of Coherence - This is comprised of three major factors; comprehensibility, meaningfulness and manageability
2) "Other" Factors - The intangible factors that improve interpersonal and intrapersonal resiliency skills
3) Defined Salutogenesis - A clear definition of what salutogenic medicine is
4) The Mind-Body Connection - What are the physiologic affects of the presence OR lack of a mental state of flourishing
Begin to understand just what it means to be a salutogenic practitioner and how it can change the way you work day by day.
OTO Episode 72: Salutogenesis as a Tool to Improve Our Profession's Well-being
Salutogenesis is a word few of us have heard before but could be the means by which we can rejuvenate our profession. Salutogenesis is the pursuit of knowledge around the study of the origins of health, contra the origins of disease, resulting in a better understanding of the "flourshing state" of mental, physical and spiritual health.
More simply defined; salutogenic research revolves around the "top performers" and what makes them the top, vs focusing on the pathologies that cause bottom performers to become bottom. The pursuit of the factors that lead to flourshing allows us to elevate people from a "healthly" normal and better protect that elevation from suboptimal states using techniques we learn from the top 1%, 5% or 10% of practitioners in their fields.
In order to make salutgenesis mainstream in veterinary medicine we will need a fundamental shift in resources from our "we've always done it this way" mentality and instead we must begin to embrace alternative interventions that focus less on correcting the underlying pathologies.
OTO Episode 71: Bottlenecks and Systems Thinking
Bottlenecks have existed for as long as man has. From the drawbridge in medieval days, to the corporate board room and even within our own heads; these friction points decrease our efficiency and cause us to experience a variety of problems. These problems disrupt our lives and cause us untold physical and emotional pain.
Therefore, the identification and addressing of bottlenecks can prove to be a much needed skill for the modern medical professional. This podcast will teach you techniques to improve your reflective routine so you can more quickly and efficiently identify bottlenecks, even before they begin to cause formal problems.
Finally, we will discuss how adopting a systems thinking mentality will change how you view these problems and help you craft new strategies to address your current bottlenecks.
OTO Episode 70: The Matthew Effect
Fostering motivation for personal development is one of the key values of OTO.
Creating an environment of momentum, one that motivates you to continue your development is key to experiencing long term success in this endeavor.
As a listener to this podcast, you're likely among the 20% of individuals that are doing 80% of the creative work in our industry. But finding the motivation to continue this task, continue this work, is incredibly hard.
This is where the Matthew Effect is critical. The Matthew Effect originates from a bible verse:
“FOR UNTO EVERYONE THAT HATH SHALL BE GIVEN, AND HE SHALL HAVE ABUNDANCE. BUT FROM HIM THAT HATH NOT SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY EVEN THAT WHICH HE”
This means that if we can begin to create an environment of winning, of success and of personal growth we are more likely to see a continuation of that growth.
This podcast will go deeper into the Matthew Effect, the research that surrounds it and ways you can begin to harness it. At the end I even include 6 ways that I've personally used to jump start this effect, even when I am at my nadir of personal development motivation.
OTO Episode 69: Speak it to Existence
Have you ever wanted something but didnt know how to get it?
Maybe you've started a new service and are struggling to get it off the ground?
Maybe you've always wanted to provide a service or bring a product to the market but have struggled to get traction as it develops?
Have you ever grappled with feelings of inadequacy or imposter syndrome?
Then today's episode is made JUST FOR YOU! Speaking something to existence means that you are committed to sharing your vision with the world. It means that you want to confidently and clearly commit to what you want and why you want it. It also means that you are reaching out, leveraging your relationships to help you achieve what you desire.
Speaking to existence gives you the opportunity to ask the world for help. Priming the Reticular Activating System of every speaker, reader or listener toward things that might help make your dreams a reality.
Tune in to learn how Speaking to Existence could change your career path today!
OTO Episode 68: Meaningful Work
When is the last time you've sat down and thought about what actually is meaningful to you?
Have you ID'd those niche's, specialties and hobbies that fill YOUR cup and provide you energy every day?
The deeper that I dig into Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the motivations it can create, the more I begin to understand the importance of meaningful work in the workplace. This work is unique to us as individuals, and allows us to express our own interests and desires. This type of work gives us an intrinsic motivator; IE something no single individual can take away from us. In addition, research has shown that if we are able to chase after this "meaningful work" concept on a daily basis we are more likely to experience a greater volume of positive work days and therefore overall improved well-being at work overall. Today's episode is a collection of my ruminations about meaningful work's impact on my career to this point and my increasing belief that it may be one of the most critical factors we as practice owners can utilize to help the overall well-being of our peers.
OTO Episode 67: The Progress Principle
The Progress Principle: Learn More at https://hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-wins
Today we discuss the characterization of virtuous cycles at work and how to craft them using small wins for yourself and your employees.
We all experience good and bad work days….and there are so many factors that play into each; the type of work, the challenge of the work, our home life, the relationships at work, road blocks we encounter, tools we find…..the list is endless.
So how do we maximize the # of positive days we experience at work? This is the very question HBR researchers Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer asked. And their results were quite eye opening.
#1 thing we can do as employers and self managers to increase the # of positive work days is create progress at work in meaningful tasks.
While following 238 over 26 projects…through 7 companies and 3 industries….researchers asked these people to do daily diary entries about their work day. They were seeking to find the source of the elusive positive work day…..what they got was 12,000 unique entries that they read and analyzed to come to this conclusion.
What they found was that individuals experiencing progress were 5x as likely to have a positive work day than not!
Interestingly, these same researchers found that individuals only experienced a positive work 6% of the time they encountered roadblocks or a lack of clarity in their tasks and perhaps even more troublingly these same individuals experienced an astounding 0% positive work environment when they encountered environments that were toxic, confounded with disrespect, discouragement for their tasks and a lack of emotional intelligence.
This concept of progress, and the subsequent concepts the authors called catalysis and nourishers, is so powerful that it doesn’t just extend to employees….it will impact you as a business or self manager as well!
Think back to the last time your team made progress, landed that new client or created that new service. Did it empower you as a manager? Did you find new energy and passion?
Lacking energy at work? Burning out? Then this episode on The Progress Principle is just what the doctor ordered!
OTO Episode 66: Helping Your Friends Ease into Personal Growth with Virtuous Cycles
We are surrounded by peers who are in vicious cycles. Struggling with negative mentalities, poor workplaces or a lack of work-life balance. Recently one of my masterminders posed a question to me, "How do I get friends to start to try Personal Growth Initiative as a way to develop?"
This is a great question. Those of you who listen to this podcast likely already see the value in Personal Growth. Likely you've invested in this concept for weeks, to months to even years. If your like me you might even struggle to remember the first steps that lead you down this development path.
