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

The increased concern of modern societies on the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has led regulatory institutions to minimize the number of antibiotics that can be used in food-producing animals for therapeutic and preventive treatment of infectious diseases.

The management of the transition dairy cow is often one of the more challenging times during the entire lactation cycle. If not properly managed, this phase can either set the cow up for success throughout the rest of the lactation cycle, or it could result in challenges in sustaining her genetic potential for production levels – especially in the latter phases of the lactation cycle.

For Kevin Souza, the importance of proper calf nutrition has been his biggest lesson in calf care in the past 18 years he’s spent as the managing partner at Victory Farms in Millbank, South Dakota.

Growing high-yielding, high-quality corn is half the challenge of successful silage production. The other half is timing harvest so that forage ferments, ensiles and is preserved for later feedout.

Cow comfort measures, such as misters and fans, can be effective steps to help protect dairy cows from heat stress. Producers, however, should not overlook the importance of feed management and nutritional strategies to help offset the effects of heat stress not only on milk production, but also cow health.

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series. In the world of dairy nutrition, with sophisticated models, curvilinear optimization and five-plus decimal accuracy, one of the greatest problems we face is delivering starch to the lactating cow with precision.