Dairy Nutrition
Total hay production in 2024 was up 3.3 percent year over year and combined with May 1 hay stocks up 46.6 percent over 2023 levels. Total hay supply by 7.9 percent compared to year earlier levels.
Dairy nutrition has moved beyond just inorganic versus organic trace minerals.
Cold, snow, wind, and more – winter in the northern climates brings extra challenges for dairies and their animals.
Tracking rumination during the dry and transition periods helps producers identify at-risk cows early and implement preventive measures for better health and productivity.
If you’re thinking about installing an autofeeder system in your calf program, you’re headed into a fairly momentous management shift. Dr. Melissa Cantor, Assistant Professor in Precision Dairy Science at Penn State University, shares advice on smoothing the transition.
If a dairy cow had a central “mission control” in her body, it would be the rumen and the complex system of microorganisms that reside within it.
The 2024 World Forage Analysis Superbowl marked the 40th anniversary of the contest rewarding the quest to produce quality forages
Nutritionists and researchers from as early as the 1950s have been investigating isoacids in dairy nutrition. Now, decades later, their potential role in boosting rumen function, dairy cow productivity, and even environmental sustainability is being visited with renewed interest.
As the world rapidly changes, so too does the landscape of the global dairy industry. While excitement abounds, Mary Ledman, a Global Dairy Strategist for Rabobank, emphasizes the importance of understanding the underlying drivers of market demand
Calves need water year-around, including winter. Research evidence suggests 100°F should be the target temperature for calves’ water, matching their body and rumen temperature.
The global food paradox involves reimagining our production methods, leveraging trade more strategically and prioritizing sustainable practices. By doing so, we have the potential not only to feed the growing global population but to do so in a way that sustains our planet for generations to come.
It has been widely observed by dairy producers and nutritionists that reduced production responses – in terms of milk yield, components, or both -- are almost a given when soybean meal is swapped out for DDGS.
The essential oil from oregano is proving beneficial for calf diets. Two studies have shown it to have positive impacts on calf health and performance as an alternative to antibiotics.
Could increasing colostrum volume delivery help calves better navigate cold stress? Brazilian researcher Carla Bittar shares her insights on adjusting colostrum dosage for winter-born calves.
The end of summer means more than cooler nights, changing leaves, and football Fridays. It also brings with it a downward shift in colostrum production on dairy farms.
A dairy cow’s #1 job is to produce milk, and she needs a lot of water to do that. But two studies recently published in the Journal of Dairy Science show that water access and consumption is not an equal-opportunity proposition for cows.
When it comes to forage and cover crops, winter rye offers rock-star versatility that makes it easy to love.
Harvesting and storing high-moisture corn can help producers get a jump on harvest; avoid drying costs; and put up a highly palatable, digestible, nutritious feedstuff.
Warm milk is necessary to maintain calves body temperatures and conserve energy.
Weeds can reduce the quantity and the stand life of desirable forage plants in pastures and hayfields.
When you see steam rolling off of silage at load-out, is it reason to panic, or just another day? According to the silage experts at Novonesis, it could be either.
Non-salable milk from antibiotic-treated cows – sometimes accompanied by pasteurization – has been a calf dietary staple on dairy farms for decades. But how do those traces of antibiotics influence the digestive microflora of the calves that consume them?
Beef and dairy producers throughout Idaho may soon be receiving steamflaked corn and calf grains from a newly expanded feed facility in the state.
Silage samples with high ammonia (or soluble protein) consistently contain lower amino acid levels. Could subpar silage fermentation be causing this?
Cows that milk the same amount or more, while eating less feed than their counterparts, are both desirable and profitable. So, is there a way to “make” such cows?
Move over, lactating ration. With its myriad of nutrition benefits and relative affordability, cottonseed makes great heifer feed, too.
Could triticale silage replace corn silage in lactating rations without sacrificing dietary energy and starch? The answer might surprise you.
Three options for farm plastic recycling include...
Vitamin D is critical for maintenance of calcium homeostasis, but also conditions like hypocalcemia (milk fever) in fresh cows.
Modern Holstein cows have an average gestation length of around 276 days, several days shorter than current references typically suggest.