When summer winds down and temperatures begin to improve, dairy producers can tend to forget about the lag in fertility experienced as a result of heat stress.

Over the past decade, the dairy industry has undergone an unprecedented shift in the manner in which the underlying genetics are managed for improved productivity and health of dairy cattle. Few individuals (experts or otherwise) saw this sea change coming.

Dairy producers’ commitment to providing consumers with great-tasting, nutritious and high-quality milk and dairy products has never been more solid. But today’s consumers are increasingly removed from agriculture, and dairy checkoff-funded research confirms that consumers want to know more about the products they buy and how they are produced.

The old adage “knowledge is power” certainly rings true when it comes to cow health. Entire management protocols and systems are designed around the quest to identify cows that are feeling subpar, perform needed interventions and quickly get them back on track.

Three brothers, Dean, Greg and Randy Smith, farm together at D&D Dairy in Rushford, Minnesota. The 1,000-cow dairy began adopting precision dairy technologies in April 2011 and now considers them to be valuable tools to the operation.

The precision dairy farming field of technologies is booming with new innovations. With many options to choose from, it can be difficult to know which technologies are useful and how the investment can be justified.

In mid-August, we held a teaching seminar for our software users in Denver, Colorado. This session was focused on the more experienced nutritionist, one familiar with the AMTS program and comfortable with the model and biology behind it.

Anyone who has taken a managerial economics class knows all about using profit maximization models to determine the investment and output levels that return the greatest profit. A profit maximization model for dairy rations requires an algorithm using a production function between net energy intake and milk production. This function increases at a decreasing rate.

“What are the cows telling you?” This is the first question consultants often ask after a major ration change. This might be the inclusion of a new commodity, changing forages, new high-moisture corn or the addition of a new additive.