Today I reflect upon my personal development journey. From my first days of simply reading books, to my most recent revelations about reflection I share my story of how Personal Growth occurred for me, step by step through the last 8 years. I will show that this growth doesn't need to occur all at once and that each step, and no matter the means, will create a new Virtuous Cycle. Discussing potential new habits, steps or commitments is key to the conversations you will need to have with your friends and peers to shift their mentality.
I believe that if we can get our peers to invest in even one of these steps we will be able to "hook" them into more motivated Personal Growth behavior, shifting the perverse negative mentality in our profession!
OTO Episode 65: Small Wins Big Progress
The Virtuous Cycle; a very cool sounding term for the concept of using small wins to build momentum. A virtuous cycle is a cycle of wins and progressive movement in areas that matter to you. This means you're making measurable or visible progress in your areas of salient interest.
As Owners of our personal and professional lives it is up to us to set ourselves up for success every day. We must manage our daily lives as well as manage our days in order to create this momentum.
In my personal opinion the best way to begin this momentum is by creating re-occurring TO-DO's or Non-Negotiable daily tasks. This can be things like daily workouts, reading, refection or thinking time. These activities can range from 5 minutes to 20 minutes each BUT they will fill your internal cup and create small wins BEFORE your day starts; allowing you to begin that day's virtuous cycle.
If you are successful in this you can increase the chances you will have a positive day as well as carry momentum into your daily goal based To-Do list.
To learn more about why the Virtuous cycle is so important and how you can harness it; tune in! I promise the positive feelings you will garner from this technique are well worth the listen!
OTO Episode 64: Planning to Achieve Your Wants and Whys
When is the last time you planned before you took on a consulting project, home improvement project or personal growth activity?
Do you know how to successfully create a plan to achieve your wants and whys?
If not this episode is for you! Today we are going to go beyond simple goals and dig deep into how we can make a goal become a reality. By harnessing a concept called OKR's we can begin to create actionable plans to achieve that goal.
This episode will also hash out a REAL WORLD example of how someone could use a goal to craft OKR's, create powerful initiatives and daily To-Do lists. So tune in today if you want to super charge your planning!
Example:
Goal: Increase practice revenue so I can purchase a new ultrasound machine.
Objectives:
1) Increase Practice Revenue (by X%)
2) Buy a new US machine
Key Results for 1):
1) Set Target Dollar Goal
2) Increase Established Services Revenue by X
3) Service X New Clients this Year
4) Generate X Dollars from the New Ultrasound
Initiative for Increase Established Service Revenue:
ID how to Increase Service Revenue by X and % to Come from each Area:
1) Raise Prices
2) ID New Clients
3) Increase Frequency of Offered Services
Daily To-Do for Above Initiative:
1) Review Annual Service Price Increase Q10 Years
2) Visit Two New Clients per Week
3) Hire a PR Firm to Market and Manage Social Media Accounts
To learn more tune into the episode!
Looking for more planning information. Checkout this month's Countdown to Success: On Planning at otovets.com/5-4-3-2-1-may-2021
Want to join the OTO Facebook Community? Join us at otovets.com/facebook
OTO Episode 63: What do you want and why? - Finding Clarity
Discovering what you really want saves you endless confusion and wasted energy. – Stuart Wilde
Picture a world where no one knows what they want or why they want it. They simply go about their day checking boxes; fulfilling their basic needs and then ending the day.
When I do this it conjures up images of sci-fi movies with these drones of people moving about with no purpose or mission in life....then in comes our superhero. This hero breaks free of the mold by wanting something different for a compelling reason.
This is what clarity can do for you. It can help you understand what you WANT in the short, mid and long term. Additionally, clarity will help you understand WHY you want it. Giving you endless motivation to chase that end.
Today I will give you a few exercises I have used and coached with. Things that I have found helped me realize my inner desires and driving factors. These things are why I push every day. The WANT'S and the WHY's that drive me. So join me today OTO'ers for a training lesson on how to find your Clarity!
OTO Episode 62: Find Another Career
What should we do about the nay-says among us? Those who tell budding vets to find another career or something with a better ROI.
How would I handle such an individual and how could personal development, clarity and goal setting change their opinion.
Join me today OTO'ers as I provide my perspective on these negative community interactions.
Join the discussion at otovets.com/facebook or interact with me directly at dr.eric@otovets.com!
OTO Episode 61: Work-Life Balance - Does it Exist?
Many veterinary professionals struggle to create balance between their professional and personal lives. This struggle can lead to some intense internal and external conflicts about what is most important in their life. Conflicts such as these can severely effect a professionals mental health, well-being and lead to dissatisfaction and burnout for the individual.
Today, I will share some thoughts that I have taught in my Work-Life Balance Mastermind as well as three strategies I believe can start a veterinary professional down the path toward better life balance.
By the end of the episode you will:
1) Understand Work-Life Balance in the context of "Life Seasons."
2) Evaluate what "balls" can bounce in your life vs break.
3) And begin to contemplate, "What is enough?"
I hope you enjoy the episode OTO'ers!
OTO Episode 60: The Half-Life of Facts - Why Input Matters!
Sam's Thesis: Facts change in many ways but the undeniable truth is every fact has a half-life that obeys mathematical rules. We can measure/expect these changes, what we learn will be out of date or false ever few years and the distribution of fact change is slow; hampered by human networks and internal biases.
Please feel free to add to the discussion by joining our Facebook group at otovets/facebook and get some great Inputs, curated by me Dr. Eric, by signing up for our FREE newsletter at otovets.com/5-4-3-2-1.
Carry on OTO'ers
OTO Episode 59: Where have we been and where is OTO going?
Welcome to our newest podcast. It's been a long minute since I've seen you guys but I'm excited to share a little bit of the changes that have happened since we last talked. What made me need to be away from you guys for about 5 months and an overview what's new for OTO and where we're headed from here. So tune in and learn more about the direction of OTL and where we've been.
Episode Resources:
*New* OTO Work-Life Balance Mastermind Info at otovets.com/90days
*New* FREE OTO Auto-Reply Manual at otovets.com/autoreply
*New* FREE OTO Knowledge Broker Newsletter "Countdown to Success" otovets.com/5-4-3-2-1
Join Our Facebook Community at otovets.com/facebook
Checkout Our Blog at otovets.com/blog
Carry on OTO'ers
OTO Episode 58: What to do when a client fires you?
The Cutting Edge - Article 31 - Available energy in starter is dependent upon previous NFC intakes
Estimates of calf starter energy affected by consumption of nutrients. 2. Evaluation of models to predict changing digestion on energy content in calf starters
Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(19)30082-7/fulltext
Big Take Away #1 Let’s open with a great quote, “Estimates of energy in CS in young calves should consider rumen development and changing digestion with advancing GI maturity.”
When we calculate daily DE or ME in calves we use an NRC model for CS that accounts for adult digestion NOT neonatal immature digestive tracts. And as you would expect these immature tracts are not really ready to using energy in the CS form.
