Latest News From Dairy Nutrition

Prepackaged colostrum replacers are an easy way to quickly feed colostrum to a newborn calf. However, while they do come with many benefits, there are a few potential negative aspects of utilizing this nutritional tool.

Nearly 25% of the world’s crops are impacted by mycotoxins that if left unmitigated, can impact the entire food chain. Here's what you can do to fight from farm to field.

When to introduce calves to forages – along with what type and how much – remains a highly debated issue.

Most research recommends 5-7% sugar as an upper limit. However, cows can certainly handle lots of sugar in the diet.

Do not bet the farm on speculative options to lower feed cost. In 2021, double-down on forage quality.

Growing an array of cereal grains to augment the traditional corn-alfalfa cropping cycle has become the new normal for dairy farmer Josh Tranel and his family of Cuba City, Wis.

Incorporating small grains as a partial or full alternative to alfalfa is gaining popularity among dairy producers.

The adage that “knowledge is power” is especially true when it comes to understanding mold and mycotoxins. Lon Whitlow, professor emeritus at NC State University, offers five reminders to help livestock producers.

If silage is not properly preserved it can easily spoil, causing palatability to plummet and your feed bill to skyrocket.

This year, 27% of dairy producers are likely to dedicate between 15%-50% to silage production.

Digestibility of corn silage can be impacted by many factors including genetics, fertility, growing conditions and spacing.

Do your homework for a true sense of reality.

The agronomic benefits of alfalfa are many and in some areas of the country it is still my preferred legume. However, let us look at what modern improved varieties of red clover bring to the table.

Vitamin E is particularly desirable in both human and animal nutrition because of its antioxidant properties.

When and how preweaned calves are moved from individual feedings to group pens can have a big impact on how well they do on autofeeder systems.

If you had the chance to update your feed equipment, what would you invest in first?

While producers aren’t able to control what they receive for their milk, they are able make slight adjustments to the protein and fat levels in their bulk tank.

The benefits of diverse plant species are well documented — yet sometimes diverse mixes can be difficult to manage due to differences in palatability and maturity dates.

It’s frustrating, it’s costly, and it happens a lot. The post-weaning slump can set back calves that were well-grown and healthy at weaning -- with illness, stunted growth and social maladjustment

Organic Valley is launching a pilot program that uses satellite photography to measure pasture health on its dairy farms.

New Research from the University of Illinois finds that diets containing consistent energy levels and a rumen supplement during dry periods may be key, rather than a gradual increase method.

A high level of crude protein helps support development of the gastrointestinal system, especially important as calves go through the weaning process.

When it is cold, cows can divert their energy into maintaining body temperature instead of producing milk. What can you do to avoid that?

As the animal protein industry continues to find innovative ways to decrease the carbon footprint of animal products, a new resource guide may help move those efforts forward.

Researchers at the Ohio State recently completed a study evaluating how dietary protein and amino acid supplementation influenced milk production during the first three to four weeks of lactation.

The world of warm season annuals is a new one for many farmers and so is the terminology associated with them.

Whether or not to feed hay to preweaned dairy calves is a longstanding debate, without an absolute answer.

With milk prices predicted to remain extremely volatile during the first few months of 2021, producers are anxious to know what to expect when the feed bill hits the mailbox.

If you were not able to forward contract protein commodities early this fall, there are still a few affordable protein options.

As colostrum management’s importance has been more widely recognized and its implementation improved, it may be time for the evaluation standards to be fine-tuned as well.

Helping older heifers grow, while at the same time not becoming too fat, is a delicate dance that challenges nutritionists and producers alike.

Cover crops continue to work their way onto fields across the Midwest. While the benefits might be well known, so are the challenges in developing an on-farm system to work in each situation.

The next frontier will be an increased focus on feed efficiency and will also be centered on expanding the digestible fiber pool. 

Preweaned dairy calves do not consume enough water via milk or milk replacer to meet their needs, and water is essential for rumen development and successful weaning.

Ensuring that your calves are achieving a healthy weaning transition is key to their nutritional success as they grow and develop.

Use of cereal grain forages, such as rye and triticale (hybrid of rye and wheat), has become an increasingly important topic, and is especially relevant during years when feed inventory is short.

Successfully preserving stalklage is not that different from making good corn silage or haylage.

Prevention is a key component to addressing the issue of hypocalcemia, including the subclinical stage.

Most commercial laboratories can analyze forages for the concentrations of various acids produced during the fermentation process

Frost on the pumpkins today means winter weather won’t be far behind.

Regardless of how much milk you are feeding calves or what age they are at weaning, if the rumen is not ready, calves are in for a rough transition.

Balanced rations provide dairy cows with the nutrients they need to produce milk at an optimum financial return.

It might not be intuitive at first, but corn silage digestibility improves with soil conservation practices that involve no-till farming and cover crops.

One of the closest relationships a dairy farmer will have is with his dairy nutritionist. 

Feed costs tend to be the largest expense on a dairy operation and managing those costs contributes to a dairy's ability to be profitable.

Constant light pollution, particularly in large dairies operating around the clock, can be a problem.

You work too hard to pay for feed commodities to allow them to literally blow away.

After collecting representative samples of forages available to be fed to the dairy herd, samples should be sent to a forage testing laboratory and analyzed for their nutrient content.

No matter which federal order you ship milk into, butterfat yield impacts your dairy’s milk check.

Rapid growth of corn plants can lead to higher levels of lignification.