Cows are creatures of habit. They expect to get milked and fed at the same time every day, to have the same amount of time to rest and remain in the same pens with the same cows. This consistency in their day-to-day lives is critical for peak performance.

Lactating dairy cows are high-performance animals and, as such, they require a tremendous amount of nutrients. These nutrients are required to support basic life functions, known as maintenance, as well as the production of milk. These basic life functions or maintenance include maintaining a cow’s body temperature, physical activity, and nutrients needed for essential metabolic processes used within cells and tissues.

If a little is good, then more must be better, right? Not always, and especially not when it comes to feeding your animals. This article describes a basic concept of feed management, and why you might want to take a closer look at the practice on your dairy. Overfeeding nutrients results in higher feed costs and potentially negative consequences for your animals and the environment.

The dry period is as important to the life of a cow as any period during lactation. Proper management and nutrition while dry is crucial for obtaining maximum milk production in the following lactation. The transition from lactating to dry and dry to lactating is marked by significant physical and metabolic stresses.

Minerals comprise a small percentage of the diet, but can have huge consequences if supplements are removed or are supplied at inadequate levels in the ration. The major minerals, macrominerals, required by the cow include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chlorine and sulfur. Microminerals, minerals required in smaller quantities, include iodine, iron, cobalt, copper, manganese, zinc and selenium.

Since feed accounts for approximately one-half of the total cost of producing milk, and high-quality forage optimizes the productivity of animals, increasing the quality of forage available is one of the best methods of improving overall feeding efficiency.

Alfalfa is an important forage for dairy cows because it provides fiber that effectively stimulates chewing while also providing energy and protein for milk production.

The winter hiatus between silage seasons allows time to review some of the more important management factors that can make the difference between producing top-quality forage and just having something that is “belly fill.”

Too much rain, too cool, too dry, too hot. There are some operating factors that dairy producers just can’t control.

Can you imagine three different feeders mixing up your dairy’s ration four or five times per day and getting it exactly right every time?