Big Take Away #2: The big key the researchers did find was that the MEratio, or when ME of CS in the calf over ME of the NRC estimate came close to 1, was usually reached when 15 kg of NFC were consumed and MEnrc actually overestimated ME until this occurred.
This ratio persisted in weaned calves fed starter and 5% forage as well suggesting accurate predictions of ME even in TMR calves.
Big Take Away #3: When the researchers looked for an average age at which this 15kg of NFC was reached they found a range from 51 days of age up to 63 days of age in trial calves. This clearly disputes the industry norm of weaning at a specific age.
Also, the current industry recommendation for weaning at a specific intake volume of CS, such as 1kg CS/day, does not mean that that amount of feed can be used by the calf’s GI tract if the 15kg NFC limit has not been reached.
Estimates of calf starter energy affected by consumption of nutrients. 2. Evaluation of models to predict changing digestion on energy content in calf starters
Published by J. Quigley, W. Hu, J. Knapp, T. Dennis, F. Suarez-Mena, T. Hill, Jan 2019
Location: Cargill Animal Nurition, Brookville, Ohio
Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate methods to calculate energy values of dry feeds (NRC, 2001) fed to young calves during the first 4 mo of life utilizing estimates of total-tract nutrient digestion.
OTO Episode 57 - Job, Career, or Calling?
There is no "right" answer to this question, only clarity to be gained by asking yourself it.
When we think about how we do what we do for a living we can begin to classify it into 3 different categories.
We can either be the 1/3 of Americans that have what they would define as a Job.
We can be the 1/3 of Americans that have what would be defined as a Career.
Or
You could be the 1/3 of Americans that say they have a Calling.
How you see your veterinary job will affect the lengths you go within it as well as your personal relationships outside of it. Understanding what you want this work to be, whether that is a job/career/calling, will help you understand and evaluate what you will need to do at work and at home to succeed in the long run.
So tune in today as we discuss what a job, career, or calling means for your working future.
The Cutting Edge - Article 30 - Developing Technologies in Calf Management
Symposium Review: Precision Technologies for Dairy Calves and Management Applications
Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(20)30554-3/fulltext
Big Take Away #1 The authors concluded that disease affects activity in calves, but the differences in greater or lesser activity are more likely attributed to how the calf responds to illness.
Many studies have mapped increases in lying bouts and/or times with accelerometers in calves, but these signs appear variable between different disease processes such as diarrhea, respiratory or navel diseases.
Big Take Away #2: The authors noted that milk flow and meal size at an autofeeder can play a large role on feeding behavior for calves.
Altering these parameters can change social-group behaviors in calves, total milk intakes and potentially impact other hunger-based behaviors in calves.
Big Take Away #3: The authors also proposed using “optical flow” patterns to detect changes in social dynamics in calf groups prior to diseases outbreaks.
Similar technologies using real-time localization systems could be used to detect social isolation of a sick herd member OR monitor herd behavior for ventilation, cooling, sunlight or other responses to environmental factors.
Symposium Review: Precision Technologies for Dairy Calves and Management Applications
Published by J. Costa, M Cantor, H Neave
Location: University of Kentucky Dairy Science and AgResearch Ltd Hamilton New Zealand
Objective: The objective of this study was to critically review literature on the use of precision dairy technology devices with a focus on accelerometers, automated feeding systems and systems measuring physiological or physical attributes.
OTO Episode 56 - Building Your Bullpen: Can Your Boss be Your Mentor?
Today we ask the hard question. Can your boss be your mentor?
Many Boss-Employee relationships evolve naturally to a Boss-Mentee relationship due to the continuous positive and negative feedback needed in the modern workplace. But is this healthy and how can you seek to establish a healthy Boss-Mentee relationship?
This question and more are answered in this weeks Thoughts from the Truck podcast.
The Cutting Edge - Article 29 - Supplementing the Transition Wet Calf
The effect of feeding Levucell SC™ rumen specific live yeast on feed intake and weight gain performance of calves during weaning
Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Big Take Away #1 Even in the face of a moderately aggressive milk limiting ration, improvements were seen at weaning using a yeast type rumen development “supplement.”
Many of these milk limiting rations are thought to better develop the rumen than high milk rations and therefore producers ignore supplementing them via other means.
Big Take Away #2: Once again researchers showed that adding “pro-biotics,” even rumen specific yeasts did not improve weight gain in wet calves.
The positive benefit of probiotics in the normally functioning animal “monogastric” ruminant still remains hazy at best.
Big Take Away #3: Once again researchers have found that the addition of pro-rumen development products improved or maintained rate of gain through the transition period but not into the period beyond the first week.
Researchers in this study found that during the week of weaning animals on the yeast supplement gained almost 1.5x as much per day as non-supplement animals.
Published by A. Turney, A. Clay, and L. Waldron
Location: Lallemand Nz, LWT Animal Nutrition à Industry funded by Lallemand Nurtition NZ Ltd and a Calloghan Innovation grant
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of feeding a rumen specific live yeast (Levucell SC™) on feed intakes and body weights of calves at weaning
Building Your Bullpen: AAA Mentors Pt 2
Did you know in the modern workplace?...
- 80% of learning takes place informally through a mentor or co-worker.
- Yet......54% of individuals claim that they don’t currently have a mentor personally or professionally.
Did you know in the modern veterinary practice?...
- 29.7 percent is the average employee turnover rate; double the national average (AAHA)
- Yet...only 25% of small businesses take advantage of official mentorship programs which have been shown to increase retention rates from 49% in non-mentored employees to 72% in mentored employees.
Statistics like these are why your business MUST have a mentorship program in place.
But what does it take to become a "AAA" mentor?
How can you improve your mentorship?
Tune in today OTO'ers for a discussion about the AAA'S of mentorship and how you can improve your practices mentorship program today!
The Cutting Edge - Article 28 - Improving the employee situation on dairies
Effects of employer management on employee recruitment, satisfaction, engagement, and retention on large US dairy farms
Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(20)30499-9/fulltext
Big Take Away #1: Durst in 2018 identified 6 common management failure areas on a dairy; specified goals, employee input, inter-employee problems, communication, training and positive feedback.
This is unsurprising as the majority of owners, much less mid-managers, on a dairy have had little to no management or HR training.
Big Take Away #2: The relationship between an employee and their immediate supervisor was the strongest indicator of job satisfaction.
Even on farms with low scores in other management areas if the relationship was strong between employee and supervisor they outscored other farms with better management scores.
Big Take Away #3: “Good” current employees were only likely to recommend other good employees who were hard workers, had experience and would do the job right aka “The right fit.”
Ultimately, they would only recommend the farm to others who they believed would be committed to is success as well.
Ultimate Message: As we already know management is key to employee success and satisfaction. Improving engagement can be multifactorial but if a client is struggling with retention, engagement or satisfaction often they need to look no further than their mid-level managers to find the problem.
