Feed accounts for more than 50 percent of the costs of milk production. There are numerous causes associated with feed shrinkage on a dairy. There can be losses of feed weight related to harvesting, delivery, storage, handling, mixing and delivering.

Most dairy nutritionists report that they balance the amino acid levels in their dairy rations to bolster income over feed cost (IOFC). Typically, this includes the use of supplemental methionine and lysine, the first two limiting amino acids. They are limiting because, when in short supply, they can limit herd performance. Supplementation is required as they do not naturally occur in high enough levels in feedstuffs to meet dairy cow needs.

Many dairy farmers have had times when the cows back off on feed consumption for no apparent reason and milk production drops. Then just as mysteriously, everything returns to normal. The conception rate may drop for a month – and it too then returns to normal.

Poor air quality, holes in the ozone layer and “the greenhouse effect” have been increasing environmental concerns for some time. Recently, this has led to greater interest in the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from dairy-related sources, especially silage. In this article, we will define VOCs and how good management may reduce the impact.

No one really knows the origin of the term “jack of all trades.” But I am convinced that the term must have been coined to describe a farmer. Farmers, by far, have the broadest knowledge base, dabbling in almost every science from architecture to zoology. This is why I am surprised at the aversion displayed by farmers across the country when it comes to evaluation of different strains of fermentation bacteria.