By Mark Mauldin, University of Florida Extension August 10, 2016 

On January 1, 2017 medicated feeds for livestock will no longer be sold “over-the-counter” (OTC) through feed dealers. Under the direction of the US Food and Drug Administration, feeds that include antimicrobial drugs will be transitioning to Veterinary Feed Directive Status (VFD). VFD drugs will be “limited to use under the professional supervision of a licensed veterinarian,” or in essence require a prescription from a veterinarian. (FDA Guidance for Industry #120).

Essentially, this means that you will have to consult with a veterinarian and obtain a written VFD order before you can purchase any feed containing VFD drugs. Moreover, there must be an existing veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) in place before a veterinarian may issue a VFD order to a producer. Loosely, this means the veterinarian must have documented prior knowledge of your operation, and the type of animals that would be receiving the feed containing VFD drugs, before issuing a VFD order. Contact your veterinarian before the changes take place, to help ensure that a VCPR is in place. It should be noted, that even with a VCPR in place, and after veterinary consultation VFD statements will only be issued in situations where the drugs “are considered necessary for assuring animal health” not for “production purposes (e.g., to promote growth or improve feed efficiency)” (FDA Guidance for Industry #209).

VFD orders are very specific and should be followed precisely. Regardless of the amount of feed/medication purchased, no VFD Drug is to be administered after the expiration date on the VFD order.  Again very similar to a prescription.

After the issuance of a VFD order, the producer/client has specific responsibilities. The key aspects of these responsibilities are 1) follow the VFD order precisely, 2) provide a copy of the VFD order to the feed distributor, if the veterinarian sends it via the client (it may be sent directly from the veterinarian to the feed distributor), and  3) maintain a copy of the VFD order for a minimum of 2 years. 

For more information go to the link below for the complete article:
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/news/new-rules-medicated-feed-go-effect-january

This is an article from the January-February 2011 issue of Working Ranch magazine, in which I was interviewed by Gilda Bryant.  

This article appeared in the Equi-Analytical Laboratories Fall 2014 Newsletter. Great information!

What is Grass Hay?


In the survey in our first newsletter in August, 90% of the participants answered that they feed their horses grass hay. But what is grass hay? Is it really only grass? What type of grass is in the hay? How do horses use different grasses? What are legumes and how can you identify them?



Click on the following link to take a survey about this picture. http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey What type of grass is it?

Grass species that are commonly grown for forage production (dry hay, silage, or pasture) are orchard grass, reedcanary grass, timothy, smooth brome grass, tall fescue, meadow fescue, Kentucky blue grass, perennial rye, Italian rye, festoliums, bermudagrass and wheat. It is hard to know what species are the most common in horse hay, but orchardgrass, timothy, bermudagrass, tall fescue, and wheat are the most common to be recommended for horse hay.



How does grass type influence quality?

In general, all forages are digested the same in the horse: sugars in the gut and some fermentation of fiber in the intestines for additional energy. The nutrient value of the hay will differ among grass types. This is partly due to the differences in the genetics, and partly due to differences in the rate of maturity and response to cutting of each grass. The tables below summarize data from the Dairy One forage lab (the parent lab of Equi-Analytical); they highlight 2 important points of forage analysis.



1. Correctly identifying your sample - as you see we have a general grass hay category, a specific Bermudagrass hay, and wheat hay samples. You will get the best information for comparing your hay to the average values when it is correctly identified.



2. Variability of samples - even in the general grass hay category, with 3 to 5 times more samples analyzed, the range of sample values is quite large and just using the "book value" for a feed rather than having it tested can result in a very different feed for the horse than you planned.


General grass hay and bermudagrass hay are quite similar on average, with bermudagrass hay slightly lower in WSC. However, while wheat hay is similar in crude protein, NDF and ADF, it is quite a bit higher in WSC and ESC. So for example, if you are looking for a low WSC and ESC hay, it is important to ask if it is wheat hay or if there is any wheat hay in the mix.

What else could be in there?