Objective: The objective of this study was to understand employee perceptions of HRM strengths and weaknesses and their influence on (1) employee satisfaction, (2) employee retention, (3) willingness of employees to recommend the farm as a place to work, and (4) level of employee engagement on the farm.
OTO Episode 54: Building Your Bullpen - Mentorship an Introduction Pt1
One of the #1 demands from new graduates and new hires is good mentorship.
Yet it is a skill we receive 0 training on in school and it has little to no formal training in the currently provided Continuing Education programs.
Today, OTO will begin a three part series that dives deep into experiences people have enjoyed and learned from with their mentors, what traits or qualities you need to be a successful mentor and investigating if a boss can still be a good mentor.
Join us for part one in this series where we will share real stories from real vets about their mentors, their mentors anecdotes and the traits their mentor showed that they valued the most.
Begin educating and improving your mentorship skills today with this episode!
Enjoy the episode OTO'ers
The Cutting Edge - Article 27 - Youth and adult public views of dairy calf housing options
Youth and adult public views of dairy calf housing options
Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(20)30496-3/fulltext
Big Take Away #1: It would be remiss of us as agricultural industry reps to ignore the power of public perception. BUT we DO NOT need to view it as wholly negative!
These new societal platforms present us with a unique way to get the word out as well as LEARN and adapt much sooner than previously possible.
Big Take Away #2: Those who disagreed with individual housing did not like the lack of socialization, space for the calves, and the “unnatural” feel of the system.
This is something that will need to be addressed with future systems; whether that is adding true or perceived space for calves, improving socialization via pairing or grouping and/or more natural options such as outdoor access or “herd” lifestyles.
Big Take Away #3: In the youth survey population, those that used social media did not display a statistically significant propensity toward one specific housing option WHERE AS adults who did access social media had a propensity away from individual housing.
This could be due to the youth not being exposed to animal welfare campaigns against animal agriculture. Suggesting that with a more active approach this could be utilized to educate them in a positive manor
Ultimate Message: Preparing for consumer shifts in the coming decades their impact our clients and therefore the services can be difficult. BUT if we keep abreast of current consumer trends we can stay ahead in the game. Additionally, concentrating on current areas of concern when educating the public and specifically youth, could have lasting positive implications for the dairy industry.
Objective: The objective of this study was to explore youth and adult public views of different calf housing options and reasons underlying preference or acceptance.
Location: University of Minnesota
Methods: Participants 5 to 17 yr of age (n = 463) and 18 yr or older (n = 1,310) completed an in-person survey at the Minnesota State Fair (St. Paul, MN) in summer 2018. The survey was administered via Qualtrics survey software (Qualtrics, Provo, UT) using iPads (Apple, Cupertino, CA) and, in addition to collecting demographics, presented 3 images of calf housing options (individual, pair, or group) and asked participants to select their preferred option and indicate their reasoning for selection (youth), or acceptance for each option and reasoning for selection (adult). The PROC SURVEYFREQ of SAS (9.4; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) was used for descriptive analysis. Rao-Scott chi-square tests (PROC SURVEYFREQ, SAS 9.4) were used to investigate relationships between demographics and housing preference or acceptance.
OTO Episode 53: Building Your Bullpen - Retention
Maybe you've landed your unicorn associate...
Or maybe it's that dreaded time of the year for associate contract renewal...
Either way you're nervous if you will be able to retain your talent this year.
How can we go about reducing this problem? How can we improve our likelihood to retain our clinic's talent?
Today we will talk about my THREE steps for improved employee retention. These are the very steps that have kept turnover low at our clinic, enticed me to remain here for the long term and have fostered a work environment that is enjoyable and rewarding.
Join us today to learn these three steps that I believe will help your clinic get on the right path!
The Cutting Edge - Article 26 - Evaluating the Economics of Different 1st Breeding Programs
Short communication: Economic impact among 7 reproductive programs for lactating dairy cows, including a sensitivity analysis of the cost of hormonal treatments
Find the Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(20)30275-7/fulltext
Big Take Away #1: Improving fertility and breeding efficiency of our dairies can be accomplished via three methods; improved detection of estrus, synchronization of estrus and synchronization of ovulation and timed AI as proven by many different authors.
Big Take Away #2: To prove their work the authors used the DairyRepro$ tool form UW-Cornell. Available online after a simple search you can do the same analysis with your own numbers they did!
This tool allows you to input all your operations reproductive parameters, drugs costs, labor costs and any other reproductive inputs you could imagine.
Big Take Away #3 Ricci found that using Double-Ovsynch over these other Presynch programs it would obtain a $42 dollar greater profit per cow per year than a baseline Presynch-Ovsynch with 35% conception rate and no cherry picking.
The next closest program used the automated heat detection system in conjunction with Presynch and that came in at more than 50% less profit than Double-Ovsynch with PGF.
Ultimate Message: All that said OTO’er ultimately it comes down to this….can you get a big enough conception rate bump to justify the switch? Many times, the only change to reproduction a dairy will make will be the first breeding program; so use this DairyRepro$ tool to facilitate this discussion. This is the true reason I brought you this article.
Objective: This study had 2 major objectives: (1) to analyze the profitability of an intensive reproductive program involving more injections (i.e., Double Ovsynch) compared with less intensive ones (Presynch-Ovsynch) in different geographic areas (i.e., the United States and Europe) depending on variation of hormonal treatment costs, and (2) to estimate how high the cost of hormonal treatments would have to be to render intensive synchronization programs unprofitable.
Location: University of Torino and University of Wisconsin-Madison
Methods: A reproductive economic analysis simulation model was used to compare the economic impact of pairs of reproductive management programs. We simulated sets of scenarios for 2 analyses. In the first analysis, we calculated the economic impact of switching from a Presynch-Ovsynch program to a Double-Ovsynch program that included a second PGF2α treatment during the Breeding-Ovsynch portion of the program (Double-Ovsynch+PGF). In the second analysis, we conducted a break-even analysis in which the cost of hormonal treatments was incrementally increased within various reproductive management programs.
OTO Episode 52: Building Your Bullpen - Interviews, Skills and Hiring
Landed that precious interview for your associate opening?
Maybe you have an interview at your dream clinic?
Either way what should you do or expect to experience at the Interview?
Today we will talk about the techniques I use when evaluating potential associates and students at our practice. We will discuss how you can turn the interview process into a two way street and use it as a vital way to evaluate the candidate's skills and personality. Finally, we will discuss how many owners reluctance to continue to negotiate after a potential candidate says NO, holds them and their practice back!
The Cutting Edge - Article 25 - Techniques to Improve Efficiency of Milk Production and Client Profitability
Symposium review: Decomposing efficiency of milk production and maximizing profit
Find the Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(19)31086-0/fulltext
Big Take Away #1: Once maintenance requirements are met by a lactating animal all energy consumed above that maintenance value DOESN’T return a 1 to 1 ratio of additional milk.
This is due to an increase in the metabolic machinery, and therefore calories, partitioned off to supply that increased milk supply.
