Dairy Nutrition
In the quest to reduce methane emissions by cattle, grazing animals have been left out of the picture thus far. That may be changing with a new commercial additive under development.
Silage harvest success starts long before the chopper rolls, with early planning, plant monitoring and team coordination key to capturing high-quality feed.
Knowing the different forms of milk fever and when they’re most likely to show up can help you and your team catch problems early, fine-tune prevention strategies and keep fresh cows on their feet from the start.
As ethanol plants adopt new technologies to separate and concentrate nutrients, the resulting high-protein byproducts are reshaping feeding strategies.
Colostrum supplies can often drop as temperatures cool and days shorten, but smart planning and management can help you beat the seasonal slump.
Most commercial milk replacers have been formulated to contain 18-20% fat for decades. But that may be changing, based on new research shared by Dr. Marcos Marcondes from the W. H. Miner Institute, West Chazy, NY.
New research shows adding dry colostrum replacer powder directly to moderate-quality colostrum can safely boost its immune value.
Buffers can often be an overlooked tool in dairy nutrition, yet they play a crucial role in maintaining rumen health, improving feed intake and helping cows cope with heat stress.
Frozen colostrum is a valuable tool for calf health, but to preserve its quality and immune benefits, dairy farms should use it within eight months, store it in non-frost-free freezers and label it clearly.
Whether conventional or high oleic, roasting soybeans makes them more palatable to cows, boosts bypass protein levels, and prevents rancidity.
Mycotoxins pose a hidden threat in dairy feed, but understanding what triggers contamination and taking early action can help protect herd health and performance.
As temperatures rise and cows begin to feel the effects of heat stress, nutritional strategies become key to maintaining intake, metabolism and productivity.
If you’re looking for a dairy forage that’s highly versatile, reliable, and digestible, pearl millet might be the crop for you.
Eight graduate students competed in the 3rd Annual Three Minute Thesis and poster competition at the Four State Dairy Conference, where Iowa State’s Shedrack Omale took top honors for research on methane-reducing seaweed in dairy diets
Practicing good “silage hygiene” helps ensure a quality product that does not contain mold, mycotoxins, or other potentially damaging pathogens that can jeopardize silage quality, feed value, and even animal safety.
Feeding liquid whey is a sustainable way to recycle nutrients, support production, and potentially earn carbon credits—all in one package.
Cattle rely heavily on their sense of smell, and understanding their odor preferences could help improve handling, health, and overall management.
Making silage out of soybeans is highly possible, and may be a growing trend in homegrown dairy forage production.
Protecting your hay’s quality and value doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be monitored.
There’s an innovative new way to potentially monitor the digestive activity, environmental impact, and health of dairy cows – and it’s as simple as breathing.
Protecting the future performance of the herd starts with cooling the cows who are carrying it.
What a cow eats and how she’s cared for before calving can shape her calf’s health, resilience and productivity for years to come.
Cattle are naturally foragers, but not everything they consume is naturally good for them.
Human nutrition increasingly embraces fermentation as a natural and non-medicated means of promoting digestive health and supporting the gut microbiome. Now, some dairies are doing the same, by feeding kefir to their calves.
Once the darling of dairy nutrition, BMR corn hybrids have fallen partially out of favor thanks to yield drag compared to conventional hybrids.
The dairy of the future doesn’t have to be flashy—it just needs to be efficient, sustainable, and built around cows, labor, and market access, says Pennsylvania farmer Steve Harnish.
The global feed survey data estimates world feed production increased in 2024 by 1.2% to 1.396 billion metric tons. What does this mean for the year ahead?
More colostrum would be welcome on virtually every dairy farm, especially if it also had higher quality. A team of Cornell University researchers explored whether a dose of oxytocin could help fresh cows deliver either, or both.
A crop that was initially developed for the human food market is now being served up in heaping portions to the humble dairy cow.
Can pasteurized whole milk be enhanced with added milk replacer powder? If so, is it possible to add too much of a good thing?