1. Develop a plan Develop a plan for using homegrown forages and determine whether you need to purchase other forages.

As either a dairy producer or a nutritionist, your goal is to keep the ration composition constant to maintain the rumen environment for better dairy cow health and performance.

Since other feedstuffs are typically priced to reflect the corn and soybean market, the cost of almost all feed ingredients has increased. Since feed is the largest single cost in producing milk, most producers review their feeding program to see if there are ways to reduce these costs. Any changes made to rations should only occur after a thorough review of the feeding program and must take into account the impact a change could have on other aspects of the overall operation.