Dairy Nutrition
If you’re looking for a dairy forage that’s highly versatile, reliable, and digestible, pearl millet might be the crop for you.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Can pasteurized whole milk be enhanced with added milk replacer powder? If so, is it possible to add too much of a good thing?
Feeding dairy-beef cross steers a low-starch, forage-based diet early in life may be the secret to fewer liver abscesses, healthier rumens, and heavier carcasses without sacrificing performance.
What happens inside a cow’s udder when nutrition takes a hit? A new study reveals how quickly the mammary gland adapts—and what it means for milk production.
From the moment a calf is born, its journey to becoming a productive member of the herd begins.
Fernanda Ferreira, director, agriculture methane at Clean Air Task Force, is the featured speaker. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians may earn one Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) credit for attending.
Cold, snow, wind, and more – winter in the northern climates brings extra challenges for dairies and their animals.
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.
Bovaer is a powdered feed supplement that blocks an enzyme involved in methane formation reducing the amount of methane emitted by each animal.
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.
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?
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?
Modern Holstein cows have an average gestation length of around 276 days, several days shorter than current references typically suggest.
Rumen-protected choline has been shown to produce a host of benefits for transition cows, from improved liver function to better immunity and higher milk production. New research shows it can help build better calves, too.
With feed inputs representing the #1 expense for most dairy operations, and little relief in sight in terms of feed prices, efficient utilization of feedstuffs is a dairy sustainability imperative.
The FDA has given its stamp of approval to Elanco’s Bovaer®, a first-in-class methane-reducing feed ingredient.
If you want healthier cows that eat more and produce more milk, there’s a fairly simple trick to help – make sure they have access to clean water.
What happens to the rumen during the dry period? It takes a rest, too. But what happens to it when an animal calves?
The goal of formulating milk replacer is to as closely as possible duplicate – and even improve upon – whole milk. A team of researchers is exploring how to do that based on fat source choices and fatty acids.
Liver abscesses remain a singular, dark cloud over the otherwise sunny segment of dairy-beef-cross cattle. Several entities are performing research to try to solve this frustrating industry obstacle.