Big Take Away #2: While current genetic indices allow us to select for feed efficiency (FE) via our mating’s; our current understanding suggests we CANNOT select only for FE because it would result in an INCREASED negative energy balance in early lactation and subsequent negative impacts.
This relationship between phenotype and feed efficiency was just proven in 2018 by Hurley.
Big Take Away #3 The authors showed that the while feeding at a herd level for more milk was possible and would improve feed efficiency overall it would not improve income over feed cost (IOFC).
This was due to the large number of marginal/average cows that would turn that extra feed into weight or growth vs milk reducing overall IOFC.
Ultimate Message: When attempting to maximize the efficiency of milk production (EMP) many factors must be considered. While feed quality, cost and volume play a large role in this there are many other marginal factors that can incrementally improve EMP and result in increased profits for any operation. The advisement of and counseling in these areas can prove rewarding for the ambulatory practitioner and the dairies consultant team.
Symposium review: Decomposing efficiency of milk production and maximizing profit
Objective: In this symposium review the authors wanted to review each of the factors that can play into milking efficiency and profit maximization. The goal was to lay bare the cause of improved milking efficiency, known as efficiency of milk production, and the areas that cause marginal milk to result in maximum profit.
Location: This is a little different article review than we normally do. It is a review of current literature and understanding and thus was not conducted in the field but was rather compiled by the authors who were based in Catalonia, Spain
Methods: The dairy industry has focused on maximizing milk yield, as it is believed that this maximizes profit mainly through dilution of maintenance costs. Efficiency of milk production has received, until recently, considerably less attention. The most common method to determine biological efficiency of milk production is feed efficiency (FE), which is defined as the amount of milk produced relative to the amount of nutrients consumed. Economic efficiency is best measured as income over feed cost or gross margin obtained from feed investments. Feed efficiency is affected by a myriad of factors, but overall they could be clustered as follows: (1) physiological status of the cow (e.g., age, state of lactation, health, level of production, environmental conditions), (2) digestive function (e.g., feeding behavior, passage rate, rumen fermentation, rumen and hindgut microbiome), (3) metabolic partitioning (e.g., homeorhesis, insulin sensitivity, hormonal profile), (4) genetics (ultimately dictating the 2 previous aspects), and (5) nutrition (e.g., ration formulation, nutrient balance).
OTO Epidsode 51: Building Your Bullpen
Wondering why you can't find your "unicorn" associate?
Wondering how to find your ideal practice?
Today's episode focuses in on how you develop a feeder system that will provide you vet and vet tech prospect for years to come.
Discover a key statistic that we as owners can leverage in our search for ideal candidates.
Understand what you as an associate could look for in an ideal practice.
Join Operators to Owners as we begin our journey into a broad discussion about finding, evaluating, training and growing future veterinary associates.
The Cutting Edge - Article 24 - Going One Step Deeper: The Effects of Heat Stress Prior to and After Birth on Calves and Performance
Pre- and postnatal heat stress abatement affects dairy calf thermoregulation and performance
Find the Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(20)30165-X/fulltext
See the referenced research graphs by joining OTO at otovets.com/facebook
Big Take Away #1: Prenatal cooling had no effect on ad lib milk replacer and concentrate intakes BUT postnatal cooling significantly increased overall DMI.
This came in the form of both MR and concentrate week 3 to 8 over non-cooled calves.
Big Take Away #2: Postnatal cooling tended to reduce medication events for fever and infection.
Prenatal cooling tended to reduce the number of esophageal tube feedings required due to low milk ingestion.
Big Take Away #3: Postnatal HS calves had a statistically significant increased ADGs over the other groups weeks 2-3 with calves experiencing both pre and postnatal heat stress being the only ones to have a negative ADG during weaning.
Prenatally cooled calves were born 5.3 lb heavier than their peers and had a tendency for better ¼ lb better ADG.
Ultimate Message: Ultimately, what we can all agree on is that cooling your dry cows is a REALLY good idea and that cooling your calves TENDS TO HAVE have health and welfare benefits BUT may sacrifice feed efficiency. We are simply trying to understand millennium of complex evolutionary and physiologic biology a handful of baby calves. Realistically, only time and more research will tell the net outcome of these combined variables.
Pre- and postnatal heat stress abatement affects dairy calf thermoregulation and performance
Published by B. Dado-Senn, L. Vega Acosta, M. Torres Rivera, S.L. Field, M.G. Marrero, B.D. Davidson, S. Tao, T.F. Fabris, G. Ortiz-Colón, G.E. Dahl, J. Laporta
Location: University of Florida
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether prenatal heat stress or heat stress abatement would affect short-term thermoregulatory and productive responses in similar or opposing postnatal environments.
OTO Episode 50: A Thank You and Freebie!
Short...simple...and to the point. Today's episode is a thank you to the OTO community for joining me for 50! episodes of Thoughts from the Truck.
Thank you for being willing to help one another.
Thank you for filling my cup.
Thank you for choosing to work on yourselves, your business and your career!
Here's to another 50 OTO'ers!
The Cutting Edge - Article 23 - Disease and removal implications from a new classification system for Subclinical Hypocalcemia
Association of transient, persistent, or delayed subclinical hypocalcemia with early lactation disease, removal, and milk yield in Holstein cows
Find the Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(19)30971-3/fulltext
See the referenced research graphs by joining OTO at otovets.com/facebook
Big Take Away #1: The subclinical hypocalcemic (SCH) state of the post-paturm cow is better described by four states; normal calcemic, transient, persistent and delayed. Each state represents a different metabolic response to the demands of lactation and an increase or decrease in disease and removal incidence as well as production outcome.
Big Take Away #2: Primiparous dams undergoing a persistent SCH state were 4x more likely to undergo a health or removal event vs normal calcemic while multiparous dams were almost 2x more likely.
Similarly, primiparous dams undergoing a delayed SCH state were 3x more likely to undergo a health or removal event vs normal calcemic dams while multiparous dams were again 2x more likely.
Big Take Away #3: The transient SCH state is associated with 5.5 more lbs per day of milk production in first lactation animals and 12.1 more lbs per day of milk production in second and greater animals.
This state represents a cow that is metabolically well adapted and is experiencing a natural calcium suppression due to production demands that the body responds too.
Ultimate Message: This study expands our understanding of SCH and it’s different states. By understanding that there is a subpopulation of cows that naturally undergo this state but can still produce above their peers we are better able to create targeted therapies and better identify cows that could be potential problems down the road.
Association of transient, persistent, or delayed subclinical hypocalcemia with early lactation disease, removal, and milk yield in Holstein cows
Published by J. A. A. Mc Art, R. C. Neves
Location: New York, researchers form Cornell and Purdue
Objective: Our objective was to assess the association of early postpartum Ca status group, classified as normocalcemia (NC), transient SCH (tSCH), persistent SCH (pSCH), or delayed SCH (dSCH), with early lactation disease diagnosis, culling, and milk yield. A secondary objective was to assess changes in blood BHB and plasma fatty acid concentrations in the first 10 DIM between cows in different early postpartum Ca status groups.
