Over the last 50 years, we have seen a decline in the nutrient content of our crops; today’s crops have less protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals compared to those of our grandparents.

This subject may sound ludicrous, yet there is a real and present meaning to the attention-grabbing phrase. The term “anti-nutrition” has been used periodically within animal nutrition conversation but more recently in on-farm support calls and while troubleshooting with consultants to discuss nutrition measures that relate to challenges in animal health and performance.

As the cost to feed cows continues to climb, and as environmental concerns continue to mount over nutrient pollution coming from dairy farms, much more attention is being directed toward researching and defining the proper amino acid balance for both milk cow growth and health as well as maximum milk production and optimal milk components.

Transition management directly impacts milk production and the bottom line. Poor transition periods can result in the loss of 10 to 20 pounds of peak milk per cow per day.

Dry matter (DM) is what remains when water (moisture) is removed from a feed. In the example corn silage report (Table 1), you’ll see DM is listed at 35.9 percent. (For simplicity, we’ll round to 36 percent DM.) Another way to think about the concept of DM is: For every 100 pounds of this corn silage that is fed, 64 pounds of it is water.

Rumen micro-organisms require trace minerals for proper function. However, most research has shown micro-organism requirements for copper, manganese and zinc are minor and much lower than those typically provided by ruminant diets.

Many dairy production operations have achieved very high performance levels, and change of any type can have a significant impact on milk production. Dairy cows perform at their highest levels of production when everything is consistent.

To optimize the growth and production of animals, we have long realized good nutrition is key. Trace mineral supplementation has been simplified to strictly meeting the parts-per-million requirements set out in the nutrient requirement tables, with little attention given to the form in which the mineral is provided.

Are we lucky or what? We raise dairy cattle. Usually, we are very busy with daily chores and don’t have much time to contemplate the larger world of mammalian physiology, but we might stop for a moment and consider this: These animals are ruminants, and we are indeed lucky to raise a creature ideally designed to harvest sunlight.

The incorporation of commercial rumen-protected amino acids in dairy diets has been growing since the early 2000s.