Cows are designed to use forage. It keeps them productive and healthy. Forage quality sets the limits for how much forage we can feed and the ceiling on how well animals can perform. We include as much in rations as we can while making sure nutrient requirements are met and cows are healthy.

Alfalfa is an excellent source of fiber and an energy-rich, high-quality protein source, making it a staple ingredient in most dairy cow diets.

We all know the drill (pun intended). You’re in a mad dash to get something fixed and back on-line. All you need is to drill one hole and run a bolt through it to hold whatever in place, and you are finished.

Lactobacillus this … Pediococcus that … Enterococcus another thing … Sounds to me like a repeat of the old Abbott and Costello baseball routine, “Who’s On First?” Remember, “Who’s on first? What’s on second? I don’t know … third base.”

Recently, I re-read the gospels and marveled at the wonderful miracles Jesus performed in His ministry on the earth. I also marveled at the blindness of the scribes and Pharisees, who took no notice of His great miracles but chose to focus on His indifference to their laws and tried to trap Him into what we would call a “gotcha” question.

GE, DE, ME, NEL, NEm, NEg There are a number of key dairy nutrition terms – like gross energy, digestible energy, metabolizable energy and more

Trace minerals are those minerals required by dairy cattle and youngstock in very small amounts – usually at the milligram level per day. The occurrence of trace minerals in forages is largely dependent on the amount of those minerals found in the soil in which the forage is grown.

When low milk prices or high ingredient prices occur, dairy producers look to save money any way they can. Feeding more homegrown forage and fewer purchased ingredients is an available option.

“Inspire” was the theme for the 24th annual Professional Dairy Producers Business Conference, which fulfilled its purpose of motivating and exciting more than 1,600 dairy producers and industry partners, March 16-17 in Madison, Wisconsin.