OTO Episode 49: 30 Ways in 30 Days - Grow You Consulting Portfolio Part 3
My 30 ways in 30 days series will provide an extensive list of 30 different consulting opportunities any new student, associate or owner can learn, frame out and implement in 30 days.
Today's podcast continues our dive into these 30 consulting topics.
Just like last week, today's dive will also drill down on three of my favorite consulting opportunities.
Remember, these are areas I feel have great potential to develop into key consulting areas in the future, are easy for new vets to uptake or are currently under-served.
BUT before we begin I want to issue you a challenge…
My challenge to you OTO’ers in the next week review and select one of these categories and begin to create a plan for implementing it! Refrain from just listening to this podcast and going about your day and instead engage in ACTIVE growth by taking 10-15 minutes to think about your favorite category and just how you would begin to implement it in your life
For as author and mastermind coach Tobe Brockner once said, “Ideas, even great ideas, are a dime a dozen. Without implementation-without action-those ideas are ultimately worthless.”
That said lets get right into this weeks consulting areas!
This week we will cover consulting areas 21-30:
21) Networking/Tours
22) Farmer Masterminds*
23) Management Training's
24) Farmer Leadership
25) Pest Management
26) Protocol Updates/Audits/Standardization
27) Drug Representative Management
28) Drug Usage Audit*
29) Inventory Management*
30) Goal Setting for 5/10/15 Planning
*One of my Big 3 favorite consulting opportunities!
Enjoy the episode OTO'ers!
The Cutting Edge - Article 22 - 18 Industry Leading Calf Experts Agree on a New Herd-Level Passive Immunity Standard
Consensus recommendations on calf- and herd-level passive immunity in dairy calves in the United States
Find the Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Find the full article at: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(20)30383-0/fulltext
See the referenced research graphs by joining OTO at otovets.com/facebook
Big Take Away #1: The proposed model showed statistically significant decreases in morbidity between the poor and fair categories was observed with 10% reductions in morbidity and 5.7% percent reductions between the good and excellent categories.
This herd level model also showed mortality differences between the poor and fair groups and between the fair and good groups, totaling a 50% reduction in mortality between these groups
Big Take Away #2: Animals with elevated IgG concentrations greater than 24 g/L had significant decreases in morbidity.
This model suggests a drop from 46.1% morbidity to 28.5% if you go between the poor and excellent groups.
Big Take Away #3: Calves that were administered colostrum in one of two ways; #1 a single feeding of ~3.3L of colostrum 2 hours after birth OR #2 a multi-feeding system with the first feeding of ~2.7 L at ~2.8 hours of age and another feeding bringing the total to ~5.3L could would achieve the excellent IgG grouping.
This was determined from the NAHMS data which showed the average colostrum treatment required to achieve the "excellent" benchmark.
Ultimate Message: It is time to revisit the classic dichotomous scale of PASS or FAIL for transfer of passive immunity. This study seeks to break the stereotype that an animal with less than 2 tenths of a point of Total Protein difference is somehow more protected than one 2 tenths of a point higher. The proposed method by which herd-level passive immunity competency can be assessed and improved breaks down into excellent, good, fair and poor classifications and seeks to address normal variation within herd wide populations while properly conveying the risk associated with that variation.
Consensus recommendations on calf- and herd-level passive immunity in dairy calves in the United States
Published by J. Lombard, N. Urie, F. Garry, S. Godden, J. Quigley, T. Earleywine, S. McGuirk, D. Moore, M. Branan, M. Chamorro, G. Smith, C. Shivley, D. Catherman, D. Haines, A.J. Heinrichs, R. James, J. Maas, K. Sterner
Location: United States
Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate different threshold values for TPI and their relationship to mortality and morbidity using available data and come to consensus on a calf- and herd-level TPI standard. A secondary objective was to provide colostral management recommendations to meet the consensus standards.
OTO Episode 48: 30 Ways in 30 Days - Grow Your Consulting Portfolio Part 2
My 30 ways in 30 days series will provide an extensive list of 30 different consulting opportunities any new student, associate or owner can learn, frame out and implement in 30 days.
Today's podcast continues our dive into these 30 consulting topics.
Just like last week, today's dive will also drill down on three of my favorite consulting opportunities.
Remember, these are areas I feel have great potential to develop into key consulting areas in the future, are easy for new vets to uptake or are currently under-served.
This week we will cover consulting areas 11-20:
11) BCS/LS
12) Vaccination Audits*
13) Calf Care
14) Sire Selection
15) Heifer Inventory Audits*
16) Culling Audit
17) Culturing
18) Economics*
19) Ruminant Nutrition
20) Calf Nutrition
*One of my Big 3 favorite consulting opportunities!
Enjoy the episode OTO'ers!
The Cutting Edge - Article 21 - Optimizing weaning through rumen fluid inoculation
Inoculation with rumen fluid in early life as a strategy to optimize the weaning process in intensive dairy goat systems
Find the Big 3 Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Find the full article at https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(20)30261-7/fulltext
Find the IASTATE wet and growing cost pdf at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/dairyteam/files/page/files/Wetcalfanalysisfactsheet-Final.pdf
Big Take Away #1: Inoculation of rumen microbiota from both concentrate and forage diets improved rumen development better than cell free rumen contents or the control group. This was accomplished by populating the rumen and creating more VFA biproducts.
The authors attributed must of this development to protozoal populations that can only be established from adult cattle exposure.
Big Take Away #2: Even though inoculated kids were driven to intake more forage and concentrates they did not take in more DM than cell free or control animals. Instead, control and cell free kids drank more milk than their inoculated peers.
This resulted in similar DMI and feed efficiencies between all four treatment groups.
Big Take Away #3: Inoculated kids displayed increased forage intakes in weeks 9 to 11 of the study post weaning while control and cell free groups saw increased, but not statistically significant, elevations of concentrate intake.
This suggests that such inoculation could be used to facilitate the second transition in modern ruminants
Ultimate Message: While not an outright dairy or beef model this ruminant experiment has interesting implications for the improvement of the neonatal transition from “monogastic” to true “ruminant” function. Potentially reducing weaning ADG losses, saving money on wet diet rations and avoiding post-weaning compensatory loss on high milk rations.
Inoculation with rumen fluid in early life as a strategy to optimize the weaning process in intensive dairy goat systems
Published by A. Belanche, J.M. Palma-Hidalgo, I. Nejjam, E. Jiménez, A.I. Martín-García, D.R. Yáñez-Ruiz
Location: Granada, Spain
Objective: The objective of this study was to optimize the artificial rearing systems of goat kids by implementing new nutritional strategies in early life. It was hypothesized that the inoculation of young goat kids with different types of rumen fluid from adult animals could modify or accelerate the rumen microbial colonization pattern toward a desirable anaerobic fermentation during the preweaning period, facilitate the transition to solid diet postweaning, and increase productivity or decrease feeding costs.
