More from Less
Farming is not for the faint of heart. No matter how thoughtful you are in your preparations, Mother Nature still gets a vote in how the day goes. It is rare for a producer to wake up to a good surprise. The adage If it were easy, everyone would do it is incredibly true for one of the oldest professions in the world: providing food.
This is evident in developed countries where less than 3% of the population feeds the rest (1). Unfortunately, it does not appear that the road ahead will be any easier. The world’s population is increasing (2). This increasing population requires more concrete space to work and play, meaning less area to produce their nutrients. Furthermore, the restrictions being imposed upon producers ranging from land stewardship to antimicrobial stewardship will be yet another obstacle to overcome. Animal Health Vision wants to attenuate these demands and provide some new tools to old problems.
The importance of healthspan
Animal Health Vision (AHV) is an animal health company that is taking a unique approach in livestock. Doctor Peter Attia, a human medical doctor who specializes in longevity, has coined the terms Medicine 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 to help explain where medicine has been, where it is today, and where it needs to go (3). To summarize, Medicine 1.0 had little to no foundation in science. It was based on superstitious guesswork and led to procedures like trepanation (boring holes into the skull to release evil spirits), mercury consumption, and prescribing women to get married young and bear children early to prevent their womb from wandering throughout their body. Medicine 2.0 is what we are familiar with today. It came about with the development of the germ theory and the scientific method. Medical professionals can diagnose and treat various diseases using a wide array of supplements, antimicrobials, and procedures. It is very good at treating acute conditions and increasing your lifespan with chronic conditions, but, in large part, Medicine 2.0 is reactive in nature. Medicine 3.0 focuses on a preventative approach. Let’s make a lifestyle change to prevent the diseases that Medicine 2.0 is diagnosing and treating only after a person feels bad enough for long enough to finally go to the doctor. Doctor Attia also points out the difference between lifespan and healthspan. Lifespan is the length of time we have lived whereas healthspan is the length of time we have lived in good health and able to enjoy life (3). Shifting our focus to livestock, we can clearly see the importance of healthspan.
AHV’s mission aligns with Medicine 3.0. We are setting out to change the way we approach animal healthcare. We know that producers cannot keep doing the same things they have been doing to achieve this evolving demand placed on them. For example, one of the first articles in the Journal of Dairy Science in 1917 identified a culprit of high bacteria counts in milk (4). Dairymen and women have been battling severe udder health challenges for over 100 years even after identifying one of the causes. According to the National Animal Health Monitoring System, we have not made much progress in preventing this costly challenge, either (5). On paper, vaccines and antimicrobials are better now than they have ever been. Vaccines can now stimulate a stronger immune response and neutralize more pathogens with less negative side effects than ever before. There are several classes of antimicrobials available for veterinary use, each with its own strengths. Concentrations of these can reach extraordinarily high levels in the body, especially lung tissue. Yet, pneumonia rates are as high now as they have ever been (6). It is evident that a reactive approach will only get us so far.
From reactive to proactive approach
This is why AHV has embraced the proactive approach to animal care. We have developed the ability to deactivate the root cause of health challenges and emphasize supporting the immune system. We assist the calf through appropriately timed interventions with both GI and respiratory support. Once she has made it into the lactating herd, we help her stay there by supporting her udder and uterus as well as assisting her through her transition period. A study done by Dr. De Vries from the University of Florida showed that the most productive lactation of a cow is her 5th (7). How many herds have an average lactation of 5? If not, why? Having a cull rate of 0% is hard to foresee, especially with Mother Nature still getting a vote, but what could you do if your current cull rate was cut in half? Could you make more milk per cow, per bite of feed, per unit of manure produced? How many heifers could you sell if you could keep more calves alive and also had a decreased need for replacements? AHV is here to help you answer those questions.
If we continue to rely solely on Medicine 2.0 practices, we can expect the outcomes that we have always gotten. However, does this answer the call to produce more from less? We now know better so let’s do better. Let’s be better.
References
- How we feed the world today. (n.d.). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- José, G. D. S. (n.d.). Feeding the World Sustainably. United Nations.
- Attia, P., & Gifford, B. (2023). Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale.
- Ruegg, P. L. (2017). A 100-Year Review: Mastitis detection, management, and prevention. Journal of Dairy Science, 100(12), 10381–10397. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2017-13023
- United States Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services. (2016). Dairy 2014 Milk Quality, Milking Procedures, and Mastitis on U.S. Dairies, 2014. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahms/dairy/downloads/dairy14/Dairy14_dr_Mastitis.pdf
- United States Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services. (2017). Death Loss in U.S. Cattle and Calves Due to Predator and Nonpredator Causes, 2015. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahms/general/downloads/cattle_calves_deathloss_2015.pdf
- De Vries, A. (2020). Symposium review: Why revisit dairy cattle productive lifespan? Journal of Dairy Science, 103(4), 3838–3845. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17361
Get in touch!
Would you like to be visited by an advisor to discuss the health challenges on your farm together? Our AHV Farm Advisor will be happy to visit you to jointly assess the health of your cows and come up with appropriate cow-specific advice.
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