Research Nuggets
Meta-analysis of the effects of feeding yeast culture
The purpose of this study was to use meta-analytic methods to estimate the effect of a commercially available yeast culture product on milk production and other production measures in lactating dairy cows using a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
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Hot topic: Organic matter digestibility and how to measure it
New lab techniques are making it easier (and more accurate) to predict ration quality and dairy cow performance.
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Pasteurized waste milk and gut bacteria
While research has documented conclusively that pasteurizing waste milk significantly reduces bacterial levels in the liquid calf feed source, USDA researchers have taken an interesting look at how the feeding practice affects long-term gut flora in the animals.
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Nutrient digestibilities measured
Measuring individual feed nutrient concentration is common practice for field dairy nutritionists. However, accurately measuring nutrient digestibility and using digestion values in total digestible nutrients models is more challenging.
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Researchers compare corn silage harvest practices
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison examined 24 peer-reviewed journal articles published over an 11-year period to determine the effects of different corn silage harvest practices on dry matter intake and lactation performance of dairy cows.
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Are distillers grains responsible for milkfat depression?
Is milkfat depression the result of too much corn distillers grains in the diet, the cows’ reaction to a knee-jerk dietary change, or something else?
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Amino acid balancing a growing priority
More and more dairy producers and nutritionists are balancing their rations for amino acids, according to a series of studies conducted in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
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Almost 60 percent of colostrum on dairy farms is inadequate
The contributions of high-quality colostrum to the health and productivity of dairy calves — in both their early stages and throughout their lifetimes ? have been well-documented.
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Evaluation of quality, composition of colostrum on dairy farms
The objective of this study was to characterize the quality of maternal colostrum (MC) fed to newborn dairy calves in the United States and identify the proportion of MC that meets industry standards for IgG concentration and total plate count.
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Starter protein content evaluated
Does increasing the level of crude protein (CP) in calf starter grain affect performance?
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Dual-purpose inoculants show promise in study
Do your clients run the risk of spoiled silage? Researchers from the University of Florida have found that a dual-purpose inoculant can help.
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