OTO Episode 47: 30 Ways in 30 Days - Grow Your Consulting Portfolio Part 1
My 30 ways in 30 days series will provide an extensive list of 30 different consulting opportunities any new student, associate or owner can learn, frame out and implement in 30 days.
Learn new techniques to grow your consulting portfolio and resume.
Over the next three weeks I will cover these 30 consulting topics.
Every week we will discuss 10 new consulting categories that could easily become a cornerstone to any ambitious veterinarians consulting resume.
Within these 10 topics I will drill down on three of my favorite consulting opportunities.
These are areas I feel have great potential to develop into key consulting areas in the future, are easy for new vets to uptake or are currently under-served.
This week we will cover consulting areas 1-10:
1) Be Present*
2) Ventilation Consulting
3) Milk Quality
4) Entrance/Midterm/Exit Interviews
5) Facility Design
6) PR/Social Media
7) Employee Training's
8) Calf Statistic Collection*
9) Team Meetings
10) Fresh Pen Audits*
*One of my Big 3 favorite consulting opportunities!
Enjoy the episode OTO'ers!
The Cutting Edge - Article 20 - Educating calf care personnel in dairy operations
Calf care personnel on dairy farms and their educational opportunities
Find the Big 3 Take-Away Infographic at otovets.com/cuttingedge
Big Take Away #1: Only 50% of individuals employed in calf care have a high school diploma or GED. This makes the understanding and uptake of recommendations much more difficult, potentially effecting compliance.
With larger calf herd employee’s have 7x more likely chance of having less than a high school education.
Big Take Away #2: . In this study they showed that language barriers are a common issue; with over 70% of employees speaking Spanish and less than 35% of owners and vets able to communicate in this language.
This contributed calf feeders being 3.4 times more likely to be trained by experienced feeders than management personal.
Big Take Away #3: Generation Y and Millennials tend to value more training and employee development with Coulombe in 2016 noting that Hispanic Millennials place greater emphasis on being comfortable with the workplace and seeing themselves there for a long time.
Tailoring trainings to ease comfort in the job through understanding of role and “why” will help with long term vision.
Ultimate Message: A huge opportunity exists for veterinarians to assume the role of the consultant that can tie together age, education, language and management barriers. Dairy operations are lacking in consultants that can fill this role effectively. Understanding the implications of each of these factors and how to bridge them will be key to the success of any future agricultural consultant.
Calf care personnel on dairy farms and their educational opportunities
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(19)30146-8/fulltext
Published by W.M Sischo, D. A. Moore, R. Pereira, L. Warnick, D. L. Moore, J. Vanegas, S. Kurtz, K. Heaton, D. Kinder, J. Siler, and M. A. Davis
Location: Arizona, Idaho, New York, Oregon and Washington
Objective: The objective of this project was to describe selected demographics of calf care employees on large and small dairy farms as part of a larger project to understand on-farm communication with regard to calf health and treatment. One of the aims of this study was to provide background information that might inform educational efforts on prudent antimicrobial use for calf health on dairy farms and calf ranches, particularly for those with multiple employees involved in calf care.
Methods: Two to 8 individuals per farm involved with calf care, including owners, veterinarians, and calf managers, feeders, and treaters, were interviewed in either English or Spanish. Interviews were conducted in person on 53 dairy farms located in Arizona, Idaho, New York, Oregon, and Washington State. The number of preweaned calves on the farm ranged from 9 to 1,500 (median = 93). A total of 224 individuals were interviewed across 8 job titles.
OTO Episode 46: Growing Your Expertise Part 2
This week’s Thoughts from the Truck episode will continue our discussion from last week.
Learn how you can better market your expertise AND how you can separate yourself from every other consultant by becoming a teacher!
How you market your budding consulting service says a lot about how good you think it is. Learn why you must make your new service a BIG deal and how exactly you can do that!
Finally, making the mental switch from doing the consulting to “teaching” the consulting is critical. This is what separates a normal consultant from a great one.
Anyone can tell someone how to do something different but the best consultants I’ve ever seen are one step ahead; they are teaching the what, the why and the how all at once. Rolling them together into a package that the client can use and understand is key!
Join me today OTO'ers as we finish our discussion on how to grow your expertise!
The Cutting Edge - Article 19 - Gradual weaning doesn't improve performance low milk ration calves at weaning
Gradual weaning does not improve performance for calves with low starter intake at the beginning of the weaning process
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(20)30198-3/fulltext
Big Take Away #1: This study re-enforces the common belief that we need to be sure to wean our limit fed or low milk ration calves based on starter intakes not time. The authors also proved that in limit fed calves, gradual weaning did not increase starter intakes vs abrupt weaning.
Big Take Away #2: In this study ADG’s, were significantly different between starter intake level calves. Calves on low starter intake at day 35 had almost 6 tenths LESS ADG overall than those who had high day 35 starter intakes and that effect grew larger during the weaning period. We generally know 0.1 lbs of ADG equals ~250 lbs of milk.
Big Take Away #3: Today’s society places an ever increasing value on decreasing suffering or perceived suffering by any animal. This goes doubly for neonates. In this study observable hunger signs in abrupt weaning calves trended toward greater vocalization than the gradually weaned calves. However, no physiologic stress parameters were increased.
Ultimate Message: We as clinicians need to realize the double narrative that is playing our in our industry. First, we have producers feeding high milk rations and secondly, we have the producers feeding low milk rations in an attempt to save costs or because of tradition. For this second group we will need to concentrate on educating them about the importance of monitoring starter intake levels as a trigger for weaning vs days of age and how it can help set the calf up for a better weaning period and better ADG’s overall.
Gradual weaning does not improve performance for calves with low starter intake at the beginning of the weaning process
Published by C.M.M. Bittar, M.P. Gallo, J.T. Silva, M.R. de Paula, M. Poczynek, G.B. Mourã
Location: University of Sao Paulo Brazil
Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of 2 weaning protocols and 2 levels of concentrate intake on the performance and physiological and behavioral variables related to stress in dairy calves.
Location: University of Sao Paulo Brazil
Methods: Thirty-six newborn male Holstein calves were used in a randomized block design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: 2 weaning strategies, abrupt or gradual, and 2 levels of concentrate intake at 5 wk of age, high (>350 g/d) or low (≤350 g/d). Calves were equally managed until they were 5 wk of age and then grouped according to concentrate intake. Statistical analyzes were performed using the MIXED procedure of SAS software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC), and no significant interaction was observed between studied factors (weaning method and starter intake level); therefore, we considered each factor separately and their interactions with age.