When a seller or buyer does not take the time to examine hay before selling or buying, you could be getting lots that you don't want. Some of this could be weeds and some of it may be legumes. We would all say weeds are bad. Common weeds in hay are lambsquarter, horsetail, ragweed, barnyard grass, crabgrass, fox tail, dandelion, and milkweed. Some of these are very obvious, but the grass species are hard to find if they do not have seed heads. Additionally, some of these are a problem to feed (milkweed and horsetail) and others are just a loss of quality and efficiency (crabgrass and dandelion). There are many great resources for weed identification; the NC State guide has some good pictures and is available at http://harnett.ces.ncsu.edu/



Legumes are plants that fix nitrogen through the relationship of nitrogen fixing bacteria in nodules on the roots. Legumes include alfalfa, clovers, vetch, soybeans, and peas. All but soybeans could be easily found in hay. Legumes in a hay will generally increase the crude protein and may also increase the NDF and ADF depending on the legume and the stage of maturity. Legumes generally have trifoliate leaves and more rigid stems than grasses. The University of Vermont has a nice guide to identifying legumes http://www.uvm.edu/



It is important to open and examine the content of at least one bale from a lot of hay to know what you are getting. Just because hay is labeled as grass hay doesn't mean that it is truly grass hay. Knowing the actual content is an important place to start when managing hay.


Equi-Analytical Laboratories
730 Warren Road ~ Ithaca, NY ~ 14850
Phone: 1-877-819-4110

Proper rumen development is a key factor for successfully weaning calves. A calf is not able to efficiently utilize feed for maintenance and growth if the rumen is not adequately developed at weaning. Efforts to enhance rumen development can prevent performance slump, and even allow for earlier weaning, reducing feed and labor costs. Here are some questions to consider as you go about the important job of developing the rumen of your calves.

Q: What does the rumen need to begin to develop and function?

A: Microbes, water and solid feed are three important components of rumen development. Microbes from the environment are introduced into the rumen shortly after birth. The microbial population grows and diversifies as the calf begins to consume solid feeds and water. Water provides an ideal environment for microbial fermentation. Feed is used as a substrate by microbes to produce volatile fatty acids, which provide energy for the calf to grow, and play a major role in rumen development. Butyrate,  and to a lesser extent propionate, supply energy for the growth of papillae – the finger-like projections responsible for absorption of nutrients from the rumen.

Q: How does my milk/milk replacer feeding program affect rumen development?

A: A conventional feeding program – one that limits the amount of milk or milk replacer given to calves daily – is designed to encourage calf starter intake and rumen development, allowing calves to be weaned as soon as possible. In contrast, feeding a higher plane of nutrition pre-weaning can decrease starter intake and slow rumen development because of the higher volume of liquid fed. The tradeoff is that this approach has been shown to enhance calf growth and milk production when these animals enter the milking herd.

Q: Does the composition of my calf starter impact rumen development?

A: Yes, highly palatable concentrate-based diets result in optimal rumen development. Both grain type and its processing method impact the rate at which the rumen develops. Although forages stimulate the musculature and volume of the rumen, as well as help maintain papillae health, they may limit intake. Forages also have limited efficacy for stimulating papillae development. Therefore, limit or delay feeding forages until the rumen has reached adequate development, which occurs when the calf is consuming about 4-6 pounds of feed daily. Other dietary ingredients, such as molasses, may increase starter intake by increasing diet palatability and reducing dustiness of the diet.

Q: What tools can I use to improve rumen development?

A: Sodium butyrate and some direct-fed microbials have been effective at increasing rumen development. Adding sodium butyrate to a calf starter increases the supply of butyrate available to the rumen papillae. Direct-fed microbials can increase calf starter intake, thereby increasing volatile fatty acid production. They also can alter rumen fermentation, increasing butyrate and propionate production.

Q: What are the economic benefits of improving rumen development?

A: Due to the high cost of milk and milk replacer, enhancing rumen development is important. It can decrease weaning age, lower feed cost and reduce labor needed for calves in individual housing. Proper rumen development also can offset a performance slump post-weaning. Whatever your calf-rearing program is, discuss with your nutritionist how it impacts rumen development. This can be an effective starting point for implementing changes that improve rumen development and your profitability.

Research citations available upon request

Editor's note: This article appeared in the September 2014 issue of Dairy Herd Managment magazine.