It is a sea otter delicacy. I guess they like a salad as much as the next carnivore (yes, their main diet is sea urchins and crabs). But, what attraction does red seaweed, Asparagopsis taxiformis, have for humans and, more particularly, for beef and dairy cattle, you may ask?

Early in my career, I had a feed store manager tell me, “Only the rich can afford cheap feed.” While he was partially correct, feeding dairy cows does allow us the opportunity to feed a variety of byproducts, based upon their nutrient value. There are a variety of software options that can describe the relative value of byproducts compared to more traditional feedstuffs, such as alfalfa hay, corn silage, corn and soybean meal.

Feed mixing and delivery is one of the most important activities on the dairy. Mixing and feeding a total mixed ration (TMR) is a multiple-times-per-day activity. Doing this job accurately and consistently time and time again, batch after batch and day after day is critical to production (volume and components), animal health and overall farm economics.

Feeding dairy cows is as much an art as it is a science, and there are several obstacles that can pose challenges to a successful feeding program. One of these challenges is the consistency of the feeds at our disposal.