Outcomes: The highest dry matter intake and concentration of β-hydroxybutyrate were recorded for animals with a high level of starter intake independent of the weaning method. Structural growth (cm/wk) and average daily gain were superior for calves with high starter intake, but weaning method had no effect. The gradual weaning protocol increased the time eating starter, regardless of the level of concentrate intake. Even animals with low concentrate intake that were weaned abruptly showed levels of cortisol and acid-soluble glycoprotein within normal physiological levels....CONTINUED IN ABSTRACT...
OTO Episode 45: Growing Your Expertise Part 1
So you did all the work to develop a new consulting program; you put in the hours, connected with the clients and paid your dues! Now it's time to grow this program!
There are 3 key points to growing your expertise and your consulting program:
1) Learning to Sell Yourself
2) Marketing Your Service
3) A Mental Switch from Doing to Teaching
Think of it like pouring gas on a fire. We now want to expose the expertise you developed and ramp it up into a full-fledged consulting program. You know…..the type that gets its own Quickbooks line item!
Using this framework is a great way to sell yourself and it doesn’t require any additional experience beyond what we learned in the “alpha” phase of the consulting program.
As you build these pitches you will notice that more and more people will become interested. They will feed off your enthusiasm and your perceived expertise and will actively seek opportunities to work with you in ways they may not have considered before!
So tune in OTO’ers for a brand new episode that will give you the tools you need to begin growing your expertise into a movement!
The Cutting Edge - Article 18 - Dietary Management of Inefficient Cows to Improve Dairy Economics
Dietary restriction improved feed efficiency of inefficient lactating cows
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(19)30641-1/fulltext
Big Take Away #1: We need to facilitate a mental shift from total lbs of milk shipped or average per cow on our operations to improving efficiency. This is an important transition that I think we will see producers thinking about more in the current economy. It seems we are finally seeing people paying more attention the economic inputs of feed cost, even in home grown feeds. Hopefully, this will open up some avenues for us to consult in areas with HUGE potential upside for our clients.
Big Take Away #2: There is an economic breakeven point at which it may make sense to reduce feed offered to inefficient cattle and still come out money ahead even with the reduction in production. Targeting this point and understanding where it is will be key for providing clients advise about attempting this strategy.
Big Take Away #3: Inefficient cows fed the same TMR as efficient cows have a 25% higher DMI which is driven by a 23% faster eating rate and 23% bigger meal size. This leads to inefficient cows consuming DM and digestible energy beyond their energy needs resulting in excess energy losses and reduced feed efficiency.
Ultimate Message: While not always economically feasible; the monitoring, identification and alternative management of inefficient cows can have positive impacts on dairies. While continued research is done on the genetic components of this, it is important to note that more aggressive management of our current efficient cows can provide positive results in the meantime.
Dietary restriction improved feed efficiency of inefficient lactating cows
Published by Y.A. Ben Meir, M. Nikbachat, Y. Portnik, S. Jacoby, H. Levit, D. Bikel, G. Adin, U. Moallem, J. Miron, S.J. Mabjeesh, I. Halachmi
Location: Israel
Objective: The objective of this study was to reduce voluntary dry matter intake (DMI) to increase feeding efficiency of preclassified inefficient (INE) dairy cows through restricted feeding.
Location: Israel
Methods: We studied the effects of dietary restriction on eating behavior, milk and energy-corrected milk (ECM) production, in vivo digestibility, energy balance, and measures of feed efficiency [residual feed intake (RFI) and ECM/DMI]. Before the experiment, 12 pairs of cows were classified as INE. The 2 dietary treatments consisted of ad libitum feeding versus restricted feeding of the same total mixed ration containing 36.5% roughage. Inefficient cows fed the restricted total mixed ration had a shorter eating time and lower meal and visit frequency, but a similar rate of eating, meal size, and meal duration compared with INE cows fed ad libitum.
Outcomes: Compared with the INE cows fed ad libitum, restricted INE cows had 12.8% lower intake, their dry matter and neutral detergent fiber digestibility remained similar, and their ECM yield was 5.3% lower. Feed efficiency, measured as RFI, ECM/DMI, and net energy retained divided by digestible energy intake, was improved in the restricted INE cows as compared with the ad libitum cows. Our results show that moderate DMI restriction has the potential to improve feed efficiency of preclassified INE cows.
Carry on OTO'ers
OTO Episode 44: Creating a Consulting Program
We have 171 work days left in 2020 to impact our clients. How will you increase the impact you have on them?
One of the biggest way's you can do this is to provide them value through consulting.
Today's podcast will focus on how new, emerging or seasoned vets can seek to build up a consulting service; even if they have no previous experience in the area they wish to consult in.
Tune in OTO'ers to learn more!
The Cutting Edge - Article 17 - Using Benchmarking to Promote Farmer-Vet Relationships
How benchmarking promotes farmer and veterinarian cooperation to improve calf welfare
Link: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(19)30910-5/fulltext
Big Take Away #1: The authors found in their pre-benchmarking interviews that while farmers ID’d the vet as having expertise on respiratory disease, diarrhea and pain management they did not as often see the vet as an information source for calf nutrition, growth or weaning.
Big Take Away #2: I’d urge every vet; whether students, associates and owners need to readjust their expectation that farmers will eventually recognize their expertise and potential advisory role. Instead it is our responsibility to create an environment that shows our expertise and change their mind. Because as Albert Einstein said; Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results…
Big Take Away #3: The author noted that benchmarking discussions did improve farmers understanding of the information; perhaps filling a different role for these clients as more of an educational tool rather than an on-boarding or social norm vehicle. The benchmarking also resulted in increased diagnostics performed by the vets; a positive for the farm in terms of getting answers and a positive for the clinic in terms of revenue. Clearly, we can see that even clients with the best farmer-vet relationships can still benefit from this type of benchmarking program.
Ultimate Message: Benchmarking of calf, and likely all farm data, with peer based data helped establish social norms, increased veterinary influence in the operation and enhanced the perceived value of vets as advisors in calf management. It also improved communication and interactions between farmers and vets on the topics of calf management.
How benchmarking promotes farmer and veterinarian cooperation to improve calf welfare
Published by C. L. Sumner, M. A. G. von Keyserlingk, D. M. Weary
Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia
Location: British Columbia
Objective: Understand how benchmarking measures related to calf immune development and growth affected farmer and veterinarian cooperation and influenced the farmer’s view of the veterinarian as an advisor for calf management.
Location: University of British Columbia
Methods Veterinarians provided their clients (n = 18 dairy farms in the lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia) with 2 benchmark reports providing information on transfer of passive immunity and calf growth. Farmers were interviewed before and after receiving these reports to understand how they perceived their veterinarian as a calf advisor.
Outcomes: Qualitative analysis identified 2 major themes indicating that benchmarking (1) improved farmer perception of their veterinarian's capacities to advise on calves and (2) strengthened the social influence of the veterinarian. We conclude that benchmarking can help promote stronger relationships between farmers and veterinarians.