Ration Management
Think forage inventories this spring
Spring is a good time to assess current supplies of forages available on your farm. This podcast offers some timely advice.
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ABC's of fiber digestibility explained
The fiber component of a forage analysis is important to understand. Here is a look at measures of fiber digestibility and why they are important when formulating dairy diets.
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Tips for managing drought-stressed forages
If your hay fields and pastures were in poor condition going into the winter, here are some options to consider this spring.
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Advice for coping with high feed cost
Long-term survival depends on how successfully you are able to utilize the resources and feed management options currently available to you. Here are some key areas to assess and common pitfalls to avoid.
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Researchers study chop length of low-quality forage
Penn State research suggests that when low-quality hay or straw is added to the diet to achieve extra chewing or rumination, chopping it fine enough to minimize sorting will help cows to consume the amount of forage desired and still provide physically effective fiber.
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Advice on feeding low-forage diets
Here is a look at a low-forage feeding trial and some considerations to keep in mind when feeding low-forage diets or diets with high non-forage fiber sources.
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Buying or selling feeds? Know their dry matter
It's importance to know the dry matter concentration when buying or selling feeds. Here are some steps to help you price wet feeds.
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Learn how to successfully feed more forage
If forage quality is low, a high-forage diet is merely a recipe for limiting feed intake and milk production.
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Rumen microbiology textbook now online
The textbook provides an overview of rumen microbiology and its role in ruminant nutrition. A PDF can be downloaded for free via the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center web site.
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Effects of 2012 drought on feeding dairy animals
Here are some answers on how to handle feeding challenges presented by the drought of 2012.
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Start planning for higher forage rations
There are many benefits to feeding high-forage rations to dairy cows, but doing so successfully takes careful planning. Here is some advice to get you started.
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