Editor’s note: Balchem Corporation sponsored a post-conference seminar focusing on milk protein production, following the 2015 Penn State Extension Dairy Cattle Nutrition Workshop held recently in Grantville, Pennsylvania. The seminar covered a three-pronged approach to milk protein: feeding, breeding and economics. This article is the first in a series covering the seminar. The second in the series "Breeding for milk protein"

Editor’s note: This is the first part of a three-part series. To read the second part of this three-part series, go to (Corn silage, feeding management and economic effects). When discussing dairy cow diets, corn silage is widely considered the more consistent forage compared to alfalfa or grass silages.

Sorghum is making a resurgence in both the grain and forage markets. Farmers have begun switching acres away from corn to sorghum this year because it costs less to produce, pays more at current prices and is competitive in nutritional quality for feeding purposes.

Dairy nutritionists have three options available for feed fat analysis: total lipid analysis (sometimes referred to as ether extract), acid-ether extract and fatty acids. Each differ in cost and the information they provide. Generally speaking, a total lipid or ether extract analysis is most economical.

How important is it to feed rations formulated with an accurate physically effective fiber (peNDF) value? Can we formulate and feed rations using “book” library values for peNDF?

Alfalfa and corn silage are the most widely used forages for dairy cattle in the Midwest, while grasses and pasture are used more in beef cattle diets. Alfalfa became the forage of choice in dairy cow diets because it was higher in crude protein compared to grass and thus would lower purchased protein costs.

High-quality corn silage contributes greatly to supplying the energy and fiber needs of high-producing dairy cows, reducing purchased feed costs from grain and byproduct supplements and generating milk revenues for dairy producers.

High-quality forage makes more milk and milk components, boosts longevity and increases income over feed cost. The well-established relationship between forage digestibility and dairy cow performance is that each 1 percentage-unit increase in NDF digestibility translates into 0.39 pounds per day more dry matter intake and 0.55 pounds per day more 4 percent fat-corrected milk.

With every passing day as we work to understand the nutrition, physiology and genetic potential of the dairy cow, we grow closer to formulating and implementing more precise diets.

Dave Jauquet farms with his wife, Stacy, 10 full-time employees and two part-time employees at Jauquet Dairy LLC in Luxemburg, Wisconsin. They milk 535 cows three times a day, with fresh cows milked six times a day. The herd averages slightly more than 31,000 pounds of milk with 3.75 fat and 3.15 protein.