Dairy Nutrition
Driven by a dual need to enhance sustainability and optimize farm profit, understanding feed efficiency is becoming essential for modern dairy farmers. But what exactly is feed efficiency, how can it be influenced, and should it be a measure used on your farm?
For decades, researchers have explored the influence of dam nutrition on offspring performance. Now, the dairy industry is taking a page from that book, exploring the intricacies of how and what we feed to dairy dams to improve the health and productivity of their calves, without sacrificing theirs.
The Budweiser plant in Columbus, Ohio, has an additional demographic — 600 Holstein cows
To better understand this fatal intestinal disease that could be impacting your herd, don’t make assumptions. Learn what the true cause is behind the death of any cow and then manage the symptoms from there.
When it comes to nutrition, we certainly aren’t in Kansas anymore.
Focusing on the fundamentals of feedbunk practices is often all it takes to support healthier, more productive cows.
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.
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.
Colostrum supplies can often drop as temperatures cool and days shorten, but smart planning and management can help you beat the seasonal slump.
New research shows adding dry colostrum replacer powder directly to moderate-quality colostrum can safely boost its immune value.
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.
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.